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Stephens Middle

Q: Is Stephens Middle a good school?

Stephens Middle ranks 1075 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1075^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 61% of California middle schools

Summary

Stephens Middle is a public middle school serving 658 students in grades 6-8 in the Long Beach Unified district, located in a high-need area where over three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

This school has shown a remarkable turnaround, climbing from a low state ranking to a solid 3-star school in recent years, a steeper improvement than most nearby schools. It stands out for its effectiveness with specific student groups, such as English Learners and students from low-income families, achieving higher rankings for these groups than schools like Washington Middle and Lindbergh STEM Academy that serve similar populations. While its English Language Arts scores are strong, math and especially science scores are areas for growth, and chronic absenteeism is a significant challenge the school is working to overcome.

Compared to other schools, Stephens Middle achieves good results with moderate per-student spending, performing better than some higher-spending schools like Glenn Hammond Curtiss Middle. While a high-performing charter school like Intellectual Virtues Academy is nearby, Stephens serves a community with greater economic needs. The school's positive trajectory suggests it has developed effective practices, and addressing attendance and science achievement could help it reach its full potential.

658

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,005

Per pupil spending ?

76.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1830 West Columbia St.
Long Beach, CA 90810-2913

(562) 595-0841

District: Long Beach Unified

Students who attend Stephens Middle usually attend:

High:

Cabrillo High

Feeder schools for Stephens Middle:

Elementary:	Garfield Elementary
	Muir K-8
	Webster Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

66.4%

Asian:

14.4%

African American:

11.1%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Stephens Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2015 → 61st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 36 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the California median (61st percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 19% California)

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

!Science scores 13 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg42%

California avg41%

1,075^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 39%▲ up 36 pts since 2015

From bottom 25% (2015) to top 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 15Middle Schools in the Long Beach Unified

606^th of 1,543Long Beach 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	54.0	1075 of 2761	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.8	1019 of 2783	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.6	1635 of 2781	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.7	2146 of 2740	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.1	732 of 894	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.7	1662 of 2715	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.7	1700 of 2480	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	23.6	1909 of 2508	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	29.0	1685 of 2497	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	24.1	1864 of 2477	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	34.4	1579 of 2379	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.9	1450 of 2259	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.5	1545 of 2236	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	35.2	1437 of 2179	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	29.1	1493 of 2063	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	33.2	1340 of 2005	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	36.3	1210 of 1999	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	32.3	1203 of 1804	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	30.5	1221 of 1777	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	23.4	1353 of 1769	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	53.0	246 of 609	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.0	150 of 627	76.1%	★★★★☆
2023	49.6	265 of 613	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.9	485 of 637	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.5	369 of 643	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.9	466 of 600	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	47.6	443 of 743	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	21.8	1399 of 1531	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	42.0	164 of 354	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.5	651 of 1491	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.9	580 of 1369	57.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	56.6	312 of 1478	78.9%	★★★★☆
2023	40.3	758 of 1521	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.5	918 of 1540	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.2	294 of 363	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.6	673 of 1442	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.2	940 of 1364	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	940 of 2533	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.3	900 of 2551	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.7	1424 of 2531	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.4	1863 of 2509	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.8	611 of 738	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.7	1600 of 2380	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.6	1520 of 2262	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.5	663 of 2395	72.3%	★★★★☆
2024	57.1	801 of 2388	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.4	1318 of 2374	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.9	1862 of 2359	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.2	1299 of 2213	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.9	1371 of 2072	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	48.7	135 of 320	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.2	106 of 336	68.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.7	686 of 2542	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	66.8	602 of 2579	76.7%	★★★★☆
2023	41.6	1267 of 2531	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.4	1880 of 2458	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.8	529 of 721	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.2	1180 of 2369	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.6	1307 of 2230	41.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	1054 of 2534	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.8	1014 of 2552	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.8	1559 of 2538	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.5	2030 of 2527	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.4	613 of 763	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.3	1454 of 2407	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.6	1699 of 2273	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	56.7	7 of 19	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	690 of 1566	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.0	1027 of 1552	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.6	1229 of 1531	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)79th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)73rd percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2025)72nd percentile+11 vs school

Pacific Islander (2019)63rd percentile+24 vs school

Female (2025)63rd percentile~ school

African American (2025)60th percentile~ school

Male (2025)58th percentile-3 vs school

Homeless (2023)58th percentile+17 vs school

Special Education (2025)56th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2024)40th percentile-23 vs school

Disabled (2022)9th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy53%+4 vs state

