Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Sal Castro Middle

Q: Is Sal Castro Middle a good school?

Sal Castro Middle ranks 1779 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Sal Castro Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 276 students attended Sal Castro Middle.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Sal Castro Middle?

Students at Sal Castro Middle are 90% Hispanic, 5% African American, 2% White, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

Q: What high school do graduates of Sal Castro Middle attend?

Students who attend Sal Castro Middle usually go on to attend Belmont Senior High

Public Grades 6-8

1779^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 36% of California middle schools

Summary

Sal Castro Middle is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in the Los Angeles Unified district, with 276 students in a high-need area where nearly all qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school is in the middle of a remarkable turnaround, showing the fastest academic improvement of any nearby school by jumping from the 12th to the 36th percentile in statewide ranking in just one year. It has also more than halved its chronic absenteeism rate to 15.8%, which is now the best among comparable Los Angeles Unified schools and better than the state average. While test scores in English and math are still catching up, the school excels in science, outperforming the district average, and shows especially strong growth in supporting its core student groups. This progress is supported by high per-student spending and a low student-teacher ratio of 14-to-1.

When compared to neighbors, Young Oak Kim Academy has higher test scores and lower absenteeism, while Virgil Middle has a higher overall ranking. Some charter schools like Rise Kohyang Middle outperform it academically, but others perform similarly. Key areas for continued focus include supporting special education students and addressing a gap where boys are currently outperforming girls. Overall, Sal Castro Middle is a school demonstrating significant positive momentum and becoming a more competitive choice in the area.

276

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,384

Per pupil spending ?

97.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1575 West 2nd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90026-5701

(213) 241-4416

District: Los Angeles Unified

Students who attend Sal Castro Middle usually attend:

High:	Belmont Senior High
	Contreras Learning Center-Academic Leadership Community
	Contreras Learning Center-Los Angeles School of Global Studies
	Contreras Learning Center-School of Social Justice
	More...
	Edward R. Roybal Learning Center
	School of Business and Tourism at Contreras Learning Complex

Feeder schools for Sal Castro Middle:

Elementary:	Betty Plasencia Elementary
	Union Avenue Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

90.2%

African American:

4.7%

White:

2.2%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Sal Castro Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 31st percentile in 2013 → 36th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (28% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 17 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg39%

California avg41%

1,779^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 36%▲ up 25 pts since 2015

From bottom 11% (2015) to bottom 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

48^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	31.5	1779 of 2761	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	15.7	2450 of 2783	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.8	2270 of 2781	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.2	2163 of 2740	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.3	2341 of 2715	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.8	2221 of 2480	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.7	2329 of 2508	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	10.9	2316 of 2497	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.5	2211 of 2477	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	32.3	1635 of 2379	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	31.8	1590 of 2259	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	34.3	1525 of 2236	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	29.5	1075 of 1531	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.7	1486 of 1491	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	1152 of 1369	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	33.5	1044 of 1478	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	1498 of 1521	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.0	1327 of 1540	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	1239 of 1442	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	1314 of 1364	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	1844 of 2533	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.1	2258 of 2551	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	2152 of 2531	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	2150 of 2509	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	2003 of 2380	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.2	1997 of 2262	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.1	1241 of 2395	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.1	2013 of 2388	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.0	1756 of 2374	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.1	1621 of 2359	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.3	1881 of 2213	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.8	1796 of 2072	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.2	1322 of 2542	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.2	2174 of 2579	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.4	1898 of 2531	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.0	1698 of 2458	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.0	1927 of 2369	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.9	1935 of 2230	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	1463 of 2534	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	15.8	2253 of 2552	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	1945 of 2538	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	1816 of 2527	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	2216 of 2407	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.3	2147 of 2273	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	16.5	1547 of 1552	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	1428 of 1531	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)48th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)48th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)42nd percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2022)30th percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)29th percentile+17 vs school

Female (2025)27th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2024)<1st percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy34%-15 vs state

Science31%~ state avg

Mathematics21%-17 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Sal Castro Middle and help other families decide.

Rate Sal Castro Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Sal Castro Middle

