School Profile · Bakersfield
Paul L. Cato Middle: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.
Paul L. Cato posts 42% meeting the standard against 40% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.
4115 Vineland Road, 93306·Bakersfield City·Bakersfield·Grades 6-8·694 students·54% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 631-5245·Website
Scope Score
46
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #556 statewide · #2 of 7 in Bakersfield City
Paul L. Cato Middle scores 46 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 68th percentile of 1,714 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “42% proficient” and call it done. Paul L. Cato deserves a closer read. The school sits in Bakersfield, where more than half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The story this school is actually telling
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
18%
35%
47%
Grade 6 · 53% proficient
17%
29%
54%
Grade 7 · 46% proficient
17%
32%
51%
Grade 8 · 49% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding holds steady across grades; the floor slips 3.7pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
16.6%
State 17.3%
0.7pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
41.8%
State 39.5%
2.2pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-7.2pp
State +0.8pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
11.3%
State 19.1%
7.8pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.9%
State 4.2%
2.3pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
16.3%
State 17.7%
1.4pp 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.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
Middle
Paul L. Cato Middle
46/100
This school
▼
High School
No feeder data available for this level
Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 36
Shirley Lane Elementary
Fairfax Elementary · 2.5 mi
Developing
42/100
Zephyr Lane Elementary
Fairfax Elementary · 2.8 mi
Developing
34/100
Crescent Elementary
Greenfield Union · 2.4 mi
Developing
31/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Heritage Christian Schools
Bernard St · Lutheran (Missouri Synod) · Grades Pre-K-8 · 221 students
16:1Private6.3 mi
Bakersfield Adventist Academy
Bernard St · Pentecostal · Grades Pre-K-12 · 128 students
13:1Private6 mi
Bethel Christian
E California Ave · Amish · Grades Pre-K-12 · 41 students
8:1Private5.2 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic71.6%
White19.3%
Asian1.9%
Black2.6%
Other4.6%
GenderFemale 49.7%Male 50.3%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
694
166 below CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
54%
10pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
23:1
2 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$20,033
District avg: $15,168 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
16.3% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$59,232 – $118,012
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Paul L. Cato Middle in Bakersfield, 38.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Paul L. Cato Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (24.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (44.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 49.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 406 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+9.9pp
21.2% vs 11.3% overall · n=99
ELA · English Learner−49.5pp
0.0% vs 49.5% overall · n=17
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−17.5pp
0.0% vs 17.5% overall · n=17
Math · English Learner−27.8pp
5.9% vs 33.6% overall · n=17
Math Exceeded · English Learner−15.5pp
0.0% vs 15.5% overall · n=17
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income409 tested
ELA 38.4%·Math 24.9%· +12.9pp vs district
Hispanic489 tested
ELA 44.7%·Math 26.8%· +17.2pp vs district
White128 tested
ELA 59.8%·Math 50.0%· +18.8pp 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.
Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 7.3pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -2.2pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$70K
$15K below CA median
Median Home Value
$321K
$338K below CA median
Bachelor's+
18%
17pp below 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
12.7 years avg experience
33 teachers · 12% first-year · 6% second-year
Teacher Credentials
74% fully credentialed
5.2% on intern/emergency permit
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 nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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%
16.6%
↓ vs CA 17.3% · 49th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
41.8%
↑ vs CA 39.5% · 52th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-7.2pp
↓ vs CA +0.8pp · 55th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
11.3%
↑ vs CA 19.1% · 61th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.9%
↑ vs CA 4.2% · 59th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
16.3%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 71th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 151 | 18% | 35% | 16% | 31% | 53% | +6 |
| Grade 7 | 253 | 17% | 29% | 27% | 26% | 47% | −1 |
| Grade 8 | 268 | 17% | 32% | 29% | 21% | 49% | +3 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 151 | 19% | 21% | 25% | 36% | 40% | +5 |
| Grade 7 | 256 | 15% | 18% | 26% | 41% | 33% | −1 |
| Grade 8 | 271 | 13% | 16% | 31% | 40% | 29% | −3 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 269 | 7% | 23% | 61% | 9% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 406 | 38.4% | +13 | +0 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 485 | 44.7% | +17 | +6 |
| White | 127 | 59.8% | +19 | −2 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul L. Cato Middle ← | — | 46 | 16.6% | 41.8% | −7.2 | 1.9% |
| Edison Middle | 2.3 mi | 25 | 3.3% | 16.7% | −2.4 | 3.2% |
| California average | — | 40 | 17.3% | 39.5% | +0.8 | 4.2% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #673 → #899 → #521 → #604 → #556
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,714 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Paul L. Cato Middle a good middle school?
Paul L. Cato Middle has a Scope Score of 46 out of 100, placing it in the 68th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #556 statewide. 16.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near the California average of 17.3%. 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 Paul L. Cato Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 41.8% of students at Paul L. Cato Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 16.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 25.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 16.6% 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. 1,350 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Paul L. Cato Middle rank in California?
Paul L. Cato Middle ranks #556 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 68th 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 Paul L. Cato Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Paul L. Cato Middle decreases by 7.2 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. 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 Paul L. Cato Middle?
11.3% of students at Paul L. Cato Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 1.9%, 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 Paul L. Cato Middle compare to other schools in Bakersfield?
Paul L. Cato Middle scores 46/100 (68th 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 694 students. Use the schools in Bakersfield page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Paul L. Cato Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Paul L. Cato Middle in Bakersfield, 38.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Paul L. Cato Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (24.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (44.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 49.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 406 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.