Salida Middle School - Vella Campus, Salida CA

Original Research by School Decision on Salida Middle School - Vella Campus

Salida Middle School - Vella Campus is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in an unincorporated farming community just north of Modesto. It enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and economically disadvantaged, with a substantial share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits within Salida Union Elementary District, which feeds into Modesto City Schools for high school.

Test performance across the school is notably below the midpoint for districts in Stanislaus County. In English language arts, the school shows a range: sixth graders achieve proficiency at a modest rate, seventh graders perform somewhat better, and eighth graders fall back. Math proficiency is lower still, with the steepest drop appearing in eighth grade. Science proficiency on the state assessment is also low. Social studies data from an earlier state assessment regime showed stronger performance, though that information is now more than a decade old. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it slightly above the median for tested schools across Stanislaus County schools, but this represents a low bar. A parent examining these results should understand that the school is working with a student population facing significant economic barriers and a measurable gap in academic preparation relative to state benchmarks.

The school serves a community shaped by agriculture and working-class residential growth. Salida itself is a mix of older downtown neighborhoods around Broadway Avenue and newer subdivisions, surrounded by farmland. Housing in the area carries moderate value relative to the state, and most families own their homes rather than rent. Employment opportunities nearby include regional retail and service work in north Modesto (Kaiser, Costco, Walmart) and county-level agricultural and food-processing jobs. The area has a recognizable civic core with parks, a library branch, and bus service connecting to greater Modesto, but school facilities are distributed across separate campuses rather than clustered in downtown.

No state testing data was available for chronic absenteeism or graduation outcomes, as these metrics do not apply to a middle school. The school's data sections do not include staffing, course offerings, discipline, or attendance rates, so a parent seeking detail on those dimensions should contact the school directly. Special education and English learner enrollment counts were also not reported, though these populations likely exist in the school given the community profile.

The broader district context shows no confirming information about major recent changes, curriculum shifts, or capital investments, so those details would benefit from direct inquiry with the district office.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 26%

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

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 36%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 43%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Science

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 27%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 60% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

This schoolSalida Union 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income53%12 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income52%Higher-income55%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income31%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income40%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income34%Higher-income49%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income29%9 pp gap