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 (2024)
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 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	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 5th Grade	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
Sal Castro Middle	Public	6-8	1575 West 2nd St.	Los Angeles	90026	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 241-4416	276	19	14.2	97.8%	6 (2.2%)	13 (4.7%)	249 (90.2%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.1%)	31.5	1779^th of 2761 public middle schools	35.6%		15.7	2450^th of 2783 public middle schools	12.0%	671		30.6	30.6		36.3	29.3	36.8	34.2		29.1	13.1	19.4	20.5	$23,384	$3,608	$19,776
John H. Liechty Middle	Public	6-8	650 South Union Ave.	Los Angeles	90017	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 989-1200	748	44	16.8	98.3%	6 (0.8%)	19 (2.5%)	710 (94.9%)	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	17.6	2334^th of 2761 public middle schools	15.5%		17.5	2371^st of 2783 public middle schools	14.8%	37		9.7	9.7		22.9	27.5	22.8	24.4		16.9	24.5	11.3	17.4	$24,963	$4,814	$20,149
Equitas Academy 4	Public, Charter	5-8	2501 West 7th St.	Los Angeles	90057	Los Angeles County	Equitas Academy 4 District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 201-5934	456	19	24.2	93.2%	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	450 (98.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	31	1798^th of 2761 public middle schools	34.9%		41.6	1409^th of 2783 public middle schools	49.4%	389	30.1	24.8	27.1	36.6	40.7	35.3	33.6	36.5	25.8	20.5	29.1	13.1	21.6	$19,878	$892	$18,986
Rise Kohyang Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	600 South Lafayette Park Pl.	Los Angeles	90057	Los Angeles County	Rise Kohyang Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(424) 789-8338	280	12	23.3	93.6%	4 (1.4%)	14 (5.0%)	223 (79.6%)	38 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	54.8	1040^th of 2761 public middle schools	62.3%		43	1372^nd of 2783 public middle schools	50.7%	332		37.0	37.0		44.8	48.5	53.8	49.4		33.3	34.3	30.8	32.6	$24,308	$3,118	$21,190
Vista Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	2900 West Temple St.	Los Angeles	90026	Los Angeles County	Vista Charter Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 201-4000	364	15	23.8	88.5%	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	341 (93.7%)	10 (2.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	24.8	2019^th of 2761 public middle schools	26.9%		24.1	2082^nd of 2783 public middle schools	25.2%	63		12.0	12.0		29.3	40.7	32.6	34.7		22.2	22.4	11.4	18.4	$23,661	$6,356	$17,305
Equitas Academy #2	Public, Charter	5-8	2723 West 8th St.	Los Angeles	90005	Los Angeles County	Equitas Academy #2 District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 201-5940	437	19	23.1	93.6%	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	428 (97.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	38.5	1533^rd of 2761 public middle schools	44.5%		30.1	1809^th of 2783 public middle schools	35.0%	276	22.9	24.1	23.4	42.9	32.0	39.8	50.6	40.4	29.5	24.6	30.4	29.6	28.3	$20,290	$2,433	$17,857
Young Oak Kim Academy	Public	6-8	615 South Shatto Pl.	Los Angeles	90005	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 739-6500	715	36	19.9	98.6%	14 (2.0%)	8 (1.1%)	678 (94.8%)	11 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	34.5	1660^th of 2761 public middle schools	39.9%		30.2	1803^rd of 2783 public middle schools	35.2%	143		23.3	23.3		29.4	43.2	42.7	38.8		19.1	27.8	23.7	23.8	$19,239	$4,181	$15,058
Virgil Middle	Public	6-8	152 North Vermont Ave.	Los Angeles	90004	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 368-2800	975	59	16.5	96.0%	20 (2.1%)	24 (2.5%)	778 (79.8%)	134 (13.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (1.7%)	51	1158^th of 2761 public middle schools	58.1%		50.5	1156^th of 2783 public middle schools	58.5%	2		19.4	19.4		43.1	43.1	43.9	43.4		48.7	45.1	30.9	41.5	$22,028	$4,062	$17,966
Monsenor Oscar Romero Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	2670 West 11th St.	Los Angeles	90006	Los Angeles County	Monsenor Oscar Romero Charter Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 413-9600	298	15	19.9	90.6%	5 (1.7%)	7 (2.3%)	279 (93.6%)	6 (2.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17.6	2333^rd of 2761 public middle schools	15.5%		17.1	2392^nd of 2783 public middle schools	14.0%	59		17.3	17.3		25.0	25.6	34.6	28.5		14.4	7.8	7.7	10.1	$24,658	$4,521	$20,137
Berendo Middle	Public	6-8	1157 South Berendo St.	Los Angeles	90006	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(213) 739-5600	552	36	15.5	96.6%	12 (2.2%)	21 (3.8%)	499 (90.4%)	12 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.4%)	23.1	2097^th of 2761 public middle schools	24.0%		24.3	2069^th of 2783 public middle schools	25.7%	28		17.5	17.5		33.1	30.9	29.6	31.0		19.4	19.3	16.0	18.0	$26,212	$5,946	$20,266

Frequently Asked Questions about Sal Castro Middle

What district is Sal Castro Middle in?

Los Angeles Unified

What high school do graduates of Sal Castro Middle attend?

Students who attend Sal Castro Middle usually go on to attend Belmont Senior High

What is the racial makeup of Sal Castro Middle?

Students at Sal Castro Middle are 90% Hispanic, 5% African American, 2% White, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Sal Castro Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 276 students attended Sal Castro Middle.

Is Sal Castro Middle a good school?

Sal Castro Middle ranks 1779^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Sal Castro Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Los Angeles, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Sal Castro Middle!

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.