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Creative Performing and Media Arts

Q: Is Creative Performing and Media Arts a good school?

Creative Performing and Media Arts ranks 1879 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1879^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 32% of California middle schools

Summary

Creative Performing and Media Arts (CPMA) is a public arts-focused middle school serving 614 students in grades 6-8 in San Diego's Clairemont area, operating within the San Diego Unified school district.

The school faces significant academic challenges, with student proficiency in core subjects like English, Math, and Science consistently and substantially below both district and state averages. A major factor appears to be chronic absenteeism, with over 27% of students missing significant school, a rate much higher than at nearby schools like Standley Middle (5.9%) and Muirlands Middle (10.9%). CPMA serves a high-need population, with over 77% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, which is higher than most comparison schools.

Despite receiving the highest per-student funding among nearby schools at over $23,000, CPMA's academic performance lags. Its statewide ranking has declined to the 32nd percentile, while other local schools like De Portola Middle and Pacific Beach Middle maintain high performance. Interestingly, Innovation Middle, another arts-focused school less than half a mile away with a similar student population, outperforms CPMA academically, suggesting factors beyond the arts curriculum influence outcomes. The school shows relative strength in serving special education students but struggles significantly with English Language Learners.

614

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,460

Per pupil spending ?

77.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5050 Conrad Ave.
San Diego, CA 92117-1401

(858) 800-5550

District: San Diego Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.3%

White:

14.7%

African American:

12.4%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 46th percentile in 2013 → 32nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (27% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 19% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg49%

California avg41%

1,879^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 23 pts since 2015

From top 45% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 23Middle Schools in the San Diego Unified

577^th of 1,543San Diego 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	28.4	1879 of 2761	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.4	1979 of 2783	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.8	1738 of 2781	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.8	1533 of 2740	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.0	1353 of 2715	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.8	1497 of 2480	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.0	1476 of 2508	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.8	1140 of 2497	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.5	1110 of 2477	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	45.7	1273 of 2379	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.7	1225 of 2259	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	50.1	1095 of 2236	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	46.2	1130 of 2179	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	43.6	1120 of 2063	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	51.3	896 of 2005	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	43.5	1054 of 1999	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	43.9	921 of 1804	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	38.0	1039 of 1777	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	36.1	1057 of 1769	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.0	437 of 609	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.6	490 of 627	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.0	316 of 613	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.8	306 of 637	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.5	301 of 643	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.1	251 of 600	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	30.2	538 of 715	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	58.4	357 of 733	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.3	507 of 745	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.6	576 of 700	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	42.0	712 of 1531	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.8	601 of 1491	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.9	653 of 1369	52.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	24.1	1453 of 1478	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.9	1521 of 1521	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	30.9	1209 of 1540	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.0	715 of 1442	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	25.5	1232 of 1364	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	1627 of 2533	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.4	1787 of 2551	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.8	1514 of 2531	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.3	1365 of 2509	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	1329 of 2380	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.5	1414 of 2262	37.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	1754 of 2395	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	1927 of 2388	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.1	1548 of 2374	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.4	1281 of 2359	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.2	1156 of 2213	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.8	1303 of 2072	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.3	396 of 477	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.8	230 of 394	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.5	169 of 320	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.9	153 of 336	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.5	1701 of 2542	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.6	1878 of 2579	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.2	1575 of 2531	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.1	1161 of 2458	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.0	1043 of 2369	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.1	1284 of 2230	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.7	1966 of 2534	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	1921 of 2552	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	1755 of 2538	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.4	1524 of 2527	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.6	1221 of 2407	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.4	1521 of 2273	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	583 of 726	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.4	491 of 701	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.9	433 of 677	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.3	467 of 665	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.7	398 of 554	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.3	397 of 462	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.3	819 of 1566	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.4	356 of 1552	77.1%	★★★★☆
2023	51.7	526 of 1531	65.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.8	983 of 1520	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.0	899 of 1537	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.4	1124 of 1543	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.5	1009 of 1555	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.2	654 of 1602	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.5	798 of 1496	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)53rd percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2025)48th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2025)36th percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)35th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile~ school

African American (2025)28th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)27th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2023)25th percentile-13 vs school

Male (2025)22nd percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)20th percentile-12 vs school

Homeless (2025)17th percentile-15 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)2nd percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy38%-10 vs state

Mathematics19%-19 vs state

Science16%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Creative Performing and Media Arts

