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Paul L. Cato Middle

Q: Is Paul L. Cato Middle a good school?

Paul L. Cato Middle ranks 1121 st of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1121^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 59% of California middle schools

Summary

Paul L. Cato Middle is a public middle school serving about 700 students in grades 6-8 within the Bakersfield City School District, standing out as a strong performer in an area where many schools face significant academic challenges.

Academically, the school consistently outperforms its district and often meets or exceeds state averages, with nearly half of students proficient in English and about a third proficient in math. This is particularly notable when compared to nearby middle schools like Chipman Junior High or Walter Stiern Middle, which have significantly lower proficiency rates. Furthermore, Cato Middle has achieved a remarkable recovery in student attendance since the pandemic, now boasting a chronic absenteeism rate of just over 11%, which is the lowest among local schools and far better than the district and state averages.

The school's success is also marked by its efficient use of resources, achieving strong results with moderate per-student spending compared to other schools, and by its effective support for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. While mathematics remains a relative area for growth compared to English, and support for special education students shows some variability, Cato Middle demonstrates that effective school-level practices can lead to positive outcomes, making it a notable example within the Bakersfield City district.

694

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,264

Per pupil spending ?

53.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4115 Vineland Rd.
Bakersfield, CA 93306-2835

(661) 631-5245

District: Bakersfield City

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

71.6%

White:

19.3%

Asian:

4.3%

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Compare Paul L. Cato Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 58th percentile in 2017 → 59th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Bakersfield City

✓Above the California median (59th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg21%

California avg41%

1,121^st of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 41%▲ up 2 pts since 2017

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 10Middle Schools in the Bakersfield City

1357^th of 1,543Bakersfield City 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	52.4	1121 of 2761	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.3	1007 of 2783	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.5	1041 of 2781	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.4	1356 of 2740	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.0	1414 of 2715	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.4	1126 of 2480	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	51.7	1056 of 2508	57.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	34.5	404 of 643	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	38.0	825 of 1531	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.8	940 of 1491	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	871 of 1369	36.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	40.6	709 of 1478	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.0	654 of 1521	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.4	745 of 1540	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.9	1180 of 1442	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.3	889 of 1364	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	53.8	992 of 2533	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.2	1002 of 2551	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.1	1003 of 2531	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.6	1323 of 2509	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.0	1291 of 2380	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.0	1065 of 2262	52.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.5	823 of 2395	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.4	584 of 2388	75.5%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	668 of 2374	71.9%	★★★★☆
2022	50.9	968 of 2359	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.0	1021 of 2213	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.1	763 of 2072	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.9	1149 of 2542	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.1	1076 of 2579	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.1	1144 of 2531	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.4	1424 of 2458	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.9	1333 of 2369	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.8	890 of 2230	60.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.5	1130 of 2534	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.2	899 of 2552	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.1	929 of 2538	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.8	1168 of 2527	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.4	1330 of 2407	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.1	1072 of 2273	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	40.8	410 of 677	39.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	969 of 1566	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.9	586 of 1552	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.3	650 of 1531	57.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.9	741 of 1520	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.1	865 of 1537	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.8	583 of 1543	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.0	696 of 1555	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.8	756 of 1602	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.7	605 of 1496	59.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)66th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)61st percentile~ school

Male (2025)55th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)55th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)52nd percentile-12 vs school

White (2025)51st percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)46th percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)39th percentile-23 vs school

Special Education (2025)38th percentile-21 vs school

African American (2019)37th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy49%~ state avg

