Modoc Middle

Modoc Middle, a very small middle school in Alturas, California, one of the schools within Modoc Joint Unified, instructs 172 students, covering grades 6 through 8. That puts it 74% smaller than the typical public school in California, which averages around 659 students.

Within Modoc Joint Unified, which oversees 5 schools and 766 students, Modoc Middle is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Modoc Middle reports that the largest single group is White, at 66% of enrollment; the rest consists of 21% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 5% Native American. By comparison, Modoc County as a whole is about 79% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, On paper, Modoc Middle has 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 16.6:1. The state averages around 20.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 66% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Modoc Middle is in the bottom 10% of California public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 40.4%; Modoc Middle posts 20.8%, -19.5 points below that line.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Modoc County put the typical household earns roughly $59,455 per year, about 25% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Modoc Middle is one of 10 public schools in Modoc County (combined enrollment of about 855 students).

Alturas Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 4 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Modoc Middle at 4th of 5; the average score across the group is 24.3%.

The campus sits in a rural setting.

Five-year trend. Modoc Middle's enrollment has ticked down 9% since 2018, when it stood at 189 (now 172). The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 19.6:1 in 2018 to 16.6:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Modoc Middle typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.