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 (2024)
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
Creative Performing and Media Arts	Public	6-8	5050 Conrad Ave.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 800-5550	614	35	17.3	77.4%	90 (14.7%)	76 (12.4%)	352 (57.3%)	51 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.2%)	28.4	1879^th of 2761 public middle schools	31.9%		26.4	1979^th of 2783 public middle schools	28.9%	100	16.2	16.2	39.2	42.4	34.0	38.4	21.7	20.0	14.7	18.6	$23,460	$4,929	$18,531
Innovation Middle	Public	6-8	5095 Arvinels Ave.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 278-5948	350	21	16.5	80.0%	56 (16.0%)	15 (4.3%)	204 (58.3%)	37 (10.6%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	33 (9.4%)	54.5	1056^th of 2761 public middle schools	61.8%		55.3	1008^th of 2783 public middle schools	63.8%	48	46.7	46.7	42.7	38.8	60.0	49.1	29.3	15.2	36.7	28.5	$23,326	$3,154	$20,172
High Technical Middle Mesa	Public, Charter	6-8	5331 Mt. Alifan Dr.	San Diego	92111	San Diego County	High Technical Middle Mesa District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 510-4600	352	24	14.5	41.2%	121 (34.4%)	13 (3.7%)	123 (34.9%)	70 (19.9%)	3 (0.9%)	4 (1.1%)	16 (4.5%)	60	906^th of 2761 public middle schools	67.2%		66.3	760^th of 2783 public middle schools	72.7%	146	26.4	26.4	52.1	57.1	46.9	52.1	45.3	42.0	35.1	40.9	$12,683	$1,013	$11,670
Standley Middle	Public	6-8	6298 Radcliffe Dr.	San Diego	92122	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 605-2100	813	37	21.9	43.3%	327 (40.2%)	20 (2.5%)	236 (29.0%)	132 (16.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	95 (11.7%)	90.9	256^th of 2761 public middle schools	90.7%		90.1	277^th of 2783 public middle schools	90.0%	21	57.4	57.4	75.7	73.6	68.5	72.7	64.7	60.7	55.7	60.5	$18,167	$2,308	$15,859
Marston Middle	Public	6-8	3799 Clairemont Dr.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 810-7500	702	32	21.7	47.6%	343 (48.9%)	14 (2.0%)	239 (34.0%)	29 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	76 (10.8%)	76.6	550^th of 2761 public middle schools	80.1%		77.3	542^nd of 2783 public middle schools	80.5%	8	42.2	42.2	59.7	59.1	57.6	58.9	51.3	49.6	51.3	50.7	$19,283	$2,638	$16,645
Montgomery Middle	Public	6-8	2470 Ulric St.	San Diego	92111	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 397-6600	337	17	19.3	86.1%	22 (6.5%)	30 (8.9%)	211 (62.6%)	63 (18.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.0%)	36.8	1591^st of 2761 public middle schools	42.4%		27.7	1912^th of 2783 public middle schools	31.3%	321	20.6	20.6	31.0	45.0	44.2	39.6	24.2	32.0	24.5	26.8	$25,340	$4,868	$20,472
Taft Middle	Public	6-8	9191 Gramercy Dr.	San Diego	92123	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 935-2650	410	20	20.6	65.6%	63 (15.4%)	63 (15.4%)	171 (41.7%)	47 (11.5%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	60 (14.6%)	34.8	1654^th of 2761 public middle schools	40.1%		46.8	1256^th of 2783 public middle schools	54.9%	398	17.8	17.8	35.0	44.2	41.7	40.3	22.5	25.7	26.4	24.8	$21,248	$3,361	$17,887
Pacific Beach Middle	Public	6-8	4676 Ingraham St.	San Diego	92109	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 221-5600	715	35	20.3	41.1%	332 (46.4%)	16 (2.2%)	211 (29.5%)	56 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (14.0%)	94	181^st of 2761 public middle schools	93.4%		94.5	172^nd of 2783 public middle schools	93.8%	9	53.7	53.7	75.6	81.3	80.5	78.9	72.8	66.1	57.7	66.5	$19,127	$2,189	$16,938
Farb Middle	Public	6-8	4880 La Cuenta Dr.	San Diego	92124	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 397-6750	443	29	15.4	67.7%	134 (30.2%)	52 (11.7%)	165 (37.2%)	27 (6.1%)	5 (1.1%)	4 (0.9%)	56 (12.6%)	61.6	863^rd of 2761 public middle schools	68.7%		53.2	1062^nd of 2783 public middle schools	61.8%	199	32.0	32.0	52.0	56.6	64.3	57.4	40.5	26.2	39.5	35.8	$22,258	$3,279	$18,979
Muirlands Middle	Public	6-8	1056 Nautilus St.	La Jolla	92037	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 459-4211	742	29	25.6	20.6%	425 (57.3%)	4 (0.5%)	151 (20.4%)	70 (9.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (12.1%)	95.7	127^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.4%		96.1	119^th of 2783 public middle schools	95.7%	8	64.4	64.4	76.4	78.8	82.4	79.2	70.3	70.0	67.8	69.4	$18,815	$2,376	$16,439

Frequently Asked Questions about Creative Performing and Media Arts

What district is Creative Performing and Media Arts in?

San Diego Unified

Is Creative Performing and Media Arts a good school?

Creative Performing and Media Arts ranks 1879^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Creative Performing and Media Arts?

In the 2024-25 school year, 614 students attended Creative Performing and Media Arts.

What is the racial makeup of Creative Performing and Media Arts?

Students at Creative Performing and Media Arts are 57% Hispanic, 15% White, 12% African American, 8% Asian, 7% Two or more races.

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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.