Bill E. Young Junior Middle

Bill E. Young Junior Middle is a public school serving about 322 students in grades 5-8 within the Calipatria Unified school district, which serves a community with high economic need.

The school shows some clear strengths, particularly in dramatically improving student attendance and in effectively teaching specific groups of students. Chronic absenteeism has been cut by more than half in recent years, now standing at 17.8%, which is better than the state average and notably better than nearby schools like Barbara Worth Junior High (30.2%). The school is also notably successful with its English Language Learner and migrant student populations, with their performance ranking in the top quartiles statewide. However, the school faces significant academic challenges, with proficiency in math and science falling well below state averages, and a worrying trend where student performance drops sharply between 5th and 8th grade.

Compared to other area middle schools, Bill E. Young Junior Middle has more resources per student and smaller class sizes, yet its overall academic results are mixed. It spends more per student and has a lower student-teacher ratio than schools like Frank M. Wright Middle and Padilla-Pace Middle. While it outperforms Barbara Worth Junior High in English, it lags behind Padilla-Pace Middle in the same subject. A key area for improvement is support for students in special education, where the school's performance metrics are very low.