The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Maxwell Middle
Maxwell Middle is a small public middle school serving grades six through eight in Maxwell, an unincorporated agricultural community in Colusa County. The school sits downtown on North Street, alongside the Maxwell branch library and civic institutions, making it embedded in the town center rather than isolated on a campus.
Enrollment is small, with roughly a hundred students spread across the three grades. More than half the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting economic hardship in the area. The student composition is split between Hispanic and white students, with a small number of Native American students; data on the share of English learners and students with disabilities was not available.
State testing data from the most recent year shows proficiency rates that are quite low across all tested subjects. In mathematics, the school's students scored at a very low level in grade six, roughly one in four in grade seven, and around one in five in grade eight. English language arts proficiency was somewhat higher, with about one in five sixth graders, roughly one in three seventh graders, and roughly one in four eighth graders reaching proficiency. Science proficiency, measured only in grade eight, was very low. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint among districts in Colusa County.
Only one year of assessment data was available, so trends cannot be assessed. The school has not yet released prior-year results that would show whether performance is stable, improving, or declining.
Maxwell Middle is part of Maxwell Unified School District, which serves the town's elementary through high school grades. In November 2024, the district placed a general obligation bond on the ballot to modernize and renovate its three aging schools. If passed, the bond would fund facility improvements but would also create property taxes on all taxable property within the district boundaries for a period of years, with implications for families considering a move to the area.
Maxwell itself is a very small, unincorporated agricultural community dominated by rice farming, with a compact downtown grid and modest civic life anchored by the Parks and Recreation District and branch library. The town sits directly along Interstate 5 and has seen flat to slight population decline in recent years, with little new residential development. Housing values are modest relative to California as a whole, though purchase requires a considerable mortgage payment and down payment for most families. The community offers a rural, farm-based character where most residents own their homes, but it lacks the services, jobs, and educational breadth of larger towns.
A parent considering Maxwell Middle should look into current proficiency levels with the school directly, to understand whether the low test scores reflect teaching and resource challenges that are improving, or conditions that are stable. The small enrollment and rural setting may appeal to families seeking a tight-knit community atmosphere, but they also mean fewer program options and peer diversity than larger districts offer. The pending school bond is a material factor in the economics of living in the area, since passage would affect property taxes for years to come.
See more original research from School Decision →