Enrollment
158
Middle
DISTRICT 311 · STATE 594
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CALIFORNIA AREA SD·NCES 420471006939
California Area Middle School
11 Trojan Way, Coal Center, PA 15423 · (724) 785-5800 · Washington County
GRADES 07–08MIDDLE41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL158 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 45% of Pennsylvania public middle schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Pennsylvania public middle schools
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
10 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.2:1 · STATE 13.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
93%
147 students
DISTRICT 97% · STATE 75%
Community
0
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 | 80 | 51% |
| Grade 8 | 78 | 49% |
Student demographics
30%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 59% · 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
Students here typically continue to
California Area Middle School→California Area SHS
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within California Area SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
56.2%
PA avg 51.1% . +3.2pp since 2023
Math
22.6%
PA avg 43.0% . +2.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 56 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 23 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores are up about 3 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 3 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 56.2% | 22.6% |
| 2023-24 | 53.0% | 20.1% |
% Proficient or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: PSSA + Keystone. 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
38.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.7%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 38% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 38% typical for Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania'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 California Area Middle School
California Area Middle School's state test result (38.0% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Area Middle School this school | 158 | 93.0% | 38.0% |
| A J McMullen School Markleysburg | 164 | 98.8% | 50.1% |
| Mercer Area Middle School Mercer | 136 | 97.8% | 46.1% |
| Bucktail Area Middle School Renovo | 117 | 91.5% | 30.3% |
| Tunkhannock STEM Academy Tunkhannock | 137 | 97.8% | 32.2% |
| West Branch Middle School Morrisdale | 191 | 98.4% | 35.4% |
Matched among Pennsylvania 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 California Area Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Washington County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 38.0% | #360 of 479 | #7 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 22.6% | #394 of 513 ▲ 22 | #9 of 11 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 56.2% | #195 of 513 ▲ 107 | #6 of 11 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 158 | #503 of 522 | #11 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 93.0% | #150 of 510 | #3 of 11 |
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
158
+24 (+18%) vs 2020
-80% since 1990-91, when it was 806
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
was 19.1:1
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 | 158 | 9.6 | 16.5:1 | 93% (147) |
| 2023-24 | 147 | 11.4 | 12.9:1 | 98% (144) |
| 2022-23 | 138 | 11 | 12.6:1 | 62% (85) |
| 2020-21 | 134 | 7 | 19.1:1 | 49% (65) |
| 2017-18 | 143 | 9.1 | 15.8:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 133 | 8 | 16.6:1 | 47% (62) |
| 2010-11 | 144 | 15 | 9.6:1 | 45% (65) |
| 2000-01 | 688 | 42 | 16.4:1 | 10% (71) |
| 1990-91 | 806 | 49 | 16.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for California Area Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (143 to 158); teachers up 6% (9.1 to 9.6).
About California Area Middle School
California Area Middle School, located in Coal Center, Pennsylvania, is a small middle school. It serves 158 students in grades 7 through 8. For comparison, middle schools in Pennsylvania average about 594 students.
California Area Middle School is one school in a 3-school district, California Area SD, which enrolls 933 students.
California Area Middle School's enrollment is 83% White. Next come 10% multiracial, 4% Hispanic, and 3% Black. The school's diversity index is 30%, meaning two students picked at random have a 30% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Teachers at the school number 9.6 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 16.5:1. On average, middle schools in Pennsylvania have 13.2:1, compared with 16.5:1 here. The school's lunch program data list 93% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Across public schools in Washington County, the average is 49%.
Measured against Pennsylvania public middle schools, California Area Middle School 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.
After adjusting for student poverty, California Area Middle School lands between the top and bottom 10% of Pennsylvania schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 38.0%; the prediction is 37.7%.
County data help place the school in context: in Washington County, the median household income is $78,958, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 33%, and about 6% of people live in poverty. In all, Washington County has 56 public schools and roughly 26,079 students.
Nearest public school: California Area SHS, less than a tenth of a mile away. A five-mile radius around the school includes 6 other public schools. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts California Area Middle School at 2nd of 6.
The school's locale code, Rural: Fringe, means it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
California Area Middle School's enrollment climbed from 134 in 2020-21 to 158 in 2024-25. Students per teacher fell from 19.1 in 2020-21 to 16.5 in 2024-25.
Discussions about California Area Middle School may include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Washington County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
210,042
Census ACS
Median income
$78,958
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
56
26,079 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in California Area SD
- California Area Elementary SchoolElementary · 485 students
- California Area SHSHigh · 290 students
- California Area Intermediate Middle SchoolElementary
Other schools in Coal Center
- California Area Elementary SchoolElementary · 485 students
- California Area SHSHigh · 290 students
- California Academy of Learning CSCombined · 153 students
- California Area Intermediate Middle SchoolElementary
Nearby schools
- California Area SHS0.0 mi · 290
- California Academy of Learning CS0.2 mi · 153
- California Area Elementary School0.2 mi · 485
- Brownsville Area Elementary School3.0 mi · 617
- Brownsville Area Middle School3.1 mi · 329
- Brownsville Area High School3.2 mi · 457
Frequently asked questions
About California Area Middle SchoolHow large is California Area Middle School?
California Area Middle School enrolls approximately 158 students in grades 07-08.
What age range does California Area Middle School serve?
California Area Middle School serves students from grade 07 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at California Area Middle School?
Approximately 16.5:1 students per teacher at California Area Middle School.
How diverse is California Area Middle School?
California Area Middle School reports a student body of 83% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Black, 10% Two or more.
Who oversees California Area Middle School?
California Area Middle School is overseen by California Area SD in Washington County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.