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John A. Sutter Middle

Public Grades 6-8

2128^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 23% of California middle schools

Summary

John A. Sutter Middle is a public middle school serving about 760 students in grades 6-8 in Canoga Park, part of the Los Angeles Unified school district, but it faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom quarter of all California middle schools with proficiency rates well below state and district averages.

The school's performance in English, math, and science is substantially lower than many nearby schools, including higher-performing options like Alfred B. Nobel Charter Middle and Gaspar De Portola Charter Middle. While it serves a student population with very high economic need, it actually spends more per student and has a lower student-teacher ratio than some of these higher-achieving neighboring schools, suggesting other factors are at play. Chronic absenteeism is also a notable concern, affecting about one in four students.

Despite these challenges, there are some positive signs: the school shows relative strength in supporting its Special Education students, and 8th graders perform better than younger students. Its proximity to both high-performing and similarly struggling schools like Northridge Middle shows that improvement is possible in the area, offering potential models for the school's future growth.

763

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$41,245

Per pupil spending ?

92.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7330 Winnetka Ave.
Canoga Park, CA 91306-2905

(818) 773-5800

District: Los Angeles Unified

Feeder schools for John A. Sutter Middle:

Elementary:	Fullbright Avenue Elementary
	Melvin Avenue Elementary
	Shirley Avenue Elementary
	Stanley Mosk Elementary
	More...
	Sunny Brae Avenue Elementary
	Winnetka Avenue Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.1%

Asian:

9.4%

White:

4.6%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare John A. Sutter Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 10th percentile in 2019 → 23rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 23rd (2025) from a 10th-percentile low (2019)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (23% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 21 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg39%

California avg41%

2,128^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 23%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

67^th of 83Middle Schools in the Los Angeles Unified

791^st of 1,543Los Angeles 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	22.6	2128 of 2761	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	2213 of 2783	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.7	2425 of 2781	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.8	2461 of 2740	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.3	2451 of 2715	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.8	2178 of 2480	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.4	2056 of 2508	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.6	1960 of 2497	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.5	1920 of 2477	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	39.2	1452 of 2379	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	25.7	1775 of 2259	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	42.9	1285 of 2236	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	43.0	1228 of 2179	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	41.8	1163 of 2063	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	27.7	1496 of 2005	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	32.6	1323 of 1999	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.1	1112 of 1804	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	29.3	1253 of 1777	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	26.7	1277 of 1769	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	48.4	290 of 643	54.9%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.0	658 of 739	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	6.7	679 of 743	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.7	649 of 715	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.6	669 of 733	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.9	720 of 745	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.1	641 of 700	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	25.4	1246 of 1531	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.2	1291 of 1491	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	1218 of 1369	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	29.2	1276 of 1478	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.8	1450 of 1521	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	1378 of 1540	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.9	1343 of 1442	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	1345 of 1364	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.8	1919 of 2533	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	2144 of 2551	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	2288 of 2531	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.4	2327 of 2509	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.5	2195 of 2380	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.2	2060 of 2262	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	1790 of 2395	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	1912 of 2388	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.4	2070 of 2374	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.3	2203 of 2359	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.1	2022 of 2213	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.1	1863 of 2072	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.9	1816 of 2542	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.6	1963 of 2579	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	2137 of 2531	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.3	2166 of 2458	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.0	2116 of 2369	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.3	1895 of 2230	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.2	2022 of 2534	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	1927 of 2552	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.9	2141 of 2538	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	2223 of 2527	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.9	2194 of 2407	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.7	1984 of 2273	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.1	1092 of 1566	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.0	1025 of 1552	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.2	1297 of 1531	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.9	1277 of 1520	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	1184 of 1537	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.3	1456 of 1543	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.2	1510 of 1555	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.5	1502 of 1602	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2019)55th percentile+45 vs school

Special Education (2025)30th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)29th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)25th percentile~ school

Female (2025)24th percentile~ school

Male (2025)20th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)19th percentile+8 vs school

White (2025)16th percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)14th percentile-7 vs school

Asian (2025)11th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy27%-21 vs state

Mathematics21%-16 vs state

Science14%-19 vs state

1.6

5 ratings · 4 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Thursday, August 17, 2023

The problem with Sutter is the Administration. There is almost no organization. That is what happens when the District somehow makes a teacher that had No control in her class a Principal. She is as clueless of a Principal as she was a teacher. The teachers on campus are hit or miss. Principal does not hire quality teachers and assistant principals. She hires staff that she thinks that she can control. The students are the ones that are losing out. Nobody is safe on this campus. Find another school for your kids. The Principal has been there for quite a long time. Sutter will not improve until the district makes a change. Close Quote

by a student
Wednesday, May 22, 2019

The school is hella lit Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, February 21, 2019

The principal is probably the worst thing about the school. Jelly Welsh does nothing to reprimand the bullying she does nothing to communicate with the parents and she lets her teachers belittle the students as a matter of fact bullying is all over the school the fights are just dangerous to the point where they’re showing all over the news and the school does nothing to rectify the problem. Every year the school just goes downhill more and more. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, October 27, 2009

I have issues with the fact that a child can be attending Sutter Middle School for 6 weeks and apparently not be turning in class or homework and ends up failing 5 of 6 classes on the progress report and not one single call or note is sent home from the 2 teachers who have those classes to the parent to notify that there is an issue. Even when the parent has asked questions in the student's agenda book to notify if there are any issues or problems with said child. That makes me believe they don't have any concern with helping to assure that kids get a good education. Close Quote

