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Octavia E. Butler Magnet

Q: Is Octavia E. Butler Magnet a good school?

Octavia E. Butler Magnet ranks 1772 nd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1772^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 36% of California middle schools

Summary

Octavia E. Butler Magnet is a public middle school serving about 480 students in grades 6-8 within the Pasadena Unified School District, showing clear signs of academic improvement in recent years but still working to reach average proficiency levels.

The school has made significant progress, climbing from a very low state ranking to a more moderate position, yet its students' proficiency in English, math, and science remains below both the district and state averages. A major challenge is chronic absenteeism, with about a quarter of students missing significant school, a rate higher than at most nearby schools like Huntington Middle or South Pasadena Middle. Interestingly, the school receives more funding per student than many higher-performing neighboring schools, such as Rosemont Middle and Oak Avenue Intermediate.

Performance varies widely among different groups of students at Butler Magnet, with some subgroups performing exceptionally well while others, including English Language Learners, face significant struggles. Compared to other magnet programs like Washington Irving Mid School Math Music and Engr Magnet, Butler's academic results are lower. Within its own district, it performs better than Charles W. Eliot Middle but not as well as Sierra Madre Middle, indicating a school on an upward path but with important work still ahead to support all students equitably.

481

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,502

Per pupil spending ?

70.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1505 North Marengo Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91103-1813

(626) 396-5830

District: Pasadena Unified

Students who attend Octavia E. Butler Magnet usually attend:

High:

John Muir High

Feeder schools for Octavia E. Butler Magnet:

Elementary:	Madison Elementary
	Mary W. Jackson STEAM Multilingual Magnet Elementary
	Washington Elementary STEM Magnet

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

73.0%

White:

9.8%

African American:

9.4%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Octavia E. Butler Magnet to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2013 → 36th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 31 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

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

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Mathematics scores 15 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg40%

California avg41%

1,772^nd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 36%▲ up 25 pts since 2015

From bottom 10% (2015) to bottom 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Middle Schools in the Pasadena Unified

717^th of 1,543Pasadena 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	31.6	1772 of 2761	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.3	2204 of 2783	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	2104 of 2781	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	2119 of 2740	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.1	2482 of 2715	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	2341 of 2480	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.5	2398 of 2508	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.0	2290 of 2497	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.1	2221 of 2477	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	8.6	2254 of 2379	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	16.4	1998 of 2259	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	16.1	1974 of 2236	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	15.7	1944 of 2179	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.4	1810 of 2063	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	13.6	1819 of 2005	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	15.8	1756 of 1999	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.6	1383 of 1804	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	31.0	1201 of 1777	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	19.9	1449 of 1769	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.7	556 of 609	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	523 of 627	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.2	309 of 613	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.0	484 of 637	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	488 of 643	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	548 of 600	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	36.1	874 of 1531	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.7	846 of 1491	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.5	1162 of 1369	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	24.2	1449 of 1478	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.5	1420 of 1521	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.7	1406 of 1540	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.6	1387 of 1442	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.5	1324 of 1364	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.6	1598 of 2533	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.5	1885 of 2551	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	1789 of 2531	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.2	1970 of 2509	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.2	2202 of 2380	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.1	2149 of 2262	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.5	1766 of 2395	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	2044 of 2388	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	1988 of 2374	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.9	1944 of 2359	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	2046 of 2213	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.9	1945 of 2072	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	11.7	317 of 320	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.9	2145 of 2542	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	2292 of 2579	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.2	2109 of 2531	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	2070 of 2458	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	2183 of 2369	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	2105 of 2230	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.2	1711 of 2534	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.2	2166 of 2552	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.6	2059 of 2538	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	1961 of 2527	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	2254 of 2407	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.0	2153 of 2273	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.9	880 of 1566	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.6	1335 of 1552	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.7	689 of 1531	55.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.0	148 of 1520	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	73.9	349 of 1537	77.3%	★★★★☆
2023	79.2	246 of 1543	84.1%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2025)90th percentile+54 vs school

Special Education (2025)44th percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2022)43rd percentile+20 vs school

Female (2025)37th percentile~ school

Male (2025)32nd percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)26th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)16th percentile-20 vs school

African American (2025)9th percentile-27 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)2nd percentile-19 vs school

Homeless (2023)1st percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy37%-12 vs state

Mathematics22%-15 vs state

Science22%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Octavia E. Butler Magnet

