Summary:
Three middle schools serve Bakersfield ZIP code 93309: Curran Middle serves grades 6–8, while Fred L. Thompson Junior High and O. J. Actis Junior High serve grades 7–8. In 2025–2026, the three-school average was 34% in English language arts (ELA), 10% in math, and 21% in science, compared with state results of 49%, 38%, and 36%. The clearest area-wide challenge is math: the average was 28 percentage points below the state.
Actis was the strongest overall performer, leading all three schools in ELA (40%), math (14%), and science (29%). Its leads over the next-highest school were 7 points in ELA, 4 in math, and 11 in science. In the same grades, Actis also led in both grade 7 and grade 8 ELA, while grade 7 math at Actis and Thompson was nearly even. The lowest results varied by subject: Curran had the lowest all-grades ELA (29%) and math (7%), while Thompson had the lowest science result (16%). SchoolDigger ranked Actis in the 31st percentile statewide in 2025–2026, ahead of Thompson at the 15th and Curran at the 11th; all three were below the statewide median.
Results moved in different directions over the two years reported: the school average rose 2 points in ELA and 5 in science, but fell 1 point in math. Actis had the largest gains in ELA and science, while its math result declined; Curran’s science improved 5 points, and Thompson’s science fell 2. Other measures offer context, not explanations: 2025–2026 chronic absenteeism was 16% at Curran, 26% at Thompson, and 24% at Actis, against 18% statewide. For 2024–2025, the reported free/reduced lunch eligible measures were 92% at Thompson and 85% at Actis; their student-teacher ratios were 17.0 and 16.1, respectively. Curran includes sixth graders, so comparisons with the other schools are most like-for-like in grades 7 and 8.
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