Knox Middle, San Diego CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Knox Middle

Knox Middle serves grades six through eight in San Diego, located in the southern part of the city. The school enrolls a modest-sized cohort across its three grades, with enrollment split evenly among them.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial representation of Black students and smaller shares of Asian students and other groups. A very large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a predominantly low-income community. Data on English learner enrollment and students receiving special education services were not available.

State assessment results from the most recent year show persistent academic challenges. In English language arts, proficiency rates across the three grades cluster in the range where roughly a quarter to a third of students meet grade-level standards. Mathematics proficiency is considerably weaker, with fewer than one in five students meeting standards in any grade, and seventh grade particularly low. Science proficiency, measured in eighth grade only, was also very low. An older state assessment in social studies, from over a decade ago, showed similarly depressed performance. Overall, Knox Middle's proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among schools across San Diego County.

The school's student profile and low performance levels are real factors a parent or family would want to understand. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school on the specific academic supports in place, intervention programs, and the school's approach to helping students catch up in core subjects. Information on the school's attendance rates, discipline practices, course offerings, and staffing patterns was not available.

San Diego Unified, the district that operates Knox Middle, has implemented two significant changes relevant to families. Beginning in the 2021-22 school year, the district shifted to standards-based grading at the secondary level, meaning that academic grades now reflect demonstrated mastery of standards rather than a yearly average, that non-academic factors like punctuality have been separated into a citizenship grade, and that students have opportunities to revise work and reassess. This is a notable pedagogical shift that directly affects how students are evaluated. Additionally, voters approved a major bond measure in 2022 to fund school facilities improvements, security upgrades, technology, and other infrastructure over the long term.

The neighborhood around Knox Middle is part of San Diego's broader housing market, where home values and rental costs are substantial relative to income in the region. The local economic context includes moderate unemployment and median household income somewhat above the national average, though housing affordability remains tight.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 44% · ▼ 28 pts below district

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

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 43% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 41% · ▼ 30 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 55% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 57% · ▼ 29 pts below district

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

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 55% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 39% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 57% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

This schoolSan Diego 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.