San Mateo Sun

Ralston Intermediate School students ranked 1,123rd in California among middle schools, with 0.3 percent of all students meeting math requirements in the 2018-2019 school year, according to the California Department of Education (CDE).

CDE data shows that public school test scores in the state are improving. However, they are improving at a prolonged rate. Consequently, it could take decades to close the achievement gap. The achievement gap refers to the disparities in academic performance associated with race and class. In this case, the disparities between students of the following subgroups: white, Asian, Latino and Black.

In his paper Closing Achievement Gaps, Paul E. Barton, former Director of the Policy Information Center at Educational Testing Services, highlights the importance of closing the gap. "Closing the gap must be more than a one-front operation," Barton said. "Educators must hold themselves responsible and accountable for improving schools when and where we can. We must recognize that the achievement gap has deep roots".

Elisha Smith Arrillaga, Executive Director of the Education Trust-West, states, "I'd say that these results are really a wake-up call, but the phone's been ringing unanswered on this for years. California can't be complacent with results like these".

It is apparent that systemic changes need to be made in order to overcome the achievement gap of California public schools.

Rank	CA Middle School	School District	City	Math Test Results
1	Paradise Intermediate School	Paradise Unified	Paradise	100%
2	Nova Opportunity	Twin Rivers Unified	Sacramento	17.4%
3	Sweetwater Community Day	Sweetwater Union High	Imperial Beach	11.8%
4	Bret Harte Middle School	Oakland Unified	Oakland	11.3%
5	Aurum Preparatory Academy	Alameda County Office of Education	Oakland	10.1%
6	Benicia Middle School	Benicia Unified	Benicia	9.4%
7	Katherine Johnson STEM Academy	Los Angeles Unified	Los Angeles	8.7%
8	Earlimart Community Day	Earlimart Elementary	Earlimart	8.3%
9	Oakland Charter Academy	Oakland Unified	Oakland	8.2%
10	Mary P. Henck Intermediate School	Rim of the World Unified	Lake Arrowhead	8%
11	Visitacion Valley Middle School	San Francisco Unified	San Francisco	7.9%
12	Century Academy for Excellence	Lennox	Inglewood	7.4%
13	Sisson	Mt. Shasta Union Elementary	Mount Shasta	7.3%
14	La Mesa Arts Academy	La Mesa-Spring Valley	La Mesa	7.2%
15	Tulare City Community Day	Tulare City	Tulare	7.1%
16	James Lick Middle School	San Francisco Unified	San Francisco	7%
17	Maxwell Middle School	Maxwell Unified	Maxwell	6.9%
18	Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School	San Francisco Unified	San Francisco	6.8%
18	Intellectual Virtues Academy of Long Beach	Long Beach Unified	Long Beach	6.8%
20	Temecula Middle School	Temecula Valley Unified	Temecula	6.7%
21	De Portola Middle School	San Diego Unified	San Diego	6.3%
21	Seven Hills Intermediate School	Nevada City Elementary	Nevada City	6.3%
23	Montgomery Middle School	San Diego Unified	San Diego	6.2%
23	James Denman Middle School	San Francisco Unified	San Francisco	6.2%
25	Hillcrest Middle School	Gravenstein Union Elementary	Sebastopol	6.1%
26	Cabrillo Middle School	Ventura Unified	Ventura	6%
26	Success Academy	Sacramento City Unified	Sacramento	6%
28	Westlake Middle School	Oakland Unified	Oakland	5.9%
28	Martin Luther King Jr. Technology Academy	Twin Rivers Unified	Sacramento	5.9%
28	Center Middle School	Azusa Unified	Azusa	5.9%
28	Fort Sage Middle School	Fort Sage Unified	Herlong	5.9%
32	Bernardo Yorba Middle School	Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified	Yorba Linda	5.7%
32	Everett Middle School	San Francisco Unified	San Francisco	5.7%
34	Valley Center Middle School	Valley Center-Pauma Unified	Valley Center	5.6%
35	Oakland SOL Dual Language Middle School	Oakland Unified	Oakland	5.5%
35	Fort Irwin Middle School	Silver Valley Unified	Fort Irwin	5.5%
35	Pacific Beach Middle School	San Diego Unified	San Diego	5.5%
35	Tioga Middle School	Fresno Unified	Fresno	5.5%
39	Franklin Middle School	Vallejo City Unified	Vallejo	5.3%
39	Toyon Middle School	Calaveras Unified	Valley Springs	5.3%
39	De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts	Ventura Unified	Ventura	5.3%
42	Ridgecrest Intermediate School	Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified	Rancho Palos Verdes	5.2%
