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

South Pasadena Middle has a SchoolScope composite score of 72.4/100, placing it at the 98th percentile statewide. 58% of students exceed standard, with a total of 2,174 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at South Pasadena Middle?

58.0% of students at South Pasadena Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 81.3% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at South Pasadena Middle?

6.1% of students at South Pasadena 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 Pasadena Middle

Q: Is South Pasadena Middle improving or declining?

South Pasadena Middle's proficiency rate increases by 1.4 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is adding value over time.

Middle School

South Pasadena Unified South PasadenaLos Angeles County91030

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of middle schools

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

School overview

Enrollment

1,099 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

23:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

18%

Teachers

48 full-time

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased

+6.7 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased

+7.4 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

35.9%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 39 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic21.8%

White22.8%

Asian34.6%

Black1.4%

Other19.5%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for South Pasadena Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	58.0%
Met Standard	23.2%
Below Standard	18.8%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "81% proficient" for South Pasadena Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

58.0% of students exceeded standard while 23.2% merely met it. That exceeded rate is 40.7 points above the state average of 17.3%. That's near the South Pasadena Unified district average of 58.4%. Compared to the 3 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 24.8 points higher (vs 33.2% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Students here improve by 1.4 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is adding value beyond what students arrive with.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance increased and Math increased year-over-year. 35.9% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 6.1%, better than the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

58.0%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

81.3%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

+1.4pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

6.1%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

1.8%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

2,174

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	356	52.5%	31.2%	11.0%	5.3%	83.7%
7th	369	51.2%	30.6%	13.0%	5.2%	81.8%
8th	360	51.4%	32.5%	8.1%	8.1%	83.9%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	360	60.8%	17.5%	15.0%	6.7%	78.3%
7th	370	65.7%	13.0%	12.7%	8.7%	78.7%
8th	359	66.6%	14.5%	11.1%	7.8%	81.1%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Arroyo Vista Elementary

71.395th pctile

Zoned

Marengo Elementary

76.899th pctile

Zoned

Monterey Hills Elementary

71.896th pctile

Zoned

▼

Middle

South Pasadena Middle

72.498th pctile

This school

▼

High School

South Pasadena Senior High

79.097th pctile

Zoned

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