Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Thornton Middle

Public Grades 6-8

102^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 96% of California middle schools

Summary

Thornton Middle School is a large, top-performing public middle school serving nearly 2,000 students in grades 6-8 within the highly-regarded Fremont Unified School District, consistently ranking in the top 5% of all California middle schools.

The school stands out for maintaining elite academic results at a large scale, with students significantly outperforming state averages in English and Math. A key strength is its remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate (6%), which is much better than the district and state averages and contributes to its success. Thornton also achieves this excellence cost-effectively, spending less per student than some nearby high-performing schools like William Hopkins Middle and John M. Horner Middle, and it shows particular effectiveness in supporting English Language Learners and economically disadvantaged students.

While Thornton is a top-tier school, it's part of a competitive landscape within Fremont Unified, where a few schools rank even higher. The contrast with schools in neighboring districts like Newark Unified (e.g., Newark Middle) is stark, highlighting the advantage of the district's foundation. Parents can be confident in Thornton's consistent, high-quality education, which effectively serves a diverse student body and is a model of sustainable excellence.

1,972

Students ?

25.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,074

Per pupil spending ?

24.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4357 Thornton Ave.
Fremont, CA 94536-4897

(510) 793-9090

District: Fremont Unified

Students who attend Thornton Middle usually attend:

High:

American High

Feeder schools for Thornton Middle:

Elementary:	Ardenwood Elementary
	Brookvale Elementary
	Forest Park Elementary
	Oliveira Elementary
	More...
	Patterson Elementary
	Warwick Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

76.2%

Hispanic:

10.8%

White:

6.7%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Thornton Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 87th percentile in 2013 → 96th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (75% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 4% of California middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school75%

District avg69%

California avg41%

102^nd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 4%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Middle Schools in the Fremont Unified

185^th of 1,543Fremont Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.5	102 of 2761	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	97.0	93 of 2783	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	97.7	65 of 2781	97.7%	★★★★★
2022	96.5	98 of 2740	96.4%	★★★★★
2019	95.1	130 of 2715	95.2%	★★★★★
2018	95.3	114 of 2480	95.4%	★★★★★
2017	94.5	139 of 2508	94.5%	★★★★★
2016	92.0	182 of 2497	92.7%	★★★★★
2015	93.4	145 of 2477	94.1%	★★★★★
2013	80.4	312 of 2379	86.9%	★★★★☆
2012	76.7	380 of 2259	83.2%	★★★★☆
2011	75.4	408 of 2236	81.8%	★★★★☆
2010	81.6	263 of 2179	87.9%	★★★★☆
2009	82.8	235 of 2063	88.6%	★★★★☆
2008	75.6	371 of 2005	81.5%	★★★★☆
2007	80.3	299 of 1999	85.0%	★★★★☆
2006	79.2	306 of 1804	83.0%	★★★★☆
2005	78.1	316 of 1777	82.2%	★★★★☆
2004	82.7	239 of 1769	86.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	126 of 609	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	51.3	258 of 627	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.8	156 of 613	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	41.0	340 of 637	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.8	182 of 643	71.7%	★★★★☆
2018	57.6	215 of 600	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	142 of 739	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	80.6	107 of 743	85.6%	★★★★☆
2023	79.9	109 of 715	84.8%	★★★★☆
2022	80.1	110 of 733	85.0%	★★★★☆
2019	79.9	100 of 745	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	80.6	99 of 700	85.9%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	69.5	281 of 1531	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	60.5	392 of 1491	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	68.6	263 of 1369	80.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	75.0	121 of 1478	91.8%	★★★★★
2023	87.8	68 of 1521	95.5%	★★★★★
2022	86.8	71 of 1540	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	73.2	186 of 1442	87.1%	★★★★☆
2018	83.0	120 of 1364	91.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.8	100 of 2533	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	96.2	95 of 2551	96.3%	★★★★★
2023	97.0	70 of 2531	97.2%	★★★★★
2022	96.1	94 of 2509	96.3%	★★★★★
2019	94.5	113 of 2380	95.3%	★★★★★
2018	94.6	102 of 2262	95.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.6	800 of 2395	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.5	985 of 2388	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.5	569 of 2374	76.0%	★★★★☆
2022	50.2	992 of 2359	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.4	632 of 2213	71.4%	★★★★☆
2018	53.8	818 of 2072	60.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.4	247 of 2542	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	78.4	381 of 2579	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	88.8	181 of 2531	92.8%	★★★★★
2022	68.2	549 of 2458	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	68.0	540 of 2369	77.2%	★★★★☆
2018	65.7	563 of 2230	74.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.0	111 of 2534	95.6%	★★★★★
2024	96.7	85 of 2552	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	97.6	64 of 2538	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	96.0	103 of 2527	95.9%	★★★★★
2019	94.6	136 of 2407	94.3%	★★★★★
2018	95.1	116 of 2273	94.9%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.9	284 of 726	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.5	317 of 701	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.2	193 of 677	71.5%	★★★★☆
2022	50.0	342 of 665	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.9	268 of 554	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.3	182 of 462	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	93.8	2 of 19	89.5%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.9	377 of 1566	75.9%	★★★★☆
2024	58.1	433 of 1552	72.1%	★★★★☆
2023	85.6	126 of 1531	91.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.9	428 of 1520	71.8%	★★★★☆
2024	60.7	576 of 1537	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.6	424 of 1543	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	63.8	523 of 1555	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.5	708 of 1602	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.6	528 of 1496	64.7%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2025)96th percentile~ school

