How does Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle compare to other middle schools in Huntington Beach?

Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle has a SchoolScope composite score of 60.8/100, placing it at the 89th percentile statewide. 37% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,369 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle?

37.3% of students at Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 67.1% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle improving or declining?

Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle's proficiency rate increases by 4.7 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is adding value over time.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle?

9.2% of students at Talbert (Samuel E.) 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.

Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle

Middle School

Fountain Valley Elementary Huntington BeachOrange County92646

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of middle schools

State Rank

of California middle schools

School overview

Enrollment

731 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

22:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

19%

Teachers

33 full-time

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased

+4.7 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Declined

-11.6 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

30.4%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 23 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic19.4%

White50.8%

Asian17.2%

Black0.6%

Other12.0%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	37.3%
Met Standard	29.8%
Below Standard	32.9%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "67% proficient" for Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

37.3% of students exceeded standard while 29.8% merely met it. That exceeded rate is 20.0 points above the state average of 17.3%. That's 14.8 points below the Fountain Valley Elementary district average of 52.1%. The 4 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 42.7% exceeded — 5.4 points higher. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Students here improve by 4.7 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 and Math declined year-over-year. 30.4% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 9.2%, better than the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

37.3%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

67.1%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

+4.7pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

9.2%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

4.3%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,369

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	185	40.5%	34.6%	17.8%	7.0%	75.1%
7th	229	31.9%	38.9%	16.6%	12.7%	70.7%
8th	270	41.1%	36.7%	14.4%	7.8%	77.8%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	188	33.0%	25.0%	25.0%	17.0%	58.0%
7th	228	32.9%	23.3%	22.4%	21.5%	56.1%
8th	269	44.2%	20.4%	17.8%	17.5%	64.7%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Gisler (Robert) Elementary

66.390th pctile

Zoned

Newland (William T.) Elementar…

75.098th pctile

Zoned

Oka (Isojiro) Elementary

71.796th pctile

Zoned

▼

Middle

Talbert (Samuel E.) Middle

60.889th pctile

This school

▼

High School

No feeder data available for this level

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