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Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy

Public Grades 6-8

2429^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 12% of California middle schools

Summary

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy is a public middle school located in Palmdale, California, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 845 students. The school is part of the Palmdale Elementary School District, which is ranked 1320 out of 1565 districts in California and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy faces significant challenges in providing a quality education to its students. The school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.4% to 33.8% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and the rates of nearby schools. Additionally, the school's performance on standardized tests is significantly below state and local averages, with only 27.78% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and just 10.3% proficient in Mathematics. The school also struggles to serve its diverse student population effectively, ranking in the bottom quartile of California middle schools for African American, Hispanic, White, English Language Learner, Special Education, and Low Socioeconomic Status students.

Interestingly, the analysis reveals that other magnet schools in the Palmdale area, such as David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy, Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy, and Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Technical Magnet Academy, generally outperform Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy on key metrics like test scores and chronic absenteeism rates. In contrast, Hillview Middle School, which is part of the Westside Union Elementary District, is a high-performing school that ranks in the top quartile of California middle schools and outperforms Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy on various measures.

822

Students ?

20.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,163

Per pupil spending ?

89.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3243 East Ave. R-8
Palmdale, CA 93550-5690

(661) 273-0847

District: Palmdale Elementary

Feeder schools for Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy:

Elementary:

Mesquite Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.2%

African American:

14.5%

White:

4.0%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 17th percentile in 2013 → 12th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (17% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (35% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school17%

District avg23%

California avg41%

2,429^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Middle Schools in the Palmdale Elementary

1309^th of 1,543Palmdale Elementary 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	15.2	2429 of 2761	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	2477 of 2783	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	2392 of 2781	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.1	2347 of 2740	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.0	2583 of 2715	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.2	2316 of 2480	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	13.4	2264 of 2508	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	16.5	2157 of 2497	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.0	1899 of 2477	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	20.7	1979 of 2379	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.5	1720 of 2259	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	23.1	1824 of 2236	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	12.0	2019 of 2179	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	11.9	1899 of 2063	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	14.9	1800 of 2005	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	11.1	1861 of 1999	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	15.3	1588 of 1804	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	13.9	1592 of 1777	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	15.7	1553 of 1769	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.4	479 of 609	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	485 of 627	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.1	417 of 613	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.5	513 of 637	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.6	609 of 643	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.6	543 of 600	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	21.5	1407 of 1531	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	1432 of 1491	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.3	1240 of 1369	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	34.4	991 of 1478	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.3	1336 of 1521	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.2	757 of 1540	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	27.4	1266 of 1442	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.2	1196 of 1364	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.2	2259 of 2533	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.7	2308 of 2551	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	2308 of 2531	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.4	2214 of 2509	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	2269 of 2380	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.0	2095 of 2262	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	1963 of 2395	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	2035 of 2388	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	1893 of 2374	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.0	1821 of 2359	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.1	2084 of 2213	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	1923 of 2072	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.6	2228 of 2542	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	2251 of 2579	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	2077 of 2531	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	1968 of 2458	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.1	2260 of 2369	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.4	2058 of 2230	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.2	2243 of 2534	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.7	2263 of 2552	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	2043 of 2538	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	2127 of 2527	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.0	2340 of 2407	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.0	2182 of 2273	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	1366 of 1566	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	1387 of 1552	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	1311 of 1531	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	2.5	1510 of 1520	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.4	1521 of 1537	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.0	1533 of 1602	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.6	1235 of 1496	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)33rd percentile+22 vs school

African American (2025)21st percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)18th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2025)13th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)12th percentile~ school

Male (2025)11th percentile~ school

Female (2025)11th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)8th percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)1st percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy28%-21 vs state

