School Profile · Lancaster
Piute Middle: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Piute posts low test scores — and scores are climbing 1.6pp from grade 6 to grade 8. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.
425 East Avenue H-11, 93535·Lancaster Elementary·Lancaster·Grades 6-8·729 students·94% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 942-9508·Website
Scope Score
15
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,651 statewide · #6 of 8 in Lancaster Elementary
Piute Middle scores 15 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 4th 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 “10% proficient” and call it done. Piute deserves a closer read. The school sits in Lancaster, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.
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.
15%
84%
Grade 6 · 16% proficient
12%
87%
Grade 7 · 13% proficient
15%
83%
Grade 8 · 17% proficient
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
1.1%
State 17.3%
16.2pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
9.6%
State 39.5%
29.9pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+1.6pp
State +0.8pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
40.6%
State 19.1%
21.6pp above state avg
Suspension rate
11.9%
State 4.2%
7.7pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
12.4%
State 17.7%
5.3pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
Middle
Piute Middle
15/100
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 Middle Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 21
Fulton and Alsbury Academy of Arts and Engineering
Lancaster Elementary · 2.5 mi
Developing
47/100
New Vista Middle
Lancaster Elementary · 2.5 mi
Needs Support
13/100
RISE
Lancaster Elementary · 1.9 mi
Needs Support
3/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Empowered Church International/ Learning Academy
E Ave J · Nonsectarian · Grades Pre-K-6 · 25 students
10:1Private1.3 mi
Lancaster Baptist School
E Lancaster Blvd · Amish · Grades Pre-K-12 · 381 students
20:1Private3.9 mi
Grace Lutheran Christian School
W Newgrove St · Greek Orthodox · Grades Pre-K-8 · 124 students
13:1Private1.6 mi
Antelope Valley Adventist School
Fern Ave · Pentecostal · Grades Pre-K-8 · 61 students
15:1Private1.3 mi
Calvary Chapel Christian School
W Ave J · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-11 · 27 students
2:1Private2.7 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic63.6%
White4.7%
Asian0.6%
Black26.8%
Other4.4%
GenderFemale 47.3%Male 52.7%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
729
131 below CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
94%
30pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
18:1
3 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$25,157
District avg: $14,005 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
12.4% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$58,890 – $129,672
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Piute Middle in Lancaster, 15.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 22.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Piute Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 7.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (3.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (16.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 12.4 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 667 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Black+11.6pp
52.2% vs 40.6% overall · n=230
Suspension · Black+12.6pp
24.5% vs 11.9% overall · n=253
ELA · English Learner−12.4pp
2.9% vs 15.4% overall · n=103
1 more gap by subject
Math · English Learner−3.9pp
0.0% vs 3.9% overall · n=103
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income667 tested
ELA 15.1%·Math 3.8%· -7.5pp vs district
Hispanic451 tested
ELA 16.9%·Math 4.0%· -10.1pp vs district
Black188 tested
ELA 9.0%·Math 1.6%· -5.9pp 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 rises by 1.4pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +2.0pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$61K
$24K below CA median
Median Home Value
$300K
$359K below CA median
Bachelor's+
14%
21pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2022) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
11.7 years avg experience
45 teachers · 13% first-year · 16% second-year
Teacher Credentials
69% fully credentialed
8.2% 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%
1.1%
↓ vs CA 17.3% · 33th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
9.6%
↓ vs CA 39.5% · 27th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+1.6pp
↑ vs CA +0.8pp · 49th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
40.6%
↓ vs CA 19.1% · 19th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
11.9%
↓ vs CA 4.2% · 20th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
12.4%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 37th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 163 | 1% | 15% | 26% | 58% | 16% | −31 |
| Grade 7 | 272 | 1% | 12% | 25% | 62% | 13% | −34 |
| Grade 8 | 271 | 2% | 15% | 26% | 57% | 17% | −29 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 163 | 0% | 3% | 15% | 82% | 3% | −32 |
| Grade 7 | 270 | 1% | 2% | 16% | 81% | 3% | −31 |
| Grade 8 | 270 | 1% | 4% | 19% | 76% | 5% | −27 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 270 | 2% | 6% | 61% | 31% |
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 | 667 | 15.1% | −7 | −23 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 451 | 16.9% | −10 | −22 |
| Black/African American | 188 | 9.0% | −6 | −24 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piute Middle ← | — | 15 | 1.1% | 9.6% | +1.6 | 11.9% |
| Fulton and Alsbury Academy of Arts and Engineering | 2.5 mi | 47 | 19.6% | 47.6% | +13.3 | 1.5% |
| New Vista Middle | 2.5 mi | 13 | 1.8% | 10.1% | +0.8 | 11.7% |
| RISE | 1.9 mi | 3 | 0.0% | 0.0% | — | 19.4% |
| 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 #1492 → #1543 → #1646 → #1668 → #1651
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 23 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,714 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is Piute Middle a good middle school?
Piute Middle has a Scope Score of 15 out of 100, placing it in the 4th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,651 statewide. 1.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 16.2 percentage points below 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 Piute Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 9.6% of students at Piute Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 1.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 8.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 1.1% 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. 1,409 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Piute Middle rank in California?
Piute Middle ranks #1,651 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 4th 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 Piute Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Piute Middle increases by 1.6 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 Piute Middle?
40.6% of students at Piute Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 11.9%. 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 Piute Middle compare to other schools in Lancaster?
Piute Middle scores 15/100 (4th 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 729 students. Use the schools in Lancaster page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Piute Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Piute Middle in Lancaster, 15.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 22.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Piute Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 7.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (3.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (16.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 12.4 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 667 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.