Stephens Middle

Summary:

Stephens Middle is a public middle school located in Long Beach, California, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 741 students. It is part of the Long Beach Unified School District, which is ranked 654 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Stephens Middle consistently outperforms the Long Beach Unified and California state averages in English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency across all grade levels. However, the school's mathematics and science proficiency rates are lower than the district and state averages. Stephens Middle has a strong performance among African American and English Language Learner (ELL) students, ranking in the top 25% and top 20% of California middle schools, respectively, in these subgroups. The school's performance for Hispanic and low socioeconomic status (SES) students is in the middle range, but its performance for students with disabilities is in the bottom 35% of California middle schools. Concerning is the significant increase in chronic absenteeism at Stephens Middle, rising from 13.6% in 2020-2021 to 41.1% in 2022-2023.

Compared to nearby schools, Stephens Middle's academic performance is generally higher than the Lindbergh STEM Academy, Jessie Nelson Academy, and Franklin Classical Middle, which all have lower proficiency rates in ELA, mathematics, and science. However, the nearby Hughes Middle outperforms Stephens Middle in academic achievement, and the Intellectual Virtues Academy of Long Beach, a public charter school, significantly outperforms Stephens Middle and the other nearby schools in both ELA and mathematics proficiency.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 1830 West Columbia St.
       Long Beach, CA  90810-2913


(562) 595-0841

District: Long Beach Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1016th of 2,777 California Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $8,413 Help


Students who attend Stephens Middle usually attend:

High:    Cabrillo High

Feeder schools for Stephens Middle:

Elementary:    Garfield Elementary
    Muir K-8
    Webster Elementary

Student/teacher ratio:  18.5 Help
Number of students:  741

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
66.3%
Asian:
13.9%
African American:
12.8%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  69.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Stephens Middle ranks better than 63.4% of middle schools in California. It also ranks 7th among 15 ranked middle schools in the Long Beach Unified School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 54.77. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at Stephens Middle is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (66.3%), Asian (13.9%), African American (12.8%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 69.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Stephens Middle is 18.5, which is the lowest among 15 middle schools in the Long Beach Unified School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Stephens Middle employs 40 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Stephens Middle is $8,413, which is the 2nd highest among 15 middle schools in the Long Beach Unified School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Stephens Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Stephens Middle 1016th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Stephens Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Asian students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:


Long Beach Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Long Beach Unified 654th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Stephens Middle

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 23.35 1353rd 1769 23.5%
2005 30.45 1221st 1777 31.3%
2006 32.32 1203rd 1804 33.3%
2007 36.30 1210th 1999 39.5%
2008 33.25 1340th 2005 33.2%
2009 29.07 1493rd 2063 27.6%
2010 35.16 1437th 2179 34.1%
2011 33.53 1545th 2236 30.9%
2012 36.86 1450th 2259 35.8%
2013 34.42 1579th 2379 33.6%
2015 24.11 1864th 2477 24.7%
2016 28.97 1685th 2497 32.5%
2017 23.59 1909th 2508 23.9%
2018 28.75 1700th 2480 31.5%
2019 33.70 1662nd 2715 38.8%
2021 21.05 732nd 894 18.1%
2022 21.65 2146th 2740 21.7%
2023 34.63 1644th 2802 41.3%
2024 54.77 1016th 2777 63.4%
See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 31.23 940th 1364 31.1%
2019 40.61 673rd 1442 53.3%
2021 32.23 294th 363 19.0%
2022 36.46 918th 1540 40.4%
2023 40.29 761st 1529 50.2%
2024 56.63 312th 1477 78.9%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 25.62 1236th 1538 19.6%
2024 32.01 1025th 1550 33.9%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 38.59 1307th 2230 41.4%
2019 45.21 1180th 2369 50.2%
2021 29.80 529th 721 26.6%
2022 25.45 1880th 2458 23.5%
2023 41.60 1275th 2549 50.0%
2024 66.75 601st 2575 76.7%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 58.24 106th 336 68.5%
2023 48.69 136th 321 57.6%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 31.55 1520th 2262 32.8%
2019 30.69 1600th 2380 32.8%
2021 20.83 611th 738 17.2%
2022 24.44 1863rd 2509 25.7%
2023 36.70 1429th 2547 43.9%
2024 56.26 897th 2546 64.8%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 44.93 580th 1369 57.6%
2019 44.46 651st 1491 56.3%
2021 42.02 164th 354 53.7%
2022 21.84 1399th 1531 8.6%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 24.60 1699th 2273 25.3%
2019 35.27 1454th 2407 39.6%
2021 22.45 613th 763 19.7%
2022 20.46 2030th 2527 19.7%
2023 32.79 1570th 2558 38.6%
2024 51.78 1011th 2547 60.3%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 47.57 441st 741 40.5%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 25.93 466th 600 22.3%
2019 39.54 369th 643 42.6%
2022 26.89 485th 637 23.9%
2023 49.61 265th 614 56.8%
2024 69.01 149th 626 76.2%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 33.91 1371st 2072 33.8%
2019 38.22 1299th 2213 41.3%
2022 23.87 1862nd 2359 21.1%
2023 38.40 1324th 2391 44.6%
2024 57.13 799th 2383 66.5%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Stephens Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 56.72 7th 19 63.2%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Pacific Islander Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Stephens Middle Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Stephens Middle

