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What's the best and worst thing about the food at New Brighton Middle?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
585
Middle
DISTRICT 305 · STATE 659
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOQUEL UNION ELEMENTARY·NCES 063729006309
New Brighton Middle
250 Washburn Ave., Capitola, CA 95010 · (831) 464-5660 · Santa Cruz County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE22-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL585 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 46% of California public middle schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public middle schools
Student : Teacher
20.9:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.7:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
30%
177 students
DISTRICT 31% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 179 | 31% |
| Grade 7 | 191 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 215 | 37% |
Student demographics
56%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 58% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Based on grade levels within Soquel Union Elementary. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
57.9%
CA avg 49.1% . +1.9pp since 2014
Math
41.8%
CA avg 37.7% . +0.8pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 42 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 2 points since 2014, while math scores have held steady.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 23.1% | 34.8% | 20.0% | 22.0% |
| Math | 20.6% | 21.1% | 26.0% | 32.3% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 57.9% | 41.8% |
| 2023-24 | 55.5% | 36.6% |
| 2022-23 | 58.4% | 36.0% |
| 2021-22 | 61.5% | 32.8% |
| 2018-19 | 67.7% | 45.6% |
| 2017-18 | 65.0% | 46.9% |
| 2016-17 | 59.9% | 44.8% |
| 2015-16 | 62.0% | 42.0% |
| 2014-15 | 56.0% | 41.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
48.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
61.8%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 48% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 62% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like New Brighton Middle
New Brighton Middle's state test result (48.1% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Brighton Middle this school | 585 | 30.3% | 48.1% |
| Mission Hill Middle Santa Cruz | 510 | 32.0% | 49.7% |
| Alder Creek Middle Truckee | 535 | 29.7% | 58.4% |
| Calavera Hills Middle Carlsbad | 655 | 33.1% | 54.5% |
| Correia Middle San Diego | 602 | 35.9% | 58.6% |
| Redwood Middle Thousand Oaks | 589 | 27.5% | 55.8% |
Matched among California middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where New Brighton Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Cruz County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 48.1% | #375 of 1,224 | #4 of 12 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 41.8% | #379 of 1,227 ▲ 46 | #4 of 12 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 57.9% | #356 of 1,227 ▲ 3 | #5 of 12 ▼ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +2.7pp | #549 of 1,214 | #5 of 12 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 585 | #793 of 1,377 | #3 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.9:1 | #605 of 1,279 | #7 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 55.9% | #522 of 1,278 | #3 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 30.3% | #1,146 of 1,329 | #9 of 12 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -16.7% | #453 of 930 | #7 of 12 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
585
-72 (-11%) vs 2020
-16% since 1990-91, when it was 694
Student : Teacher
20.9:1
was 20.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 585 | 28 | 20.9:1 | 30% (177) |
| 2023-24 | 611 | 30.5 | 20.0:1 | 31% (190) |
| 2022-23 | 648 | 30.2 | 21.5:1 | 30% (194) |
| 2020-21 | 657 | 32 | 20.5:1 | 24% (160) |
| 2017-18 | 702 | 32.2 | 21.8:1 | 33% (229) |
| 2015-16 | 731 | 31 | 23.6:1 | 33% (241) |
| 2010-11 | 693 | N/A | N/A | 34% (238) |
| 2000-01 | 783 | 35 | 22.4:1 | 19% (146) |
| 1990-91 | 694 | 28 | 24.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for New Brighton Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 17% (702 to 585); teachers down 13% (32.2 to 28).
About New Brighton Middle
New Brighton Middle is a medium-sized middle-grades school in Capitola, California, administered by Soquel Union Elementary. The school counts 585 students across grades 6 through 8.
Soquel Union Elementary is the district for New Brighton Middle. It has 5 schools and 1,525 students.
White students make up a majority at New Brighton Middle, at 56%. The remaining students are 34% Hispanic and 6% multiracial. For comparison, Santa Cruz County is about 60% White. Pick two students at random and there is a 56% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The school reported 28 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 20.9:1. That matches the 20.7:1 average for middle schools in California fairly closely. Eligible students account for 30% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. It compares with 52% for public schools in Santa Cruz County.
The allk12 Grade for New Brighton Middle is B-. Compared with California public middle schools, the school scored higher than 46% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for New Brighton Middle is 61.8%, and its average proficiency rate on state tests is 48.1%.
Santa Cruz County census figures show that the median household income is $111,093, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 44% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 6%. Santa Cruz County is home to 83 public schools and about 36,316 public school students.
Soquel Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles away. Within five miles of New Brighton Middle, there are at least 8 other public schools. Among its closest neighbors with test data, New Brighton Middle is 4th of 8 on proficiency.
Its NCES locale code is Suburb: Mid-size: the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Federal data show an 11% enrollment decrease, from 657 in 2020-21 to 585 in 2024-25.
Questions about school safety, transportation, and start times can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Santa Cruz County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
264,926
Census ACS
Median income
$111,093
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
44%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
83
36,316 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Soquel Union Elementary
- Main Street ElementaryElementary · 383 students
- Soquel ElementaryElementary · 337 students
- Santa Cruz Gardens ElementaryElementary · 214 students
- Opal CliffsElementary · 6 students
Nearby schools
- Soquel Elementary0.7 mi · 337
- Opal Cliffs0.9 mi · 6
- Main Street Elementary1.0 mi · 383
- Soquel High1.1 mi · 1,074
- Delta Charter1.3 mi · 113
- Mar Vista Elementary1.6 mi · 270
Frequently asked questions
About New Brighton MiddleHow many students attend New Brighton Middle?
New Brighton Middle enrolls approximately 585 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does New Brighton Middle serve?
New Brighton Middle serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at New Brighton Middle?
The student-to-teacher ratio at New Brighton Middle is approximately 20.9:1 (28 FTE teachers).
How diverse is New Brighton Middle?
New Brighton Middle reports a student body of 56% White, 34% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is New Brighton Middle public or private?
New Brighton Middle is a public K-12 school, overseen by Soquel Union Elementary.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.