Earlimart Middle, Earlimart CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Earlimart Middle

Earlimart Middle serves grades six through eight in a rural agricultural community in southern Tulare County. The school enrolls students from families who are nearly all Hispanic, with an overwhelming majority qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is small, evenly distributed across the three grades.

The academic results are substantially below grade-level proficiency. In English language arts, performance ranges from low in sixth grade to moderate in eighth grade, where about four in ten students meet or exceed the standard. Math proficiency is far weaker: fewer than one in twenty students show proficiency in sixth or seventh grade, and about one in twelve in eighth grade. Science proficiency at eighth grade is similarly low. These results place the school in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades when compared to districts in Tulare County.

The school sits in a town shaped by agricultural work and farmland. Earlimart is a predominantly residential, unincorporated community along Highway 99 with a commercial core tied to farm services and packing facilities. The population has declined in recent years, and housing has been scarce; the school district reported losing students partly because families struggled to find available homes. Housing values in the zip code are modest relative to the state and nation, though rent remains a significant share of household income. A proposed major housing development near the middle school may alter that constraint.

The district faces aging infrastructure and pressing facility needs. In November 2024, the board placed a general obligation bond measure on the ballot to fund replacement of portable classrooms with permanent structures, upgrades to plumbing and electrical systems, water system improvements, technology modernization, and additions such as EV charging and ADA accessibility improvements. If passed, this would represent a substantial commitment to facility upgrades and would carry a lasting tax implication for property owners.

The school's student population reflects the community: nearly all are Hispanic, and nearly all families qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating deep economic need. Specific counts of students learning English or receiving special education services were not available. The gap between need and current academic outcomes is stark, and a parent may want to look into further with the school what interventions and support structures are in place to help students build proficiency in math and science, where performance is particularly low, and what instructional approaches are being used.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 4%

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

Grade 76%

School 6% · District 6%

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

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 9%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 727%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 9%

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

Social studies

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 12%

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

This schoolEarlimart 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.