Mathematics33%-4 vs state

Science30%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Paul L. Cato 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
Paul L. Cato Middle	Public	6-8	4115 Vineland Rd.	Bakersfield	93306	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5245	694	31	22.5	53.6%	134 (19.3%)	18 (2.6%)	497 (71.6%)	30 (4.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.4%)	52.4	1121^st of 2761 public middle schools	59.4%		55.3	1007^th of 2783 public middle schools	63.8%	114		30.5	30.5		53.0	46.6	49.3	49.1		39.7	32.8	29.2	32.9	$19,264	$2,251	$17,013
Walter Stiern Middle	Public	6-8	2551 Morning Dr.	Bakersfield	93306	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5480	891	41	21.4	81.5%	63 (7.1%)	32 (3.6%)	787 (88.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.7%)	12.9	2522^nd of 2761 public middle schools	8.7%		17.5	2367^th of 2783 public middle schools	14.9%	155		10.9	10.9		23.4	27.8	18.1	22.6		8.9	12.2	7.9	9.5	$20,081	$2,574	$17,507
Chipman Junior High	Public	7-8	2905 Eissler St.	Bakersfield	93306	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5210	708	33	21.7	66.2%	105 (14.8%)	43 (6.1%)	537 (75.8%)	11 (1.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.3%)	32.7	1728^th of 2761 public middle schools	37.4%		41.2	1423^rd of 2783 public middle schools	48.9%	305		19.8	19.8			45.5	34.0	39.6			25.9	18.4	22.1	$18,488	$2,574	$15,914
Edison Middle	Public	5-8	721 South Edison Rd.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Edison Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 366-8216	489	28	17.2	88.1%	32 (6.5%)	15 (3.1%)	433 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	15.2	2432^nd of 2761 public middle schools	11.9%		25.7	2008^th of 2783 public middle schools	27.8%	424	16.9	16.5	16.7	32.8	16.4	32.5	21.5	26.2	18.6	12.5	14.9	2.5	12.1	$21,366	$1,400	$19,966
Compton Junior High	Public	7-8	3211 Pico Ave.	Bakersfield	93306	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5230	586	28	20.5	85.8%	47 (8.0%)	25 (4.3%)	502 (85.7%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.0%)	19	2273^rd of 2761 public middle schools	17.7%		17.8	2351^st of 2783 public middle schools	15.5%	78		21.2	21.2			25.7	33.0	29.2			9.4	8.0	8.7	$19,923	$2,712	$17,211
Sierra Middle	Public	6-8	3017 Center St.	Bakersfield	93306	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5470	731	35	20.7	96.4%	31 (4.2%)	21 (2.9%)	663 (90.7%)	2 (0.3%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.0%)	14.4	2467^th of 2761 public middle schools	10.6%		14.3	2504^th of 2783 public middle schools	10.0%	37		14.6	14.6		21.8	30.0	27.6	27.4		3.0	5.6	6.4	5.4	$18,917	$2,665	$16,252
Fairfax Junior High	Public	5-8	1500 South Fairfax Rd.	Bakersfield	93307	Kern County	Fairfax Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 366-4461	609	31	19.4	97.2%	17 (2.8%)	10 (1.6%)	555 (91.1%)	8 (1.3%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.6%)	23.1	2093^rd of 2761 public middle schools	24.2%		20.8	2230^th of 2783 public middle schools	19.9%	137		13.5	13.5			36.5	28.8	32.8			15.6	20.4	17.9
Washington Middle	Public	6-8	1101 Noble Ave.	Bakersfield	93305	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5810	639	30	21.6	91.1%	46 (7.2%)	45 (7.0%)	537 (84.0%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	9.7	2624^th of 2761 public middle schools	5.0%		9.5	2682^nd of 2783 public middle schools	3.6%	58		8.9	8.9		22.6	22.9	17.0	20.6		5.5	6.1	3.0	4.8	$18,263	$2,817	$15,446
Abraham Lincoln Junior High	Public	7-8	800 Chico St.	Bakersfield	93305	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5950	527	27	19.7	99.4%	15 (2.8%)	48 (9.1%)	454 (86.1%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	6.7	2702^nd of 2761 public middle schools	2.1%		9	2698^th of 2783 public middle schools	3.1%	4		3.7	3.7			17.4	13.1	15.5			3.6	1.9	2.9	$22,162	$2,788	$19,374
Emerson Middle	Public	6-8	801 Fourth St.	Bakersfield	93304	Kern County	Bakersfield City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 631-5260	813	37	21.9	90.2%	49 (6.0%)	107 (13.2%)	627 (77.1%)	13 (1.6%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	10 (1.2%)	13.7	2488^th of 2761 public middle schools	9.9%		15.4	2462^nd of 2783 public middle schools	11.5%	26		16.9	16.9		28.5	21.6	26.0	24.8		7.5	7.3	3.4	5.9	$18,410	$2,638	$15,772

Frequently Asked Questions about Paul L. Cato Middle

What district is Paul L. Cato Middle in?

Bakersfield City

How many students attend Paul L. Cato Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 694 students attended Paul L. Cato Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Paul L. Cato Middle?

Students at Paul L. Cato Middle are 72% Hispanic, 19% White, 4% Asian, 3% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Is Paul L. Cato Middle a good school?

Paul L. Cato Middle ranks 1121^st of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Paul L. Cato Middle!

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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.