How does South Gate Middle compare to other middle schools in South Gate?

South Gate Middle has a SchoolScope composite score of 41.5/100, placing it at the 49th percentile statewide. 14% of students exceed standard, with a total of 2,304 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at South Gate Middle?

14.1% of students at South Gate Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 34.8% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is South Gate Middle improving or declining?

South Gate Middle's proficiency rate decreases by 0.5 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 South Gate Middle?

24.4% of students at South Gate 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.

South Gate Middle

Middle School

Los Angeles Unified South GateLos Angeles County90280

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of middle schools

State Rank

of California middle schools

School overview

Enrollment

1,264 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

20:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

93%

Teachers

63 full-time

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased

+10.2 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+17.4 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

27.0%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 178 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic97.2%

White2.1%

Asian0.2%

Black0.3%

Other0.2%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for South Gate Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	14.1%
Met Standard	20.7%
Below Standard	65.2%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "35% proficient" for South Gate Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

14.1% of students exceeded standard while 20.7% merely met it. That exceeded rate is 3.2 points below the state average of 17.3%. That's 4.8 points below the Los Angeles Unified district average of 18.8%. Compared to the 9 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 3.5 points higher (vs 10.6% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Proficiency drops by 0.5 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 increased and Math increased significantly year-over-year. 27.0% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 24.4%, above the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

14.1%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

34.8%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

-0.5pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

24.4%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

0.0%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

2,304

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	336	14.0%	27.1%	22.9%	36.0%	41.1%
7th	385	12.5%	27.3%	26.0%	34.3%	39.7%
8th	427	15.7%	24.4%	22.9%	37.0%	40.0%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	339	14.2%	15.6%	26.6%	43.7%	29.8%
7th	388	11.1%	17.3%	22.4%	49.2%	28.4%
8th	429	17.0%	12.8%	21.0%	49.2%	29.8%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Bryson Avenue Elementary

49.965th pctile

Zoned

Tweedy Elementary

41.241st pctile

Zoned

Victoria Avenue Elementary

46.256th pctile

Zoned

San Miguel Elementary

42.946th pctile

Zoned

Independence Elementary

41.442nd pctile

Zoned

San Gabriel Avenue Elementary

36.727th pctile

Also serves area

▼

Middle

South Gate Middle

41.549th pctile

This school

▼

High School

South Gate Senior High

Zoned

Zoned

Also serves area

Dr. Richard A. Vladovic Harbor…

89.099th pctile

Also serves area

Valley Academy of Arts and Sci…

62.680th pctile

Also serves area

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