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Charter middle school

Pivot Charter School - San Diego II

San Marcos, CA · Grades K-12 · 90 students · San Marcos Unified

This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

Explore the evidence alongside the opportunities your child would use.

SchoolScope archetype

Building Momentum

What this means for your family

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.

How archetypes are assigned →

Math

Grades 6 & 8 · Proficient or Advanced

English

Grades 6 & 8 · Proficient or Advanced

Students

90

Total enrollment

Chronic absence

22%

Students absent 10% or more of school days

What are you trying to decide?

The overall score is a starting point.

Look at subject results, trends and student groups, then consider the opportunities your child would use.

View school performance →

Academic performance

What do the results tell us?

2025 results · Grades 6 & 8 · weighted by students tested within each subject.

Proficient or Advanced combines Levels 3 and 4, formerly Standard Met and Standard Exceeded. California changed the names for 2025–26; the cut scores did not. About the labels →

Share at Proficient or Advanced

0%25%50%75%100%2023: 8%2023: 15%201920222023202420250%25%50%75%100%2023: 8%2023: 15%20192022202320242025
● Math┄ English

Gaps in the lines mark years without annual results.

Exact annual results
YearMathEnglish
2019
2022
20238%15%
2024
2025

Each year describes that year’s tested students. Changes between years do not follow the same children over time. Cohort-growth evidence, when available, is labeled separately below.

Annual results and the full academic record
Is it getting better · CAASPP 2023 to 2025

Climbed from the 29th to the 45th percentile since 2023 — past roughly 300 middle schools.

Most rating sites would stop at “48% proficient” and call it done. Pivot Charter School - San Diego II deserves a closer read. Two in five of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch (California: 64%) — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

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

57 tested · 1 of 3 grades published · no cohort tracked

Pivot Charter School - San Diego II scores 34 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 45th percentile of 2,177 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Percentile among 2,177 middle schools statewide
Year detailsYear2023 · 29th percentile · Scope Score 23 of 1002025 · 45th percentile · Scope Score 34 of 100
ELAOrange(Declined)MathYellow(Increased Significantly)
ShowHide the by-grade tables, year by year
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1147%55%38%56%38%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 110%9%8%11%15%
Where students land · CAASPP 2024–25

Two in five of students here meet the standard. 8% clear it by a lot.

ELA42% met or exceeded
Exceeded 9%Met 33%Nearly Met 19%Not Met 39%
Math21% met or exceeded
Exceeded 5%Met 16%Nearly Met 34%Not Met 45%
Exceeded Met Nearly Met Not Met
California middle schools · average17% exceeded · 40% met or exceeded
This school against the California average
2023–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
Scope% Exceeded% Met+GrowthAbsenceSuspension
This school348%48%22.0%2.3%
CA average · Middle School3917%40%18.1%3.6%
This schoolCA avg
Scope3439
% Exceeded8%17%
% Met+48%40%
Growth
Absence22.0%18.1%
Suspension2.3%3.6%
California’s growth results and student groups
State growth model · CDE growth model 2024–25

California's own growth model places it near the 18th percentile of middle schools.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

California runs its own growth model — it follows individual children in grades 4 through 8 and compares each one against a prediction from their own prior scores. On that measure this school sits well below the middle of California middle schools in reading and math together. We show it; we don't score it.

pts vs expected is scale-score points above or below what California's model predicted for these same children from their own prior-year scores. It is not a percentage and not a percent of anything. A typical California middle school lands at −1 in reading, and the middle half of them fall between −8 and +6 — the spread is wide, so read the rank, not the sign. CDE blends two consecutive years into each published figure, so adjacent years share input data and no year-over-year trend can honestly be drawn from them. It covers grades 4-8 only, and it is not part of the Scope Score — we assessed it and left it out: it tracks school demographics roughly three times as strongly as our own growth measure does, and one published year is not enough to test how stable it is.

California's growth model, ranked against the schools it scores
State model · readingmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, reading: −13 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 12th percentile of 7,519 reported schools.12th pctile · −13 pts
State model · mathmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, math: −8 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 25th percentile of 7,518 reported schools.25th pctile · −8 pts
this school| the tick is the middle of the California field

Students & opportunity

Who shares in the school’s results?

The daily experience

What is it like to be a student here?

Students per teacher

Student–teacher ratio is a schoolwide staffing measure, not an average class size.

The people teaching · CDE staffing 2024–25

About 11 students for every teacher here.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Students per teacher11 · district 24
Teaching staff25 teachers
Avg. experience11.9 years
Fully credentialed67%
First-year teachers4%
PrincipalJayna Gaskell
ShowHide what the district pays
Teacher salary schedule$56,139 – $124,763
Principal salary$157,825 – $188,091
Superintendent salary$333,925

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Attendance & discipline · 2024–25

Kids here miss more school, and get suspended less, than the state average.

