La Paz Middle

Summary:

La Paz Middle is a public middle school located in Salinas, California, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 1,148 students. It is part of the Salinas Union High School District, which is ranked 957 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

La Paz Middle has consistently ranked in the bottom half of California middle schools, ranking between 1,700-2,100 out of around 2,500-2,800 schools in recent years. It has a 1-2 star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating it is performing below average compared to other middle schools in the state. The school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Hispanic students and English Language Learners performing relatively better, ranking in the middle 50-60% of California middle schools. However, other subgroups like female students, special education students, and homeless students perform in the bottom 25-40% of schools. La Paz Middle also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 7.0% to 15.3% in recent years, which is above the state average.

Academically, La Paz Middle's performance, as measured by proficiency rates on Smarter Balanced Assessments and CAST Science tests, is significantly below state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 32.55% of La Paz students were proficient in ELA and 15.32% were proficient in Math, compared to the state averages of 47.04% and 35.54%, respectively. The school has a very high percentage of students (over 90%) eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high concentration of students from low-income families. In contrast, nearby middle schools like Seaside Middle and Los Arboles Middle perform slightly better, while schools outside the Salinas Union High School District, such as San Benancio Middle and Buena Vista Middle, demonstrate significantly higher academic performance.


Detail:

Public 7-8

 1300 North Sanborn Rd.
       Salinas, CA  93905-4127


(831) 796-7900

District: Salinas Union High

SchoolDigger Rank:
2097th of 2,777 California Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,471 Help


Students who attend La Paz Middle usually attend:

High:    Alisal High

Feeder schools for La Paz Middle:

Elementary:    Alisal Community
    Cesar E. Chavez Elementary
    Dr. Oscar F. Loya Elementary
    Frank Paul Elementary

Student/teacher ratio:  22.1 Help
Number of students:  1,148

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
98.3%
Asian:
0.6%
Two or more races:
0.5%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  96.3% Help


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 Compare La Paz Middle to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details La Paz Middle ranks worse than 75.5% of middle schools in California. It also ranks last among 4 ranked middle schools in the Salinas Union High School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 23.66. (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
Help
Compare Details La Paz Middle has the largest middle school student body size in the Salinas Union High School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (98.3%), Asian (0.6%), two or more races (0.5%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 96.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Salinas Union High School District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at La Paz Middle is 22.1. 2 middle schools in the Salinas Union High School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare La Paz Middle employs 51.7 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at La Paz Middle is $9,471, which is the 2nd highest among 4 middle schools in the Salinas Union High School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

La Paz Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks La Paz Middle 2097th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See La Paz 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:
Migrant students:
Homeless students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:


Salinas Union High:

SchoolDigger ranks Salinas Union High 957th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for La Paz Middle?

Rank History for La Paz Middle

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Compare

Rank History for all students at La Paz Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 15.50 1560th 1769 11.8%
2005 24.40 1354th 1777 23.8%
2006 36.68 1099th 1804 39.1%
2007 31.59 1349th 1999 32.5%
2008 26.18 1532nd 2005 23.6%
2009 26.99 1550th 2063 24.9%
2010 29.81 1581st 2179 27.4%
2011 28.69 1684th 2236 24.7%
2012 29.64 1652nd 2259 26.9%
2013 39.81 1432nd 2379 39.8%
2015 18.09 2078th 2477 16.1%
2016 21.83 1952nd 2497 21.8%
2017 28.77 1700th 2508 32.2%
2018 26.81 1761st 2480 29.0%
2019 25.79 1968th 2715 27.5%
2022 29.95 1778th 2740 35.1%
2023 24.23 2087th 2802 25.5%
2024 23.66 2097th 2777 24.5%
See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at La Paz Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 56.06 345th 1364 74.7%
2019 44.83 547th 1442 62.1%
2022 50.05 474th 1540 69.2%
2023 37.39 874th 1529 42.8%
2024 32.01 1124th 1477 23.9%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at La Paz Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 37.35 843rd 1538 45.2%
2024 28.65 1146th 1550 26.1%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at La Paz Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 36.09 1385th 2230 37.9%
2019 35.30 1481st 2369 37.5%
2022 44.49 1182nd 2458 51.9%
2023 33.22 1628th 2549 36.1%
2024 31.29 1718th 2575 33.3%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Migrant students at La Paz Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 35.86 53rd 86 38.4%
2024 50.93 40th 94 57.4%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Migrant Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at La Paz Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 28.61 297th 394 24.6%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at La Paz Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 24.51 1687th 2262 25.4%
2019 23.71 1832nd 2380 23.0%
2022 27.65 1740th 2509 30.6%
2023 24.75 1899th 2547 25.4%
2024 19.74 2100th 2546 17.5%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at La Paz Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 21.91 1250th 1369 8.7%
2019 23.74 1268th 1491 15.0%
2022 38.56 804th 1531 47.5%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at La Paz Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 27.43 1612th 2273 29.1%
2019 26.04 1761st 2407 26.8%
2022 32.44 1565th 2527 38.1%
2023 23.72 1935th 2558 24.4%
2024 27.34 1783rd 2547 30.0%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at La Paz Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 37.11 1260th 2072 39.2%
2019 35.05 1398th 2213 36.8%
2022 40.50 1277th 2359 45.9%
2023 31.89 1565th 2391 34.5%
2024 31.68 1581st 2383 33.7%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Hispanic 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.

