Is Pau Wa Lu Middle School a good school?

Pau Wa Lu Middle School ranks 103 rd of 153 Nevada middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pau Wa Lu Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 459 students attended Pau Wa Lu Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Pau Wa Lu Middle School?

Students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School are 59% White, 26% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 6% American Indian.

What high school do graduates of Pau Wa Lu Middle School attend?

Students who attend Pau Wa Lu Middle School usually go on to attend Douglas High School

Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Summary:

Pau Wa Lu Middle School is a public middle school located in Gardnerville, Nevada, serving grades 6-8 with a student population of 481. The school is part of the Douglas School District, which is ranked 4 out of 13 districts in Nevada and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Pau Wa Lu Middle School has relatively high spending per student at $12,381, its academic performance has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates in SBAC Mathematics (19.7%) and SBAC Reading (29.4%) were significantly lower than the Douglas School District (33.7% and 41%, respectively) and the state of Nevada (32.6% and 41.3%, respectively). Additionally, the school's performance on standardized tests varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Native American students performing relatively well compared to other subgroups.

Despite the school's higher percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (36.17%) compared to nearby schools like Carson Valley Middle School (24.28%) and Douglas Nevada Online (26.42%), the factors contributing to Pau Wa Lu Middle School's academic struggles appear to go beyond just socioeconomic status. The school's declining performance over the years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 28th out of 121 Nevada middle schools in 2012-2013 to 103rd out of 153 in 2023-2024, suggests that further investigation into the school's instructional practices, curriculum, and support systems for students may be necessary to identify and address the root causes of the school's performance issues.

Detail:

Public 6-8

701 Long Valley Rd
Gardnerville, NV 89460

(775) 265-6100

District: Douglas

SchoolDigger Rank:
103^rd of 153 Nevada Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,381

Students who attend Pau Wa Lu Middle School usually attend:

High:

Douglas High School

Feeder schools for Pau Wa Lu Middle School:

Elementary:	C. C. Meneley Elementary School
	G. L. Scarselli Elementary School
	Minden Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 17.6

Number of students: 459

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.3%

Hispanic:

25.7%

Two or more races:

7.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 42.5%

See top rated Nevada middle schools

Compare Pau Wa Lu Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Pau Wa Lu Middle School ranks worse than 67.3% of middle schools in Nevada. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 28.67. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (59.3%), Hispanic (25.7%), two or more races (7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 42.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Douglas School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pau Wa Lu Middle School is 17.6, which is the lowest among 3 middle schools in the Douglas School District! (See more...)

Compare Pau Wa Lu Middle School employs 26 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pau Wa Lu Middle School is $12,381, which is the highest among 3 middle schools in the Douglas School District!

Schooldigger Rankings:

Pau Wa Lu Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Pau Wa Lu Middle School 103^rd of 153 Nevada public middle schools. (See Pau Wa Lu Middle School in the ranking list.)

Douglas:

SchoolDigger ranks Douglas 4^th of 13 Nevada school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Pau Wa Lu Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NV State Percentile
2006	89.04	4^th	71	94.4%
2008	82.98	11^th	82	86.6%
2009	87.76	8^th	83	90.4%
2011	80.49	11^th	82	86.6%
2012	82.14	13^th	84	84.5%
2013	71.21	28^th	121	76.9%
2014	71.25	31^st	117	73.5%
2016	66.45	33^rd	122	73.0%
2017	58.99	38^th	126	69.8%
2018	46.86	56^th	114	50.9%
2019	51.37	76^th	159	52.2%
2021	43.45	74^th	145	49.0%
2022	38.67	85^th	151	43.7%
2023	36.26	86^th	152	43.4%
2024	28.67	103^rd	153	32.7%

See the entire list of Nevada Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	41.38	39^th	60	35.0%

See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	56.64	26^th	84	69.0%

See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	44.74	53^rd	100	47.0%

See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	48.99	49^th	106	53.8%

See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	46.27	52^nd	108	51.9%

See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	35.46	59^th	95	37.9%

See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	68.80	3^rd	7	57.1%

See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NV State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	37.40	62^nd	105	41.0%

