School Profile
School Profile
Bill E. Young, Jr. Middle School (BYMS) is one of four schools in the Calipatria Unified School District. Bill E. Young, Jr. Middle School opened in 2000-2001 and is a 5-8 middle school located in Calipatria, California. Students come from the communities of Calipatria, Niland, and Bombay Beach as well as the surrounding areas. The total population of the area is 11,962, including a prison population of 4,000 at Calipatria State Prison. Calipatria is located in the northeastern end of Imperial Valley, just at the southern tip of the Salton Sea. The city is located 190 miles southeast of Los Angeles, 142 miles east of San Diego, and 40 miles north of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.
Imperial County is one of the most economically disadvantaged areas in the state of California. Imperial County consistently has the highest unemployment rate of any county in California.
Bill E. Young, Jr. Middle School serves a student population of 359 (June 2022), with 100% of students participating in the Federal Free and Reduce Lunch Program. The school facility has 20 classrooms, one library, 2 computer lab classrooms with 30 computers, 20 classrooms connected to the Internet, and one science lab. BYMS serves grades 5-8 and operates on a traditional calendar, with 7 periods per day. On Wednesdays, the bell schedule is modified for all students district-wide at 1:30 p.m., allowing for staff planning and development from 1:35–3:30 p.m. 17 teachers and 6 classified instructional staff support the educational program at Bill E. Young, Jr. Middle School. In addition, one categorical counselor provides student support services. The overall school program is directed by the principal. The district’s Centralized Services Department provides technical assistance to ensure categorical programs are properly implemented and that they meet state and federal guidelines.
Bill E. Young, Jr. Middle School and local communities work closely together, mutually sharing in various learning opportunities. Students are involved in the community through recreation programs sponsored by PAL or traveling teams, as well as other service and religious organizations. Our local businesses participate in Career Days and support our character education program. Each business displays the “word of the month” and is actively involved in the character education program.
The Bill E. Young, Jr. Middle School facility frequently is used as a community hub by outside groups. BYMS classrooms are used for district-wide staff development, county voters’ polling station, and for informational meetings from the various local organizations. BYMS is committed to forming alliances with the school community (families, students, teachers, and school support staff) to establish clear and high expectations for student achievement. There is a strong effort to communicate the school’s expectations for grade level achievement to both our parents and community through monthly newsletters and calendars, website, marquee, Parent Portal, along with home contacts through phone calls, visits and conferences. All mailings, parent conferences and meetings are translated in Spanish, and bus transportation has been provided for some meetings, as well as childcare. Parent workshops and training, such as the District Community Based English Tutoring (CBET) classes, are offered to parents, both on the district’s site and within the community to provide opportunities for parenting skills and learning. The school has used every parent meeting opportunity (Open House, Grade Level Parent Nights, ELAC, and site advisory meetings), as well as community forums/meetings to communicate our vision and, the message that the classroom curriculum, instruction, and assessment are being driven by the Common Core State Standards and California State Standards.