Excelsior Middle, Byron CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Excelsior Middle

Excelsior Middle serves students in grades six through eight in Byron, a small agricultural community on the eastern edge of Contra Costa County. The school enrolls roughly four hundred students drawn from Byron and the nearby Discovery Bay area, with about half the enrollment identifying as White, a quarter as Hispanic, and smaller shares as Black, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial. Around a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

State test results from the most recent cycle show proficiency in English language arts centered around half the student body across the grade band, with eighth graders reaching about that mark and sixth and seventh graders near it. Mathematics performance is notably lower, declining as students advance: sixth graders show proficiency below half, seventh graders fall to roughly a third, and eighth graders test at about a quarter proficient. Science performance at the eighth-grade level sits well below half. These results place the school below the midpoint for overall proficiency when compared to other school sites across Contra Costa County. A parent may want to look into the school's approaches to math instruction and support, given the downward trend through the middle grades.

The Byron housing market reflects a mix of rural and residential character. Home values in the area sit well above the state benchmark, and monthly mortgage costs substantially exceed typical rents, creating a price-to-income ratio that signals considerable affordability pressure for families. The local economy centers on agriculture and the county-operated Byron Airport; most residents own their homes and have long family ties to the area.

The school sits at the Byron Highway address within the Byron Union Elementary district, which operates two elementary schools alongside Excelsior Middle. In November 2024, voters approved a facilities bond that funds long-term campus improvements including replacement of failing well water infrastructure at Excelsior, classroom and lab upgrades for science, technology, engineering, arts and math instruction, roof and HVAC repairs, and enhanced safety systems. These improvements will unfold over time and represent a substantial commitment to the physical plant families will encounter.

Byron itself is car-dependent and rural in character, with limited walkability and a small, dispersed downtown. Transit service through Tri Delta Transit connects the community to broader East Contra Costa and BART. County planning policy enforces a strict Urban Limit Line that constrains growth and preserves surrounding farmland, keeping Byron's character unchanged and its school population relatively stable.

Special population enrollment data for students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent interested in understanding the reach of those support services should contact the school directly. The school lists yearbook as an available club activity; additional offerings should be confirmed with the school website or administration.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 41% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 36%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 25%

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

English language arts

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 48% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 749%

School 49% · District 46% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 46% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 30% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 857%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 8 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolByron Union 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-income23%Higher-income61%38 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income31%Higher-income59%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income60%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income51%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income21%Higher-income44%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income13%Higher-income32%20 pp gap