Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Challenger Middle

Q: Is Challenger Middle a good school?

Challenger Middle ranks in the bottom 4.2% of California middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Challenger Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 403 students attended Challenger Middle.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Challenger Middle?

Students at Challenger Middle are 83% Hispanic, 8% White, 6% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Q: What high school do graduates of Challenger Middle attend?

Students who attend Challenger Middle usually go on to attend Littlerock High

Public Grades 6-8

2645^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 4% of California middle schools

Summary

Challenger Middle is a public school serving about 400 students in grades 6-8 in the Wilsona Elementary School District in Lancaster, CA, which faces significant and persistent academic challenges according to state data.

The school's academic performance is among the lowest in the state, ranking in the bottom 4% of California middle schools for four years in a row, with particularly low proficiency rates in mathematics at 3% compared to the state average of 37%. This trend represents a steady decline over the past decade. The school also contends with a chronic absenteeism rate of 35%, nearly double the state average, which disrupts learning. Furthermore, per-student spending at the school is notably lower than at nearby schools, and it operates with a higher student-teacher ratio.

When compared to other local options, a clear pattern emerges: magnet schools in the area, such as Fulton and Alsbury Academy and Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy, consistently achieve higher rankings and proficiency rates despite serving similar student populations. Challenger Middle's performance closely aligns with its district's low statewide ranking, suggesting challenges are systemic. The school's relative geographic isolation may also limit access to alternative programs or collaborative resources available in other parts of the Lancaster Elementary or Palmdale Elementary districts.

403

Students ?

21.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,065

Per pupil spending ?

84.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

41725 North 170th St. East
Lancaster, CA 93535-7124

(661) 264-1790

District: Wilsona Elementary

Students who attend Challenger Middle usually attend:

High:

Littlerock High

Feeder schools for Challenger Middle:

Elementary:

Vista San Gabriel Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

82.9%

White:

7.9%

African American:

6.5%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Challenger Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 32nd percentile in 2013 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (11% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (35% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school11%

District avg15%

California avg41%

2,645^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From bottom 19% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	9.1	2645 of 2761	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.6	2679 of 2783	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	2672 of 2781	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.0	2638 of 2740	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	2385 of 2715	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.5	2191 of 2480	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.4	1951 of 2508	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	24.4	1852 of 2497	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.5	2007 of 2477	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	32.7	1620 of 2379	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	27.6	1715 of 2259	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	24.5	1783 of 2236	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	18.0	1898 of 2179	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	21.8	1693 of 2063	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	24.5	1578 of 2005	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	33.3	1310 of 1999	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	35.1	1144 of 1804	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	48.8	827 of 1777	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	48.9	801 of 1769	54.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	13.5	618 of 637	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.3	636 of 643	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.4	492 of 600	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	21.9	1393 of 1531	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	1248 of 1491	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	1284 of 1369	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	27.8	1346 of 1478	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	29.8	1228 of 1521	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	1452 of 1540	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	34.7	885 of 1442	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.1	946 of 1364	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.6	2471 of 2533	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	2494 of 2551	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	2414 of 2531	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.9	2459 of 2509	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.6	2123 of 2380	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	2105 of 2262	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.5	2270 of 2395	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	2284 of 2388	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.9	2252 of 2374	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	2269 of 2359	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.8	1895 of 2213	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	1807 of 2072	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.3	460 of 477	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	381 of 394	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.5	2405 of 2542	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	2456 of 2579	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	2406 of 2531	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.7	2334 of 2458	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	1998 of 2369	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.8	1914 of 2230	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	2411 of 2534	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.4	2460 of 2552	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	2434 of 2538	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.1	2406 of 2527	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.3	2151 of 2407	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.5	1956 of 2273	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.7	1436 of 1566	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.9	1486 of 1552	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	1405 of 1531	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	2.6	1536 of 1543	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.5	1507 of 1555	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.2	1421 of 1602	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.2	1390 of 1496	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)9th percentile+5 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)9th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2025)8th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)5th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)5th percentile~ school

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)4th percentile~ school

African American (2022)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

White (2023)<1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy20%-29 vs state

Science9%-23 vs state

Mathematics3%-34 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Challenger Middle and help other families decide.

