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Nelson Avenue Middle

Q: Is Nelson Avenue Middle a good school?

Nelson Avenue Middle ranks 1612 th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1612^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,740 California Middle Schools

Better than 41% of California middle schools

Summary

Nelson Avenue Middle serves 456 students in grades 6–8 in Oroville, California. Its most important pattern is that it performs above Thermalito Union Elementary in all three tested subjects, but remains below state results—especially in English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA), where the gap is 13 points.

Science is Nelson’s strongest subject compared with nearby schools, while ELA is its weakest. In 2025–26, 33% of students were proficient in science, about 5 points above the nearby-school average; 37% were proficient in ELA, about 5 points below the nearby average. Math proficiency was 28%, nearly even with the nearby average. Nelson was ahead of its district by 2 points in ELA, 1 in math, and 3 in science, but below California by 13, 11, and 3 points, respectively. Five of nine nearby schools scored higher in ELA, while three of nine scored higher in math and science.

Science and math have improved substantially since 2022–23: proficiency rose 15 points in science and 13 in math, narrowing their gaps with the state. ELA rose just 1 point over that period, and its state gap widened from 11 to 13 points. SchoolDigger placed Nelson at the 41st percentile statewide with 2 stars in 2025–26, up 7 percentile points from 2022–23. Its 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 19.4, and 86% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year—the highest share among nearby schools reporting the same measure. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness ranking for English Language Learner Students was notably higher, at the 71st percentile in 2023–24, compared with Nelson’s overall 39th percentile that year. Its Special Education Students ranking was lower: the 15th percentile in 2025–26, down from the 33rd percentile the previous year.

456

Students ?

19.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,855

Per pupil spending ?

85.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

2255 Sixth St.
Oroville, CA 95965-3260

(530) 538-2940

District: Thermalito Union Elementary

Students who attend Nelson Avenue Middle usually attend:

High:

Oroville High

Feeder schools for Nelson Avenue Middle:

Elementary:	Plumas Avenue Elementary
	Poplar Avenue Elementary
	Sierra Avenue Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

35.5%

Asian:

35.5%

Hispanic:

15.6%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Nelson Avenue Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 17th percentile in 2016 → 41st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (32% vs 42% meeting standards)

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

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 13 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg31%

California avg42%

1,612^th of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 41%▲ up 24 pts since 2016

From bottom 17% (2016) to bottom 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1059^th of 1,530Thermalito 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	36.5	1612 of 2740	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.8	1625 of 2761	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.5	1691 of 2783	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.1	1837 of 2781	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.8	1908 of 2740	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.6	725 of 894	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.6	2112 of 2715	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	2001 of 2480	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	13.3	2267 of 2508	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	18.9	2064 of 2497	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	25.1	1820 of 2477	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.2	1838 of 2379	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.4	1624 of 2259	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	31.4	1609 of 2236	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	18.6	1883 of 2179	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	19.2	1752 of 2063	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.6	1638 of 2005	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	29.0	1416 of 1999	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	30.3	1239 of 1804	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	30.4	1223 of 1777	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	30.0	1190 of 1769	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	678 of 777	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.6	651 of 739	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	6.4	685 of 743	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	667 of 715	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.7	687 of 733	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.9	711 of 745	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.0	683 of 700	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	30.6	1042 of 1531	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.0	336 of 354	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.1	1331 of 1491	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.5	1032 of 1369	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	51.1	429 of 1478	71.0%	★★★★☆
2023	48.1	488 of 1521	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.4	516 of 1540	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	25.2	357 of 363	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.4	818 of 1442	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.5	1362 of 1364	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	43.5	1282 of 2516	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.0	1466 of 2533	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.4	1529 of 2551	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.2	1730 of 2531	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.3	1958 of 2509	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.2	628 of 738	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.1	1940 of 2380	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	1910 of 2262	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	35.0	1481 of 2357	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.5	1405 of 2395	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.3	1225 of 2388	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.2	1356 of 2374	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.3	1155 of 2359	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	19.0	1916 of 2213	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.4	1319 of 2072	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	41.9	1334 of 2529	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.0	1333 of 2542	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.8	1310 of 2579	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.7	1380 of 2531	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.8	1707 of 2458	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.6	535 of 721	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.2	1798 of 2369	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.1	1720 of 2230	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	28.7	1721 of 2514	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.7	1581 of 2534	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	1562 of 2552	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.1	1647 of 2538	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.5	1562 of 2527	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.4	585 of 763	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.8	1880 of 2407	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	1779 of 2273	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	11.1	652 of 735	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.5	644 of 726	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.0	665 of 701	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.3	579 of 677	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	2.6	545 of 554	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	23.7	1361 of 1605	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.5	1054 of 1566	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.0	1059 of 1552	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.8	1119 of 1531	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	11.0	1355 of 1490	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.5	1403 of 1520	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.9	1320 of 1537	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	1447 of 1543	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.7	1473 of 1555	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.7	1539 of 1602	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.9	1445 of 1496	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)71st percentile+32 vs school

Female (2026)49th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)47th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)37th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)32nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)32nd percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2026)15th percentile-26 vs school

Asian (2026)13th percentile-28 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)11th percentile-30 vs school

White (2026)9th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy37%-13 vs state