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 252 249 340 355 5 n/a n/a 0 1201
1989 245 231 323 326 6 n/a n/a 0 1131
1990 188 173 185 236 2 n/a n/a 0 784
1991 217 254 274 317 2 n/a n/a 0 1064
1992 205 288 343 401 10 n/a n/a 0 1247
1993 178 293 365 431 6 n/a n/a 0 1273
1994 159 273 370 466 8 n/a n/a 0 1276
1995 128 262 319 458 12 n/a n/a 0 1179
1996 128 262 319 458 12 n/a n/a 0 1179
1997 103 304 296 474 6 n/a n/a 0 1183
1998 102 332 281 506 9 n/a n/a 0 1230
1999 76 377 281 563 7 n/a n/a 0 1304
2000 70 341 324 648 4 n/a n/a 0 1387
2001 66 378 338 721 4 n/a n/a 0 1507
2002 52 367 289 843 8 n/a n/a 0 1559
2003 52 367 289 843 8 n/a n/a 0 1559
2004 36 337 305 884 3 n/a n/a 0 1565
2005 29 303 280 908 2 n/a n/a 0 1522
2006 25 273 239 880 1 n/a n/a 0 1418
2007 26 256 150 849 1 n/a n/a 75 1357
2008 25 208 200 735 3 n/a n/a 0 1171
2009 20 191 139 710 2 40 2 0 1104
2010 23 184 126 632 2 33 4 0 1004
2011 18 179 115 609 1 36 11 0 969
2012 8 160 104 576 1 41 9 0 899
2013 9 153 88 530 1 39 11 0 831
2014 12 139 86 525 1 35 7 0 805
2015 9 112 101 529 2 32 6 0 791
2016 10 111 112 558 2 31 20 0 844
2017 9 101 112 572 1 30 21 0 846
2018 7 83 121 547 0 27 16 0 801
2019 10 98 114 532 0 26 17 0 797
2020 9 113 96 519 0 17 18 0 772
2021 7 97 80 518 1 20 13 0 736
2022 5 113 103 540 1 22 18 0 802
2023 1 95 103 491 3 30 18 0 741

