Barbara Worth Junior High, Brawley CA

Original Research by School Decision on Barbara Worth Junior High

Barbara Worth Junior High, serving grades seven and eight in Brawley, sits in the Imperial Valley's agricultural heartland and faces persistent academic challenges across all tested domains.

The school's math performance is notably low. Across the three grades tested, proficiency runs well below half, declining as students advance from grade six through eight. English language arts shows somewhat more strength, with roughly a span of students reaching proficiency by eighth grade, but this remains a weak point compared to state norms. Science proficiency is also limited. In context, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among districts across Imperial County, reflecting broad rather than isolated struggle.

The student body is almost entirely Hispanic, with a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school enrolls about nine hundred students, split fairly evenly between seventh and eighth grades. State testing data does not report separately on English learner enrollment or special education identification; these figures were not available. Whether the school's academic profile reflects broader resource constraints, staffing challenges, or other systemic factors cannot be determined from this data alone.

Brawley itself is a mixed agricultural and residential city built around a historic downtown and surrounded by farmland. The area is anchored by healthcare and agribusiness employment. Recent years have brought speculation about Lithium Valley development and associated job training, including a new SDSU facility opened in 2025 focused on geothermal and lithium sector skills, though those jobs remain early-stage and prospective. The housing market is relatively affordable compared to state and national medians, though median home values have risen modestly year over year. Most residents drive alone to work, and the city is served by Imperial Valley Transit connecting to El Centro and other neighboring communities.

Barbara Worth's location in Brawley places it in a working-class community with deep agricultural roots. Parents considering this school should understand that it serves a student population facing real academic headwinds and that its test results, across math, English language arts, and science, are significantly below proficiency thresholds. A parent may want to look into this further with the school regarding interventions in place, instructional approaches, and support systems, particularly in mathematics where gaps are most acute.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 26% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 18% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 46% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 41% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 42%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 18%

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 46%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

This schoolBrawley Elementary, 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-income36%Higher-income68%32 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income34%Higher-income78%45 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income65%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income52%31 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income17%Higher-income44%27 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income12%Higher-income29%17 pp gap