California Middle School Rankings
Compare academic results, growth from grades 6 to 8, and school climate. Use the rankings to build a shortlist, then look at the support available for the transition to high school.
Top 25 California middle schools
Public and charter schools in the comprehensive-school comparison group, ranked within this level. Small score differences should not decide your choice.
Top California middle schools
sorted by Scope Score · 2024–25 CAASPP| # | School | County | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ElkhornSan Joaquin | San Joaquin | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 97/100 |
| 2 | Julius Cordes ElementarySan Joaquin | San Joaquin | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 97/100 |
| 3 | Sam H. Lawson MiddleSanta Clara | Santa Clara | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 95/100 |
| 4 | William Hopkins MiddleAlameda | Alameda | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 94/100 |
| 5 | Irvine International AcademyOrange | Orange | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 92/100 |
| 6 | Joaquin Miller MiddleSanta Clara | Santa Clara | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 92/100 |
| 7 | Evelyn Costa ElementarySan Joaquin | San Joaquin | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 91/100 |
| 8 | Central MiddleSan Mateo | San Mateo | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 91/100 |
| 9 | College Preparatory MiddleSan Diego | San Diego | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 91/100 |
| 10 | Yu Ming CharterAlameda | Alameda | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 91/100 |
| 11 | Science Academy STEM MagnetLos Angeles | Los Angeles | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 90/100 |
| 12 | Redwood MiddleSanta Clara | Santa Clara | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 90/100 |
| 13 | Bullis CharterSanta Clara | Santa Clara | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 90/100 |
| 14 | EPIC AcademySan Joaquin | San Joaquin | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 89/100 |
| 15 | Corte MaderaSan Mateo | San Mateo | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 89/100 |
| 16 | Lilienthal (Claire) ElementarySan Francisco | San Francisco | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 88/100 |
| 17 | Cottonwood CreekAlameda | Alameda | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 88/100 |
| 18 | John F. Kennedy MiddleSanta Clara | Santa Clara | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 87/100 |
| 19 | Orchard HillsOrange | Orange | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 87/100 |
| 20 | Union MiddleSanta Clara | Santa Clara | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 87/100 |
| 21 | Robert C. Fisler ElementaryOrange | Orange | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 87/100 |
| 22 | Ralston IntermediateSan Mateo | San Mateo | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 86/100 |
| 23 | Design 39 CampusSan Diego | San Diego | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 86/100 |
| 24 | Tierra Linda MiddleSan Mateo | San Mateo | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 86/100 |
| 25 | Harvest Park MiddleAlameda | Alameda | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 86/100 |
A rank orders schools on one composite number; it doesn't sit in a classroom. Splitting "exceeded" from "met" recovers real differences a single proficiency rate erases — researcher Andrew Ho called percent-proficient a "funhouse mirror" that distorts what's actually happening at a school (Educational Researcher, 2008). Weighting growth alongside those levels tracks a school's real effect on students better than proficiency-only ratings do, tested against real school-lottery outcomes (Angrist, Hull, Pathak & Walters, American Economic Review: Insights, 2024). Neither study — nor this table — sees class size, teacher turnover, or how a campus actually feels to walk into. Two schools a point apart here are effectively tied. Full methodology and citations →
Turn a ranking into a shortlist
Check your options
Confirm attendance boundaries, eligibility, applications and transportation with the school or district. A place on this list does not guarantee admission.
Compare the evidence
Open school profiles to compare results, growth where available, and climate. Look at support for your child's needs alongside the overall score.
Ask on a visit
How do students get help when they fall behind, and what math pathways are available?
What the data cannot tell you →Read the patterns behind the results.
These observations can overlap. Compare reported attainment with cohort change, then ask who shares in those results. They do not establish school effectiveness.
The average Exceeded rate across the reported grades and subjects is at least 50%.
The average Met + Exceeded rate across the reported grades and subjects is at least 65%.
The school’s aggregate cohort-change index clears our stronger-gains threshold. This is a school-level comparison across years, not tracking of individual children.
Strength across reading, math and official California growth. Each part needs evidence; missing information cannot count as a strength.
Reading and math results have improved across three reporting years. This describes a recent record, not a prediction or proof of what caused it.
Is there a single "best" middle school in California?
By Scope Score, Elkhorn in San Joaquin County ranks highest among 2,177 scored middle schools for 2024–25 CAASPP (97/100). But one number can't tell you which school is best for your kid: a family chasing AP access and a family prioritizing a calm, low-absenteeism campus could reasonably land on different schools from the rankings above. Source: CDE 2024–25 CAASPP, analyzed by SchoolScope.
The patterns above offer questions to investigate alongside the ranking. Read the underlying subject results, cohort comparisons and student-group evidence; neither a badge nor a rank explains what caused the results.