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Stephens Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1201 51.0 23.5 n/a
1989 1131 45.0 25.1 n/a
1990 784 30.8 25.4 n/a
1991 1064 43.3 24.5 n/a
1992 1247 44.0 28.3 59.3
1993 1273 53.6 23.8 61.6
1994 1276 51.2 24.9 60.7
1995 1179 49.9 23.6 74.8
1996 1179 49.9 23.6 74.8
1997 1183 50.0 23.7 73.1
1998 1230 51.8 23.7 74.8
1999 1304 53.3 24.5 83.7
2000 1387 61.6 22.5 83.9
2001 1507 64.4 23.4 81.2
2002 1559 64.4 24.2 93.8
2003 1559 64.4 24.2 93.8
2004 1565 62.6 25.0 85.7
2005 1522 62.6 24.3 92.1
2006 1418 61.4 23.1 89
2007 1357 57.3 23.7 94.9
2008 1171 60.2 19.5 90
2009 1104 43.2 20.7 88.6
2010 1004 43.0 23.3 87.6
2011 969 n/a n/a 92.1
2012 899 37.6 23.8 n/a
2013 831 34.4 24.1 85.9
2014 805 31.5 25.5 90.6
2015 791 33.0 23.9 92.9
2016 844 34.0 24.8 89.6
2017 846 33.6 25.1 92.2
2018 801 28.5 28.1 89.6
2019 797 31.0 25.7 91.5
2020 772 n/a n/a 86.4
2021 736 32.0 22.9 80.2
2022 802 37.2 21.5 69.5
2023 741 40.0 18.5 69.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Stephens Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1201 51.0 23.5 n/a
1989 1131 45.0 25.1 n/a
1990 784 30.8 25.4 n/a
1991 1064 43.3 24.5 n/a
1992 1247 44.0 28.3 59.3
1993 1273 53.6 23.8 61.6
1994 1276 51.2 24.9 60.7
1995 1179 49.9 23.6 74.8
1996 1179 49.9 23.6 74.8
1997 1183 50.0 23.7 73.1
1998 1230 51.8 23.7 74.8
1999 1304 53.3 24.5 83.7
2000 1387 61.6 22.5 83.9
2001 1507 64.4 23.4 81.2
2002 1559 64.4 24.2 93.8
2003 1559 64.4 24.2 93.8
2004 1565 62.6 25.0 85.7
2005 1522 62.6 24.3 92.1
2006 1418 61.4 23.1 89
2007 1357 57.3 23.7 94.9
2008 1171 60.2 19.5 90
2009 1104 43.2 20.7 88.6
2010 1004 43.0 23.3 87.6
2011 969 n/a n/a 92.1
2012 899 37.6 23.8 n/a
2013 831 34.4 24.1 85.9
2014 805 31.5 25.5 90.6
2015 791 33.0 23.9 92.9
2016 844 34.0 24.8 89.6
2017 846 33.6 25.1 92.2
2018 801 28.5 28.1 89.6
2019 797 31.0 25.7 91.5
2020 772 n/a n/a 86.4
2021 736 32.0 22.9 80.2
2022 802 37.2 21.5 69.5
2023 741 40.0 18.5 69.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Stephens Middle

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $8,413

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Stephens Middle

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 1662nd of 2715 Middle schoolsRanks 1644th of 2802 Middle schools
 2.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Stephens Middle)33.632.9
 0.7%
   6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Long Beach Unified)50.744.1
 6.5%
   6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)48.544.2
 4.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Stephens Middle)29.629.3
 0.2%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Long Beach Unified)45.933.3
 12.6%
   6th Grade Mathematics (California)38.533.2
 5.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Stephens Middle)33.343.2
 9.8%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Long Beach Unified)55.249.5
 5.7%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)51.447.4
 3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Stephens Middle)30.728.3
 2.4%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Long Beach Unified)44.332.5
 11.9%
   7th Grade Mathematics (California)37.933.2
 4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Stephens Middle)38.534.5
 3.9%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Long Beach Unified)52.546.9
 5.6%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)49.445.7
 3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Stephens Middle)28.511.2
 17.2%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Long Beach Unified)41.828.1
 13.7%
   8th Grade Mathematics (California)36.629.9
 6.7%
8th Grade Science (Stephens Middle)24.214
 10.2%
   8th Grade Science (Long Beach Unified)28.223
 5.2%
   8th Grade Science (California)30.828.8
 2.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students797741
 7%
African American9895
 3.1%
American Indian03
Asian114103
 9.6%
Hispanic532491
 7.7%
Pacific Islander2630
 15.4%
White101
 90%
Two or More Races1718
 5.9%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients91.5%69.9%
 21.6%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Stephens Middle

Students at Stephens Middle are 66% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 13% African American, 4% Pacific Islander, 2% Two or more races.

Stephens Middle ranks 1016th of 2777 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 741 students attended Stephens Middle.

Students who attend Stephens Middle usually go on to attend Cabrillo High


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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