How does Sparks Middle compare to other middle schools in La Puente?

Sparks Middle has a SchoolScope composite score of 38.3/100, placing it at the 39th percentile statewide. 8% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,176 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Sparks Middle?

8.3% of students at Sparks Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 30.0% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Sparks Middle improving or declining?

Based on CAASPP data, Sparks Middle's proficiency rate increases by 6.9 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This suggests the school may be adding value over time.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Sparks Middle?

24.1% of students at Sparks 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.

Sparks Middle

Middle School

Hacienda la Puente Unified La PuenteLos Angeles County91744

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of middle schools

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

Composite scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

School overview

Enrollment

320 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

23:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

78%

Teachers

14 full-time

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+20.9 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased

+8.2 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

22.4%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 67 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic90.6%

White1.3%

Asian5.6%

Black0.3%

Other2.2%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Sparks Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	8.3%
Met Standard	21.7%
Below Standard	70.0%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "30% proficient" for Sparks Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

8.3% of students exceeded standard while 21.7% met it. That exceeded rate is 9.0 points below the state average of 17.3%. That's 9.6 points below the Hacienda la Puente Unified district average of 17.9%. The 8 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 11.0% exceeded — 2.7 points higher. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

Students here improve by 6.9 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 significantly and Math increased year-over-year. 22.4% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 24.1%, 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