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Welcome to the Paulding Middle community. What's one thing that would make Paulding Middle even better?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
544
Middle
DISTRICT 483 · STATE 659
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LUCIA MAR UNIFIED·NCES 062308003528
Paulding Middle
600 Crown Hill St., Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 · (805) 474-3500 · San Luis Obispo County
GRADES 07–08MIDDLE23-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL544 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 74% 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.
- BBeats 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
20.0:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.8:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
249 students
DISTRICT 61% · 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 7 | 262 | 48% |
| Grade 8 | 282 | 52% |
Student demographics
60%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
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
64.8%
CA avg 49.1% . +19.8pp since 2014
Math
43.8%
CA avg 37.7% . +12.8pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 65 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 44 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 20 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 13 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 28.1% | 36.7% | 21.1% | 14.1% |
| Math | 19.0% | 24.8% | 27.6% | 28.6% |
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 | 64.8% | 43.8% |
| 2023-24 | 62.5% | 37.5% |
| 2022-23 | 64.5% | 38.9% |
| 2021-22 | 62.4% | 38.3% |
| 2018-19 | 61.3% | 43.0% |
| 2017-18 | 57.5% | 40.9% |
| 2016-17 | 56.9% | 40.6% |
| 2015-16 | 48.0% | 41.0% |
| 2014-15 | 45.0% | 31.0% |
% 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
52.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.7%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% 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 Paulding Middle
Paulding Middle's state test result (52.2% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paulding Middle this school | 544 | 45.8% | 52.2% |
| Petaluma Junior High Petaluma | 454 | 44.7% | 40.3% |
| Marston Middle San Diego | 702 | 47.6% | 54.1% |
| Sinaloa Middle Novato | 693 | 42.1% | 53.1% |
| Shorecliffs Middle San Clemente | 634 | 43.8% | 50.3% |
| Niguel Hills Middle Laguna Niguel | 693 | 44.6% | 65.2% |
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 Paulding Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In California | In San Luis Obispo County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.2% | #320 of 1,224 | #5 of 12 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 43.8% | #351 of 1,227 ▲ 59 | #4 of 12 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 64.8% | #260 of 1,227 ▼ 3 | #4 of 12 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +3.9pp | #405 of 1,214 | #4 of 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 544 | #855 of 1,377 | #5 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.0:1 | #473 of 1,279 | #6 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.5% | #444 of 1,278 | #2 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 45.8% | #980 of 1,329 | #8 of 12 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -10.5% | #635 of 930 | #4 of 8 |
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
544
-49 (-8%) vs 2020
-12% since 1990-91, when it was 615
Student : Teacher
20.0:1
was 21.2:1
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 | 544 | 27.2 | 20.0:1 | 46% (249) |
| 2023-24 | 562 | 28.7 | 19.6:1 | 51% (288) |
| 2022-23 | 536 | 28.3 | 18.9:1 | 47% (250) |
| 2020-21 | 593 | 28 | 21.2:1 | 53% (315) |
| 2017-18 | 608 | 29.1 | 20.9:1 | 37% (227) |
| 2015-16 | 570 | 28 | 20.4:1 | 40% (227) |
| 2010-11 | 629 | N/A | N/A | 39% (247) |
| 2000-01 | 653 | 28 | 23.3:1 | 26% (170) |
| 1990-91 | 615 | 29 | 21.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Paulding Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (608 to 544); teachers down 6% (29.1 to 27.2).
About Paulding Middle
Paulding Middle is a small middle school in Arroyo Grande, California. Enrolled students number 544 students, in grades 7 through 8.
Paulding Middle is among 19 schools run by Lucia Mar Unified, which serves 9,590 students.
White students are the largest group at Paulding Middle, with 50% of enrollment. Beyond that, enrollment is 39% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, and 3% Asian. The White share of the county population is higher, at 69%. By the diversity index, Paulding Middle comes in at 60%.
Teacher staffing is 27.2 full-time equivalents, or about 20.0 students per teacher. Among middle schools in California, the typical ratio is 20.7:1. About 46% of students, or 249, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Measured against California public middle schools, Paulding Middle receives a B+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
The school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 52.2%. For its free or reduced-price lunch share, the predicted value is 52.7%.
In San Luis Obispo County (population about 281,555), median household income is about $97,446, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 40% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. Paulding Middle is one of 83 public schools in San Luis Obispo County, which together enroll about 33,339 students.
Nearby, Arroyo Grande High is about 0.9 miles away. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Paulding Middle is 4th of 9 nearby schools by average proficiency rate.
By NCES locale, the school is Suburb: Small, or in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population under 100,000.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, Paulding Middle went from 593 students to 544. The ratio of students to teachers went from 21.2:1 to 20.0:1 over the same years.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss science fairs, picture day, and bus routes at Paulding Middle. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
San Luis Obispo County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
281,555
Census ACS
Median income
$97,446
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
40%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
83
33,339 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Lucia Mar Unified
- Arroyo Grande HighHigh · 2,012 students
- Nipomo HighHigh · 819 students
- Harloe ElementaryElementary · 619 students
- Dana ElementaryElementary · 612 students
- Lange (Dorothea) ElementaryElementary · 577 students
- Ocean View ElementaryElementary · 547 students
Other schools in Arroyo Grande
- Arroyo Grande HighHigh · 2,012 students
- Harloe ElementaryElementary · 619 students
- Ocean View ElementaryElementary · 547 students
- Mesa MiddleMiddle · 474 students
- Branch ElementaryElementary · 261 students
- Pacific View AcademyCombined · 114 students
Other Paulding Middle schools
One other US public school is named Paulding Middle. Paulding Middle is the largest of the 2.
- Paulding Middle SchoolPaulding, OH · 251 students
Nearby schools
- Arroyo Grande High0.9 mi · 2,012
- Harloe Elementary1.6 mi · 619
- Ocean View Elementary1.6 mi · 547
- Fairgrove Elementary2.3 mi · 365
- Branch Elementary2.7 mi · 261
- Grover Beach Elementary2.7 mi · 368
Frequently asked questions
About Paulding MiddleHow many students attend Paulding Middle?
Paulding Middle enrolls approximately 544 students in grades 07-08.
What age range does Paulding Middle serve?
Paulding Middle serves students from grade 07 through grade 08.
How many teachers does Paulding Middle have?
Paulding Middle employs 27 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.0:1.
What is the student diversity at Paulding Middle?
Student demographics at Paulding Middle are roughly 50% White, 39% Hispanic, 1% Black, 3% Asian, 8% Two or more.
What district is Paulding Middle in?
Paulding Middle is part of Lucia Mar Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.