Summary:
Red Bluff has three middle schools: Vista Preparatory Academy and Berrendos Middle serve grades 6–8, while Lassen-Antelope Volcanic Academy (LAVA) serves grades 5–8. In 2025–26, the unweighted average across the three schools was below the state rate in ELA, math, and science: by 9, 10, and 8 percentage points, respectively. The main takeaway is that these schools do not share one performance profile: results vary substantially by school and subject.
LAVA led in all-grade ELA and science, with 51% and 38% proficiency—about 2 percentage points above the state in each subject—and its ELA score was 16 points above the other schools’ average. Berrendos led in math at 39%, about 1 point above the state and 17 points above the other schools’ average. Vista was lowest in all three subjects: 28% in ELA, 12% in math, and 16% in science, respectively 19, 24, and 17 points below the average of the other two schools. LAVA’s overall ELA strength also varies by grade: its shared-grade results ranged from 65% in grade 7 to 35% in grade 8, with grade 8 15 points below the state.
From 2024–25 to 2025–26, the three-school average rose 6 points in ELA, 3 in math, and 3 in science; the average gap to the state narrowed in ELA and math but widened slightly in science. School trends differed: Vista improved in all three subjects, LAVA gained in ELA and math but slipped in science, and Berrendos gained in science while falling in ELA and math. SchoolDigger’s statewide rankings put LAVA at the 56th percentile and Berrendos at the 55th, compared with Vista at the 12th. For context, 2024–25 free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 65% at LAVA, 52% at Berrendos, and 71% at Vista; student-teacher ratios were 18.6, 18.8, and 22.1, respectively. These figures describe differences, not their causes. All-grade comparisons are not perfectly matched because LAVA also serves grade 5.
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