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

Maxwell Middle

Public Grades 6-8

2201^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 20% of California middle schools

Summary

Maxwell Middle is a small, 90-student school serving grades 6-8 in the rural Maxwell Unified district, which faces significant economic challenges, with over two-thirds of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school has a standout strength in student attendance, with chronic absenteeism rates consistently less than half the state average and better than nearby schools like George T. Egling Middle and Willows Intermediate. However, academic proficiency in English, math, and especially science trails behind both state averages and these comparison schools, contributing to a concerning drop in its statewide ranking in recent years. Despite smaller class sizes and increased spending per student, these resources have not yet reversed the academic trends.

A particularly urgent finding is an extreme performance gap between male and female students, which is unusually large and demands attention. While the school has historically shown strength in supporting English Language Learners, current efforts must focus on addressing this gender disparity and the significant gaps in science proficiency. Compared to its peers, Maxwell Middle presents a paradox of excellent daily attendance alongside academic struggles that require targeted intervention.

Students ?

20.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,172

Per pupil spending ?

68.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

146 North St.
Maxwell, CA 95955-0788

(530) 438-2401

District: Maxwell Unified

Students who attend Maxwell Middle usually attend:

High:

Maxwell Senior High

Feeder schools for Maxwell Middle:

Elementary:

Maxwell Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

53.3%

White:

44.4%

American Indian:

2.2%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Maxwell Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 31st percentile in 2018 → 20th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (21% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2018

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg28%

California avg41%

2,201^st of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 11 pts since 2018

From bottom 31% (2018) to bottom 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

962^nd of 1,543Maxwell 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	20.5	2201 of 2761	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.3	1889 of 2783	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.9	1810 of 2781	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.2	1228 of 2740	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.6	1600 of 2715	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.5	1707 of 2480	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	69.5	180 of 1521	88.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	2422 of 2533	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	1620 of 2551	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.9	1696 of 2531	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.6	1325 of 2509	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.9	1447 of 2380	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.5	1771 of 2395	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	1694 of 2388	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.1	1546 of 2374	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.6	897 of 2359	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.0	1218 of 2213	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.6	1312 of 2072	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.0	2247 of 2542	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.8	1502 of 2579	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.7	1179 of 2531	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.0	843 of 2458	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.1	1103 of 2369	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.3	1247 of 2230	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.9	1062 of 2534	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.1	1677 of 2552	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.5	1674 of 2538	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.9	938 of 2527	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.8	1161 of 2407	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.6	1237 of 2273	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.3	1304 of 1520	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	1267 of 1537	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.8	1047 of 1555	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2023)88th percentile+53 vs school

Male (2025)58th percentile+38 vs school

Hispanic (2025)26th percentile+6 vs school

White (2025)14th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)12th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2025)4th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy28%-21 vs state

Mathematics18%-19 vs state

Science10%-22 vs state

★

No ratings yet

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

Rate Maxwell 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 Maxwell Middle

Load more schools when map is moved

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 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	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 4th Grade	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
Maxwell Middle	Public	6-8	146 North St.	Maxwell	95955	Colusa County	Maxwell Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 438-2401	90	4	20.0	68.9%	40 (44.4%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (53.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20.5	2201^st of 2761 public middle schools	20.3%		28.3	1889^th of 2783 public middle schools	32.1%	312		10.3	10.3			18.5	35.1	26.7	27.7			11.5	24.3	17.2	18.5	$21,172	$19,372	$1,800
Williams Upper Elementary	Public	4-6	300 Eleventh St.	Williams	95987	Colusa County	Williams Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 473-5304	289	12	24.0	92.0%	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	279 (96.5%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)	10.1		10.1	33.0	14.6	27.3			25.0	19.3	2.3	11.1			10.9	$16,805	$16,522	$283
George T. Egling Middle	Public	4-8	813 Webster St.	Colusa	95932	Colusa County	Colusa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 458-7631	553	31	17.7	77.4%	99 (17.9%)	7 (1.3%)	415 (75.0%)	8 (1.4%)	10 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.5%)	30	1830^th of 2761 public middle schools	33.7%		33.2	1697^th of 2783 public middle schools	39.0%	133	16.5	26.1	21.8	23.8	28.9	33.3	39.0	29.0	30.4	38.1	16.3	20.9	25.0	20.2	24.8	$22,568	$17,842	$4,726
Willows Intermediate	Public	5-8	1145 West Cedar St.	Willows	95988	Glenn County	Willows Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 934-6633	464	24	19.1	72.6%	180 (38.8%)	4 (0.9%)	233 (50.2%)	18 (3.9%)	11 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.4%)	24.9	2009^th of 2761 public middle schools	27.2%		22.2	2162^nd of 2783 public middle schools	22.3%	153	20.2	18.6	19.4		24.0	33.7	32.7	23.0	28.1		17.1	34.7	18.6	8.9	19.3	$19,150	$17,074	$2,076

Frequently Asked Questions about Maxwell Middle

What high school do graduates of Maxwell Middle attend?

Students who attend Maxwell Middle usually go on to attend Maxwell Senior High

How many students attend Maxwell Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 90 students attended Maxwell Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Maxwell Middle?

Students at Maxwell Middle are 53% Hispanic, 44% White, 2% American Indian.

What district is Maxwell Middle in?

Maxwell Unified

Is Maxwell Middle a good school?

Maxwell Middle ranks in the bottom 20.3% of California middle schools.

Rate Maxwell Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Maxwell, CA

Sign up for updates!

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

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.