Middle Schools in Novato Unified

The Novato Unified school district in California is home to two middle schools: Sinaloa Middle and San Jose Middle. Based on the available data, Sinaloa Middle appears to be the standout performer in the district, consistently ranking in the top 20% of California middle schools and outpacing the district and state averages in academic proficiency across core subjects.

Sinaloa Middle boasts higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science compared to San Jose Middle, as well as a lower chronic absenteeism rate of 14.8% versus 19.2% at San Jose Middle. Additionally, Sinaloa Middle serves a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (23.62%) than San Jose Middle (42.6%), indicating a more economically advantaged student population.

While the student-teacher ratio is slightly higher at Sinaloa Middle (22.7) compared to San Jose Middle (20.9), this difference is relatively small and is likely not a significant factor in the schools' performance gap. The data suggests that Sinaloa Middle's academic success may be attributed to more effective teaching practices, curriculum, or resources, which the district could potentially examine and replicate at San Jose Middle to improve its overall performance.