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Public middle school · Lucia Mar Unified · Arroyo Grande, California

Paulding Middle

Paulding Middle rates 8.3, right at the middle of Lucia Mar Unified's middle schools, whose rated median is 8.0.

Middle schools, 1 to 10This campus against public middle schools around it that are rated on verified state test data.
8.3this school

8.3 on a one-to-ten scale; the Lucia Mar Unified median is 8.0.

#824 of 9,557 schools in California · Lucia Mar Unified: 3 middle schools rated, median 8.0

The brief

A Lucia Mar Unified middle school where students score 7 points above what's typical for similar communities.

It ranks 824 of 9,557 schools in California and 3 of 19 in Lucia Mar Unified.

Paulding Middle is listed in Lucia Mar Unified, and a district label does not verify attendance for an address: confirm the zoned campus with the district before you commit to a street.

Math44%8 points above the California average of 36%2025 CAASPP
Reading65%16 points above the California average of 49%2025 CAASPP
Proficiency is down 10 points across the 17-year record (2009–2025) and has held near 54% recently.2025 CAASPP; 34 test records from CA state assessments and EdFacts (NCES).

What the rating is made of, each out of 10

Student Progress
8.5
40% of the rating
Academics
8.2
35% of the rating
Resources & Environment
8.2
25% of the rating
About this school's data1 correction under review · rating: low confidence · 6 sources, 2019–2025

Every number on this page comes from a published source with a stated period. Where a source is partial, aging, an estimate, or describes a surrounding area rather than the school, that limitation is named here.

Attendance data is under correction. This existing Resources & Environment score and overall rating may still reflect an unverified attendance input.

Full Profile · 3/3 metrics

Multi-year averages used by the rating model: math 45% (multi-year average, 2009-2025) · reading/ELA 62% (multi-year average, 2009-2025).

School directory (enrollment, grades, staff, contact)
NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) · SY 2023–24 · Medium confidence
  • Source period: SY 2023–24. A newer release may be available.
MySchoolScout rating and rank
MySchoolScout ranking model · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Derived as a weighted blend of the component scores shown in Academics from state assessment, EdFacts growth, and NCES resource records.
Math proficiency
State department of education · 2025 CAASPP · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: 2025 CAASPP. A newer release may be available.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Reading/ELA proficiency
State department of education · 2025 CAASPP · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: 2025 CAASPP. A newer release may be available.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Student progress (growth)
State assessments · Mixed source periods · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived as the fitted year-over-year slope of proficiency from multi-year assessment records.
Neighborhood (income, housing, education)
U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates · Low confidence
  • Older source: ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Use as historical context.
  • Reported for the ZCTA for ZIP 93420; this does not measure the attendance area.

Evidence periods: Rating mixed/unknown input periods; assessments multi-year average, 2009-2025; directory SY 2023–24

The neighborhood

Where it sits, and what the area looks like.
Paulding Middle and the 20 nearest middle schools, each pin colored by its score.Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries. Verify the enrollment path with the district.

The area

Median income
$106,718
Median home value
$872,200
Median rent
$2,025/mo
College educated
43.7%
Homeownership
66.2%
Poverty rate
7.5%

U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 93420; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.

Getting around

Walk Score
72
Very Walkable
Bike Score
53
Bikeable
City reported crime
698/100K
Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 residents, from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program for Arroyo Grande. This is a city-level reported-crime measure, not a school safety rating.

Walk, transit and bike scores byWalk Score

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting · 2025 · city context (Arroyo Grande), not school-level safety or attendance eligibility. Source details

Source period: 2025. Freshness not available.

Programs and who goes here

What the campus offers, and who it enrolls.

Who goes here

Free or reduced lunch
51.2%
Students qualifying for federal meal assistance. Shown separately, never in the score.

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD).

Compare nearby

Grade-compatible schools using the same rating model.
Public-school ratings. Grade-compatible schools within 5 miles, best rated first.
  1. Paulding Middlethis school
    8.3
  2. 8.0Compare →
  3. 7.3Compare →
  4. 6.2Compare →
Three grade-compatible schools using the same rating model sit within 5 miles, and none rates higher than Paulding Middle.Public-school ratings. Straight-line distance from this campus. Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries; verify the enrollment path with the district.

Distance is proximity only; it is not attendance eligibility.

Enrollment path unverified: Potential public school; its attendance or application path has not been classified.

The record

What is on file, and where each number came from.

Questions families ask

What grades does Paulding Middle serve?

Paulding Middle serves students in grades 7th through 8th.

How many students attend Paulding Middle?

Paulding Middle has an enrollment of approximately 562 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Paulding Middle?

The student-teacher ratio at Paulding Middle is 20.1:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.

How does Paulding Middle rank in CA?

Paulding Middle ranks #824 of 9,557 schools in CA.

What is Paulding Middle's MySchoolScout rating?

Paulding Middle has a current MySchoolScout rating of 8.3 out of 10. This score combines the level-appropriate components shown in the rating breakdown; equity data is shown separately for context.

What are the test scores at Paulding Middle?

Based on loaded state assessment records, Paulding Middle has 45% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2025) and 62% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2025).

Is Paulding Middle a charter school?

No, Paulding Middle is not a charter school. It is a traditional public school operated by the local school district.

Is Paulding Middle a Title I school?

No, Paulding Middle is not currently a Title I school.

What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Paulding Middle?

51.2% of students at Paulding Middle qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a commonly used indicator of economic need and provides important context when interpreting test scores.

School facts

Grades
7th – 8th
Enrollment
562
Student-teacher ratio
20.1:1
Teachers (FTE)
28
Type
Regular
Title I
No
Setting
Small Suburb
County
San Luis Obispo County
Rank in district
#3 of 19
Schools in district
19
District spending per student
$15,858
NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
District child poverty rate
11.4%
Census SAIPE · 2024
Area population (ZIP 93420)
32,016
Area average commute
22.4 min
Area median age
45.4

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) (SY 2023–24).

Related reading

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, California Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.