Male (2025)96th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)92nd percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)90th percentile-6 vs school

Pacific Islander (2019)89th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2022)82nd percentile-15 vs school

Asian (2025)81st percentile-16 vs school

African American (2025)79th percentile-17 vs school

Special Education (2025)76th percentile-20 vs school

White (2025)72nd percentile-24 vs school

Hispanic (2025)67th percentile-30 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)61st percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy79%+30 vs state

Mathematics75%+38 vs state

Science65%+32 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Thornton Middle and help other families decide.

Rate Thornton Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Thornton Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)			CSA Spanish Listening (2025)			CSA Spanish Writing (2025)			CSA Spanish Reading (2025)			CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Thornton Middle	Public	6-8	4357 Thornton Ave.	Fremont	94536	Alameda County	Fremont Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 793-9090	1,972	79	25.0	24.1%	133 (6.7%)	29 (1.5%)	213 (10.8%)	1,503 (76.2%)	2 (0.1%)	15 (0.8%)	77 (3.9%)	96.5	102^nd of 2761 public middle schools	96.3%		97	93^rd of 2783 public middle schools	96.7%	9													64.9	64.9	78.1	78.6	80.3	79.0	75.1	73.0	76.3	74.9	$14,074	$401	$13,673
Centerville Middle	Public	6-8	37720 Fremont Blvd.	Fremont	94536	Alameda County	Fremont Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 797-2072	1,495	64	23.1	37.1%	187 (12.5%)	42 (2.8%)	317 (21.2%)	839 (56.1%)	6 (0.4%)	17 (1.1%)	87 (5.8%)	85	371^st of 2761 public middle schools	86.6%		84	397^th of 2783 public middle schools	85.7%	26													48.9	48.9	64.5	67.2	64.0	65.2	58.2	56.1	55.4	56.6	$14,736	$642	$14,094
Newark Middle	Public	6-8	6201 Lafayette Ave.	Newark	94560	Alameda County	Newark Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 818-3000	980	44	22.5	40.1%	77 (7.9%)	22 (2.2%)	545 (55.6%)	230 (23.5%)	2 (0.2%)	25 (2.6%)	76 (7.8%)	55	1030^th of 2761 public middle schools	62.7%		45.6	1291^st of 2783 public middle schools	53.6%	261													26.1	26.1	58.5	47.6	46.4	50.9	44.4	33.0	31.3	36.3	$16,084	$646	$15,438
G. M. Walters Middle	Public	6-8	39600 Logan Dr.	Fremont	94538	Alameda County	Fremont Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 656-7211	1,149	56	20.4	46.0%	103 (9.0%)	30 (2.6%)	360 (31.3%)	589 (51.3%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.4%)	59 (5.1%)	71	652^nd of 2761 public middle schools	76.4%		72.1	648^th of 2783 public middle schools	76.7%	4													40.7	40.7	54.6	59.5	61.8	58.7	44.0	44.0	41.6	43.2	$15,590	$1,271	$14,319
Cesar Chavez Middle	Public	6-8	2801 Hop Ranch Rd.	Union City	94587	Alameda County	New Haven Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 487-1700	990	44	22.3	74.1%	52 (5.3%)	37 (3.7%)	576 (58.2%)	261 (26.4%)	11 (1.1%)	8 (0.8%)	43 (4.3%)	31	1796^th of 2761 public middle schools	35.0%		34.8	1639^th of 2783 public middle schools	41.1%	157													22.6	22.6	30.1	38.1	37.4	35.5	25.4	23.8	20.3	23.0	$14,951	$830	$14,121
