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Isbell Middle

Public Grades 7-8

2171^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 21% of California middle schools

Summary

Isbell Middle is a public school serving 634 students in grades 7-8 in Santa Paula, part of the Santa Paula Unified district, which ranks in the bottom 20% of all California districts.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, with student proficiency in English, math, and science consistently and substantially below state averages; for example, only about 17% of students met standards in math and science in 2024-2025. This performance is similar to other area schools serving high-need communities, like Fillmore Middle and Rio Vista Middle, but lags far behind higher-performing nearby schools such as Las Colinas Middle. A notable point for parents is that Isbell Middle spends more per student than most comparison schools, yet these greater resources have not yet translated into higher test scores.

Despite these academic struggles, the school has made clear progress in improving student attendance, significantly reducing chronic absenteeism to a rate better than both its district and the state. It also shows relative strengths in supporting specific student groups, including Hispanic students and those in special education. The school's performance is closely tied to the broader challenges of its district and region, indicating that improvement is a complex task shared by similar schools in the area.

634

Students ?

20.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,843

Per pupil spending ?

83.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

221 South Fourth St.
Santa Paula, CA 93060-3301

(805) 933-8880

District: Santa Paula Unified

Students who attend Isbell Middle usually attend:

High:

Santa Paula High

Feeder schools for Isbell Middle:

Elementary:	Barbara Webster Elementary
	Blanchard Elementary
	Glen City Elementary
	Grace Thille Elementary
	More...
	McKevett Elementary
	Thelma Bedell Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.1%

White:

3.9%

African American:

0.3%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Isbell Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 13th percentile in 2023 → 21st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 21st (2025) from a 13th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (22% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!Mathematics scores 20 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg27%

California avg41%

2,171^st of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 21%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to bottom 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1260^th of 1,543Santa Paula Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.4	2171 of 2761	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	1970 of 2783	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	2423 of 2781	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	2305 of 2740	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.3	2262 of 2715	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	2060 of 2480	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.4	1978 of 2508	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.5	1777 of 2497	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	32.5	1554 of 2477	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	27.0	1177 of 1531	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.2	1359 of 1491	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.0	1135 of 1369	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	38.5	785 of 1478	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.4	1198 of 1521	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.0	1081 of 1540	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.0	1122 of 1442	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.4	835 of 1364	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.6	2052 of 2533	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	1817 of 2551	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	2176 of 2531	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	2097 of 2509	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	2008 of 2380	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	1929 of 2262	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.3	1707 of 2395	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.2	1459 of 2388	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.3	1973 of 2374	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	1851 of 2359	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	1735 of 2213	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.3	1643 of 2072	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	378 of 477	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	74.6	49 of 394	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	37.8	191 of 320	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.7	240 of 336	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.3	1835 of 2542	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.6	1674 of 2579	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.2	2108 of 2531	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.6	2010 of 2458	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	1895 of 2369	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.4	1794 of 2230	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.3	1984 of 2534	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	1830 of 2552	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	2258 of 2538	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	2190 of 2527	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.0	2063 of 2407	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	1886 of 2273	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.9	1069 of 1566	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.7	934 of 1552	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.2	1138 of 1531	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.8	1279 of 1520	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.8	1001 of 1496	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2024)47th percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2025)32nd percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)29th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)28th percentile+6 vs school

Disabled (2022)23rd percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)21st percentile~ school

Female (2025)19th percentile~ school

White (2025)16th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy30%-19 vs state

