Richard E. Byrd Middle School students ranked 129th in California among middle schools, with 3.5 percent of all students meeting math requirements in the 2018-2019 school year, according to the California Department of Education (CDE).
CDE data shows that public school test scores in the state are improving. However, they are improving at a prolonged rate. Consequently, it could take decades to close the achievement gap. The achievement gap refers to the disparities in academic performance associated with race and class. In this case, the disparities between students of the following subgroups: white, Asian, Latino and Black.
In his paper Closing Achievement Gaps, Paul E. Barton, former Director of the Policy Information Center at Educational Testing Services, highlights the importance of closing the gap. “Closing the gap must be more than a one-front operation,” Barton said. “Educators must hold themselves responsible and accountable for improving schools when and where we can. We must recognize that the achievement gap has deep roots”.
Elisha Smith Arrillaga, Executive Director of the Education Trust-West, states, “I’d say that these results are really a wake-up call, but the phone’s been ringing unanswered on this for years. California can’t be complacent with results like these”.
It is apparent that systemic changes need to be made in order to overcome the achievement gap of California public schools.
California Middle Schools: Math Met Requirements by Ranking
| Rank | CA Middle School | School District | City | Math Test Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paradise Intermediate School | Paradise Unified | Paradise | 100% |
| 2 | Nova Opportunity | Twin Rivers Unified | Sacramento | 17.4% |
| 3 | Sweetwater Community Day | Sweetwater Union High | Imperial Beach | 11.8% |
| 4 | Bret Harte Middle School | Oakland Unified | Oakland | 11.3% |
| 5 | Aurum Preparatory Academy | Alameda County Office of Education | Oakland | 10.1% |
| 6 | Benicia Middle School | Benicia Unified | Benicia | 9.4% |
| 7 | Katherine Johnson STEM Academy | Los Angeles Unified | Los Angeles | 8.7% |
| 8 | Earlimart Community Day | Earlimart Elementary | Earlimart | 8.3% |
| 9 | Oakland Charter Academy | Oakland Unified | Oakland | 8.2% |
| 10 | Mary P. Henck Intermediate School | Rim of the World Unified | Lake Arrowhead | 8% |
| 11 | Visitacion Valley Middle School | San Francisco Unified | San Francisco | 7.9% |
| 12 | Century Academy for Excellence | Lennox | Inglewood | 7.4% |
| 13 | Sisson | Mt. Shasta Union Elementary | Mount Shasta | 7.3% |
| 14 | La Mesa Arts Academy | La Mesa-Spring Valley | La Mesa | 7.2% |
| 15 | Tulare City Community Day | Tulare City | Tulare | 7.1% |
| 16 | James Lick Middle School | San Francisco Unified | San Francisco | 7% |
| 17 | Maxwell Middle School | Maxwell Unified | Maxwell | 6.9% |
| 18 | Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School | San Francisco Unified | San Francisco | 6.8% |
| 18 | Intellectual Virtues Academy of Long Beach | Long Beach Unified | Long Beach | 6.8% |
| 20 | Temecula Middle School | Temecula Valley Unified | Temecula | 6.7% |
| 21 | De Portola Middle School | San Diego Unified | San Diego | 6.3% |
| 21 | Seven Hills Intermediate School | Nevada City Elementary | Nevada City | 6.3% |
| 23 | Montgomery Middle School | San Diego Unified | San Diego | 6.2% |
| 23 | James Denman Middle School | San Francisco Unified | San Francisco | 6.2% |
| 25 | Hillcrest Middle School | Gravenstein Union Elementary | Sebastopol | 6.1% |
| 26 | Cabrillo Middle School | Ventura Unified | Ventura | 6% |
| 26 | Success Academy | Sacramento City Unified | Sacramento | 6% |
| 28 | Westlake Middle School | Oakland Unified | Oakland | 5.9% |
| 28 | Martin Luther King Jr. Technology Academy | Twin Rivers Unified | Sacramento | 5.9% |
| 28 | Center Middle School | Azusa Unified | Azusa | 5.9% |
| 28 | Fort Sage Middle School | Fort Sage Unified | Herlong | 5.9% |
| 32 | Bernardo Yorba Middle School | Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified | Yorba Linda | 5.7% |
| 32 | Everett Middle School | San Francisco Unified | San Francisco | 5.7% |
| 34 | Valley Center Middle School | Valley Center-Pauma Unified | Valley Center | 5.6% |
| 35 | Oakland SOL Dual Language Middle School | Oakland Unified | Oakland | 5.5% |
| 35 | Fort Irwin Middle School | Silver Valley Unified | Fort Irwin | 5.5% |
| 35 | Pacific Beach Middle School | San Diego Unified | San Diego | 5.5% |
| 35 | Tioga Middle School | Fresno Unified | Fresno | 5.5% |
| 39 | Franklin Middle School | Vallejo City Unified | Vallejo | 5.3% |
| 39 | Toyon Middle School | Calaveras Unified | Valley Springs | 5.3% |
| 39 | De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts | Ventura Unified | Ventura | 5.3% |
| 42 | Ridgecrest Intermediate School | Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified | Rancho Palos Verdes | 5.2% |
| 42 | Fred T. Korematsu Middle School | West Contra Costa Unified | El Cerrito | 5.2% |
| 42 | Fort Miller Middle School | Fresno Unified | Fresno | 5.2% |
| 42 | Ahwahnee Middle School | Fresno Unified | Fresno | 5.2% |
| 42 | Upper Lake Middle School | Upper Lake Unified | Upper Lake | 5.2% |
| 47 | Longfellow Arts and Technology Middle School | Berkeley Unified | Berkeley | 5.1% |
| 47 | Colina Middle School | Conejo Valley Unified | Thousand Oaks | 5.1% |
| 49 | Albany Middle School | Albany City Unified | Albany | 5% |
| 49 | Orinda Intermediate School | Orinda Union Elementary | Orinda | 5% |
| … | ||||
