Holtville Middle, Holtville CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Holtville Middle

Holtville Middle is a small middle school serving grades six through eight in the Holtville area of Imperial County. The school enrolls roughly a hundred students per grade, with a student body that is almost entirely Hispanic. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic context of Holtville, a small agricultural community in the Imperial Valley.

The school's recent state test results show uneven performance across subjects. In English language arts, proficiency is solid. Sixth grade shows a majority of students meeting the standard, and seventh grade performs stronger still. By eighth grade proficiency dips slightly but remains near majority level. Mathematics is the weaker area. Sixth-grade math proficiency is below the midpoint, rising to nearly half the grade level in seventh and eighth grades. Science proficiency in eighth grade is low. These results place Holtville Middle in the top quartile for overall proficiency when compared against other districts in Imperial County, a position that reflects both the school's performance and the broader academic landscape of the county.

Because the school serves middle grades, state assessments do not measure social studies, and historical data on that subject comes from an older testing regime. Chronic absenteeism rates and a four-year graduation rate are not applicable metrics for a middle school.

Holtville itself is a quiet, family-oriented town of small population founded over a century ago as the oldest city in the Imperial Valley. It is built around a historic central plaza and city hall, with a walkable downtown core where civic institutions and businesses face the street. The local economy is rooted in agriculture, particularly vegetable and carrot farming. Holtville calls itself the Carrot Capital of the World. The school district is headquartered in the downtown grid rather than on a remote campus, and the Branch Library and civic institutions cluster in the same central area.

Housing values in the Holtville zip code are moderate by state standards and below the state median. The area has seen minimal new single-family home construction in recent years. The main growth driver has been low-income apartment development. City leadership has recently signaled a shift toward modest growth and has been pursuing funding for new multifamily housing and public facilities. The existing housing stock is limited, and most residents rent rather than own.

A parent considering Holtville Middle should understand that it is a small school serving a predominantly lower-income, Hispanic student population in a rural agricultural setting. Strengths in English proficiency, particularly in seventh grade, stand out. Mathematics proficiency is below state midpoints at the sixth-grade level and warrant attention. Science performance is notably low. Whether those numbers represent a gap the school is working to close or a persistent pattern is not available from the data provided, and a parent may want to look into further with the school directly. The school's position in the county's top quartile reflects both its own performance and the broader achievement levels across Imperial County districts.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 36% · ▼ 6 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 748%

School 48% · District 46% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 42% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 61% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 769%

School 69% · District 64% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 59% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 34%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 27% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

This schoolHoltville 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 6Lower-income54%Higher-income82%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income67%Higher-income83%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income60%Higher-income64%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income53%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income43%Higher-income77%34 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income42%Higher-income57%15 pp gap