Mathematics10%-27 vs state

Science8%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy

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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 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
Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	3243 East Ave. R-8	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 273-0847	822	40	20.7	89.3%	33 (4.0%)	119 (14.5%)	643 (78.2%)	8 (1.0%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.6%)	15.2	2429^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.0%		15	2477^th of 2783 public middle schools	11.0%	48		7.5	7.5		22.7	34.7	25.1	27.8		7.7	13.9	8.8	10.3	$27,163	$26,118	$1,045
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	38060 20th St. East	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 537-6101	747	38	19.4	90.2%	25 (3.3%)	130 (17.4%)	562 (75.2%)	5 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	18 (2.4%)	15.6	2409^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.7%		10.9	2639^th of 2783 public middle schools	5.2%	230		8.8	8.8		22.1	26.1	31.0	26.5		16.1	8.3	12.3	12.4	$31,172	$29,844	$1,328
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Technical Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	36555 Sunny Ln.	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 285-5866	948	44	21.5	89.7%	36 (3.8%)	125 (13.2%)	754 (79.5%)	9 (0.9%)	8 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (1.6%)	17	2353^rd of 2761 public middle schools	14.8%		19.1	2295^th of 2783 public middle schools	17.5%	58		10.7	10.7		26.6	30.5	33.2	30.5		8.2	8.5	12.7	10.0	$25,741	$24,618	$1,123
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	37315 60th St. East	Palmdale	93552	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 533-7400	813	37	22.0	83.0%	20 (2.5%)	144 (17.7%)	618 (76.0%)	13 (1.6%)	5 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	10 (1.2%)	21.2	2177^th of 2761 public middle schools	21.2%		21.2	2210^th of 2783 public middle schools	20.6%	33		14.4	14.4		25.5	34.6	28.0	29.5		23.7	15.6	13.4	17.6	$27,343	$26,104	$1,239
David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	39221 22nd St. West	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 947-3075	952	42	22.7	75.3%	46 (4.8%)	187 (19.6%)	659 (69.2%)	24 (2.5%)	5 (0.5%)	5 (0.5%)	26 (2.7%)	15.4	2417^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.5%		17.1	2390^th of 2783 public middle schools	14.1%	27		12.8	12.8		23.0	25.4	27.2	25.4		12.1	13.7	10.3	11.9	$25,534	$24,300	$1,234
New Vista Middle	Public	6-8	753 East Avenue K-2	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 726-4271	835	46	18.1	91.3%	38 (4.6%)	312 (37.4%)	450 (53.9%)	8 (1.0%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	20 (2.4%)	7.6	2690^th of 2761 public middle schools	2.6%		9.1	2692^nd of 2783 public middle schools	3.3%	2		4.4	4.4		14.0	14.4	15.9	14.8		4.1	8.6	3.8	5.6	$8,509	$6,032	$2,477
Fulton and Alsbury Academy of Arts and Engineering	Public	6-8	831 East Ave. K-2	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 899-7836	414	13	31.9	76.6%	42 (10.1%)	71 (17.1%)	272 (65.7%)	9 (2.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.1%)	64.9	790^th of 2761 public middle schools	71.4%		76.6	552^nd of 2783 public middle schools	80.2%	238		38.6	38.6		51.4	60.9	59.9	57.3		25.0	45.1	43.2	37.5	$3,768	$1,422	$2,346
High Desert	Public	5-8	3620 Antelope Woods Rd.	Acton	93510	Los Angeles County	Acton-Agua Dulce Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 269-0310	307	14	21.6	71.3%	112 (36.5%)	6 (2.0%)	179 (58.3%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	25.1	1994^th of 2761 public middle schools	27.8%		26.8	1963^rd of 2783 public middle schools	29.5%	31	20.2	15.1	17.8	28.6	29.9	36.1	34.3	32.2	17.9	22.4	22.9	12.3	18.9	$10,596	$4,710	$5,886
Hillview Middle	Public	6-8	40525 Peonza Ln.	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Westside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 722-9993	1,100	45	24.6	53.0%	214 (19.5%)	108 (9.8%)	648 (58.9%)	60 (5.5%)	5 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	62 (5.6%)	55.9	1009^th of 2761 public middle schools	63.5%		53.8	1046^th of 2783 public middle schools	62.4%	37		32.5	32.5		87.5	53.3	43.9	52.4		78.4	32.7	31.7	36.2	$19,669	$18,596	$1,073
Gifford C. Cole Middle	Public	7-8	3126 East Avenue I	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Eastside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 946-1041	697	33	21.3	82.1%	31 (4.4%)	156 (22.4%)	471 (67.6%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (4.3%)	12.1	2546^th of 2761 public middle schools	7.8%		16.4	2421^st of 2783 public middle schools	13.0%	125		9.5	9.5			21.0	25.8	23.5			8.5	6.3	7.3	$22,954	$20,562	$2,392

Frequently Asked Questions about Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy

Is Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy a good school?

Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy ranks in the bottom 12.0% of California middle schools.

What district is Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy in?

Palmdale Elementary

How many students attend Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 822 students attended Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy?

Students at Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy are 78% Hispanic, 14% African American, 4% White, 2% 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.