See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Nevada Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Nevada Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Pau Wa Lu Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1995	668	6	6	23	49	n/a	n/a	0	752
1996	668	6	6	23	49	n/a	n/a	0	752
1997	662	3	8	29	44	n/a	n/a	-1	745
1998	668	3	10	41	38	n/a	n/a	0	760
1999	691	6	11	46	35	n/a	n/a	0	789
2000	658	3	12	46	39	n/a	n/a	0	758
2001	669	4	14	49	44	n/a	n/a	0	780
2002	725	5	13	57	41	n/a	n/a	0	841
2003	725	5	13	57	41	n/a	n/a	0	841
2004	714	6	13	68	47	n/a	n/a	0	848
2005	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	850	850
2006	608	4	12	101	48	n/a	n/a	0	773
2007	519	5	11	94	47	n/a	n/a	0	676
2008	463	5	15	70	31	n/a	n/a	0	584
2009	444	7	12	77	37	n/a	n/a	0	577
2010	464	8	12	78	51	n/a	n/a	0	613
2011	411	5	11	99	42	0	32	0	600
2012	426	4	9	97	39	0	33	0	608
2013	419	2	4	107	35	0	46	0	613
2014	424	4	2	113	38	0	47	0	628
2015	395	3	4	103	33	2	52	0	592
2016	380	3	4	121	31	2	48	0	589
2017	390	1	6	119	28	1	42	0	587
2018	371	0	6	129	32	1	40	0	579
2019	356	0	1	120	29	1	39	0	546
2020	353	1	0	137	29	1	40	0	561
2021	277	0	0	85	20	2	20	0	404
2022	320	1	0	126	30	1	21	0	499
2023	293	0	3	126	31	3	25	0	481
2024	272	2	2	118	29	3	32	1	459

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1995	752	42.0	17.9	23.9
1996	752	42.0	17.9	23.9
1997	745	40.0	18.6	11.3
1998	760	41.0	18.5	26.1
1999	789	38.5	20.5	25.7
2000	758	39.0	19.4	26.1
2001	780	39.0	20.0	26.9
2002	841	42.0	20.0	23.7
2003	841	42.0	20.0	23.7
2004	848	45.0	18.8	27.9
2005	850	n/a	n/a	n/a
2006	773	43.0	18.0	n/a
2007	676	37.0	18.3	n/a
2008	584	32.0	18.3	26.2
2009	577	30.6	18.9	36.7
2010	613	30.0	20.4	37.7
2011	600	32.0	18.7	39.2
2012	608	29.0	20.9	37.3
2013	613	30.0	20.4	38.5
2014	628	29.6	21.2	38.4
2015	592	33.0	17.9	37.2
2016	589	32.0	18.4	39.2
2017	587	29.0	20.2	36.5
2018	579	29.0	19.9	39
2019	546	50.0	10.9	44.1
2020	561	45.0	12.4	44
2021	404	40.0	10.1	37.4
2022	499	n/a	n/a	33.3
2023	481	24.3	19.7	36.2
2024	459	26.0	17.6	42.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1995	752	42.0	17.9	23.9
1996	752	42.0	17.9	23.9
1997	745	40.0	18.6	11.3
1998	760	41.0	18.5	26.1
1999	789	38.5	20.5	25.7
2000	758	39.0	19.4	26.1
2001	780	39.0	20.0	26.9
2002	841	42.0	20.0	23.7
2003	841	42.0	20.0	23.7
2004	848	45.0	18.8	27.9
2005	850	n/a	n/a	n/a
2006	773	43.0	18.0	n/a
2007	676	37.0	18.3	n/a
2008	584	32.0	18.3	26.2
2009	577	30.6	18.9	36.7
2010	613	30.0	20.4	37.7
2011	600	32.0	18.7	39.2
2012	608	29.0	20.9	37.3
2013	613	30.0	20.4	38.5
2014	628	29.6	21.2	38.4
2015	592	33.0	17.9	37.2
2016	589	32.0	18.4	39.2
2017	587	29.0	20.2	36.5
2018	579	29.0	19.9	39
2019	546	50.0	10.9	44.1
2020	561	45.0	12.4	44
2021	404	40.0	10.1	37.4
2022	499	n/a	n/a	33.3
2023	481	24.3	19.7	36.2
2024	459	26.0	17.6	42.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$277 (2.7%)	$9,834 (97.3%)	$10,111
2020	$445 (4.4%)	$9,647 (95.6%)	$10,092
2021	$801 (5.8%)	$12,955 (94.2%)	$13,756
2022	$876 (7.1%)	$11,504 (92.9%)	$12,381

