Summary
John A. Sutter Middle is a Canoga Park school serving 763 students in grades 6–8. The main concern for families is that student proficiency is low across all three tested subjects: in 2025–2026, 21% of students met the standard in English language arts (ELA), 18% in math, and 15% in science. The school’s results remain well below state and district levels, so the concern is not limited to one subject.
Compared with California, Sutter’s results were 28 percentage points lower in ELA, 21 points lower in math, and 21 points lower in science; compared with Los Angeles Unified, they were lower by 27, 22, and 17 points, respectively. Among eight nearby LAUSD schools with results for the same year, Sutter ranked lowest in ELA and second-lowest in math and science. Those schools averaged 50% in ELA, 39% in math, and 36% in science. Within Sutter, eighth-grade math is a relative bright spot: 24% met the standard, compared with 12% in grade 6 and 16% in grade 7, though the eighth-grade result was still below the state’s 36%.
Math and science have improved since 2022–2023, while ELA has slipped: math rose from 13% to 18% and science from 9% to 15%, while ELA fell from 22% to 21%. SchoolDigger rates Sutter at 1 star and the 12th percentile statewide in 2025–2026, ranking it 2,369th of 2,703 schools; the district is at the 54th percentile and has 3 stars. Sutter’s student-teacher ratio was 15.2 in 2024–2025, the lowest among nearby schools with reported ratios, and its reported free/reduced lunch eligible share was 92% that year, the third-highest among nearby schools with the same measure. Chronic absenteeism declined from 35% in 2021–2022 to 23% in 2025–2026, but remained above the state’s 18%. One notable SchoolDigger subgroup result is Special Education Students, at the 35th percentile in 2025–2026—above Sutter’s overall 12th percentile, suggesting relatively stronger results for this group.
Thank you for your feedback!