Science33%-3 vs state

Mathematics28%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nelson Avenue 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 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
Nelson Avenue Middle	Public	6-8	2255 Sixth St.	Oroville	95965	Butte County	Thermalito Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 538-2940	456	23	19.4	85.7%	162 (35.5%)	8 (1.8%)	71 (15.6%)	162 (35.5%)	10 (2.2%)	2 (0.4%)	41 (9.0%)	36.5	1612^th of 2740 public middle schools	41.2%		35.8	1625^th of 2761 public middle schools	41.1%	13	32.9	32.9	30.3	35.4	44.4	36.7	19.3	28.0	36.0	27.8	$23,855	$23,578	$277
The Studios @ Central	Public	5-8	2565 Mesa Ave.	Oroville	95966	Butte County	Oroville City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 532-3002	300	20	15.3	76.3%	124 (41.3%)	15 (5.0%)	71 (23.7%)	53 (17.7%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (10.0%)	9.5	2616^th of 2740 public middle schools	4.5%		17.2	2347^th of 2761 public middle schools	15.0%	269	9.7	9.7	19.0	25.6	11.8	18.2	8.9	15.4	2.0	8.1	$29,094	$27,974	$1,120
Ishi Hills Middle	Public	6-8	1 Ishi Hills Way	Oroville	95966	Butte County	Oroville City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 532-3078	294	17	17.0	68.0%	153 (52.0%)	9 (3.1%)	59 (20.1%)	14 (4.8%)	9 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	49 (16.7%)	23.9	2045^th of 2740 public middle schools	25.4%		20.1	2217^th of 2761 public middle schools	19.7%	172	27.9	27.9	26.0	38.0	32.9	32.2	19.0	14.0	18.6	17.2	$25,417	$24,504	$913
Palermo Middle	Public	6-8	7350 Bulldog Way	Palermo	95968	Butte County	Palermo Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 533-4708	458	24	18.7	76.0%	193 (42.1%)	5 (1.1%)	158 (34.5%)	22 (4.8%)	14 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (14.4%)	24.5	2021^st of 2740 public middle schools	26.2%		26.6	1936^th of 2761 public middle schools	29.9%	85	18.1	18.1	33.8	36.4	39.9	36.7	15.0	18.2	18.7	17.3	$22,980	$22,478	$502
Sycamore Middle	Public	6-8	1125 Sycamore St.	Gridley	95948	Butte County	Gridley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 846-3636	423	20	21.0	73.0%	139 (32.9%)	2 (0.5%)	256 (60.5%)	13 (3.1%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.1%)	38.6	1544^th of 2740 public middle schools	43.6%		52.3	1123^rd of 2761 public middle schools	59.3%	421	23.8	23.8	39.6	50.0	41.0	43.6	23.1	26.1	32.9	27.5	$20,569	$19,570	$999
Durham Intermediate	Public	6-8	9416 Putney Dr.	Durham	95938	Butte County	Durham Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 895-4690	233	12	19.1	39.9%	164 (70.4%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (22.7%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.7%)	74.8	570^th of 2740 public middle schools	79.2%		65.5	772^nd of 2761 public middle schools	72.0%	202	48.0	48.0	52.7	61.3	60.0	58.0	45.2	56.0	49.3	50.2	$50,484	$49,292	$1,192
Paradise Junior High	Public	7-8	5657 Recreation Dr.	Paradise	95969	Butte County	Paradise Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 872-6465	197	12	16.5	70.6%	138 (70.1%)	1 (0.5%)	39 (19.8%)	1 (0.5%)	6 (3.0%)	1 (0.5%)	11 (5.6%)	28.6	1884^th of 2740 public middle schools	31.2%		35	1644^th of 2761 public middle schools	40.5%	240	25.9	25.9		36.0	36.1	36.1		18.0	23.6	20.9	$23,657	$21,206	$2,451
Paradise Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	6473 Clark Rd.	Paradise	95928	Butte County	Paradise Charter Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 872-7277	143	7	20.4	51.0%	114 (79.7%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (12.6%)	3 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.6%)	50	1179^th of 2740 public middle schools	57.0%		65.3	780^th of 2761 public middle schools	71.7%	399	35.4	35.4	52.9	41.5	39.6	45.0	41.2	34.2	31.3	35.7
Foothill Intermediate	Public	6-8	5351 Fruitland Rd.	Marysville	95901	Yuba County	Marysville Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 741-6130	237	13	17.6	65.0%	152 (64.1%)	2 (0.8%)	50 (21.1%)	4 (1.7%)	8 (3.4%)	1 (0.4%)	19 (8.0%)	30.8	1800^th of 2740 public middle schools	34.3%		44.1	1358^th of 2761 public middle schools	50.8%	442	15.5	15.5	41.6	45.2	31.0	39.9	22.1	24.7	22.4	23.1	$22,198	$19,922	$2,276
Live Oak Middle	Public	6-8	2082 Pennington Rd.	Live Oak	95953	Sutter County	Live Oak Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 695-5435	413	24	17.5	82.6%	93 (22.5%)	5 (1.2%)	263 (63.7%)	45 (10.9%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	58.7	964^th of 2740 public middle schools	64.8%		56.1	996^th of 2761 public middle schools	63.9%	32	35.3	35.3	49.6	52.6	46.7	49.6	45.2	44.9	35.0	41.8	$21,595	$20,916	$679

Frequently Asked Questions about Nelson Avenue Middle

How many students attend Nelson Avenue Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 456 students attended Nelson Avenue Middle.

What district is Nelson Avenue Middle in?

Thermalito Union Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Nelson Avenue Middle?

Students at Nelson Avenue Middle are 36% White, 36% Asian, 16% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 2% African American.

What high school do graduates of Nelson Avenue Middle attend?

Students who attend Nelson Avenue Middle usually go on to attend Oroville High

Is Nelson Avenue Middle a good school?

Nelson Avenue Middle ranks 1612^th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Nelson Avenue Middle!

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Latest California data All new data »

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

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

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.