How does Philip Magruder Middle compare to other middle schools in Torrance?

Philip Magruder Middle has a SchoolScope composite score of 49.9/100, placing it at the 72nd percentile statewide. 24% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,246 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Philip Magruder Middle?

23.9% of students at Philip Magruder Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 49.0% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Philip Magruder Middle improving or declining?

Philip Magruder Middle's proficiency rate decreases by 1.2 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is not sustaining early academic gains.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Philip Magruder Middle?

13.5% of students at Philip Magruder Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

Philip Magruder Middle

Middle School

Torrance Unified TorranceLos Angeles County90504

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of middle schools

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

School overview

Enrollment

610 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

23:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

54%

Teachers

26 full-time

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Maintained

0.0 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased

+3.2 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

29.3%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 82 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic51.6%

White12.0%

Asian16.9%

Black7.9%

Other11.6%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Philip Magruder Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	23.9%
Met Standard	25.1%
Below Standard	51.0%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "49% proficient" for Philip Magruder Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

23.9% of students exceeded standard while 25.1% merely met it. That exceeded rate is 6.6 points above the state average of 17.3%. That's 12.9 points below the Torrance Unified district average of 36.8%. The 9 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 33.4% exceeded — 9.5 points higher. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Proficiency drops by 1.2 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance maintained and Math increased year-over-year. 29.3% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 13.5%, better than the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

23.9%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

49.0%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

-1.2pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

13.5%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

2.2%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,246

Across all grades & subjects

Grade trajectory

ELA Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

Math Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	200	25.5%	28.5%	17.0%	29.0%	54.0%
7th	212	18.9%	31.6%	28.3%	21.2%	50.5%
8th	209	19.1%	36.4%	28.7%	15.8%	55.5%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	201	27.9%	19.4%	19.9%	32.8%	47.3%
7th	212	24.5%	18.9%	23.6%	33.0%	43.4%
8th	212	27.4%	16.0%	25.9%	30.7%	43.4%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Evelyn Carr Elementary

Zoned

Zoned

Zoned

▼

Middle

Philip Magruder Middle

49.972nd pctile

This school

▼

High School

North High

69.590th pctile

Zoned

Feeder patterns derived from 2015-16 NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries may have changed. Contact your school district for current information.