Schools Near John A. Sutter 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
John A. Sutter Middle	Public	6-8	7330 Winnetka Ave.	Canoga Park	91306	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 773-5800	763	50	15.2	92.4%	35 (4.6%)	26 (3.4%)	619 (81.1%)	72 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (1.3%)	22.6	2128^th of 2761 public middle schools	22.9%		21.2	2213^th of 2783 public middle schools	20.5%	85	13.7	13.7	27.5	22.3	32.4	27.5	20.6	17.7	24.9	21.1	$41,245	$37,938	$3,307
Ingenium Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	7330 Winnetka Ave.	Winnetka	91306	Los Angeles County	Ingenium Charter Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 309-2777	179	10	18.6	96.6%	4 (2.2%)	8 (4.5%)	161 (89.9%)	4 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	12	2550^th of 2761 public middle schools	7.6%		17.9	2350^th of 2783 public middle schools	15.6%	200	6.7	6.7	10.9	20.6	20.9	17.4	10.7	16.7	11.1	13.2
James Jordan Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	18600 Lanark St.	Reseda	91335	Los Angeles County	James Jordan Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 882-2496	456	18	25.0	87.1%	6 (1.3%)	11 (2.4%)	418 (91.7%)	12 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	62.6	839^th of 2761 public middle schools	69.6%		66.4	754^th of 2783 public middle schools	72.9%	85	38.6	38.6	48.4	58.2	57.9	54.7	29.7	43.8	38.6	37.2
Woodland Hills Academy	Public	6-8	20800 Burbank Blvd.	Woodland Hills	91367	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 226-2900	607	33	18.5	82.7%	93 (15.3%)	53 (8.7%)	397 (65.4%)	37 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (4.3%)	31.1	1795^th of 2761 public middle schools	35.0%		27.3	1932^nd of 2783 public middle schools	30.6%	137	22.4	22.4	39.0	37.0	34.2	36.6	27.5	23.9	15.2	21.8	$38,213	$35,918	$2,295
Canoga Park Middle	Public	6-8	22250 Elkwood St.	Canoga Park	91304	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 702-1200	579	34	17.0	91.7%	29 (5.0%)	14 (2.4%)	487 (84.1%)	37 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (1.9%)	21.5	2168^th of 2761 public middle schools	21.5%		16.9	2401^st of 2783 public middle schools	13.7%	233	21.4	21.4	24.5	21.5	34.1	27.4	14.6	10.2	20.0	15.4	$45,974	$43,118	$2,856
Gaspar De Portola Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	18720 Linnet St.	Tarzana	91356	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 654-3300	1,461	61	24.0	49.0%	623 (42.6%)	54 (3.7%)	479 (32.8%)	197 (13.5%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	104 (7.1%)	88.1	313^th of 2761 public middle schools	88.7%		88.2	317^th of 2783 public middle schools	88.6%	4	50.0	50.0	72.9	66.2	68.6	69.4	63.7	58.6	54.1	59.2	$31,968	$30,408	$1,560
Northridge Middle	Public	6-8	17960 Chase St.	Northridge	91325	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 678-5100	670	40	16.6	94.8%	42 (6.3%)	21 (3.1%)	543 (81.0%)	46 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.7%)	22.5	2134^th of 2761 public middle schools	22.7%		18.9	2302^nd of 2783 public middle schools	17.3%	168	14.5	14.5	31.8	35.2	33.8	33.8	14.0	19.3	12.1	15.3	$45,084	$41,752	$3,332
Alfred B. Nobel Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	9950 Tampa Ave.	Northridge	91324	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 773-4700	1,784	78	22.7	57.1%	400 (22.4%)	86 (4.8%)	847 (47.5%)	353 (19.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.2%)	95 (5.3%)	92.4	212^th of 2761 public middle schools	92.3%		93.8	191^st of 2783 public middle schools	93.1%	21	52.2	52.2	72.3	75.0	73.7	73.7	68.5	68.7	61.4	66.2	$30,927	$29,134	$1,793
Ernest Lawrence Middle	Public	6-8	10100 Variel Ave.	Chatsworth	91311	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 678-7900	1,076	52	20.8	69.7%	139 (12.9%)	46 (4.3%)	617 (57.3%)	222 (20.6%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (4.6%)	58.4	942^nd of 2761 public middle schools	65.9%		50.5	1155^th of 2783 public middle schools	58.5%	213	32.7	32.7	53.1	51.8	49.0	51.3	40.7	37.8	33.2	37.2	$30,662	$28,582	$2,080
William Mulholland Middle	Public	6-8	17120 Vanowen St.	Lake Balboa	91406	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 609-2500	1,098	57	19.3	93.5%	80 (7.3%)	24 (2.2%)	939 (85.5%)	39 (3.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	14 (1.3%)	37.5	1558^th of 2761 public middle schools	43.6%		38.5	1519^th of 2783 public middle schools	45.4%	39	20.5	20.5	39.8	43.9	35.1	39.7	23.7	31.6	28.9	27.8	$34,929	$32,064	$2,865

Frequently Asked Questions about John A. Sutter Middle

Is John A. Sutter Middle a good school?

John A. Sutter Middle ranks in the bottom 22.9% of California middle schools.

How many students attend John A. Sutter Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 763 students attended John A. Sutter Middle.

What district is John A. Sutter Middle in?

Los Angeles Unified

What is the racial makeup of John A. Sutter Middle?

Students at John A. Sutter Middle are 81% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 5% White, 3% African American, 1% Two or more races.

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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.