How does Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle compare to other middle schools in Downey?

Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle has a SchoolScope composite score of 41.4/100, placing it at the 49th percentile statewide. 19% of students exceed standard, with a total of 2,546 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle?

18.8% of students at Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 44.5% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle improving or declining?

Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle's proficiency rate decreases by 6.9 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 Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle?

21.6% of students at Stauffer (Mary R.) 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.

Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle

Middle School

Downey Unified DowneyLos Angeles County90242

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of middle schools

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

School overview

Enrollment

1,327 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

24:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

72%

Teachers

55 full-time

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Declined

-4.1 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased

+13.8 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

23.6%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 110 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic90.9%

White3.9%

Asian1.5%

Black2.2%

Other1.5%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	18.8%
Met Standard	25.7%
Below Standard	55.5%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "44% proficient" for Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

18.8% of students exceeded standard while 25.7% merely met it. That exceeded rate is near the state average of 17.3%. That's 2.8 points below the Downey Unified district average of 21.5%. Compared to the 6 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 4.3 points higher (vs 14.5% 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 6.9 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 declined and Math increased year-over-year. 23.6% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 21.6%, 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

18.8%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

44.5%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

-6.9pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

21.6%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

6.9%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

2,546

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	394	18.8%	35.0%	23.9%	22.3%	53.8%
7th	444	18.0%	31.1%	23.0%	27.9%	49.1%
8th	430	18.6%	30.7%	24.4%	26.3%	49.3%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	399	19.8%	21.8%	29.6%	28.8%	41.6%
7th	446	18.2%	22.6%	29.1%	30.0%	40.8%
8th	433	19.2%	13.2%	25.9%	41.8%	32.3%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Imperial Elementary

No score

Zoned

Williams (Spencer V.) Elementa…

No score

Zoned

Ward (E. W.) Elementary

48.462nd pctile

Also serves area

▼

Middle

Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle

41.449th pctile

This school

▼

High School

Warren (Earl) High

60.776th pctile

Zoned

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