Rate Challenger Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Challenger Middle

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
Challenger Middle	Public	6-8	41725 North 170th St. East	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Wilsona Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 264-1790	403	19	21.2	84.6%	32 (7.9%)	26 (6.5%)	334 (82.9%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	9.1	2645^th of 2761 public middle schools	4.2%		9.6	2679^th of 2783 public middle schools	3.7%	34	9.4	9.4	18.9	22.6	18.6	20.0	4.5	5.6	0.0	3.4	$8,065	$292	$7,773
Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	37315 60th St. East	Palmdale	93552	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 533-7400	813	37	22.0	83.0%	20 (2.5%)	144 (17.7%)	618 (76.0%)	13 (1.6%)	5 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	10 (1.2%)	21.2	2177^th of 2761 public middle schools	21.2%		21.2	2210^th of 2783 public middle schools	20.6%	33	14.4	14.4	25.5	34.6	28.0	29.5	23.7	15.6	13.4	17.6	$19,489	$2,915	$16,574
Gifford C. Cole Middle	Public	7-8	3126 East Avenue I	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Eastside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 946-1041	697	33	21.3	82.1%	31 (4.4%)	156 (22.4%)	471 (67.6%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (4.3%)	12.1	2546^th of 2761 public middle schools	7.8%		16.4	2421^st of 2783 public middle schools	13.0%	125	9.5	9.5		21.0	25.8	23.5		8.5	6.3	7.3	$21,494	$3,911	$17,583
Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	3243 East Ave. R-8	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 273-0847	822	40	20.7	89.3%	33 (4.0%)	119 (14.5%)	643 (78.2%)	8 (1.0%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.6%)	15.2	2429^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.0%		15	2477^th of 2783 public middle schools	11.0%	48	7.5	7.5	22.7	34.7	25.1	27.8	7.7	13.9	8.8	10.3	$18,903	$2,472	$16,431
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	38060 20th St. East	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 537-6101	747	38	19.4	90.2%	25 (3.3%)	130 (17.4%)	562 (75.2%)	5 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	18 (2.4%)	15.6	2409^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.7%		10.9	2639^th of 2783 public middle schools	5.2%	230	8.8	8.8	22.1	26.1	31.0	26.5	16.1	8.3	12.3	12.4	$20,069	$2,748	$17,321
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Technical Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	36555 Sunny Ln.	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 285-5866	948	44	21.5	89.7%	36 (3.8%)	125 (13.2%)	754 (79.5%)	9 (0.9%)	8 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (1.6%)	17	2353^rd of 2761 public middle schools	14.8%		19.1	2295^th of 2783 public middle schools	17.5%	58	10.7	10.7	26.6	30.5	33.2	30.5	8.2	8.5	12.7	10.0	$18,897	$2,699	$16,198
Fulton and Alsbury Academy of Arts and Engineering	Public	6-8	831 East Ave. K-2	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 899-7836	414	13	31.9	76.6%	42 (10.1%)	71 (17.1%)	272 (65.7%)	9 (2.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.1%)	64.9	790^th of 2761 public middle schools	71.4%		76.6	552^nd of 2783 public middle schools	80.2%	238	38.6	38.6	51.4	60.9	59.9	57.3	25.0	45.1	43.2	37.5	$20,751	$2,818	$17,933
New Vista Middle	Public	6-8	753 East Avenue K-2	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 726-4271	835	46	18.1	91.3%	38 (4.6%)	312 (37.4%)	450 (53.9%)	8 (1.0%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	20 (2.4%)	7.6	2690^th of 2761 public middle schools	2.6%		9.1	2692^nd of 2783 public middle schools	3.3%	2	4.4	4.4	14.0	14.4	15.9	14.8	4.1	8.6	3.8	5.6	$23,441	$2,849	$20,592
Piute Middle	Public	6-8	425 East Avenue H-11	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 942-9508	729	42	17.4	94.2%	34 (4.7%)	195 (26.7%)	464 (63.6%)	6 (0.8%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	26 (3.6%)	7.8	2681^st of 2761 public middle schools	2.9%		7.7	2722^nd of 2783 public middle schools	2.2%	41	8.2	8.2	16.0	13.2	17.0	15.3	3.1	3.3	5.2	4.0	$23,121	$2,911	$20,210
David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	39221 22nd St. West	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 947-3075	952	42	22.7	75.3%	46 (4.8%)	187 (19.6%)	659 (69.2%)	24 (2.5%)	5 (0.5%)	5 (0.5%)	26 (2.7%)	15.4	2417^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.5%		17.1	2390^th of 2783 public middle schools	14.1%	27	12.8	12.8	23.0	25.4	27.2	25.4	12.1	13.7	10.3	11.9	$19,045	$2,692	$16,353

Frequently Asked Questions about Challenger Middle

Is Challenger Middle a good school?

Challenger Middle ranks in the bottom 4.2% of California middle schools.

How many students attend Challenger Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 403 students attended Challenger Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Challenger Middle?

Students at Challenger Middle are 83% Hispanic, 8% White, 6% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Challenger Middle attend?

Students who attend Challenger Middle usually go on to attend Littlerock High

What district is Challenger Middle in?

Wilsona Elementary

Rate Challenger Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Lancaster, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Challenger Middle!

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.