| 1123 | James Irvine Intermediate School | Garden Grove Unified | Garden Grove | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Renaissance Academy | Alum Rock Union Elementary | San Jose | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Leroy L. Doig Intermediate School | Garden Grove Unified | Garden Grove | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Sequoia Middle School | Porterville Unified | Porterville | 0.3% |
| 1123 | STEAM Academy @ Burke | El Rancho Unified | Pico Rivera | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Southridge Middle School | Fontana Unified | Fontana | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Ralston Intermediate School | Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary | Belmont | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Tierra Linda Middle School | San Carlos Elementary | San Carlos | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Alondra Middle School | Paramount Unified | Paramount | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Environmental Charter Middle – Inglewood | Los Angeles County Office of Education | Inglewood | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Harry S. Truman Middle School | Fontana Unified | Fontana | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Richard Henry Dana Middle School | Wiseburn Unified | Hawthorne | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Helen Keller Middle School | Long Beach Unified | Long Beach | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Harry C. Fulton Middle School | Fountain Valley Elementary | Fountain Valley | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Westside Preparatory Charter School | Twin Rivers Unified | Rio Linda | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Richard Garvey Intermediate School | Garvey Elementary | Rosemead | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Gerald P. Carr Intermediate School | Santa Ana Unified | Santa Ana | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Casimir Middle School | Torrance Unified | Torrance | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Thomas R. Pollicita Middle School | Jefferson Elementary | Daly City | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Joaquin Miller Middle School | Cupertino Union | San Jose | 0.3% |
| 1123 | A.G. Currie Middle School | Tustin Unified | Tustin | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Jessie Nelson Academy | Long Beach Unified | Signal Hill | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Slauson Intermediate School | Azusa Unified | Azusa | 0.3% |
| 1123 | John F. Kennedy Middle School | Cupertino Union | Cupertino | 0.3% |
| 1123 | San Fernando Institute of Applied Media | Los Angeles Unified | San Fernando | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Helen Stacey Middle School | Westminster | Huntington Beach | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Challenger Middle School | San Diego Unified | San Diego | 0.3% |
| 1123 | Torch Middle School | Bassett Unified | City Of Industry | 0.3% |
| 1123 | San Jacinto Leadership Academy – Magnet | San Jacinto Unified | San Jacinto | 0.3% |
| 1152 | Challenger Middle School | Wilsona Elementary | Lancaster | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Arcade Fundamental Middle School | San Juan Unified | Sacramento | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Los Coyotes Middle School | Norwalk-La Mirada Unified | La Mirada | 0.2% |
| 1152 | River Heights Intermediate School | Corona-Norco Unified | Eastvale | 0.2% |
| 1152 | KIPP Summit Academy | San Lorenzo Unified | San Lorenzo | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Animo Westside Charter Middle School | Los Angeles Unified | Los Angeles | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Parkview Middle School | Armona Union Elementary | Armona | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Magnolia Science Academy Bell | Los Angeles Unified | Bell | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Borel Middle School | San Mateo-Foster City | San Mateo | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Citrus Middle School | Kings Canyon Joint Unified | Orange Cove | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 4 | Los Angeles Unified | Los Angeles | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Animo Jefferson Charter Middle School | Los Angeles Unified | Los Angeles | 0.2% |
| 1152 | De Anza Middle School | Ontario-Montclair | Ontario | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Fulton and Alsbury Academy of Arts and Engineering | Lancaster Elementary | Lancaster | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 12 | Los Angeles Unified | Los Angeles | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Synergy Kinetic Academy | Los Angeles Unified | Los Angeles | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Animo Florence-Firestone Charter Middle School | Los Angeles Unified | Los Angeles | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Firebaugh Middle School | Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified | Firebaugh | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Olive Middle School | Baldwin Park Unified | Baldwin Park | 0.2% |
| 1152 | Dr. Augustine Ramirez Intermediate School | Corona-Norco Unified | Eastvale | 0.2% |
| 1172 | Hans Christensen Middle School | Menifee Union Elementary | Menifee | 0.1% |
| 1172 | First Avenue Middle School | Arcadia Unified | Arcadia | 0.1% |
| 1172 | Will Rogers Middle School | Lawndale Elementary | Lawndale | 0.1% |
| 1172 | Corona Fundamental Intermediate School | Corona-Norco Unified | Corona | 0.1% |
| 1172 | Melva Davis Academy of Excellence | Adelanto Elementary | Victorville | 0.1% |
