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Octavia E. Butler Magnet

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

Octavia E. Butler Magnet ranks 1823 rd of 2703 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1823^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,703 California Middle Schools

Better than 33% of California middle schools

Summary

Octavia E. Butler Magnet is a Pasadena, California, middle school serving grades 6–8, with 481 students. Its latest proficiency results trail both Pasadena Unified and California in English, math and science, and it ranks near the bottom of its nearby-school group.

Science is Butler’s strongest subject relative to the state, though it remains behind: its state gaps are 8 percentage points in science, 14 in math and 16 in English; its gaps to the district are 8, 13 and 13 points, respectively. Nearby-school comparisons show how far it still has to go. In eighth-grade science, Butler scored 28%, compared with a nearby-school average of 52%, ranking second-lowest among 10 schools. It was lowest in eighth-grade English, at 28% versus a 64% nearby average, and second-lowest in math, at 22% versus 57%; only Charles W. Eliot Middle scored lower in math.

Results have improved overall since 2022–2023: English rose 8 percentage points, math 7 and science 9, while English slipped 3 points in the latest year. SchoolDigger places Butler at the 33rd percentile with 2 stars for 2025–2026, up from the 21st percentile in 2023–2024 but second-lowest among 11 nearby schools. Context includes a 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio of 18.4, below the nearby average of 21.4, and 70% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness ranking for Special Education Students is notably higher than the school’s overall standing: the 61st percentile versus 33rd overall, up from the 14th percentile in 2023–2024. Its ranking for White Students is also higher, at the 71st percentile.

481

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,502

Per pupil spending ?

70.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

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 — 10th percentile in 2015 → 33rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 23 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (29% vs 42% meeting standards)

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

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 16 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg41%

California avg42%

1,823^rd of 2,703

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 24 pts since 2016

From bottom 8% (2016) to bottom 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Middle Schools in the Pasadena Unified

489^th of 968Pasadena 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
2026	29.5	1823 of 2703	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	29.8	406 of 583	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	26.5	1789 of 2483	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	24.0	1811 of 2325	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	18.2	2161 of 2493	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	31.5	1599 of 2478	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	49.8	615 of 1586	61.2%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	69.1	425 of 1482	71.3%	★★★★☆
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 (2026)71st percentile+39 vs school

Special Education (2026)61st percentile+29 vs school

Disabled (2022)43rd percentile+20 vs school

Male (2026)35th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2026)30th percentile~ school

Female (2026)28th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)22nd percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)13th percentile-19 vs school

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

Homeless (2023)1st percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy34%-16 vs state

Science28%-8 vs state

Mathematics24%-14 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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%)	29.5	1823^rd of 2703 public middle schools	32.6%		31.6	1772^nd of 2761 public middle schools	35.8%	51	28.3	28.3	31.1	41.2	28.4	33.7	19.7	30.5	22.0	23.9	$27,502	$25,602	$1,900
Charles W. Eliot Middle	Public	6-8	2184 North Lake Ave.	Altadena	91101	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%)	24.3	1997^th of 2703 public middle schools	26.1%		20.2	2215^th of 2761 public middle schools	19.8%	218	16.1	16.1	35.6	36.7	31.0	34.8	22.8	23.4	9.2	19.3	$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	38^th of 2703 public middle schools	98.6%		98.2	41^st of 2761 public middle schools	98.5%	3	78.6	78.6	84.2	84.0	80.6	82.9	87.8	90.2	85.3	87.8	$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%)	62.1	873^rd of 2703 public middle schools	67.7%		54.5	1053^rd of 2761 public middle schools	61.9%	180	28.8	28.8	48.9	56.4	55.6	53.7	40.3	39.8	54.7	44.6	$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%)	98	46^th of 2703 public middle schools	98.3%		97.9	53^rd of 2761 public middle schools	98.1%	7	79.5	79.5	80.0	83.4	87.6	83.6	78.6	80.8	82.8	80.7	$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%)	66	780^th of 2703 public middle schools	71.1%		61.4	869^th of 2761 public middle schools	68.5%	89	36.2	36.2	42.6	56.8	53.7	52.3	47.3	47.9	50.3	48.7	$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%)	90.9	236^th of 2703 public middle schools	91.3%		92.4	213^th of 2761 public middle schools	92.3%	23	59.0	59.0		68.1	69.7	68.9		68.3	69.1	68.7	$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%)	84.4	371^st of 2703 public middle schools	86.3%		88.6	301^st of 2761 public middle schools	89.1%	70	50.0	50.0	72.9	71.4	55.9	66.8	59.0	62.6	52.7	58.3	$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%)	80.6	452^nd of 2703 public middle schools	83.3%		76.7	546^th of 2761 public middle schools	80.2%	94	51.9	51.9	63.4	64.2	66.8	64.9	54.2	54.2	44.4	50.7	$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%)	95.6	120^th of 2703 public middle schools	95.6%		95.8	125^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.5%	5	75.1	75.1		76.5	78.6	77.5		72.2	69.2	70.7	$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 1823^rd of 2703 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 »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

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.