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Sutter Middle · Folsom

Sutter Middle: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Sutter posts 64% meeting the standard, and 35.6% going well past it. Most kids here keep up. Fewer get pushed further. Ask the school what it does for a child who already finds the work easy.

254 E. Bidwell Street, 95630 (opens in new tab)·Folsom-Cordova Unified·Folsom·Grades 6-8·1,628 students·21% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(916) 294-9035·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope6443
% Exceeded36%17%
% Met+64%39%
Growth+7.9+1.5
Absence8.5%18.5%
Suspension2.4%3.7%
Scope Score
64
🚀 Growth Engine · Solid
ranked #241 statewide · #2 of 6 in Folsom-Cordova Unified

Sutter Middle scores 64 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 89th 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 →

🚀 Growth Engine — Ask how the school tracks each kid's growth year to year, and what happens when a kid stalls instead of gaining.

Most rating sites would stop at “64% proficient” and call it done. Sutter deserves a closer read. It sits at the 89th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The headline number: 8.5% chronic absenteeism — versus 18.5% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,238 middle schools statewide

Has held the 89th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAYellow(Declined Significantly)MathYellow(Declined Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 64% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 671%70%62%67%66%
Grade 772%68%72%73%72%
Grade 876%68%66%73%75%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 660%60%50%55%52%
Grade 756%51%60%60%62%
Grade 860%53%53%58%59%

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.

31%
35%
34%
Grade 6 · 66% proficient
37%
35%
28%
Grade 7 · 72% proficient
36%
39%
25%
Grade 8 · 75% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 5.2pp across grades; the floor rises 9.4pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
35.6%
State 16.8%
18.8pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+7.9pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
64.3%
State 39.3%
25.0pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
8.5%
State 18.5%
10.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.4%
State 3.7%
1.2pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
25.0%
State 18.0%
7.0pp 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 Sutter Middle in Folsom, 46.2% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Sutter Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (29.8% Math proficient); White students (68.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 60.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 333 students tested.

All students at this school: 64% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 64%, district —, state 39%64%
MaleMale: this school 62%, district 54%, state 42%62% · −2 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 67%, district 55%, state 44%67% · +3 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 60%, district 57%, state 56%60% · −4 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 84%, district 78%, state 72%84% · +20 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 38%, district 28%, state 32%38% · −26 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 41%, district 34%, state 32%41% · −23 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 65%, district 52%, state 56%65% · +0 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 14%, district 20%, state 15%14% · −50 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 11%, district 12%, state 11%11% · −54 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 32%, district 21%, state 26%32% · −32 vs school
FilipinoFilipino: this school 67%, district 66%, state 65%67% · +3 vs school

5 of 17 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 rises by 17.6pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +10.1pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 8.5%, district 15.8%, state 18.5%8.5% · −10.0pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 2.4%, district —, state 3.7%2.4% · −1.2pp vs state

Grades 7–8 students miss school at roughly twice the rate of Grades 4–6 students (10.0% vs 5.0%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the upper grades.

Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–65.0%
Grades 7–810.0%

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 24:1, district 22:124:1
Teaching staff69 teachers
Avg. experience16.7 years
Fully credentialed92%
Intern / emergency permit2.1%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$49,961 – $122,883
Principal salary$157,609 – $181,584
Superintendent salary$315,000

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $14,758, CA average $14,815$14,758 · spent at this school
Federal share$470 per student

$470 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$16,736 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
Instruction58%
Instruction support12%
Student services11%
Administration6%
Buildings & maintenance10%
Other3%

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$11,926 per pupil
2019$11,349 per pupil
2018$11,775 per pupil
2017$11,233 per pupil
2016$10,964 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White39.3%
District 35.1% · CA 19.9%
Asian29.2%
District 22.2% · CA 10.2%
Hispanic16.2%
District 23.4% · CA 56.1%
Other13.0%
District 15.1% · CA 9.0%
Black2.2%
District 4.1% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 21.4% (42pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$140K · CA $85K
Median home value$755K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+59% · CA 35%
ZIP population79,484
Median age41 years

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

Worth Knowing

At 1,628 students, this school is well above the typical California middle school (≈860).

On the state's science test (CAST), 60% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sutter Middle a good middle school?

Sutter Middle has a Scope Score of 64 out of 100, placing it in the 89th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #241 statewide. 35.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 18.8 percentage points above 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 Sutter Middle's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 64.3% of students at Sutter Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 35.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 28.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 35.6% 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. 3,193 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Sutter Middle rank in California?

Sutter Middle ranks #241 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 89th 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 Sutter Middle getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Sutter Middle increases by 7.9 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 Sutter Middle?

8.5% of students at Sutter Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 2.4%. 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 Sutter Middle compare to other schools in Folsom?

Sutter Middle scores 64/100 (89th 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 1,628 students. Use the schools in Folsom page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.

How does Sutter Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Sutter Middle in Folsom, 46.2% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Sutter Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (29.8% Math proficient); White students (68.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 60.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 333 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

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%
35.6%
↑ vs CA 16.8% · 71th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
+7.9pp
↑ vs CA +1.5pp · 59th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
64.3%
↑ vs CA 39.3% · 70th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
8.5%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 64th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.4%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 55th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
25.0%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 55th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 651831%35%20%14%66%+19
Grade 754237%35%16%12%72%+24
Grade 853236%39%14%11%75%+29
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 651934%18%24%24%52%+17
Grade 754639%23%21%17%62%+28
Grade 853636%23%21%21%59%+26
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1152633%27%35%5%

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 Disadvantaged33346.2%+12+8
White62068.2%+5+6
Asian47286.4%+6+12
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Sutter Middle ←6435.6%64.3%+7.92.4%
Folsom Middle1.1 mi6842.5%71.1%−4.92.5%
California average4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20196087#26533.6%65.7%4.3%4.5%+2.9pp
20225987#28433.9%61.8%12.5%4.9%-4.7pp
20236489#24731.7%60.5%11.4%4.0%+3.7pp
20246188#26634.1%64.6%7.7%2.6%+4.3pp
20256489#24135.6%64.3%8.5%2.4%+7.9pp
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
Female3.6%7.4%+3.8pp
Male5.0%9.2%+4.2pp
Asian0.8%3.1%+2.3pp
Black/African American12.0%23.1%+11.1pp
White2.2%6.1%+3.9pp
Hispanic/Latino6.2%12.3%+6.1pp
Two or More Races7.3%6.7%-0.6pp
Students with Disabilities9.1%20.4%+11.3pp
English Learners1.6%20.2%+18.6pp
Homeless12.5%39.1%+26.6pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged10.4%21.7%+11.3pp
All Students4.3%8.4%+4.1pp
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