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Pivot Charter School North Valley II · Chico

Pivot Charter School North Valley II: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Pivot Charter School North Valley II posts low test scores — and suspensions run below the state rate (2.4% vs 3.7%). If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

1350 East Ninth Street, Suite 150, 95928 (opens in new tab)·Chico Unified·Chico·Grades 6-12·105 students·66% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 636-4479·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope2743
% Exceeded5%17%
% Met+27%39%
Growth+1.5
Absence34.1%18.5%
Suspension2.4%3.7%
Scope Score
27
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,897 statewide · #9 of 11 in Chico Unified

Pivot Charter School North Valley II scores 27 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 15th 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 →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

Most rating sites would stop at “27% proficient” and call it done. Pivot Charter School North Valley II deserves a closer read. The school sits in Chico, where three 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.

As a charter, Pivot Charter School North Valley II enrolls by application rather than address. That changes how you get in, but it doesn't change the score.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,238 middle schools statewide

Has stayed near the 15th percentile since 2019.

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 27% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 836%32%50%
Grade 1150%67%31%36%43%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 818%11%14%
Grade 1114%13%13%18%3%

The 4 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
4.5%
State 16.8%
12.3pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
27.3%
State 39.3%
12.0pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
34.1%
State 18.5%
15.6pp above state avg
Suspension rate
2.4%
State 3.7%
1.3pp 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.

  • Ask how the school follows up when a student starts missing days — chronic absence often starts outside the classroom, not inside it.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Pivot Charter School North Valley II in Chico, 40.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Pivot Charter School North Valley II trails its district average for low-income students by 2.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (4.0% Math proficient); White students (52.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 5.9 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 25 students tested.

All students at this school: 24% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 24%, district —, state 39%24%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 22%, district 36%, state 32%22% · −2 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 29%, district 57%, state 56%29% · +5 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 21%, district 47%, state 44%21% · −3 vs school
MaleMale: this school 29%, district 47%, state 42%29% · +5 vs school

7 of 12 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 34.1%, district 20.8%, state 18.5%34.1% · +15.6pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 2.4%, district —, state 3.7%2.4% · −1.3pp vs state

Where the path goes

Pivot Charter School North Valley II serves grades 6-12 — students can complete middle and high school here, without a separate middle-to-high transition.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 26:1, district 21:126:1
Teaching staff22 teachers
Avg. experience14.1 years
Fully credentialed51%
First-year teachers5%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$56,997 – $121,381
Principal salary$136,971 – $157,138
Superintendent salary$293,354

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $13,999, CA average $14,815$13,999 · district average
District current expense · FY 2024–25$17,653 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction62%
Instruction support9%
Student services13%
Administration6%
Buildings & maintenance10%
Other1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$13,999 per pupil
2019$12,801 per pupil
2018$13,350 per pupil
2017$10,215 per pupil
2016$10,157 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White42.9%
District 52.3% · CA 19.9%
Other28.6%
District 12.4% · CA 9.0%
Hispanic23.8%
District 28.8% · CA 56.1%
Asian3.8%
District 4.3% · CA 10.2%
Black0.9%
District 2.2% · CA 4.8%
GenderFemale 51.4%Male 46.7%Non-binary 1.9%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 65.7% (2pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$65K · CA $85K
Median home value$503K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+42% · CA 35%
ZIP population37,409
Median age34 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

At 105 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California middle school (≈860).

On the state's science test (CAST), 27% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pivot Charter School North Valley II a good middle school?

Pivot Charter School North Valley II has a Scope Score of 27 out of 100, placing it in the 15th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,897 statewide. 4.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 12.3 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 6-to-8 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Pivot Charter School North Valley II's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 27.3% of students at Pivot Charter School North Valley II met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 4.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 22.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 4.5% 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. 22 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Pivot Charter School North Valley II rank in California?

Pivot Charter School North Valley II ranks #1,897 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 15th 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.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Pivot Charter School North Valley II?

34.1% of students at Pivot Charter School North Valley II are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 2.4%. 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 Pivot Charter School North Valley II compare to other schools in Chico?

Pivot Charter School North Valley II scores 27/100 (15th 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 105 students. Use the schools in Chico page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.

How does Pivot Charter School North Valley II serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Pivot Charter School North Valley II in Chico, 40.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Pivot Charter School North Valley II trails its district average for low-income students by 2.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (4.0% Math proficient); White students (52.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 5.9 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 25 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.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

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


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 · 38%
4.5%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 36th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
27.3%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 40th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
34.1%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 28th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.4%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 55th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 64
Grade 7119%27%27%36%36%−11
Grade 88
Grade 11356%37%37%20%43%−4
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 64
Grade 7110%18%45%36%18%−16
Grade 88
Grade 11350%3%17%80%3%−20
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/115511%16%67%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
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged2540.0%−2+2
White2152.4%−12−9
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Pivot Charter School North Valley II ←274.5%27.3%2.4%
Marsh (Harry M.) Junior High1.4 mi5725.7%53.7%+10.37.7%
Bidwell Junior High1.9 mi4517.2%44.6%+3.01.2%
Chico Junior High1 mi4418.1%43.6%+7.19.9%
California average4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
2019229#18234.5%27.3%51.3%1.4%
20222826#160610.5%21.1%57.5%1.4%
20232919#17683.6%32.1%50.7%1.2%
20252715#18974.5%27.3%34.1%2.4%
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
What we can't show
  • — Growth data isn't available — the state needs matched grades across years to compute it.
  • — Scored here as a middle school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction