Coalinga Middle

Coalinga Middle is a public middle school serving about 660 students in grades 6-8 in the Coalinga-Huron Unified district, which faces significant academic challenges across the region.

Academically, the school performs well below state averages, with only about 21% of students proficient in English and 11% in math, though it does perform slightly better in English than its district peer, Huron Middle. A major concern is a steep drop in math scores from 6th to 8th grade. Chronic student absenteeism, at 25.8%, is higher than at nearby schools like Reef-Sunset Middle (14.3%). Interestingly, despite lower per-student spending and higher absenteeism than Huron Middle, Coalinga Middle maintains a slight academic edge.

The school's statewide ranking has declined over the past decade, and there are notable disparities in how different groups of students perform. For instance, female students consistently rank in much lower percentiles than male students. Support for special populations, like Special Education students, has shown strength but can vary dramatically from year to year. Key areas for improvement include creating targeted math interventions, analyzing more successful attendance strategies from other schools, and ensuring consistent support for all student groups.