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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
Octavia E. Butler Magnet	Public	6-8	1505 North Marengo Ave.	Pasadena	91103	Los Angeles County	Pasadena Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 396-5830	481	26	18.4	70.3%	47 (9.8%)	45 (9.4%)	351 (73.0%)	13 (2.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.4%)	31.6	1772^nd of 2761 public middle schools	35.8%		21.3	2204^th of 2783 public middle schools	20.8%	432	21.7	21.7	39.5	41.1	31.4	36.9	30.1	18.6	18.7	22.4	$27,502	$25,602	$1,900
Charles W. Eliot Middle	Public	6-8	2184 North Lake Ave.	Altadena	91001	Los Angeles County	Pasadena Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 396-5680	407	24	16.8	74.4%	51 (12.5%)	91 (22.4%)	219 (53.8%)	15 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.1%)	20.2	2215^th of 2761 public middle schools	19.8%		18.7	2311^th of 2783 public middle schools	17.0%	96	14.7	14.7	32.8	28.9	26.6	29.7	12.5	17.6	17.4	15.6	$33,668	$29,738	$3,930
Huntington Middle	Public	6-8	1700 Huntington Dr.	San Marino	91108	Los Angeles County	San Marino Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 299-7060	709	31	23.0	14.4%	122 (17.2%)	2 (0.3%)	40 (5.6%)	467 (65.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	77 (10.9%)	98.2	41^st of 2761 public middle schools	98.5%		99	17^th of 2783 public middle schools	99.4%	24	73.1	73.1	86.9	81.3	81.3	83.1	89.0	84.5	83.4	85.6	$26,143	$25,806	$337
Luther Burbank Mid School Sci Technical Engr Arts and Math Magnet	Public	6-8	6460 North Figueroa St.	Los Angeles	90042	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 340-4400	824	49	16.9	88.6%	27 (3.3%)	8 (1.0%)	752 (91.3%)	24 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.6%)	54.5	1053^rd of 2761 public middle schools	61.9%		51	1142^nd of 2783 public middle schools	59.0%	89	27.7	27.7	38.7	47.9	48.7	45.0	30.0	43.8	50.8	41.4	$38,538	$36,120	$2,418
South Pasadena Middle	Public	6-8	1500 Fair Oaks	South Pasadena	91030	Los Angeles County	South Pasadena Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 441-5830	1,096	46	23.9	14.5%	237 (21.6%)	19 (1.7%)	223 (20.3%)	429 (39.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	186 (17.0%)	97.9	53^rd of 2761 public middle schools	98.1%		98.1	46^th of 2783 public middle schools	98.3%	7	73.1	73.1	83.7	81.8	83.9	83.1	78.3	78.7	81.1	79.3	$15,523	$15,040	$483
Woodrow Wilson Middle	Public	6-8	1221 Monterey Rd.	Glendale	91206	Los Angeles County	Glendale Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 244-8145	1,182	52	22.5	56.6%	930 (78.7%)	7 (0.6%)	150 (12.7%)	73 (6.2%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	19 (1.6%)	61.4	869^th of 2761 public middle schools	68.5%		57	963^rd of 2783 public middle schools	65.4%	94	34.3	34.3	42.3	50.9	51.8	49.3	40.0	40.4	46.6	42.7	$16,808	$15,872	$936
Oak Avenue Intermediate	Public	7-8	6623 Oak Ave.	Temple City	91780	Los Angeles County	Temple City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 548-5060	839	35	24.0	38.7%	46 (5.5%)	6 (0.7%)	170 (20.3%)	574 (68.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.1%)	92.4	213^th of 2761 public middle schools	92.3%		91.1	253^rd of 2783 public middle schools	90.9%	40	61.2	61.2		69.6	67.9	68.7		70.4	68.9	69.7	$18,872	$17,410	$1,462
Sierra Madre Middle	Public	6-8	160 North Canon Ave.	Sierra Madre	91024	Los Angeles County	Pasadena Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 396-5910	597	25	23.5	39.2%	198 (33.2%)	28 (4.7%)	181 (30.3%)	116 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	72 (12.1%)	88.6	301^st of 2761 public middle schools	89.1%		89.9	280^th of 2783 public middle schools	89.9%	21	55.4	55.4	67.1	71.4	66.5	68.3	59.5	57.3	61.4	59.3	$22,484	$20,796	$1,688
Jefferson Middle	Public	6-8	1372 East Las Tunas Dr.	San Gabriel	91776	Los Angeles County	San Gabriel Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 287-5260	1,013	47	21.6	70.0%	34 (3.4%)	7 (0.7%)	399 (39.4%)	526 (51.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	43 (4.2%)	76.7	546^th of 2761 public middle schools	80.2%		81.6	449^th of 2783 public middle schools	83.9%	97	48.3	48.3	58.9	61.2	64.9	61.5	43.5	51.1	44.4	46.5	$20,536	$18,602	$1,934
Rosemont Middle	Public	7-8	4725 Rosemont Ave.	La Crescenta	91214	Los Angeles County	Glendale Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 248-4224	1,221	50	24.3	39.0%	628 (51.4%)	10 (0.8%)	136 (11.1%)	353 (28.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	93 (7.6%)	95.8	125^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.5%		95.6	134^th of 2783 public middle schools	95.2%	9	67.1	67.1		79.1	76.0	77.6		70.3	68.9	69.6	$17,168	$16,470	$698

Frequently Asked Questions about Octavia E. Butler Magnet

How many students attend Octavia E. Butler Magnet?

In the 2024-25 school year, 481 students attended Octavia E. Butler Magnet.

Is Octavia E. Butler Magnet a good school?

Octavia E. Butler Magnet ranks 1772^nd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Octavia E. Butler Magnet in?

Pasadena Unified

What high school do graduates of Octavia E. Butler Magnet attend?

Students who attend Octavia E. Butler Magnet usually go on to attend John Muir High

What is the racial makeup of Octavia E. Butler Magnet?

Students at Octavia E. Butler Magnet are 73% Hispanic, 10% White, 9% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Rate Octavia E. Butler Magnet!

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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.