Serrano Middle

Serrano Middle is a public school for grades 7-8 in Highland, CA, serving 716 students in the San Bernardino City Unified district, where the vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high-need community.

Academically, the school has improved from a 1-star to a 2-star rating, though it still ranks in the bottom third of California middle schools. A major challenge is chronic absenteeism, with about 35% of students missing significant school, which is higher than both the state and district averages. While performance in English is near the district average, math scores are a critical concern, with only about 16% of students proficient, which is significantly below the San Bernardino City Unified average. Interestingly, the school shows relative strengths in serving English Language Learners and in Spanish Language Arts. Compared to nearby schools like Golden Valley Middle and Arrowview Middle in the same district, Serrano's performance is similar or slightly lower, particularly in math.

The most compelling comparison is with the exceptional Colonel Joseph C. Rodriguez PREP Academy, located less than two miles away in the same district and serving a similar student population. Rodriguez achieves dramatically higher test scores and has a very low absenteeism rate, demonstrating that strong outcomes are possible in this context. Serrano receives more funding per student than most comparison schools, including Rodriguez, suggesting that how resources are used is a key factor. The data shows a clear link across all schools between better attendance and higher achievement, highlighting a crucial area for improvement at Serrano Middle.