James Jordan Middle, Reseda CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on James Jordan Middle

James Jordan Middle is a charter school serving grades six through eight in Reseda, a residential San Fernando Valley neighborhood of single-family homes, apartments, and small businesses clustered along commercial strips. The school sits at an address on Lanark Street and moved into a newly built campus, a facility upgrade that reflects its recent institutional standing. It operates as its own single-school district.

The school teaches around half the students in its grade bands at or above proficiency in English language arts, with proficiency rising from sixth through seventh grade before leveling off in eighth. Math proficiency runs lower across all grades, starting in the low range in sixth grade, rising to the mid-range in seventh, and dipping again in eighth. Science proficiency in eighth grade matches math at the lower end of the range. Taken across subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint among the middle schools in Los Angeles County that report comparable data.

The school uses a tiered, leveled instructional model with multiple levels per grade that teach the same content at different paces with varying levels of in-class support. This structure allows the school to accommodate students working significantly below grade level while also pushing ahead for stronger readers and mathematicians, all within a shared curriculum. A parent choosing this school would be choosing a pedagogy in which a student's learning speed and support needs determine which level classroom they enter. This is distinct from schools that teach mixed-ability groups, schools that use rigid tracking, or schools organized around enrichment or special programs.

The school's enrollment is small for a middle school, and the student body is heavily Hispanic and economically challenged. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Demographic data on English learners and students with disabilities was not available. The school population reflects the broader Reseda community, which is densely populated, multigenerational, and diverse.

In 2025, the National Center for Urban School Transformation awarded the school national recognition, and U.S. News named it a Best Middle School for that year and the following one, placing it in the top tier of middle schools statewide. These recognitions point to sustained performance and institutional stability that families relocating or seeking a particular instructional approach might weigh heavily. A parent interested in this school would likely benefit from asking the school directly about how the tiered model works in practice, how placement into levels happens, and whether that structure aligns with their child's learning style and needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 630%

School 30% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 839%

School 39% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 648%

School 48% · district not reported

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

Grade 758%

School 58% · district not reported

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 858%

School 58% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 839%

School 39% · district not reported

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 15 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-income49%Higher-income44%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income57%Higher-income67%10 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income55%Higher-income78%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income19%12 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income41%Higher-income61%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income67%32 pp gap