Best Middle Schools in California

The top 50 middle schools (grades 6-8) in California, ranked by enrollment from NCES data with EDFacts proficiency rates where available. Average proficiency across this list is 51%.

#	School	City	Enrollment	Proficiency
1	Alfred B. Nobel Charter Middle	Northridge, CA	1,940	60%
2	George Ellery Hale Charter Academy	Woodland Hills, CA	1,887	64%
3	Thomas Starr King Middle School Film and Media Magnet	Los Angeles, CA	1,722	48%
4	Paul Revere Charter Middle	Los Angeles, CA	1,718	50%
5	Cal Aero Preserve Academy	Chino, CA	1,673	51%
6	Reyburn Intermediate	Clovis, CA	1,643	47%
7	Sitting Bull Academy	Apple Valley, CA	1,618	42%
8	Eastlake Middle	Chula Vista, CA	1,611	57%
9	Rancho del Rey Middle	Chula Vista, CA	1,606	61%
10	Eleanor Murray Fallon	Dublin, CA	1,590	69%
11	Culver City Middle	Culver City, CA	1,583	46%
12	John M. Horner Middle	Fremont, CA	1,562	63%
13	Thompson Middle	Murrieta, CA	1,557	58%
14	Sutter Middle	Folsom, CA	1,552	58%
15	Classical Academy	Escondido, CA	1,531	61%
16	Oak Valley Middle	San Diego, CA	1,515	73%
17	Hillsdale Middle	El Cajon, CA	1,500	48%
18	John Muir Middle	Burbank, CA	1,492	54%
19	San Elijo Middle	San Marcos, CA	1,463	68%
20	Walter Reed Middle	North Hollywood, CA	1,463	46%
21	Clark Intermediate	Clovis, CA	1,462	43%
22	Washington Academic Middle	Sanger, CA	1,462	36%
23	Gaspar De Portola Charter Middle	Tarzana, CA	1,441	42%
24	Albert Einstein Academies	San Diego, CA	1,440	53%
25	California Montessori Project-San Juan Campuses	Carmichael, CA	1,426	49%
26	Richard Henry Dana Middle	San Pedro, CA	1,424	28%
27	Bernardo Heights Middle	San Diego, CA	1,416	55%
28	William G. Jehue Middle	Colton, CA	1,404	32%
29	Bella Vista Middle	Murrieta, CA	1,396	56%
30	Dorothy McElhinney Middle	Murrieta, CA	1,396	53%
31	Menifee Valley Middle	Menifee, CA	1,393	45%
32	Robert Frost Middle	Granada Hills, CA	1,384	51%
33	Stephen M. White Middle	Carson, CA	1,384	41%
34	Vista Heights Middle	Moreno Valley, CA	1,382	55%
35	John Burroughs Middle	Los Angeles, CA	1,373	39%
36	Orchard Hills	Irvine, CA	1,373	58%
37	Ethan A Chase Middle	Menifee, CA	1,368	40%
38	Porter Ranch Community	Porter Ranch, CA	1,363	67%
39	Wayne Ruble Middle	Fontana, CA	1,357	43%
40	Palm Desert Charter Middle	Palm Desert, CA	1,347	49%
41	South Gate Middle	South Gate, CA	1,342	39%
42	Folsom Middle	Folsom, CA	1,340	60%
43	Canyon Middle	Castro Valley, CA	1,332	57%
44	Stauffer (Mary R.) Middle	Downey, CA	1,332	35%
45	Louis Armstrong Middle	Sherman Oaks, CA	1,329	59%
46	Heritage K-8 Charter	Escondido, CA	1,328	44%
47	Doty (Wendy Lopour) Middle	Downey, CA	1,327	34%
48	Charles Blackstock Junior High	Oxnard, CA	1,326	29%
49	Marshall Middle	San Diego, CA	1,317	62%
50	Imagine Schools Riverside County	Coachella, CA	1,312	49%

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best middle school in California?

The largest middle school in California is Alfred B. Nobel Charter Middle in Northridge with 1,940 students and a 60% proficiency rate. Rankings are based on NCES Common Core of Data enrollment and EDFacts proficiency results.

How many middle schools are in California?

This page shows the top 50 middle schools (grades 6-8) in California by enrollment. Browse the full state directory to see all schools.

What does the proficiency rate measure?

Proficiency rate is the percentage of students meeting grade-level standards on combined math and reading assessments, as reported by EDFacts. Data is district-level and applied to each school in the district.

Where does this data come from?

Enrollment and school characteristics come from the NCES Common Core of Data. Proficiency rates come from EDFacts assessment results. Both are official federal datasets published by the U.S. Department of Education.

Sources: NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts

Last updated: April 2026

Schools are ranked by enrollment within the state. Proficiency rates come from EDFacts assessment results, district-level figures applied to each school in the district.