School Profile · Salida
Salida Middle School - Vella Campus: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
Salida Middle School - Vella Campus posts 35% meeting the standard and 10.9% exceeding it, against 40% and 17.3% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
5041 Toomes Road, 95368·Salida Union Elementary·Salida·Grades 6-8·673 students·80% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(209) 545-1633·Website
Scope Score
33
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,044 statewide
Salida Middle School - Vella Campus scores 33 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 39th 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 “35% proficient” and call it done. Salida Middle School - Vella Campus deserves a closer read. The school sits in Salida, where three in four 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.
11%
31%
58%
Grade 6 · 42% proficient
14%
38%
48%
Grade 7 · 52% proficient
8%
25%
67%
Grade 8 · 33% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding falls 3.2pp across grades; the floor slips 9.5pp. 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
10.9%
State 17.3%
6.4pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
35.4%
State 39.5%
4.1pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-6.9pp
State +0.8pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
13.0%
State 19.1%
6.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
7.5%
State 4.2%
3.3pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
20.4%
State 17.7%
2.7pp above state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
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 46
Ripon Elementary
Ripon Unified · 2.7 mi
Solid
51/100
Sisk Elementary
Salida Union Elementary · 0.9 mi
Developing
45/100
Dena Boer
Salida Union Elementary · 1.1 mi
Developing
41/100
Nearby High Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 60
Ripon High
Ripon Unified · 2.7 mi
Solid
63/100
Joseph A. Gregori High
Modesto City High · 2 mi
Solid
56/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Sierra Vista Kirk Baucher School
Finney Rd · Nonsectarian · Grades 1-8 · 67 students
11:1Private2.6 mi
Ripon Christian Schools
Maple Ave · Baptist · Grades Pre-K-12 · 801 students
13:1Private2.9 mi
Modesto Christian School
Sisk Rd · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-12 · 247 students
10:1Private1.2 mi
St. Stanislaus Catholic School
Maze Blvd · Roman Catholic · Grades Pre-K-8 · 208 students
13:1Private6.3 mi
Sierra View Christian
Van Dyken Way · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-12 · 74 students
3:1Private3.1 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic69.2%
White15.9%
Asian5.0%
Black2.7%
Other7.1%
GenderFemale 48.9%Male 51.1%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
673
187 below CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
80%
16pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
18:1
3 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$19,861
District avg: $14,613 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
20.4% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$66,291 – $128,599
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Salida Middle School - Vella Campus in Salida, 42.2% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 39.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Salida Middle School - Vella Campus outperforms its district average for low-income students by 2.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (25.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (40.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 35.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 539 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Homeless+20.3pp
33.3% vs 13.0% overall · n=18
Suspension · Black+8.3pp
15.8% vs 7.5% overall · n=19
ELA · Disabilities−35.9pp
6.9% vs 42.8% overall · n=66
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−10.6pp
0.6% vs 11.2% overall · n=146
Math · English Learner−22.4pp
5.5% vs 27.8% overall · n=146
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−9.3pp
1.3% vs 10.6% overall · n=65
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income539 tested
ELA 42.2%·Math 25.4%· +2.8pp vs district
Hispanic457 tested
ELA 40.7%·Math 25.1%· +1.1pp vs district
English Learner146 tested
ELA 10.3%·Math 5.5%· -4.6pp 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 7.0pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -7.0pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$95K
$10K above CA median
Median Home Value
$461K
$198K below CA median
Bachelor's+
20%
15pp 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
15.1 years avg experience
38 teachers · 5% first-year · 8% second-year
Teacher Credentials
89% fully credentialed
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%
10.9%
↓ vs CA 17.3% · 43th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
35.4%
↓ vs CA 39.5% · 47th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-6.9pp
↓ vs CA +0.8pp · 35th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
13.0%
↑ vs CA 19.1% · 59th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
7.5%
↓ vs CA 4.2% · 37th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
20.4%
↑ vs CA 17.7% · 58th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 235 | 11% | 31% | 24% | 33% | 43% | −4 |
| Grade 7 | 201 | 14% | 38% | 27% | 21% | 52% | +5 |
| Grade 8 | 218 | 8% | 25% | 27% | 39% | 33% | −13 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 232 | 10% | 16% | 28% | 47% | 26% | −9 |
| Grade 7 | 201 | 12% | 24% | 33% | 31% | 36% | +2 |
| Grade 8 | 218 | 10% | 12% | 31% | 48% | 22% | −11 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 219 | 9% | 18% | 62% | 11% |
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 | 539 | 42.2% | +3 | +4 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 457 | 40.7% | +1 | +2 |
| English Learners | 146 | 10.3% | −5 | −0 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salida Middle School - Vella Campus ← | — | 33 | 10.9% | 35.4% | −6.9 | 7.5% |
| 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 #838 → #1176 → #808 → #1079 → #1044
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 Salida Middle School - Vella Campus a good middle school?
Salida Middle School - Vella Campus has a Scope Score of 33 out of 100, placing it in the 39th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,044 statewide. 10.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 6.4 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 Salida Middle School - Vella Campus's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 35.4% of students at Salida Middle School - Vella Campus met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 10.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 24.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 10.9% 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. 1,305 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Salida Middle School - Vella Campus rank in California?
Salida Middle School - Vella Campus ranks #1,044 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 39th 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 Salida Middle School - Vella Campus getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Salida Middle School - Vella Campus decreases by 6.9 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 Salida Middle School - Vella Campus?
13.0% of students at Salida Middle School - Vella Campus are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 7.5%. 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 Salida Middle School - Vella Campus compare to other schools in Salida?
Salida Middle School - Vella Campus scores 33/100 (39th 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 673 students. Use the schools in Salida page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Salida Middle School - Vella Campus serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Salida Middle School - Vella Campus in Salida, 42.2% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 39.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Salida Middle School - Vella Campus outperforms its district average for low-income students by 2.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (25.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (40.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 35.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 539 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.