School Profile · Bakersfield
Sunset: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
Sunset posts 22% meeting the standard and 3.7% exceeding it, against 40% and 17.3% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
8301 Sunset Boulevard, 93307·Vineland Elementary·Bakersfield·Grades 5-8·302 students·100% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 845-1320·Website
Scope Score
27
📈 On the Rise · Needs Support
ranked #1,271 statewide
Sunset scores 27 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 26th percentile of 1,714 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “22% proficient” and call it done. Sunset deserves a closer read. The school sits in Bakersfield, where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The story this school is actually telling
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
16%
81%
Grade 6 · 19% proficient
35%
59%
Grade 7 · 41% proficient
31%
65%
Grade 8 · 35% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding holds steady across grades; the floor rises 16.6pp. 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
3.7%
State 17.3%
13.6pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
22.4%
State 39.5%
17.2pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+10.4pp
State +0.8pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
14.5%
State 19.1%
4.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.1%
State 4.2%
3.1pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
6.9%
State 17.7%
10.8pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
High School
No feeder data available for this level
Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.
Your other options
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Stockdale Christian School
California Ave · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-8 · 423 students
15:1Private12.6 mi
Our Lady of Guadalupe School
E California Ave · Roman Catholic · Grades Pre-K-8 · 181 students
10:1Private11.1 mi
Christ Centered Church Bakersfield/gideon Academy
Shafter Rd · Mennonite · Grades Pre-K-12 · 56 students
12:1Private5.9 mi
Bethel Christian
E California Ave · Amish · Grades Pre-K-12 · 41 students
8:1Private10.5 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic98.3%
White1.7%
GenderFemale 49.3%Male 50.7%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
302
558 below CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
100%
36pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$25,360
District avg: $14,174 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
6.9% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
At Sunset in Bakersfield, 29.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 28.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Sunset outperforms its district average for low-income students by 1.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (30.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 298 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+6.7pp
21.2% vs 14.5% overall · n=52
ELA · English Learner−13.3pp
15.1% vs 28.5% overall · n=165
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−3.2pp
0.5% vs 3.7% overall · n=165
Math · English Learner−5.4pp
5.0% vs 10.4% overall · n=167
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income300 tested
ELA 29.9%·Math 11.3%· +1.9pp vs district
Hispanic297 tested
ELA 30.2%·Math 11.4%· +1.9pp vs district
English Learner167 tested
ELA 15.8%·Math 4.8%· -2.8pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.
Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 15.4pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +15.4pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$50K
$35K below CA median
Median Home Value
$220K
$439K below CA median
Bachelor's+
8%
27pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2022) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
9.0 years avg experience
17 teachers · 12% first-year
Teacher Credentials
61% fully credentialed
22.2% on intern/emergency permit
Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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 · 43%
3.7%
↓ vs CA 17.3% · 36th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
22.4%
↓ vs CA 39.5% · 37th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+10.4pp
↑ vs CA +0.8pp · 43th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
14.5%
↑ vs CA 19.1% · 57th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.1%
↑ vs CA 4.2% · 62th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
6.9%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 45th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 67 | 1% | 15% | 22% | 61% | 16% | −31 |
| Grade 6 | 68 | 3% | 16% | 41% | 40% | 19% | −27 |
| Grade 7 | 99 | 6% | 35% | 25% | 33% | 41% | −6 |
| Grade 8 | 70 | 4% | 31% | 26% | 39% | 36% | −10 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 68 | 1% | 1% | 25% | 72% | 3% | −32 |
| Grade 6 | 69 | 3% | 4% | 29% | 64% | 7% | −28 |
| Grade 7 | 99 | 3% | 16% | 20% | 61% | 19% | −15 |
| Grade 8 | 70 | 3% | 9% | 23% | 66% | 11% | −21 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 137 | 1% | 15% | 64% | 19% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 298 | 29.9% | +2 | −8 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 295 | 30.2% | +2 | −9 |
| English Learners | 165 | 15.8% | −3 | +5 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunset ← | — | 27 | 3.7% | 22.4% | +10.4 | 1.1% |
| California average | — | 40 | 17.3% | 39.5% | +0.8 | 4.2% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1126 → #1374 → #1241 → #1225 → #1271
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,714 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is Sunset a good middle school?
Sunset has a Scope Score of 27 out of 100, placing it in the 26th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,271 statewide. 3.7% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 13.6 percentage points below the California average of 17.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Sunset's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 22.4% of students at Sunset met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 3.7% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 3.7% 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. 475 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Sunset rank in California?
Sunset ranks #1,271 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 26th 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 Sunset getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Sunset increases by 10.4 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. 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 Sunset?
14.5% of students at Sunset are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 1.1%, 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 Sunset compare to other schools in Bakersfield?
Sunset scores 27/100 (26th 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 302 students. Use the schools in Bakersfield page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Sunset serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Sunset in Bakersfield, 29.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 28.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Sunset outperforms its district average for low-income students by 1.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (30.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 298 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.