Summary:
In zip code 93240, which covers the rural Lake Isabella area in Kern County, there is one public middle school, Woodrow Wallace Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 in the Kernville Union Elementary district.
This school serves a community with high economic need, and its academic performance is consistently below state averages, particularly in mathematics where only about 16% of students are proficient compared to 37% statewide. A major challenge is chronic absenteeism, with a rate of 37%, which is nearly double the state average and is closely linked to academic struggles. While the school's per-student spending is relatively high, it has historically ranked in the bottom quarter of all California middle schools, though it showed a slight improvement in its most recent ranking.
Performance varies by grade, with 7th graders typically scoring highest, while 6th graders, especially in math, face the greatest difficulties. The school's results are very similar to the district averages, indicating these are area-wide challenges. For parents, this means the local middle school is working to support a high-need student population but faces significant hurdles in student attendance and academic achievement that impact outcomes.
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