Why we don't publish a "worst schools" list
Scores correlate strongly with poverty and English-learner concentration. A bottom-ranked list built from Scope Score alone would mostly describe neighborhood income, not what a school does for its students — and we'd rather not hand that list to anyone. Lower-scoring middle schools are still visible on SchoolScope, shown with their growth trajectory and climate data as context, not as a headline.
Do scores really drop in middle school?
Usually the answer people quote is an artifact. Comparing this year's 8th graders to this year's 6th graders looks like a drop, but those are two different sets of children sitting two different tests, and the state's bar rises with each grade. The gap between them says very little about what any school did.
The Scope Score answers it the other way round: it follows one school's returning cohort forward — this year's 8th graders against that same school's 6th graders two years earlier, mostly though not exactly the same kids. Measured that way almost every school in California gains ground, because children learn as they get older. So the number worth checking isn't the raw gain — it's how a school's gain stacks up against every other middle school in the state. That relative position is what the growth dimension of the score carries.
How middle school Scope Scores differ
Middle school Scope Scores use grades 6 and 8 CAASPP data (instead of grades 3 and 5 for elementary). The growth dimension follows the school's returning cohort from 6th to 8th grade and compares that growth with other middle schools with sufficient cohort data. The six weighted dimensions: exceeded-standard rate (42%), met-or-exceeded rate (23%), grade-to-grade growth (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%).
Schools on the rise
Middle schools where the California School Dashboard shows Increased or Increased Significantly in ELA or Math vs. the prior year. This answers the question every parent asks: is this school getting better?
| School | Score | ELA Trend | Math Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julius Cordes Elementary | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 97/100 | Increased | Increased Significantly |
| Sam H. Lawson Middle | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 95/100 | Increased | Increased |
| Evelyn Costa Elementary | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 91/100 | Increased | Increased |
| Central Middle | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 91/100 | Increased | Increased |
| College Preparatory Middle | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 91/100 | Increased | Increased |
| Science Academy STEM Magnet | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 90/100 | Increased | Increased |
| Redwood Middle | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 90/100 | Increased | Increased |
| Bullis Charter | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 90/100 | Increased | Increased |
Data: California School Dashboard 2025 year-over-year change indicators
Growth heroes
Middle schools whose 6th-grade class travelled furthest by 8th grade — the returning cohort followed forward, not two grades compared in one year. The index is relative: 50 is the California middle school average. Schools testing fewer than 40 students are left out, because a handful of children can swing the figure.
| School | Score | Growth index |
|---|---|---|
| George De La Torre Jr. Elementary | 67th percentile · SolidScope Score 44/100 | 94 |
| Julius Cordes Elementary | 99th percentile · StrongScope Score 97/100 | 92 |
| Bernice Ayer Middle | 96th percentile · StrongScope Score 77/100 | 91 |
| California Virtual Academy @ Los Angeles | 84th percentile · StrongScope Score 55/100 | 89 |
| Ramona Middle | 96th percentile · StrongScope Score 75/100 | 89 |
Top districts for middle school
Districts with the highest average middle school Scope Scores (minimum 3 schools).
Search middle schools near you
Find and compare middle schools by name, city, or zip code.
Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024–25
Frequently asked questions about ranking California middle schools
How are California middle schools ranked?
SchoolScope ranks middle schools with the Scope Score, a 0–100 rating built from 6 weighted measures: exceeded-standard rate (42%), met-or-exceeded rate (23%), grade-to-grade growth (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Schools are compared only to others at the same level — never mixed with a different grade band, and never averaged into a single letter grade. See the full methodology.
How many middle schools are there in California?
SchoolScope has Scope Scores for 2,177 California middle schools using 2024–25 CAASPP results. This is the scored comprehensive-school comparison group, not a complete statewide school inventory. That count includes traditional public and charter schools; private middle schools aren't scored, since they don't report the same state testing data.
What is the best middle school in California?
By Scope Score, Elkhorn in San Joaquin County ranks highest among 2,177 scored middle schools, at 97 out of 100 for 2024–25 CAASPP in the comprehensive-school comparison group. "Best" still depends on what a family is optimizing for — academics, growth, or campus culture can point to different answers.
What are the top 25 middle schools in California?
The top 25 scored middle schools by Scope Score are ranked in the table on this page, with county, percentile, score and band. Explore the interactive map to find schools near you and open their full profiles.
What are the worst middle schools in California?
We don't publish a "worst schools" list. Scores correlate strongly with poverty and English-learner concentration, so a bottom-ranked list built from Scope Score alone would mostly describe neighborhood income, not what a school does for its students. Lower-scoring middle schools stay visible on SchoolScope, shown with growth trajectory and climate data as context.
Is the Scope Score the same as a GreatSchools or Niche rating?
No two rating sites use the same inputs. SchoolScope uses the CDE data year shown on this page and separates "exceeded standard" from "met standard" — a split we haven't found surfaced prominently elsewhere. Whether other sites weight growth or absenteeism internally, we can't say; their formulas aren't fully public. Compare what's visible to parents.