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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
747
Middle
DISTRICT 856 · STATE 659
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PALMDALE ELEMENTARY·NCES 062958014085
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy
38060 20th St. East, Palmdale, CA 93550 · (661) 537-6101 · Los Angeles County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL747 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 15% of California public middle schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A-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
19.5:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.3:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
90%
674 students
DISTRICT 84% · 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 | 256 | 34% |
| Grade 7 | 233 | 31% |
| Grade 8 | 258 | 35% |
Student demographics
40%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 37% · 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
26.4%
CA avg 49.1% . +9.9pp since 2017
Math
12.4%
CA avg 37.7% . +6.7pp since 2017
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 26 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 12 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 10 points since 2017, while math scores are up about 7 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 5.9% | 20.5% | 27.7% | 45.9% |
| Math | 3.2% | 9.1% | 16.3% | 71.4% |
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 | 26.4% | 12.4% |
| 2023-24 | 17.1% | 7.3% |
| 2022-23 | 17.6% | 6.4% |
| 2021-22 | 20.6% | 6.4% |
| 2018-19 | 19.7% | 5.9% |
| 2017-18 | 16.6% | 5.7% |
% 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
15.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
26.7%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-10.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 16% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 27% 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 Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy's state test result (15.7% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy this school | 747 | 90.2% | 15.7% |
| Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy Palmdale | 822 | 89.3% | 17.8% |
| Landmark Middle Moreno Valley | 849 | 87.9% | 22.0% |
| Prairie Vista Middle Hawthorne | 674 | 94.2% | 32.0% |
| Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy Palmdale | 813 | 83.0% | 21.9% |
| Fred L. Thompson Junior High Bakersfield | 714 | 91.6% | 19.9% |
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 Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Los Angeles County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 15.7% | #1,134 of 1,224 | #241 of 248 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 12.4% | #1,082 of 1,227 ▲ 91 | #235 of 248 ▲ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 26.4% | #1,069 of 1,227 ▲ 105 | #232 of 248 ▲ 10 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +5.9pp | #251 of 1,214 | #84 of 247 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 747 | #512 of 1,377 | #119 of 317 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.5:1 | #389 of 1,279 | #103 of 301 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 40.2% | #814 of 1,278 | #137 of 301 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 90.2% | #279 of 1,329 | #118 of 312 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -26.4% | #177 of 930 | #57 of 213 |
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
747
-175 (-19%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
19.5:1
was 20.9:1
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 | 747 | 38.3 | 19.5:1 | 90% (674) |
| 2023-24 | 786 | 30.6 | 25.7:1 | 92% (723) |
| 2022-23 | 802 | 37.9 | 21.1:1 | 94% (753) |
| 2020-21 | 922 | 44 | 20.9:1 | 98% (903) |
| 2017-18 | 1,015 | 42.2 | 24.1:1 | 90% (915) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy.
Since 2017-18: students down 26% (1,015 to 747); teachers down 9% (42.2 to 38.3).
About Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy is a middle school in Palmdale, California, and it is part of Palmdale Elementary. Students in grades 6 through 8 attend the school, which enrolls 747 students.
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy sits within Palmdale Elementary, which has 29 schools and 17,941 students.
Roughly 75% of students at Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy are Hispanic. The rest of enrollment is 17% Black, 3% White, and 2% multiracial. Among all residents of Los Angeles County, the Hispanic share is about 48%. Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy's diversity index is 40%, against a US figure of 70%.
At Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy, 38.3 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 19.5:1. That is lower than the 20.7:1 average for middle schools in California. Roughly 90% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. That is 20 points above the 70% average for public schools in Los Angeles County.
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy is graded C- by allk12, scoring above 15% of California public middle schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy's average proficiency rate on state tests of 15.7% is 10.9 points below the 26.7% the model predicts from its lunch-eligibility share.
Census Bureau estimates for Los Angeles County show that the median household income is $90,112, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 36% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 10%. There are 2,244 public schools in Los Angeles County, enrolling about 1,265,907 students in all.
The nearest other public school, Palmdale High, is about 0.2 miles away. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. On average proficiency, Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy is 6th of 7 nearby schools with test data.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as Suburb: Large, meaning it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
2024-25 enrollment was 747, a 19% decrease from 922 in 2020-21. By 2024-25, the school had 19.5 students per teacher, compared with 20.9 in 2020-21.
Community posts for Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy can cover enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Los Angeles County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,808,667
Census ACS
Median income
$90,112
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
2,244
1,265,907 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Palmdale Elementary
- Los Amigos - Dual ImmersionElementary · 1,027 students
- Palmdale Academy CharterCombined · 989 students
- David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet AcademyMiddle · 952 students
- Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet AcadMiddle · 948 students
- Dos Caminos Dual ImmersionElementary · 945 students
- Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet AcademyMiddle · 822 students
Other schools in Palmdale
- Highland HighHigh · 2,706 students
- William J. (Pete) Knight HighHigh · 2,349 students
- Palmdale Aerospace AcademyCombined · 2,259 students
- Palmdale HighHigh · 2,208 students
- Hillview MiddleMiddle · 1,100 students
- Antelope Valley Learning AcademyCombined · 1,059 students
Nearby schools
- Palmdale High0.2 mi · 2,208
- Tamarisk Elementary0.7 mi · 664
- Desert Rose Elementary0.8 mi · 614
- Tumbleweed Elementary1.0 mi · 502
- Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy1.4 mi · 822
- Palmdale Aerospace Academy1.4 mi · 2,259
Frequently asked questions
About Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet AcademyHow many students attend Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy?
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy enrolls approximately 747 students in grades 06-08.
Is Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy an elementary, middle, or high school?
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy is approximately 19.5:1 (38 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy?
Student demographics at Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy are roughly 3% White, 75% Hispanic, 17% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Is Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy public or private?
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy is a public K-12 school, overseen by Palmdale Elementary.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.