How does Vista Heights Middle compare to other middle schools in Moreno Valley?

Vista Heights Middle has a Scope Score of 39.7/100, ranked #1118 among California middle schools. 11% of students exceed standard, with a total of 2,789 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Vista Heights Middle?

11.0% of students at Vista Heights Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 31.8% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Vista Heights Middle improving or declining?

Based on CAASPP data, Vista Heights Middle's proficiency rate decreases by 3.8 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This pattern in test scores may reflect a variety of factors beyond the school itself.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Vista Heights Middle?

21.9% of students at Vista Heights Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in the Scope Score.

Vista Heights Middle

Middle School

Moreno Valley Unified Moreno ValleyRiverside County92557

📍 23049 Old Lake Drive

Scope Score

out of 100

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

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Scope Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

School overview

Enrollment

1,454 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

23:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

82%

Teachers

62 full-time

Dashboard indicators

How this school's scores changed from last year to this year

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased

+8.7 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Maintained

+0.5 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

21.8%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 147 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic70.6%

White6.6%

Asian2.5%

Black13.6%

Other6.7%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Vista Heights Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	11.0%
Met Standard	20.8%
Below Standard	68.2%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Suspension rate: 2.6%

1.5pp below state avg (state avg 4.1%)

10% weight

Holding Back

▼Exceeded standard: 11.0%

6.3pp below state avg (state avg 17.3%)

30% weight

▼Met or exceeded: 31.8%

7.7pp below state avg (state avg 39.5%)

20% weight

▼Growth (G6→G8): -3.8pp

Scores decline across grades (state avg +0.8pp)

15% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 21.9%

2.6pp above state avg (state avg 19.3%)

15% weight

▼Baseline proficiency: 31.8%

Below state baseline (state avg 39.5%)

10% weight

Unlike traditional school ratings, we show our work. Every factor, its weight, and how this school compares to the state average — so you can decide what matters most to your family. The middle school Scope Score is weighted across 6 dimensions. See full methodology →

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "32% proficient" for Vista Heights Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

11.0% of students exceeded standard while 20.8% met it. That exceeded rate is 6.3 points below the state average of 17.3%. That's near the Moreno Valley Unified district average of 9.5%. Compared to the 1 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 8.2 points higher (vs 2.8% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

Proficiency drops by 3.8 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance increased and Math maintained year-over-year. 21.8% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 21.9%, above the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

11.0%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

31.8%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

-3.8pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

21.9%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

2.6%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

2,789

Across all grades & subjects

Grade trajectory

How proficiency compares across grade levels this year (different students, same test year)

ELA Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

Math Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	445	13.3%	25.2%	26.1%	35.5%	38.4%
7th	474	12.9%	32.3%	27.2%	27.6%	45.1%
8th	476	9.4%	29.4%	26.9%	34.2%	38.9%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	445	11.7%	15.5%	27.0%	45.8%	27.2%
7th	474	10.1%	11.8%	25.7%	52.3%	21.9%
8th	475	8.8%	10.3%	24.2%	56.6%	19.2%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Hidden Springs Elementary

51.1# in state

Seneca Elementary

39.7# in state

Box Springs Elementary

26.8# in state

Also serves area

Sugar Hill Elementary

32.1# in state

Honey Hollow Elementary

19.1# in state

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Middle

Vista Heights Middle

39.7# in state

This school

▼

High School

Canyon Springs High

53.3# in state

Feeder patterns derived from 2015-16 NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries may have changed. Contact your school district for current information.