42	Fred T. Korematsu Middle School	West Contra Costa Unified	El Cerrito	5.2%
42	Fort Miller Middle School	Fresno Unified	Fresno	5.2%
42	Ahwahnee Middle School	Fresno Unified	Fresno	5.2%
42	Upper Lake Middle School	Upper Lake Unified	Upper Lake	5.2%
47	Longfellow Arts and Technology Middle School	Berkeley Unified	Berkeley	5.1%
47	Colina Middle School	Conejo Valley Unified	Thousand Oaks	5.1%
49	Albany Middle School	Albany City Unified	Albany	5%
49	Orinda Intermediate School	Orinda Union Elementary	Orinda	5%
…
1123	James Irvine Intermediate School	Garden Grove Unified	Garden Grove	0.3%
1123	Renaissance Academy	Alum Rock Union Elementary	San Jose	0.3%
1123	Leroy L. Doig Intermediate School	Garden Grove Unified	Garden Grove	0.3%
1123	Sequoia Middle School	Porterville Unified	Porterville	0.3%
1123	STEAM Academy @ Burke	El Rancho Unified	Pico Rivera	0.3%
1123	Southridge Middle School	Fontana Unified	Fontana	0.3%
1123	Ralston Intermediate School	Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary	Belmont	0.3%
1123	Tierra Linda Middle School	San Carlos Elementary	San Carlos	0.3%
1123	Alondra Middle School	Paramount Unified	Paramount	0.3%
1123	Environmental Charter Middle - Inglewood	Los Angeles County Office of Education	Inglewood	0.3%
1123	Harry S. Truman Middle School	Fontana Unified	Fontana	0.3%
1123	Richard Henry Dana Middle School	Wiseburn Unified	Hawthorne	0.3%
1123	Helen Keller Middle School	Long Beach Unified	Long Beach	0.3%
1123	Harry C. Fulton Middle School	Fountain Valley Elementary	Fountain Valley	0.3%
1123	Westside Preparatory Charter School	Twin Rivers Unified	Rio Linda	0.3%
1123	Richard Garvey Intermediate School	Garvey Elementary	Rosemead	0.3%
1123	Gerald P. Carr Intermediate School	Santa Ana Unified	Santa Ana	0.3%
1123	Casimir Middle School	Torrance Unified	Torrance	0.3%
1123	Thomas R. Pollicita Middle School	Jefferson Elementary	Daly City	0.3%
1123	Joaquin Miller Middle School	Cupertino Union	San Jose	0.3%
1123	A.G. Currie Middle School	Tustin Unified	Tustin	0.3%
1123	Jessie Nelson Academy	Long Beach Unified	Signal Hill	0.3%
1123	Slauson Intermediate School	Azusa Unified	Azusa	0.3%
1123	John F. Kennedy Middle School	Cupertino Union	Cupertino	0.3%
1123	San Fernando Institute of Applied Media	Los Angeles Unified	San Fernando	0.3%
1123	Helen Stacey Middle School	Westminster	Huntington Beach	0.3%
1123	Challenger Middle School	San Diego Unified	San Diego	0.3%
1123	Torch Middle School	Bassett Unified	City Of Industry	0.3%
1123	San Jacinto Leadership Academy - Magnet	San Jacinto Unified	San Jacinto	0.3%
1152	Challenger Middle School	Wilsona Elementary	Lancaster	0.2%
1152	Arcade Fundamental Middle School	San Juan Unified	Sacramento	0.2%
1152	Los Coyotes Middle School	Norwalk-La Mirada Unified	La Mirada	0.2%
1152	River Heights Intermediate School	Corona-Norco Unified	Eastvale	0.2%
1152	KIPP Summit Academy	San Lorenzo Unified	San Lorenzo	0.2%
1152	Animo Westside Charter Middle School	Los Angeles Unified	Los Angeles	0.2%
1152	Parkview Middle School	Armona Union Elementary	Armona	0.2%
1152	Magnolia Science Academy Bell	Los Angeles Unified	Bell	0.2%
1152	Borel Middle School	San Mateo-Foster City	San Mateo	0.2%
1152	Citrus Middle School	Kings Canyon Joint Unified	Orange Cove	0.2%
1152	Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 4	Los Angeles Unified	Los Angeles	0.2%
1152	Animo Jefferson Charter Middle School	Los Angeles Unified	Los Angeles	0.2%
1152	De Anza Middle School	Ontario-Montclair	Ontario	0.2%
1152	Fulton and Alsbury Academy of Arts and Engineering	Lancaster Elementary	Lancaster	0.2%
1152	Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 12	Los Angeles Unified	Los Angeles	0.2%
1152	Synergy Kinetic Academy	Los Angeles Unified	Los Angeles	0.2%
1152	Animo Florence-Firestone Charter Middle School	Los Angeles Unified	Los Angeles	0.2%
1152	Firebaugh Middle School	Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified	Firebaugh	0.2%
1152	Olive Middle School	Baldwin Park Unified	Baldwin Park	0.2%
1152	Dr. Augustine Ramirez Intermediate School	Corona-Norco Unified	Eastvale	0.2%
1172	Hans Christensen Middle School	Menifee Union Elementary	Menifee	0.1%
1172	First Avenue Middle School	Arcadia Unified	Arcadia	0.1%
1172	Will Rogers Middle School	Lawndale Elementary	Lawndale	0.1%
1172	Corona Fundamental Intermediate School	Corona-Norco Unified	Corona	0.1%
1172	Melva Davis Academy of Excellence	Adelanto Elementary	Victorville	0.1%