Mathematics35%-3 vs state

Science20%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Stephens Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (2025)
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 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 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
Stephens Middle	Public	6-8	1830 West Columbia St.	Long Beach	90810	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 595-0841	658	36	18.4	76.9%	7 (1.1%)	73 (11.1%)	437 (66.4%)	95 (14.4%)	3 (0.5%)	23 (3.5%)	20 (3.0%)	54	1075^th of 2761 public middle schools	61.1%		54.8	1019^th of 2783 public middle schools	63.4%	56	19.5	19.5	46.5	55.2	58.6	53.3	29.6	43.7	31.2	34.8	$25,005	$22,256	$2,749
Intellectual Virtues Academy of Long Beach	Public, Charter	6-8	3601 Linden Ave.	Long Beach	90807	Los Angeles County	Intellectual Virtues Academy of Long Beach District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 912-7017	244	11	22.0	45.1%	51 (20.9%)	38 (15.6%)	104 (42.6%)	15 (6.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (13.5%)	79.5	483^rd of 2761 public middle schools	82.5%		81	459^th of 2783 public middle schools	83.5%	24	48.1	48.1	61.3	69.5	67.5	66.1	47.5	43.9	48.1	46.4
Hughes Middle	Public	6-8	3846 California Ave.	Long Beach	90807	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 595-0831	1,214	50	24.1	52.9%	98 (8.1%)	207 (17.1%)	591 (48.7%)	212 (17.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (1.5%)	88 (7.2%)	66.3	756^th of 2761 public middle schools	72.6%		66.9	747^th of 2783 public middle schools	73.2%	9	35.2	35.2	54.7	60.1	51.3	55.4	36.4	50.8	40.1	42.4	$20,789	$18,860	$1,929
Washington Middle	Public	6-8	1400 E. 20th St.	Long Beach	90806	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 591-7477	849	35	24.5	82.3%	12 (1.4%)	104 (12.2%)	692 (81.5%)	27 (3.2%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	10 (1.2%)	21.8	2157^th of 2761 public middle schools	21.9%		22.5	2149^th of 2783 public middle schools	22.8%	8	9.3	9.3	27.9	33.2	36.1	32.5	17.3	12.0	21.1	16.9	$20,225	$18,334	$1,891
Andrew Carnegie Middle	Public	6-8	21820 Bonita St.	Carson	90745	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 952-5700	843	48	17.4	84.9%	10 (1.2%)	167 (19.8%)	502 (59.5%)	111 (13.2%)	2 (0.2%)	13 (1.5%)	38 (4.5%)	46.2	1289^th of 2761 public middle schools	53.3%		39.4	1486^th of 2783 public middle schools	46.6%	197	17.5	17.5	49.2	42.1	46.0	45.6	31.0	33.3	36.2	33.6	$40,050	$37,592	$2,458
Lindsey Academy	Public	6-8	5075 Daisy Ave.	Long Beach	90805	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 423-6451	684	33	21.0	80.7%	4 (0.6%)	112 (16.4%)	502 (73.4%)	36 (5.3%)	3 (0.4%)	11 (1.6%)	16 (2.3%)	29.3	1851^st of 2761 public middle schools	33.0%		25.4	2016^th of 2783 public middle schools	27.6%	165	15.6	15.6	31.1	41.8	38.4	37.1	17.9	25.1	20.9	21.3	$23,222	$21,170	$2,052
Jessie Nelson Academy	Public	6-8	1951 Cherry Ave.	Signal Hill	90755	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 591-6041	832	32	25.9	80.5%	15 (1.8%)	105 (12.6%)	499 (60.0%)	181 (21.8%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.6%)	25 (3.0%)	31.7	1769^th of 2761 public middle schools	35.9%		29.2	1847^th of 2783 public middle schools	33.6%	78	24.3	24.3	33.9	40.2	34.2	36.1	18.9	25.9	23.6	22.7	$21,616	$19,338	$2,278
Wilmington Mid Sci Technical Engr Arts Math (STEAM) Magnet	Public	6-8	1700 Gulf Ave.	Wilmington	90744	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 847-1500	1,121	63	17.8	94.6%	12 (1.1%)	29 (2.6%)	1,049 (93.6%)	18 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.4%)	8 (0.7%)	41.2	1459^th of 2761 public middle schools	47.2%		39.8	1473^rd of 2783 public middle schools	47.1%	14	22.9	22.9	37.1	41.5	39.5	39.4	34.3	32.9	29.0	32.0	$34,243	$31,562	$2,681
Franklin Classical Middle	Public	6-8	540 Cerritos Ave.	Long Beach	90802	Los Angeles County	Long Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 435-4952	991	42	23.3	87.7%	19 (1.9%)	118 (11.9%)	763 (77.0%)	64 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	21 (2.1%)	28.8	1869^th of 2761 public middle schools	32.3%		30.2	1806^th of 2783 public middle schools	35.1%	63	16.9	16.9	26.9	32.4	43.6	34.5	20.8	20.7	25.6	22.5	$22,678	$20,270	$2,408
Glenn Hammond Curtiss Middle	Public	6-8	1254 East Helmick St.	Carson	90746	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 661-4500	341	21	16.1	89.7%	5 (1.5%)	194 (56.9%)	125 (36.7%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	10 (2.9%)	32.1	1752^nd of 2761 public middle schools	36.5%		30.5	1791^st of 2783 public middle schools	35.6%	39	18.0	18.0	29.0	34.2	41.3	34.9	31.7	26.6	20.5	26.2	$59,152	$55,756	$3,396

Frequently Asked Questions about Stephens Middle

Is Stephens Middle a good school?

Stephens Middle ranks 1075^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Stephens Middle attend?

Students who attend Stephens Middle usually go on to attend Cabrillo High

What district is Stephens Middle in?

Long Beach Unified

How many students attend Stephens Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 658 students attended Stephens Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Stephens Middle?

Students at Stephens Middle are 66% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 11% African American, 3% Pacific Islander, 3% Two or more races, 1% White.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.