School Profile · Bakersfield
Walter Stiern Middle: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Walter Stiern posts low test scores — and suspensions run below the state rate (2.8% vs 4.2%). If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.
2551 Morning Drive, 93306·Bakersfield City·Bakersfield·Grades 6-8·891 students·81% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 631-5480·Website
Scope Score
24
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,430 statewide · #4 of 7 in Bakersfield City
Walter Stiern Middle scores 24 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 17th 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 “16% proficient” and call it done. Walter Stiern deserves a closer read. The school sits in Bakersfield, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.
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.
17%
76%
Grade 6 · 24% proficient
23%
72%
Grade 7 · 28% proficient
15%
82%
Grade 8 · 18% proficient
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
3.4%
State 17.3%
13.9pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
16.4%
State 39.5%
23.1pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-3.2pp
State +0.8pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
24.2%
State 19.1%
5.1pp above state avg
Suspension rate
2.8%
State 4.2%
1.4pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
16.8%
State 17.7%
0.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.
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
Nearby Middle Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 25
Edison Middle
Edison Elementary · 3 mi
Needs Support
25/100
Sierra Middle
Bakersfield City · 2.2 mi
Needs Support
24/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 43
Cesar E. Chavez Elementary
Bakersfield City · 1.9 mi
Developing
45/100
Dr. Douglas K. Fletcher Elementary
Bakersfield City · 1 mi
Developing
43/100
Shirley Lane Elementary
Fairfax Elementary · 2.7 mi
Developing
42/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Heritage Christian Schools
Bernard St · Lutheran (Missouri Synod) · Grades Pre-K-8 · 221 students
16:1Private3 mi
Bakersfield Adventist Academy
Bernard St · Pentecostal · Grades Pre-K-12 · 128 students
13:1Private2.5 mi
Bethel Christian
E California Ave · Amish · Grades Pre-K-12 · 41 students
8:1Private3 mi
Nigritian Academy
La Costa Ct · Presbyterian · Grades Pre-K-12 · 8 students
3:1Private1.9 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic88.3%
White7.1%
Asian0.1%
Black3.6%
Other0.9%
GenderFemale 50.5%Male 49.5%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
891
Near CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
81%
18pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$20,291
District avg: $15,168 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
16.8% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$59,232 – $118,012
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Walter Stiern Middle in Bakersfield, 20.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Walter Stiern Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 5.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (8.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (22.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 20.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 808 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+14.3pp
38.5% vs 24.2% overall · n=122
Suspension · RW+6.3pp
9.1% vs 2.8% overall · n=77
ELA · English Learner−20.9pp
2.1% vs 23.0% overall · n=186
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−4.9pp
0.0% vs 4.9% overall · n=186
Math · Black−9.6pp
0.0% vs 9.6% overall · n=16
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income812 tested
ELA 20.3%·Math 8.4%· -5.2pp vs district
Hispanic764 tested
ELA 22.3%·Math 8.5%· -5.2pp vs district
English Learner187 tested
ELA 2.2%·Math 1.1%· -2.3pp 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 falls by 3.0pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -2.2pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$70K
$15K below CA median
Median Home Value
$321K
$338K below CA median
Bachelor's+
18%
17pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
10.3 years avg experience
46 teachers · 20% first-year · 9% second-year
Teacher Credentials
70% fully credentialed
7.1% 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%
3.4%
↓ vs CA 17.3% · 35th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
16.4%
↓ vs CA 39.5% · 32th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-3.2pp
↓ vs CA +0.8pp · 43th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
24.2%
↓ vs CA 19.1% · 43th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.8%
↑ vs CA 4.2% · 55th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
16.8%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 55th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 256 | 7% | 17% | 30% | 47% | 23% | −23 |
| Grade 7 | 255 | 5% | 23% | 24% | 48% | 28% | −20 |
| Grade 8 | 349 | 3% | 15% | 28% | 54% | 18% | −28 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 258 | 3% | 6% | 24% | 67% | 9% | −26 |
| Grade 7 | 254 | 2% | 11% | 24% | 64% | 12% | −22 |
| Grade 8 | 355 | 1% | 7% | 22% | 70% | 8% | −24 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 359 | 3% | 8% | 66% | 23% |
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 | 808 | 20.3% | −5 | −18 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 761 | 22.3% | −5 | −17 |
| English Learners | 186 | 2.2% | −2 | −8 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Stiern Middle ← | — | 24 | 3.4% | 16.4% | −3.2 | 2.8% |
| Edison Middle | 3 mi | 25 | 3.3% | 16.7% | −2.4 | 3.2% |
| Sierra Middle | 2.2 mi | 24 | 2.8% | 15.7% | +4.6 | 5.8% |
| 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 #1145 → #1527 → #1288 → #1423 → #1430
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 18 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
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 Walter Stiern Middle a good middle school?
Walter Stiern Middle has a Scope Score of 24 out of 100, placing it in the 17th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,430 statewide. 3.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 13.9 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 Walter Stiern Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 16.4% of students at Walter Stiern Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 3.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 13.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 3.4% 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. 1,727 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Walter Stiern Middle rank in California?
Walter Stiern Middle ranks #1,430 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 17th 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 Walter Stiern Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Walter Stiern Middle decreases by 3.2 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 Walter Stiern Middle?
24.2% of students at Walter Stiern Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 2.8%. 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 Walter Stiern Middle compare to other schools in Bakersfield?
Walter Stiern Middle scores 24/100 (17th 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 891 students. Use the schools in Bakersfield page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Walter Stiern Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Walter Stiern Middle in Bakersfield, 20.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Walter Stiern Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 5.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (8.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (22.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 20.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 808 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.