Paradise Charter Middle, Paradise CA

Original Research by School Decision on Paradise Charter Middle

Paradise Charter Middle is a small charter school serving grades six through eight in Paradise, a mountain foothill community north of Chico that has been in intensive rebuilding since the Camp Fire of 2018. The school enrolls a small student body with a majority white population; about a portion qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's current operational data reflects its place in an actively recovering town where families are returning and the community is reshaping itself.

In English language arts, the school shows moderate proficiency across its grade band, with sixth graders reaching just over half proficient and eighth graders slightly higher. Math proficiency is less even: sixth grade sits at about one-third proficient, seventh grade dips further, but eighth grade recovers to near two-thirds proficient. This variation across grade levels, especially the jump from seventh to eighth grade in math, suggests either cohort differences or strengthening support as students advance. Science proficiency, assessed only in eighth grade, is just above half. Overall, when proficiency rates are averaged across subjects and grades, Paradise Charter Middle sits in the top quartile of schools in Butte County, a position that reflects relatively stronger performance in the county's peer group, though absolute proficiency levels remain below what would typically be considered high for a county-level comparison.

The school is a charter operating as its own district, which means its governance and operational direction are separate from the larger Paradise Unified School District. The school's small size means flexibility in structure and curriculum, though the data provided does not include detail about specialized programs, course offerings, or teaching approach. No information was available about staffing ratios, discipline practices, or attendance patterns.

The community context shapes what families encounter. Paradise itself is visibly rebuilding: new housing stock including low-income apartments and affordable rental homes has arrived since 2024, and population is returning. The town center is being actively renovated around the Skyway corridor downtown plan. Housing values in the area are below the state average and modest relative to California overall, with rents also moderate. The local economy centers on small locally-owned businesses and health care services through Adventist Health clinics; the large Feather River Hospital was severely damaged in the fire and has not reopened as a full acute-care facility. This is a community of returning residents and new arrivals drawn by affordable housing and a small-town foothill setting about a short drive from Chico.

A parent considering this school might want to look into the school's specific academic supports in mathematics, particularly what has driven the seventh-to-eighth-grade improvement in that subject, and what targeted help is available for students in the lower-proficiency grade levels. Similarly, details about the school's structure, any specialized programming, class sizes, and teacher experience would clarify what the charter model offers here compared to alternatives. The school's data for special populations, including English learners and students with IEPs, was not available, so families should ask the school directly about these services.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 632%

School 32% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 726%

School 26% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 862%

School 62% · district not reported

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 656%

School 56% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 750%

School 50% · district not reported

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grade 852%

School 52% · district not reported

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income85%56 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income55%Higher-income43%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income48%Higher-income59%11 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income10%Higher-income55%46 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income24%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income70%18 pp gap