Maricopa Middle, Maricopa CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Maricopa Middle

Maricopa Middle serves a small student body in a rural, oil-adjacent Kern County community where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Academic performance on California state assessments is low across the school. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from below one-quarter of students in grades six and eight to about one-third in grade seven. In mathematics, proficiency sits at roughly one-seventh across all grades. Science proficiency, tested only in grade eight, is around one-tenth. These results position the school in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency when compared against districts across Kern County.

The school's enrollment is small, with roughly equal cohorts across the middle grades. The student body is split between Hispanic and white students, with a smaller number of Native Hawaiian and American Indian students. Data on English learner enrollment and special education enrollment were not available.

Maricopa itself is a very small, quiet incorporated city of a few hundred residents in western Kern County, located where State Routes 29 and 33 intersect. The city sits adjacent to the Midway-Sunset Oil Field, one of the largest in the United States, with active wells and gas flares visible at the city edge. Commercial life is minimal—a gas station, sandwich shop, diner, motel, and post office comprise the service core. Most housing is owner-occupied. The local economy historically centered on oil and gas, and that industry remains the primary driver alongside utility-scale solar development on former farmland. The city's population has declined in recent years. All three schools in the Maricopa Unified district—elementary through high school—sit together on a single consolidated campus within the city rather than scattered across a traditional downtown.

The housing market in the area shows modest home values, considerably lower than state and national benchmarks. Monthly mortgage estimates sit well below state averages, and rent-to-income ratios are manageable, suggesting affordability relative to much of California, though this reflects the area's rural character and limited economic growth rather than strong household income.

A parent considering this school should understand the low baseline proficiency across tested subjects and the very high concentration of economic need in the student body. The small school size creates a close-knit environment but may limit program breadth. The remote rural setting means families are car-dependent and face limited commercial and service options within the town. For families committed to the Maricopa area, the school is the only public middle grade option; a parent may want to look into the school's plans and supports for raising proficiency and what academic or enrichment pathways exist for students heading to high school.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 14%

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

Grade 714%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 16%

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

English language arts

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 24%

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

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Science

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 31%

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

This schoolMaricopa 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.