ExploreMapCompareBlogSign in
STEAM Academy @ Burke · Pico Rivera

STEAM Academy @ Burke: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

STEAM Academy @ Burke posts 41% meeting the standard against 39% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

8101 Orange Avenue, 90660 (opens in new tab)·El Rancho Unified·Pico Rivera·Grades 6-8·534 students·82% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(562) 801-7590·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4743
% Exceeded17%17%
% Met+41%39%
Growth-1.9+1.5
Absence16.9%18.5%
Suspension0.8%3.7%
Scope Score
47
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #765 statewide · #1 of 3 in El Rancho Unified

STEAM Academy @ Burke scores 47 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 66th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “41% proficient” and call it done. STEAM Academy @ Burke deserves a closer read. The school sits in Pico Rivera, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 31.1% of English learners reached the top ELPAC level, versus 18.0% statewide.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,238 middle schools statewide

Climbed from the 55th to the 66th percentile since 2019 — past roughly 100 middle schools.

CA Dashboard
ELAGreen(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 41% meet the standard today, versus 51% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 660%47%39%44%45%
Grade 766%64%54%46%51%
Grade 853%35%49%37%41%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 644%23%21%23%37%
Grade 744%36%33%36%32%
Grade 837%18%35%28%38%

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

18%
27%
55%
Grade 6 · 45% proficient
17%
33%
50%
Grade 7 · 50% proficient
12%
29%
59%
Grade 8 · 41% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 6.2pp across grades; the floor slips 4.3pp. 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
16.9%
State 16.8%
0.1pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-1.9pp
State +1.5pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
40.7%
State 39.3%
1.4pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
16.9%
State 18.5%
1.7pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.8%
State 3.7%
2.9pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
31.1%
State 18.0%
13.2pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At STEAM Academy @ Burke in Pico Rivera, 42.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 37.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. STEAM Academy @ Burke outperforms its district average for low-income students by 5.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (32.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (45.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 45.7 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 429 students tested.

All students at this school: 41% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 41%, district —, state 39%41%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 40%, district 34%, state 32%40% · −1 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 37%, district 32%, state 32%37% · −3 vs school
MaleMale: this school 43%, district 35%, state 42%43% · +3 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 38%, district 35%, state 44%38% · −3 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 1%, district 7%, state 15%1% · −40 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 4%, district 9%, state 11%4% · −37 vs school
Military-ConnectedMilitary-Connected: this school 46%, district 37%, state 46%46% · +5 vs school

7 of 15 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 3.8pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -0.3pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 16.9%, district 22.9%, state 18.5%16.9% · −1.7pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.8%, district —, state 3.7%0.8% · −2.9pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–613.9%
Grades 7–818.1%

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 23:1, district 23:123:1
Teaching staff23 teachers
Avg. experience12.3 years
Fully credentialed74%
Intern / emergency permit5.7%

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $22,718, CA average $14,815$22,718 · spent at this school
Federal share$377 per student

$377 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$22,837 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction57%
Instruction support13%
Student services10%
Administration8%
Buildings & maintenance12%
Other1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$13,381 per pupil
2019$12,576 per pupil
2018$13,058 per pupil
2017$11,914 per pupil
2016$11,655 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic96.3%
District 97.2% · CA 56.1%
White1.1%
District 1.2% · CA 19.9%
Other1.1%
District 0.8% · CA 9.0%
Asian0.8%
District 0.6% · CA 10.2%
Black0.8%
District 0.3% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 82.2% (18pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$88K · CA $85K
Median home value$649K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+16% · CA 35%
ZIP population60,272
Median age40 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 28% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is STEAM Academy @ Burke a good middle school?

STEAM Academy @ Burke has a Scope Score of 47 out of 100, placing it in the 66th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #765 statewide. 16.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 6-to-8 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are STEAM Academy @ Burke's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 40.7% of students at STEAM Academy @ Burke met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 16.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 23.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 16.9% 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. 1,046 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does STEAM Academy @ Burke rank in California?

STEAM Academy @ Burke ranks #765 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 66th 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 STEAM Academy @ Burke getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at STEAM Academy @ Burke decreases by 1.9 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 STEAM Academy @ Burke?

16.9% of students at STEAM Academy @ Burke are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 0.8%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. 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 STEAM Academy @ Burke compare to other schools in Pico Rivera?

STEAM Academy @ Burke scores 47/100 (66th 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 534 students. Use the schools in Pico Rivera page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.

How does STEAM Academy @ Burke serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At STEAM Academy @ Burke in Pico Rivera, 42.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 37.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. STEAM Academy @ Burke outperforms its district average for low-income students by 5.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (32.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (45.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 45.7 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 429 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.

Your other options

All schools in Pico Rivera →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

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 · 38%
16.9%
↑ vs CA 16.8% · 50th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
-1.9pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 56th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
40.7%
↑ vs CA 39.3% · 51th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
16.9%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 52th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.8%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 62th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
31.1%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 63th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 615418%27%28%27%45%−1
Grade 717417%33%23%26%51%+3
Grade 819212%29%26%33%41%−5
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 615615%22%28%35%37%+2
Grade 717619%13%28%40%32%−2
Grade 819420%18%22%40%38%+5
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111946%23%58%13%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged42942.9%+5+5
Hispanic/Latino50145.1%+5+6
Students with Disabilities550.0%−9−17
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
STEAM Academy @ Burke ←—4716.9%40.7%−1.90.8%
Lakeside Middle2.4 mi5322.6%52.5%+2.03.9%
Griffiths (Gordon) Middle2 mi5327.0%54.9%−4.06.0%
Los Nietos Middle1.1 mi5123.0%50.8%—3.1%
California average—4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20194155#89918.3%50.7%6.0%5.3%-6.8pp
20223443#123513.0%37.2%25.0%2.8%-8.0pp
20234764#78012.5%38.5%18.3%4.9%+11.5pp
20243647#118212.9%35.9%17.3%5.3%-0.9pp
20254766#76516.9%40.7%16.9%0.8%-1.9pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female4.4%21.0%+16.6pp
Male7.4%12.9%+5.5pp
Hispanic/Latino5.6%16.9%+11.3pp
Students with Disabilities10.3%26.2%+15.9pp
English Learners8.8%19.4%+10.6pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged7.2%19.1%+11.9pp
All Students6.0%16.8%+10.8pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

← Browse all schools