Mathematics17%-20 vs state

Science17%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Isbell Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Isbell Middle	Public	7-8	221 South Fourth St.	Santa Paula	93060	Ventura County	Santa Paula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 933-8880	634	30	20.8	83.8%	25 (3.9%)	2 (0.3%)	603 (95.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	21.4	2171^st of 2761 public middle schools	21.4%		26.6	1970^th of 2783 public middle schools	29.2%	201		16.7	16.7			28.6	30.6	29.6			16.9	16.8	16.8	$23,843	$4,077	$19,766
Briggs Elementary	Public	5-8	14438 West Telegraph Rd.	Santa Paula	93060	Ventura County	Briggs Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 525-7151	221	12	17.6	66.5%	7 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	209 (94.6%)	2 (0.9%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22.7	2125^th of 2761 public middle schools	23.0%		17.2	2386^th of 2783 public middle schools	14.3%	261	39.1	23.0	29.9	52.2	31.4	21.9	24.6	31.1	34.8	27.5	13.9	18.0	22.4	$16,939	$2,060	$14,879
Monte Vista Middle	Public	6-8	888 North Lantana St.	Camarillo	93010	Ventura County	Pleasant Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 383-5335	576	27	21.4	45.5%	197 (34.2%)	14 (2.4%)	275 (47.7%)	49 (8.5%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	37 (6.4%)	49.7	1186^th of 2761 public middle schools	57.0%		53.6	1053^rd of 2783 public middle schools	62.2%	133		32.4	32.4		48.7	50.3	44.4	47.8		37.2	30.5	23.0	30.4	$16,224	$1,689	$14,535
Fillmore Middle	Public	6-8	543 A St.	Fillmore	93016	Ventura County	Fillmore Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 524-6055	813	38	21.4	74.8%	37 (4.6%)	2 (0.2%)	765 (94.1%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	18.5	2291^st of 2761 public middle schools	17.0%		15.5	2461^st of 2783 public middle schools	11.6%	170		14.3	14.3		27.3	35.0	26.9	29.6		13.5	12.8	11.9	12.7	$19,841	$1,406	$18,435
Las Colinas Middle	Public	6-8	5750 Fieldcrest Dr.	Camarillo	93012	Ventura County	Pleasant Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 383-5320	819	35	23.5	30.0%	311 (38.0%)	13 (1.6%)	346 (42.2%)	91 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	53 (6.5%)	76.8	545^th of 2761 public middle schools	80.3%		74.5	599^th of 2783 public middle schools	78.5%	54		39.3	39.3		64.4	60.1	63.1	62.6		52.5	50.0	42.2	48.4	$15,105	$1,801	$13,304
Rio Vista Middle	Public	6-8	3050 Thames River Dr.	Oxnard	93036	Ventura County	Rio Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 981-1507	637	28	22.3	65.1%	33 (5.2%)	15 (2.4%)	550 (86.3%)	27 (4.2%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.1%)	18.7	2280^th of 2761 public middle schools	17.4%		23.6	2103^rd of 2783 public middle schools	24.4%	177		13.0	13.0		26.5	27.8	30.3	28.4		13.3	14.3	16.5	14.8	$23,558	$1,720	$21,838
Rio del Valle Middle	Public	6-8	3100 Rose Ave.	Oxnard	93036	Ventura County	Rio Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 485-3119	569	30	19.0	77.9%	14 (2.5%)	4 (0.7%)	519 (91.2%)	25 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.1%)	27.8	1903^rd of 2761 public middle schools	31.1%		29.1	1856^th of 2783 public middle schools	33.3%	47		19.5	19.5		27.3	41.2	36.3	35.2		19.7	17.9	22.4	19.9	$26,513	$1,955	$24,558
Balboa Middle	Public	6-8	247 Hill Rd.	Ventura	93003	Ventura County	Ventura Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 289-1800	845	35	24.2	58.8%	269 (31.8%)	11 (1.3%)	492 (58.2%)	38 (4.5%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.4%)	27 (3.2%)	50.9	1159^th of 2761 public middle schools	58.0%		53.1	1068^th of 2783 public middle schools	61.6%	91		32.0	32.0		42.7	44.6	50.2	45.8		34.8	29.3	37.0	33.9	$17,294	$2,335	$14,959
Chaparral Middle	Public	6-8	280 Poindexter Rd.	Moorpark	93021	Ventura County	Moorpark Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 378-6302	542	25	22.0	41.9%	163 (30.1%)	11 (2.0%)	317 (58.5%)	31 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.5%)	58	951^st of 2761 public middle schools	65.6%		55	1014^th of 2783 public middle schools	63.6%	63		32.4	32.4		61.4	50.3	49.2	53.9		40.2	34.4	29.2	34.6	$16,518	$1,260	$15,258
R.J. Frank Academy of Marine Science & Engineering	Public	6-8	701 North Juanita Ave.	Oxnard	93030	Ventura County	Oxnard	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 385-1536	1,027	54	18.9	89.1%	25 (2.4%)	4 (0.4%)	955 (93.0%)	37 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	31	1800^th of 2761 public middle schools	34.8%		30.3	1798^th of 2783 public middle schools	35.4%	2		18.0	18.0		34.3	46.3	39.1	40.1		22.0	23.1	14.1	19.7	$24,481	$2,030	$22,451

Frequently Asked Questions about Isbell Middle

How many students attend Isbell Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 634 students attended Isbell Middle.

What high school do graduates of Isbell Middle attend?

Students who attend Isbell Middle usually go on to attend Santa Paula High

Is Isbell Middle a good school?

Isbell Middle ranks in the bottom 21.4% of California middle schools.

What district is Isbell Middle in?

Santa Paula Unified

What is the racial makeup of Isbell Middle?

Students at Isbell Middle are 95% Hispanic, 4% White.

Rate Isbell Middle!

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Schools in Santa Paula, CA

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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.