The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Social studies. The lowest is 58% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Sutter Middle
Sutter Middle sits on Riley Street in Folsom, a suburban city east of Sacramento known publicly for its tech employment base, its Historic Folsom district along Sutter Street, and the extensive trail network that runs through the American River corridor to Folsom Lake. The school is part of Folsom-Cordova Unified and serves sixth through eighth grade as a regular public school.
The school is large for its grade band, drawing students evenly spread across all three middle grades. Its student body reflects Folsom's demographic makeup: the largest groups are white and Asian students, with Hispanic students making up a meaningful share, and a relatively small proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch compared to many California schools. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs was not available in the provided records.
On California's CAASPP Smarter Balanced assessments for the most recent school year reported, Sutter Middle performs well above the state median. Reading the data across all three grades, ELA proficiency climbs steadily from sixth through eighth grade, reaching the mid-seventies by eighth grade. Math proficiency is lower than ELA at every grade level, which is a pattern common statewide, but the school's math results still clear the majority of tested students at each grade. The eighth-grade CAST science result sits just above the majority threshold. Placed against districts in Sacramento County, Sutter Middle's overall proficiency index lands in the top quartile, above the county midpoint and above the highest-performing individual district in the comparison set. A parent should read those comparison figures with a grain of salt: the school is being compared to full districts rather than matched schools, and the data set covers only twelve of the county's fifty-two districts, so it reflects what was available rather than a comprehensive ranking. Multi-year trend data was not available, so there is no picture of whether results have been moving up or down.
Social studies results appear in the data only from a much earlier school year, when eighth graders showed strong performance on the then-current state assessment. That assessment has since been discontinued and replaced, so those figures do not describe the current program.
Programs data was not provided, so specifics about course offerings, extracurriculars, or pathways are absent from this account. A parent wanting to know about honors tracks, electives, or activities should contact the school directly or visit its site.
The housing market surrounding the school reflects Folsom's position as one of the higher-income communities in the Sacramento region. Home values are substantially above both the state and national medians, with only a slight year-over-year softening. Rents have edged upward. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home here runs well above the national norm, and the rent-to-income ratio is elevated. For families weighing the cost of living against school quality, this is a relevant trade-off. Folsom's growth is active, concentrated in the Folsom Ranch area south of Highway 50, where new homes, schools, and civic infrastructure are being built out. The district has approved names for four future schools tied to that growth, three serving the Folsom Ranch area.
At the district level, families in the Rancho Cordova portion of Folsom-Cordova Unified will see a new tax levy on their property as a result of voter-approved bond measures passed in late 2024, aimed at renovating and modernizing school facilities. Families in the Folsom area are not in that taxing zone, but the bonds represent a multi-year investment in district-wide capacity that could affect how the district allocates resources across campuses over time.
Chronic absenteeism data and graduation rate data were not available for this school. The graduation rate metric does not apply here because Sutter Middle does not serve high school grades.
For a family moving into Folsom whose student will enter the middle grades, the academic performance picture is one of the clearer signals in this data: results are solid across subjects and grade levels, and the school sits well above the county comparison midpoint. What the data does not yet tell is whether those results have been building, holding steady, or drifting, and what the experience looks like inside the school in terms of course access and student supports.
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