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 22.0%, district 13.8%, state 18.1%22.0% · +3.8pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 2.3%, district —, state 3.6%2.3% · −1.4pp vs state
This schoolDistrictCalifornia

Resources & neighborhood

What sits behind the school experience?

Explore school spending and the district budget
What gets spent · FY 2024–25

Its district spends $13,048 per student, less than the California average.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

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

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $13,048, CA average $14,491$13,048 · district average
District current expense · FY 2024–25$17,110 per student
District averageCalifornia
Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction 63%Instruction support 10%Student services 10%Administration 5%Buildings & maintenance 10%Other 2%

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

ShowHide the district's spending year by year
district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$13,048 per pupil
2019$12,040 per pupil
2018$11,775 per pupil
2017$11,157 per pupil
2016$10,669 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood · ACS 2024

Two in five of students here qualify for free or reduced lunch, versus three in five statewide.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Worth knowing

At 90 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California middle school (≈860).

On the state's science test (CAST), 20% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, and it never enters the Scope Score.

Hispanic or Latino43.3% · district 46.1% · CA 56.1%
White42.2% · district 36.6% · CA 19.9%
Black1.1% · district 1.0% · CA 4.8%
Other13.3% · district 10.3% · CA 9.0%
GenderFemale 45.6% · Male 53.3% · Non-binary 1.1%
Free or reduced lunch44.4% · CA 64%
Median income$120K · CA $85K
Median home value$942K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+49% · CA 35%
ZIP population53,605
Median age39 years

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

Culture & philosophy

What is the school’s approach?

School-stated approach · questions for your visit

Look beyond the brochure

A source-reviewed culture summary is not available for this profile yet. Ask how teaching, student support and family communication work day to day.

Read the school’s own website ↗

Family voices

What would you want another family to know about the daily experience here?

Ask a current family: “When your child needs help, how does the school respond?”

Educator voices

What should families understand about teaching, support and the school community?

Ask an educator: “How do you adapt a typical day for children with different needs?”

Bring these questions on a visit →

Compare nearby schools

What are the alternatives?

Compare schools serving the same grade stage. Private schools have no comparable state-test score.

2025 · middle schools · combined reading and math measures. Percentiles compare schools within their enrollment group.

Private options →
SchoolTypePerformance bandAdvancedProficient or AdvancedDistanceSelect
Pivot Charter School - San Diego IICharterDeveloping8%48%School being viewed
High Tech Middle North CountyCharterStrong24%56%0.6 mi
San Elijo MiddlePublicSolid29%58%1.9 mi
San Marcos MiddlePublicDeveloping15%39%2.5 mi
Open the comparison tool →
More nearby public and private options
Your other options

Your other options

Nearby public schools across grade levels, plus private options within 10 miles.

All schools in San Marcos →

Private schools do not receive a Scope Score or statewide ranking on SchoolScope.

10 private schools within 10 miles
Not scored
What should I check before applying?
District public
Confirm the attendance boundary and any permit options.
Charter
Check applications, priorities and deadlines with each school.
Private
Confirm admission requirements, tuition and financial aid.

Moving & enrollment

Which schools could serve my child?

Check enrollment with this charter school

Ask the school about applications, priorities and deadlines for your child’s grade.

School website →

Schools across the K–12 journey

Source: proximity. Schools are grouped by grade stage. Nearby schools are not confirmed feeder links or address assignments. Verify the current path and eligibility with the district.

Charter enrollment details

Plan your next step

What should I do next?

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.

  • 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.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Pivot Charter School - San Diego II a good middle school?
Pivot Charter School - San Diego II has a Scope Score of 34 out of 100, placing it in the 45th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,189 statewide. 8.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.2 percentage points below the California average of 17.2%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (42%), met or exceeded (proficient) (23%), grade 6-to-8 growth (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 - San Diego II's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 47.8% of students at Pivot Charter School - San Diego II met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 8.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 39.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 8.0% went beyond it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it shows how many students go beyond the standard rather than only meeting it. 25 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Pivot Charter School - San Diego II rank in California?
Pivot Charter School - San Diego II ranks #1,189 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 45th 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 - San Diego II?
22.0% of students at Pivot Charter School - San Diego II are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.1%. The suspension rate is 2.3%. 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 - San Diego II compare to other schools in San Marcos?
Pivot Charter School - San Diego II scores 34/100 (45th 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 90 students. Use the schools in San Marcos page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.

Use the published evidence to prepare questions, then verify fit and access with the school.

