Barstow Intermediate, Barstow CA

Original Research by School Decision on Barstow Intermediate

Barstow Intermediate is a sixth-grade school in a Mojave Desert city where the economy centers on military logistics, rail operations, retail, and hospitality tied to the crossroads location between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The school sits on Armory Road, part of the urban fabric of a place currently shaped by major development headwinds and opportunity.

The academic picture here is stark. On the most recent state assessments, the school's proficiency in English language arts across sixth grade sat at less than one in ten students meeting grade-level standards. In math, fewer than one in twenty students demonstrated proficiency. Science proficiency was similarly low. These are among the lowest results in San Bernardino County; the school sits in the bottom quartile of county districts on overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The data available covers only the current year, so trends over time are not visible.

About three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic hardship within the school community. The enrollment is small for a sixth-grade school. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse, with no single group comprising a majority; roughly half the enrollment is Hispanic, about a quarter is Black, and the remainder split among white, two or more races, Asian, and Native American and Pacific Islander students combined.

Data on the school's special populations—students with individualized education plans and English learners—was not reported and therefore is not available here. The school profile does not include attendance rates, chronic absenteeism, discipline metrics, staffing ratios, or course offerings. Parent may want to look into these directly with Barstow Unified or the school itself to understand classroom experience, support structures, and the academic programming in place.

The district has recently introduced a culturally responsive positive behavioral interventions and supports framework across its schools, signaling attention to school climate and student conduct. The parent district, Barstow Unified, also expanded its elementary offerings to include a pre-kindergarten program, reflecting broader enrollment strategy.

Barstow itself is a car-dependent railroad and freeway crossroads city with a fragmented urban core. Historic downtown along Route 66 shows decay, with shuttered motels and cafes. A major economic inflection is on the horizon: the Barstow International Gateway, a billion-dollar BNSF rail and warehouse complex, is slated to begin construction in late 2026 and is expected to reshape housing demand and employment. Housing in the zip code is below the state median in value and affordability is tighter than national average, though monthly rent remains modest relative to median household income in the broader economic region. A family considering this school would be choosing a place where academic results are currently very low, economic conditions are constrained, but significant infrastructure investment is underway that could alter the community's trajectory in the medium term.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 53%

School 3% · District 4%

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 62%

School 2% · District 5% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 15% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 14% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Science

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 9% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

This schoolBarstow Unified, 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 5Lower-income6%Higher-income16%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income10%Higher-income7%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income3%Higher-income9%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income2%Higher-income4%1 pp gap