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





Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)
0%

0%

0%

0%

100%

  

Reviews:
by a citizen
Friday, June 26, 2020

Open Quote absolutely horrible. The Principal and VP are racist. The will never be able to run a school and the sooner the district realizes that the better. I feel sorry for the students Close Quote



Enrollment information for La Paz Middle

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2002 23 6 34 997 4 n/a n/a 1 1065
2003 23 6 34 997 4 n/a n/a 1 1065
2004 19 12 25 1011 6 n/a n/a 0 1073
2005 19 12 21 1000 3 n/a n/a 0 1055
2006 14 8 19 959 2 n/a n/a 0 1002
2007 13 6 14 950 0 n/a n/a 1 984
2008 8 3 18 949 n/a n/a n/a 0 978
2009 9 5 16 921 0 0 1 0 952
2010 9 4 20 865 0 0 0 0 898
2011 10 1 19 824 0 0 1 0 855
2012 11 0 15 837 1 1 5 0 870
2013 20 2 13 855 2 0 0 0 892
2014 15 1 9 903 1 1 0 0 930
2015 12 2 9 1014 0 1 0 0 1038
2016 17 1 8 1035 0 0 0 0 1061
2017 16 0 11 1023 0 0 0 0 1050
2018 18 0 6 1090 0 0 0 0 1114
2019 15 1 4 1178 0 1 2 0 1201
2020 15 1 6 1178 0 0 7 0 1207
2021 15 1 12 1159 0 0 7 0 1194
2022 4 1 15 1132 1 1 1 1 1156
2023 4 3 7 1128 0 0 6 0 1148

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 La Paz Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2002 1065 49.1 21.7 79.1
2003 1065 49.1 21.7 79.1
2004 1073 48.3 22.2 84.1
2005 1055 49.1 21.5 86.5
2006 1002 47.0 21.3 0
2007 984 43.8 22.5 83.7
2008 978 52.7 18.6 84.2
2009 952 50.7 16.8 86
2010 898 47.0 19.1 86.5
2011 855 n/a n/a 85.7
2012 870 45.7 19.0 n/a
2013 892 45.5 19.5 89.7
2014 930 47.1 19.7 85.3
2015 1038 50.0 20.7 87.1
2016 1061 48.0 22.1 82.5
2017 1050 42.5 24.7 89.4
2018 1114 50.0 22.2 87.3
2019 1201 55.1 21.7 88.7
2020 1207 n/a n/a 88
2021 1194 49.4 24.1 92.5
2022 1156 54.0 21.4 92
2023 1148 51.7 22.1 96.3

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 La Paz Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2002 1065 49.1 21.7 79.1
2003 1065 49.1 21.7 79.1
2004 1073 48.3 22.2 84.1
2005 1055 49.1 21.5 86.5
2006 1002 47.0 21.3 0
2007 984 43.8 22.5 83.7
2008 978 52.7 18.6 84.2
2009 952 50.7 16.8 86
2010 898 47.0 19.1 86.5
2011 855 n/a n/a 85.7
2012 870 45.7 19.0 n/a
2013 892 45.5 19.5 89.7
2014 930 47.1 19.7 85.3
2015 1038 50.0 20.7 87.1
2016 1061 48.0 22.1 82.5
2017 1050 42.5 24.7 89.4
2018 1114 50.0 22.2 87.3
2019 1201 55.1 21.7 88.7
2020 1207 n/a n/a 88
2021 1194 49.4 24.1 92.5
2022 1156 54.0 21.4 92
2023 1148 51.7 22.1 96.3

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 La Paz Middle

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $9,471

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

Impact of COVID-19 on La Paz 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 1968th of 2715 Middle schoolsRanks 2087th of 2802 Middle schools
 2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (La Paz Middle)34.235.2
 1%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Salinas Union High)35.533.7
 1.8%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)51.447.4
 3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (La Paz Middle)17.914.1
 3.8%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Salinas Union High)22.218.2
 3.9%
   7th Grade Mathematics (California)37.933.2
 4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (La Paz Middle)32.432.6
 0.2%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Salinas Union High)36.134.9
 1.1%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)49.445.7
 3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (La Paz Middle)28.211.5
 16.7%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Salinas Union High)25.416.1
 9.3%
   8th Grade Mathematics (California)36.629.9
 6.7%
8th Grade Science (La Paz Middle)16.512
 4.5%
   8th Grade Science (Salinas Union High)21.317
 4.3%
   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 Students12011148
 4.4%
African American13
 200%
American Indian00
Asian47
 75%
Hispanic11781128
 4.2%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White154
 73.3%
Two or More Races26
 200%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients88.7%96.3%
 7.6%


Schools Near La Paz Middle









Frequently Asked Questions about La Paz Middle

Students who attend La Paz Middle usually go on to attend Alisal High

Students at La Paz Middle are 98% Hispanic.

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,148 students attended La Paz Middle.

La Paz Middle ranks in the bottom 24.5% of California middle schools.


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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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