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

Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Q: Is Pau Wa Lu Middle School a good school?

Pau Wa Lu Middle School ranks 98 th of 151 Nevada middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

98^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 151 Nevada Middle Schools

Better than 35% of Nevada middle schools

Summary

Pau Wa Lu Middle School is a public middle school located in Gardnerville, Nevada, serving grades 6-8 with a student population of 459. The school is part of the Douglas School District, which is ranked 3 out of 12 districts in Nevada and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. However, Pau Wa Lu Middle School has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past several years, going from a high of 31 out of 117 Nevada middle schools in 2013-2014 to a ranking of 98 out of 151 in the most recent 2024-2025 school year.

Pau Wa Lu Middle School's test scores are consistently lower than the Douglas District and Nevada state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's percentage of students proficient or better in Mathematics for all grades was 22.4%, compared to 37.3% for the Douglas District and 35.4% for the state of Nevada. Additionally, the school has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 18.9% to 26.6% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school has also seen a steady increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 33.27% in 2021-2022 to 42.48% in 2023-2024, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students.

Compared to the nearby Carson Valley Middle School, which is also part of the Douglas School District, Pau Wa Lu Middle School consistently underperforms on state assessments, with lower proficiency rates in Mathematics, Reading, and Science. However, Carson Valley Middle School also struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, similar to Pau Wa Lu. The Douglas Nevada Online virtual school, which is also part of the Douglas School District, has a much smaller student population but also faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates.

460

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,381

Per pupil spending ?

41.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

701 Long Valley Rd
Gardnerville, NV 89460

(775) 265-6100

District: Douglas

Students who attend Pau Wa Lu Middle School usually attend:

High:

Douglas High School

Feeder schools for Pau Wa Lu Middle School:

Elementary:	C. C. Meneley Elementary School
	G. L. Scarselli Elementary School
	Minden Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.2%

Hispanic:

26.5%

Two or more races:

7.2%

See top rated Nevada middle schools

Compare Pau Wa Lu Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 74th percentile in 2014 → 35th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Nevada average (29% vs 39% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 39 percentile points since 2014

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg41%

Nevada avg39%

98^th of 151

Nevada public middle schools ?

Bottom 35%▼ down 38 pts since 2016

From top 27% (2016) to bottom 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nevada Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Douglas

3^rd of 12Douglas among Nevada 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	Nevada percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	98 of 151	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.7	103 of 153	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.3	86 of 152	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.7	85 of 151	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.5	74 of 145	49.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.4	76 of 159	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.9	56 of 114	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.0	38 of 126	69.8%	★★★★☆
2016	66.5	33 of 122	73.0%	★★★★☆
2014	71.3	31 of 117	73.5%	★★★★☆
2013	71.2	28 of 121	76.9%	★★★★☆
2012	82.1	13 of 84	84.5%	★★★★☆
2011	80.5	11 of 82	86.6%	★★★★☆
2009	87.8	8 of 83	90.4%	★★★★★
2008	83.0	11 of 82	86.6%	★★★★☆
2006	89.0	4 of 71	94.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	49.0	49 of 106	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	35.5	59 of 95	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	44.7	53 of 100	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	46.3	52 of 108	51.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	41.4	39 of 60	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	68.8	3 of 7	57.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	56.6	26 of 84	69.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	37.4	62 of 105	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2018)69th percentile+18 vs school

Native American (2018)57th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2018)54th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2018)52nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)47th percentile-4 vs school

White (2018)41st percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2018)38th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2018)35th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Nevada (2024-2025) ?

Reading35%-10 vs state

Science32%+5 vs state

Mathematics22%-13 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Pau Wa Lu Middle School and help other families decide.

Rate Pau Wa Lu Middle School

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 Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SBAC Mathematics (2025)				SBAC Reading (2025)				SBAC Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
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	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics All Grades	SBAC Reading 6th Grade	SBAC Reading 7th Grade	SBAC Reading 8th Grade	SBAC Reading All Grades	SBAC Science 8th Grade	SBAC Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pau Wa Lu Middle School	Public	6-8	701 Long Valley Rd	Gardnerville	89460	Douglas County	Douglas	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 265-6100	460	25	18.7	41.1%	277 (60.2%)	2 (0.4%)	122 (26.5%)	2 (0.4%)	19 (4.1%)	5 (1.1%)	33 (7.2%)	30.6	98^th of 151 public middle schools	35.1%		28.7	103^rd of 153 public middle schools	32.7%	5	24.0	23.6	19.7	22.4	38.3	46.5	22.5	35.5	32.1	32.1	$12,381	$876	$11,504
Carson Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	1477 Hwy 395	Gardnerville	89410	Douglas County	Douglas	No	No	No	No	(775) 782-2265	591	28	21.2	29.3%	381 (64.5%)	3 (0.5%)	147 (24.9%)	16 (2.7%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.1%)	58.2	59^th of 151 public middle schools	60.9%		46	75^th of 153 public middle schools	51.0%	16	34.3	41.1	34.4	36.6	50.5	62.9	42.9	52.3	33.7	33.7	$10,561	$626	$9,936
Douglas Nevada Online	Public, Virtual	6-8	1680 Bently Parkway	Minden	89423	Douglas County	Douglas	No	No	Yes	No	(775) 392-1480	5	0			2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (20.0%)								(n/a)											$11,067	$529	$10,538
Eagle Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	4151 E. Fifth St.	Carson City	89701	Carson City	Carson City	No	No	No	No	(775) 283-2600	854	48	17.6	47.0%	366 (42.9%)	2 (0.2%)	422 (49.4%)	14 (1.6%)	16 (1.9%)	1 (0.1%)	33 (3.9%)	34.4	95^th of 151 public middle schools	37.1%		33.3	88^th of 153 public middle schools	42.5%	7	25.0	21.6	26.2	24.2	30.9	48.1	39.2	39.4	31.5	31.5	$10,932	$816	$10,116
Carson Middle School	Public	6-8	1140 W. King St.	Carson City	89703	Carson City	Carson City	No	No	No	No	(775) 283-2800	833	47	17.6	100.0%	358 (43.0%)	10 (1.2%)	376 (45.1%)	8 (1.0%)	19 (2.3%)	1 (0.1%)	59 (7.1%)	34.4	94^th of 151 public middle schools	37.7%		40.4	83^rd of 153 public middle schools	45.8%	11	25.5	31.8	29.8	29.2	31.0	44.0	31.6	35.6	27.2	27.2	$10,853	$741	$10,112

Frequently Asked Questions about Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Is Pau Wa Lu Middle School a good school?

Pau Wa Lu Middle School ranks 98^th of 151 Nevada middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Pau Wa Lu Middle School in?

Douglas

How many students attend Pau Wa Lu Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 460 students attended Pau Wa Lu Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Pau Wa Lu Middle School attend?

Students who attend Pau Wa Lu Middle School usually go on to attend Douglas High School

What is the racial makeup of Pau Wa Lu Middle School?

Students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School are 60% White, 27% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 4% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Rate Pau Wa Lu Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NVNevada Middle School Rankings

NVNevada District Rankings

Schools in Gardnerville, NV

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Pau Wa Lu Middle School!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Nevada 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.