Summary:
Palmdale Elementary has five middle schools, all serving grades 6–8. In 2025–2026, their average proficiency was 31% in ELA, 14% in math and 16% in science, compared with 49%, 38% and 36% statewide. The group also trailed the Palmdale Elementary district averages by 2 percentage points in ELA, 7 in math and 4 in science. The most important shared finding is that math is the largest gap: the schools’ average was 25 points below the state.
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy is the strongest all-around scorer, leading the five schools in math at 22% and science at 21%; those results are 10 and 6 points above the other schools’ averages. It also scored 33% in ELA, second to Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Technical Magnet Academy, whose 35% ELA result was 4 points above the other schools’ average. Desert Willow’s math and science scores, however, were 10% and 14%. Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy had the lowest science result at 11% and the second-lowest math result at 11%. David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy had the lowest ELA result at 30%, just below Space’s 30%.
Average results improved from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026: ELA rose 3 points, math 1 point and science 5 points. ELA and science increased at all five schools, while math edged down at Desert Willow and Space. SchoolDigger gave each school one star in 2025–2026; its state percentiles ranged from 12th at Space to 28th at Shadow Hills. Context differs too: student-teacher ratios ranged from 19.4 at Space to 22.7 at Millen. All five reported free/reduced lunch eligible for 2024–2025, ranging from 75% at Millen to 90% at Space, with an 86% average. These measures offer context, not an explanation for scores.
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