Data source: Nevada Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Pau Wa Lu Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 76^th of 159 Middle schools	Ranks 86^th of 152 Middle schools	8.8%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Pau Wa Lu Middle School)	35.6	18.2	17.4%
6th Grade Mathematics (Douglas)	37.1	24.6	12.5%
6th Grade Mathematics (Nevada)	34.2	28	6.2%
6th Grade Reading (Pau Wa Lu Middle School)	42.9	29.9	13%
6th Grade Reading (Douglas)	49.4	38.8	10.6%
6th Grade Reading (Nevada)	45.8	38.4	7.4%
7th Grade Mathematics (Pau Wa Lu Middle School)	32.1	27.2	4.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Douglas)	39.9	31.5	8.4%
7th Grade Mathematics (Nevada)	32.4	27.6	4.8%
7th Grade Reading (Pau Wa Lu Middle School)	58.1	38	20.1%
7th Grade Reading (Douglas)	57.2	46.1	11.1%
7th Grade Reading (Nevada)	49.9	42.1	7.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Pau Wa Lu Middle School)	26.5	21.3	5.2%
8th Grade Mathematics (Douglas)	35.3	26.8	8.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Nevada)	30.3	22.8	7.5%
8th Grade Reading (Pau Wa Lu Middle School)	49.4	27.6	21.8%
8th Grade Reading (Douglas)	51.2	45.3	5.9%
8th Grade Reading (Nevada)	47.5	39.4	8.1%
8th Grade Science (Pau Wa Lu Middle School)	49.4	45.6	3.8%
8th Grade Science (Douglas)	46.2	39.5	6.7%
8th Grade Science (Nevada)	36.8	32.7	4.1%
All Grades Mathematics (Pau Wa Lu Middle School)	31.4	22.3	9.1%
All Grades Mathematics (Douglas)	46.3	34	12.3%
All Grades Mathematics (Nevada)	37.5	31.3	6.2%
All Grades Reading (Pau Wa Lu Middle School)	50.5	31.9	18.6%
All Grades Reading (Douglas)	55.4	46.6	8.8%
All Grades Reading (Nevada)	48.5	41	7.5%
All Grades Science (Pau Wa Lu Middle School)	49.4	45.6	3.8%
All Grades Science (Douglas)	40	33.5	6.5%
All Grades Science (Nevada)	30.5	26	4.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	546	481	11.9%
African American	0	0
American Indian	29	31	6.9%
Asian	1	3	200%
Hispanic	120	126	5%
Pacific Islander	1	3	200%
White	356	293	17.7%
Two or More Races	39	25	35.9%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	44.1%	36.2%	8%

Schools Near Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SBAC Mathematics (2024)				SBAC Reading (2024)				SBAC Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics All Grades	SBAC Reading 6th Grade	SBAC Reading 7th Grade	SBAC Reading 8th Grade	SBAC Reading All Grades	SBAC Science 8th Grade	SBAC Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pau Wa Lu Middle School	Public	6-8	701 Long Valley Rd	Gardnerville	89460	Douglas County	Douglas	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 265-6100	459	26	17.6	42.5%	272 (59.3%)	2 (0.4%)	118 (25.7%)	2 (0.4%)	29 (6.3%)	3 (0.7%)	32 (7.0%)	28.7	103^rd of 153 public middle schools	32.7%		36.3	86^th of 152 public middle schools	43.4%	17	20.1	22.4	16.9	19.7	22.9	27.0	37.5	29.4	33.8	33.8	$12,381	$876	$11,504
Carson Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	1477 Hwy 395	Gardnerville	89410	Douglas County	Douglas	No	No	No	No	(775) 782-2265	603	26	23.1	29.4%	396 (65.7%)	1 (0.2%)	144 (23.9%)	19 (3.2%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.8%)	46	75^th of 153 public middle schools	51.0%		59.3	61^st of 152 public middle schools	59.9%	14	34.2	36.4	28.9	33.0	40.1	40.6	35.3	38.5	27.5	27.5	$10,561	$626	$9,936
Douglas Nevada Online	Public, Virtual	6-8	1680 Bently Parkway	Minden	89423	Douglas County	Douglas	No	No	Yes	No	(775) 392-1480	20	0			16 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.0%)								(n/a)											$11,067	$529	$10,538
Eagle Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	4151 E. Fifth St.	Carson City	89701	Carson City	Carson City	No	No	No	No	(775) 283-2600	803	47	16.9	37.6%	318 (39.6%)	3 (0.4%)	416 (51.8%)	19 (2.4%)	12 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	33 (4.1%)	33.3	88^th of 153 public middle schools	42.5%		27.7	102^nd of 152 public middle schools	32.9%	14	20.5	22.7	15.2	19.4	30.2	39.9	34.9	34.8	37.3	37.3	$10,932	$816	$10,116
Carson Middle School	Public	6-8	1140 W. King St.	Carson City	89703	Carson City	Carson City	No	No	No	No	(775) 283-2800	844	47	17.8	43.2%	402 (47.6%)	10 (1.2%)	350 (41.5%)	10 (1.2%)	18 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (6.2%)	40.4	83^rd of 153 public middle schools	45.8%		49.4	73^rd of 152 public middle schools	52.0%	10	29.9	33.2	21.1	28.1	34.5	41.8	30.6	35.7	33.5	33.5	$10,853	$741	$10,112

Pau Wa Lu Middle School

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Rank History for Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Rank History for all students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Rank History for Special Education students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Rank History for Female students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Rank History for Male students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Rank History for Native American students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Rank History for White students at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Enrollment information for Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Student/Teacher Ratio Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Impact of COVID-19 on Pau Wa Lu Middle School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Pau Wa Lu Middle School