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School Profile · Arcata

Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy posts 59% meeting the standard; 25.9% push past it. Steady is worth something — and the gap between those two numbers is the thing to ask about.

285 Bayside Road, 95521 (opens in new tab)·Humboldt County Office of Education·Arcata·Grades 6-12·118 students·33% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(707) 822-0861·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
55
🚀 Growth Engine · Solid
ranked #412 statewide

Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy scores 55 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 82nd percentile of 2,238 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “59% proficient” and call it done. Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Arcata, where one in three students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 4.3% chronic absenteeism — versus 18.5% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.

As a charter, Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

20%
27%
53%
Grade 6 · 47% proficient
42%
38%
20%
Grade 7 · 80% proficient
27%
45%
28%
Grade 8 · 72% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 7.3pp across grades; the floor rises 26.1pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
25.9%
State 16.8%
9.1pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
59.1%
State 39.3%
19.8pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+18.1pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
4.3%
State 18.5%
14.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.7%
State 3.7%
2.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Glen Paul
No score
→
Middle
Northcoast Preparatory an…
55
This school
→
High
Arcata Educational Resour…
No score

Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Your other options

All schools in Arcata →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic5.9%
White68.6%
Asian3.4%
Other22.0%
GenderFemale 59.3%Male 39.8%Non-binary 0.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 33.0% (31pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
118
1,082 below CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
TK status unconfirmed
No TK enrollment is on file with the state for this school — that isn't the same as “no TK.” Confirm directly with the district.
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$135,045
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$51,382 – $86,229
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy in Arcata, 82.4% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 8.3% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy outperforms its district average for white students by 74.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (64.7% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 34 students tested.
Subgroup Proficiency
White34 tested
ELA 82.4%·Math 64.7%· +74.0pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 35%Support 64%Other 1%

Source: NCES F-33 (2018–2019) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$53K
$32K below CA median
Median Home Value
$501K
$158K below CA median
Bachelor's+
46%
11pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
8.3 years avg experience
13 teachers · 23% first-year · 15% second-year
Teacher Credentials
61% fully credentialed

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
25.9%
↑ vs CA 16.8% · 60th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
59.1%
↑ vs CA 39.3% · 66th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+18.1pp
↑ vs CA +1.5pp · 46th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
4.3%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 70th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.7%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 62th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 61520%27%33%20%47%+0
Grade 72442%38%17%4%79%+31
Grade 82227%45%23%5%73%+27
Grade 111573%27%0%0%100%+53
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 61619%19%38%25%38%+2
Grade 72433%38%25%4%71%+37
Grade 82114%33%29%24%48%+15
Grade 111625%25%19%31%50%+27
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/114120%54%22%5%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
White3482.4%+74+21
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy ←—5525.9%59.1%+18.10.7%
Sunny Brae Middle0.6 mi3316.5%39.5%+3.618.5%
California average—4016.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
54%55%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #478 → #448 → #396 → #267 → #412
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as a middle school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
How to get into a charter school in LA →

Frequently asked questions

Is Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy a good middle school?
Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy has a Scope Score of 55 out of 100, placing it in the 82nd percentile of California middle schools and ranked #412 statewide. 25.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.1 percentage points above the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 59.1% of students at Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 25.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 33.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 25.9% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 122 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy rank in California?
Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy ranks #412 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 82nd percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy increases by 18.1 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the middle Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy?
4.3% of students at Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 0.7%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy compare to other schools in Arcata?
Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy scores 55/100 (82nd percentile) among California middle schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 118 students. Use the schools in Arcata page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy in Arcata, 82.4% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 8.3% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy outperforms its district average for white students by 74.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (64.7% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 34 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.
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