Behind the evidence

Inspect the full record

Public sources, visible methods and the underlying school record. Source years and limitations stay attached to the evidence.

How the Scope Score is calculated

On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to see the state comparison and weights.

What the score weighs · CAASPP 2024–25

The 4 things our score weighs

What the score weighs
What we weighHereStateWeight
Exceeded standard8.0%17.2%42%
Met or exceeded47.8%40.0%23%
Chronic absenteeism22.0%18.1%5%
Suspension rate2.3%3.6%5%

Source CAASPP 2025 · California Department of Education. Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How the score is built

A closer look at the evidence

Pivot Charter School - San Diego II: reading the evidence

Pivot Charter School - San Diego II posts 48% meeting the standard against 40% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

Subject proficiency describes tested students, while graduation describes a graduating cohort. These figures are not successive stages followed by the same students.

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.

Explore the underlying data →
Every number: score factors, grades, student groups and downloads
Every number · For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.

Pivot Charter School - San Diego II is ranked #1,189 statewide · #4 of 6 in San Marcos Unified.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Score factors
FactorSchoolStateWeight
Exceeded standard8.0%17.2%42%
Met or exceeded47.8%40.0%23%
Chronic absenteeism22.0%18.1%5%
Suspension rate2.3%3.6%5%
Exceeded standard
↓ vs CA 17.2% · index 42 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint
Met or exceeded
↑ vs CA 40.0% · index 56 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint
Chronic absenteeism
↓ vs CA 18.1% · index 45 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint · ▼ 5.4pp lower vs 2023
Suspension rate
↑ vs CA 3.6% · index 56 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint · ▼ 0.1pp lower vs 2023
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ShowHide table 02 — By grade & subgroup
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 34
Grade 44
Grade 56
Grade 67
Grade 7138%46%0%46%54%+6
Grade 810
Grade 11138%31%38%23%38%−10
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 34
Grade 44
Grade 56
Grade 67
Grade 7128%33%25%33%42%+8
Grade 810
Grade 11138%8%38%46%15%−8

We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, that we hold no valid result for it, or that the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.

Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Schoolwide350%20%66%14%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

03Nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score · Grade gap = grade 3 vs grade 5, this year, different students; Cohort growth = one school's returning cohort tracked across grades (mostly, not exactly, the same kids), in scale-score points — that's the measurement the Scope Score weights
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+Grade gapCohort growthSusp
Pivot Charter School - San Diego II ←348.0%47.8%2.3%
High Tech Middle North County0.6 mi5224.3%56.2%−2.2pp0.4%
San Elijo Middle1.9 mi4829.0%58.3%−3.6pp1.3%
San Marcos Middle2.5 mi3115.3%38.7%−4.1pp4.6%
California average3917.2%40.0%+1.5pp3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
ShowHide table 04 — More measures
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrade gap
20232329#15017.7%11.5%27.3%2.4%
20253445#11898.0%47.8%22.0%2.3%
Grade gap = this year's grade 3 vs grade 5 result, two different sets of students, not a trend for any one child — it is not the measurement the Scope Score's growth dimension uses. See §01 above and /methodology#verdicts for the school's actual scored (cohort) growth.
What we can't show
  • — Growth data isn't available — the state needs matched grades across years to compute it.
  • — No subgroup comparison could be shown for this school this year — either its group sizes fall under CDE's 15-student reporting floor, or district/state comparison data wasn't available for its groups.
  • — Scored here as a middle school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
05California growth model, by student group2025 · scale-score points vs the state's prediction · shown, never scored
ShowHide table 05 — California growth model, by student group
GroupReadingnCDE bandMathnCDE band
All Students−1320Moderate−819Moderate
English Only−1815not categorised014not categorised
White−3812Minimal−1811Moderate

Whole scale-score points above or below what CDE's model predicted for these same children from their own prior-year scores — not a percentage, not a percentile. Statewide a typical school lands near +1 with a spread of about 13 points either side, so read a figure against its group's own typical value, not against zero. Muted rows have fewer than 30 students with a growth score — published by CDE, held back from the narrative sections above because at that size the figure swings about 17 points on its own. “Not categorised” is CDE assigning no band — English Only, Recently Reclassified, and English Learners Only receive a value and no band, for every school in the state. It is not a missing number. Most figures blend two consecutive years, so adjacent published years share input data and no trend line can honestly be drawn across them. A group absent from this table had fewer than 11 students with a growth score and was never published. Grades 4-8 only. None of this enters the Scope Score — it is more strongly correlated with school demographics than our own growth measure, and one published year is not enough to test its reliability.

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EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,177 middle schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-09-18

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

Pivot Charter School - San Diego II

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