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Carl Smith Middle

Q: Is Carl Smith Middle a good school?

Carl Smith Middle ranks 1815 th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1815^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,740 California Middle Schools

Better than 34% of California middle schools

Summary

Carl Smith Middle serves 262 students in grades 6–8 in Terra Bella, within the Terra Bella Union Elementary district; it has the smallest enrollment among the nine nearby schools compared. The clearest concern is science: just 16% of students were proficient in 2025–2026, compared with 36% statewide.

English language arts is Carl Smith’s relative bright spot, while science is its largest shortfall. ELA proficiency was 39%, about 1 point above the district (39.3% versus 38.6%), but 10 points below the state and 4 points below the nearby-school average of 43%. Math proficiency was 24%—5 points below the district, 15 below the state, and 3 below the nearby average. Science was essentially level with the district (15.6% versus 15.2%), but 20 points below the state and 10 below the nearby average. Among nearby schools serving grades 6–8, Carl Smith had the lowest ELA and science results and the second-lowest math results.

Results have not kept pace with state gains: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, Carl Smith’s ELA proficiency fell 5 points, math was nearly unchanged, and science fell 1 point, while its gaps with the state widened to 10 points in ELA, 15 in math, and 20 in science. SchoolDigger places the school at the 34th statewide percentile with 2 stars, down from the 50th percentile in 2022–2023; the district is at the 31st percentile with 2 stars. One notable exception in SchoolDigger’s group rankings is English Language Learner Students: the school ranked at the 89th percentile in 2023–2024, compared with its overall 44th percentile that year. In 2024–2025, 93% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, and the student–teacher ratio was 20.1. Chronic absenteeism was 20% in 2025–2026, above the district’s 17%, the state’s 18%, and the nearby-school average of 14%.

262

Students ?

20.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,084

Per pupil spending ?

93.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

23825 Avenue 92
Terra Bella, CA 93270-9400

(559) 535-4451

District: Terra Bella Union Elementary

Feeder schools for Carl Smith Middle:

Elementary:

Terra Bella Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.7%

White:

1.5%

Asian:

0.4%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Carl Smith Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 50th percentile in 2023 → 34th in 2026

Worth a look

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

!Ranking has slipped from its 50th-percentile peak (2023) to 34th (2026)

!Science scores 20 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg31%

California avg42%

1,815^th of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 34%▲ up 29 pts since 2016

From bottom 5% (2016) to bottom 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1033^rd of 1,530Terra Bella Union 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
2026	30.4	1815 of 2740	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.2	1571 of 2761	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.9	1569 of 2783	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.0	1395 of 2781	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.6	1597 of 2740	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.1	699 of 894	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.9	2101 of 2715	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	1734 of 2480	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	14.3	2245 of 2508	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	8.7	2376 of 2497	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	16.0	2159 of 2477	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	22.5	1938 of 2379	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.8	1561 of 2259	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.7	1540 of 2236	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	36.2	1412 of 2179	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	32.1	1413 of 2063	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	31.8	1380 of 2005	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	25.9	1501 of 1999	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	19.8	1486 of 1804	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	16.3	1546 of 1777	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	18.5	1483 of 1769	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	68.6	167 of 1478	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	73.5	150 of 1521	90.1%	★★★★★
2022	67.4	217 of 1540	85.9%	★★★★☆
2021	62.7	62 of 363	82.9%	★★★★☆
2019	56.5	335 of 1442	76.8%	★★★★☆
2018	81.5	134 of 1364	90.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	32.2	1606 of 2516	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.0	1316 of 2533	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	1536 of 2551	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.5	1249 of 2531	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.5	1483 of 2509	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.6	617 of 738	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.9	1984 of 2380	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	1664 of 2262	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	41.7	1250 of 2357	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.3	1012 of 2395	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.1	1096 of 2388	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	845 of 2374	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.6	1145 of 2359	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.5	1529 of 2213	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.7	1221 of 2072	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	39.3	1425 of 2529	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.6	1188 of 2542	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.5	1093 of 2579	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.6	859 of 2531	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.5	1124 of 2458	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	35.6	470 of 721	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.2	1588 of 2369	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.2	1250 of 2230	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	27.6	1766 of 2514	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.1	1591 of 2534	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.0	1377 of 2552	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.9	1311 of 2538	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.3	1473 of 2527	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.8	553 of 763	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	1833 of 2407	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	1541 of 2273	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)89th percentile+45 vs school

Hispanic (2026)47th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)44th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)36th percentile~ school

