Challenger Middle

Public middle school, grades 6 to 8 · Lancaster, California

Challenger Middle in Lancaster, California enrolled 403 students in 2024-25 with 19.0 full-time teachers, 21.2 students per teacher against the California middle-school median of 21.0. It has no Title I status on file for 2021-22; every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision (2024-25). On the state tests, 13-17% of its students tested were proficient in reading in 2021-22 and 5% proficient in math in 2022-23 (California: 45% and 34.3%).

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method

Enrollment fell 30% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers fell 14%

573 students in 2022-23, 553 students in 2023-24, 403 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 22.0 to 19.0.

Students enrolled at Challenger Middle by school year2022-23: 573, 2023-24: 553, 2024-25: 40302004006002022-235732023-245532024-25403
Students enrolled at Challenger Middle by school year2022-23: 573, 2023-24: 553, 2024-25: 40302004006002022-235732023-245532024-25403
Students enrolled at Challenger Middle by school year2022-23: 573, 2023-24: 553, 2024-25: 40302004006002022-235732023-245532024-25403
Students enrolled at Challenger Middle by school year2022-23: 573, 2023-24: 553, 2024-25: 40302004006002022-235732023-245532024-25403
The numbers as a table
School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2357322.026.1
2023-2455322.824.3
2024-2540319.021.2

21.2 students per teacher, a higher ratio than 53 of every 100 California middle schools

Among the 1,353 California middle schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 21.0; the national median for middle schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.

Students per teacher, California middle schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.1 to 52.3; Challenger Middle 21.2; state median 21.0.3 more above 30.0 →0102030students per full-time teacherChallenger Middle 21.2state median 21.0U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, California middle schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.1 to 52.3; Challenger Middle 21.2; state median 21.0.3 more above 30.0 →0102030students per full-time teacherChallenger Middle 21.2state median 21.0U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, California middle schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.1 to 52.3; Challenger Middle 21.2; state median 21.0.3 more above 30.0 →0102030students per full-time teacherChallenger Middle 21.2state median 21.0U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, California middle schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.1 to 52.3; Challenger Middle 21.2; state median 21.0.3 more above 30.0 →0102030students per full-time teacherChallenger Middle 21.2state median 21.0U.S. 14.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).

One counselor per 560 students in 2021-22

In the 2021-22 civil rights collection Challenger Middle enrolled 560 students and had 1.0 counselor (full-time equivalent); it reported 59 out-of-school suspensions that year.

  • Advanced Placement coursesNone
  • Gifted and talented programNo
  • Counselors (FTE)1.0, one per 560 of the 560 students enrolled in 2021-22
  • Out-of-school suspensions59
  • Chronically absent34.7% (2022-23)

Who attends

82.9% of students were Hispanic, 7.9% White, 6.5% Black in 2024-25.

  1. Hispanic82.9%
  2. White7.9%
  3. Black6.5%
  4. Two or more races1.2%
  5. American Indian1.0%
  6. Asian0.5%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.

State test results, 2021-22 and 2022-23

The students tested at Challenger Middle scored proficient or above: 13-17% in reading in 2021-22 and 5% in math in 2022-23, against 45% in reading in 2021-22 and 34.3% in math in 2022-23 across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. ED Data Express holds no district results after 2021-22, so the district column gives its 2021-22 figure. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22 and 2022-23
Subject and yearThis schoolIts districtCalifornia
Reading and language arts, 2021-2213‑17%14‑18%45%
Math, 2022-235%6‑10% (2021-22)34.3%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22 and 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive); for 2022-23 ED published math by school and reading only by state: ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Middle schools in Lancaster

8 public middle schools in Lancaster report 2024-25 enrollment; Challenger Middle is number 8 by size.

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunch
Amargosa Creek Middle85918.572.5%
New Vista Middle83518.181.4%
Endeavour Middle80520.467.7%
Joe Walker Middle78123.849.4%
Piute Middle72917.586.6%
Gifford C. Cole Middle69721.375.9%
Fulton and Alsbury Academy of Arts and Engineering41431.956.5%
Challenger Middle40321.280.4%

All public schools in Lancaster →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.

What to look at next about Challenger Middle

  1. Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet AcademyThe nearest public middle school, 12 miles away: 813 students, 22.1 per teacher (2024-25).12 mi
  2. Gifford C. Cole MiddleThe next nearest public middle school, 15 miles away: 697 students, 21.3 per teacher (2024-25).15 mi
  3. Compare Challenger Middle with Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet AcademyStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
  4. How much Wilsona School District spends per student$20,426 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$20,426
  5. The largest public schools in CaliforniaChallenger Middle is the number 1,072 by size of 1,363 California middle schools open in 2024-25.#1,072 of 1,363
  6. California schools by students per teacher21.2 students per teacher here against the California median of 21.0 for middle schools.21.2:1
  7. Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.

Questions about Challenger Middle

  1. How many students attend Challenger Middle?
    403 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 573 in 2022-23. It is a middle school in Lancaster, CA.
  2. What is the student-teacher ratio at Challenger Middle?
    21.2 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the California median for middle schools is 21.0. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
  3. Is Challenger Middle a Title I school?
    Challenger Middle has no Title I status in the NCES school files, because California did not report school Title I status for 2021-22; the California Department of Education lists each school's current Title I status.
  4. How do students at Challenger Middle do on state tests?
    The students tested at Challenger Middle scored proficient or above: 13-17% in reading in 2021-22 and 5% in math in 2022-23, against 45% in reading in 2021-22 and 34.3% in math in 2022-23 across California. California's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.
  5. What district is Challenger Middle in?
    Wilsona School District, NCES district ID 0642810. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 064281009208 are the district's.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22

District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.

Compiled from official source data by .