Male (2026)30th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy39%-10 vs state

Mathematics24%-15 vs state

Science16%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Carl Smith Middle

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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 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
Carl Smith Middle	Public	6-8	23825 Avenue 92	Terra Bella	93270	Tulare County	Terra Bella Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 535-4451	262	13	20.1	93.1%	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	256 (97.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	30.4	1815^th of 2740 public middle schools	33.8%		37.2	1571^st of 2761 public middle schools	43.1%	244	15.6	15.6		39.3	34.4	44.3	39.3		18.0	20.2	31.1	23.7	$19,084	$699	$18,385
Pioneer Middle	Public	6-8	225 East College Ave.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Porterville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 782-7200	754	39	19.4	93.9%	24 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	658 (87.3%)	9 (1.2%)	52 (6.9%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (1.3%)	46.7	1285^th of 2740 public middle schools	53.1%		36.9	1585^th of 2761 public middle schools	42.6%	300	25.3	25.3		47.5	43.2	51.4	47.2		33.0	28.0	39.6	33.3	$19,870	$1,255	$18,615
Bartlett Middle	Public	7-8	335 North G St.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Porterville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 782-7100	443	25	17.8	97.1%	32 (7.2%)	2 (0.5%)	395 (89.2%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.1%)	23.9	2044^th of 2740 public middle schools	25.4%		23.9	2058^th of 2761 public middle schools	25.5%	14	26.5	26.5			32.8	23.9	28.0			24.9	16.0	20.1	$21,920	$1,112	$20,808
Burton Community Day	Public	2-8	264 North Westwood St.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Burton Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 781-8020	1	1	2.0	—	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Buena Vista Community Day	Public	4-8	18900 Ave. 145	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Pleasant View Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 788-2002	2	1	1.9	—	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (50.0%)								(n/a)													$22,775	$3,015	$19,760
Burton Middle	Public	7-8	1155 North Elderwood St.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Burton Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 781-2671	586	28	20.5	83.6%	69 (11.8%)	3 (0.5%)	450 (76.8%)	33 (5.6%)	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.1%)	35.9	1628^th of 2740 public middle schools	40.6%		43.5	1381^st of 2761 public middle schools	50.0%	247	19.1	19.1			36.3	39.8	38.2			37.2	29.2	32.8	$20,121	$379	$19,742
Sequoia Middle	Public	7-8	1450 West Castle Ave.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Porterville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 788-0923	532	25	21.2	85.5%	67 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	435 (81.8%)	16 (3.0%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.9%)	55.6	1042^nd of 2740 public middle schools	62.0%		52.6	1114^th of 2761 public middle schools	59.7%	72	39.6	39.6			48.7	56.4	52.6			30.2	35.3	32.8	$21,556	$1,280	$20,276
Pixley Middle	Public	6-8	1520 East Ct. St.	Pixley	93256	Tulare County	Pixley Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 757-3018	297	17	17.1	96.3%	4 (1.3%)	4 (1.3%)	286 (96.3%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32.7	1729^th of 2740 public middle schools	36.9%		28.3	1886^th of 2761 public middle schools	31.7%	157	25.5	25.5		38.8	48.8	41.2	42.8		22.4	17.9	18.6	19.6	$25,755	$3,070	$22,685
Earlimart Middle	Public	6-8	599 South Sutter St.	Earlimart	93219	Tulare County	Earlimart Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 849-2611	479	26	18.1	72.9%	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	463 (96.7%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	15.8	2396^th of 2740 public middle schools	12.6%		15	2438^th of 2761 public middle schools	11.7%	42	9.6	9.6		14.5	29.6	42.3	29.6		5.3	9.9	12.7	9.5	$24,763	$1,795	$22,968
La Vina Middle	Public	6-8	1331 Browning Rd.	Delano	93215	Kern County	Delano Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 721-3601	521	26	19.8	78.9%	7 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	417 (80.0%)	85 (16.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.5%)	66.6	774^th of 2740 public middle schools	71.8%		67.1	740^th of 2761 public middle schools	73.2%	34	34.7	34.7		53.9	63.8	63.2	60.2		39.4	40.0	44.7	41.4	$14,839	$2,295	$12,544

Frequently Asked Questions about Carl Smith Middle

How many students attend Carl Smith Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 262 students attended Carl Smith Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Carl Smith Middle?

Students at Carl Smith Middle are 98% Hispanic, 2% White.

Is Carl Smith Middle a good school?

Carl Smith Middle ranks 1815^th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Carl Smith Middle in?

Terra Bella Union Elementary

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 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.