John M. Horner Middle	Public	6-8	4350 Irvington Ave.	Fremont	94538	Alameda County	Fremont Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 656-4000	1,574	64	24.6	23.2%	58 (3.7%)	13 (0.8%)	148 (9.4%)	1,299 (82.5%)	4 (0.3%)	5 (0.3%)	47 (3.0%)	97.2	73^rd of 2761 public middle schools	97.4%		97.8	65^th of 2783 public middle schools	97.7%	8													66.5	66.5	82.0	80.0	82.8	81.6	80.7	76.1	71.6	76.1	$14,583	$678	$13,905
William Hopkins Middle	Public	6-8	600 Driscoll Rd.	Fremont	94539	Alameda County	Fremont Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 656-3500	1,424	58	24.3	18.0%	53 (3.7%)	10 (0.7%)	127 (8.9%)	1,185 (83.2%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	44 (3.1%)	98.7	23^rd of 2761 public middle schools	99.2%		99.3	10^th of 2783 public middle schools	99.6%	13	0.0	24.2	11.0	15.0	48.5	30.1	7.5	60.6	31.5	5.0	9.1	6.9	75.8	75.8	84.0	88.7	86.8	86.5	85.4	87.6	81.7	85.0	$14,600	$544	$14,056
Itliong-Vera Cruz	Public	6-8	31604 Alvarado Blvd.	Union City	94587	Alameda County	New Haven Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 489-0700	1,097	48	22.7	53.5%	67 (6.1%)	37 (3.4%)	210 (19.1%)	683 (62.3%)	5 (0.5%)	22 (2.0%)	73 (6.7%)	70.2	670^th of 2761 public middle schools	75.7%		71.4	664^th of 2783 public middle schools	76.1%	6													38.4	38.4	54.0	59.3	56.1	56.4	49.3	42.5	43.4	45.1	$13,603	$611	$12,992
Cesar Chavez Middle	Public	7-8	27845 Whitman Rd.	Hayward	94544	Alameda County	Hayward Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 723-3110	453	25	18.0	84.1%	11 (2.4%)	17 (3.8%)	333 (73.5%)	73 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	12 (2.6%)	12.7	2528^th of 2761 public middle schools	8.4%		9.4	2684^th of 2783 public middle schools	3.6%	156													10.8	10.8		20.3	21.8	21.0		7.4	13.0	10.1	$26,545	$3,977	$22,568
Martin Luther King Junior Middle	Public	7-8	26890 Holly Hill Ave.	Hayward	94545	Alameda County	Hayward Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 723-3120	669	30	22.4	82.8%	12 (1.8%)	35 (5.2%)	458 (68.5%)	112 (16.7%)	2 (0.3%)	26 (3.9%)	23 (3.4%)	39.1	1516^th of 2761 public middle schools	45.1%		40.3	1449^th of 2783 public middle schools	47.9%	67													27.0	27.0		40.3	41.3	40.8		25.3	26.8	26.1	$21,847	$2,412	$19,435

Frequently Asked Questions about Thornton Middle

What high school do graduates of Thornton Middle attend?

Students who attend Thornton Middle usually go on to attend American High

Is Thornton Middle a good school?

Yes! Thornton Middle is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 102^nd of 2761 California middle schools.

What district is Thornton Middle in?

Fremont Unified

What is the racial makeup of Thornton Middle?

Students at Thornton Middle are 76% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 7% White, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend Thornton Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,972 students attended Thornton Middle.

Rate Thornton Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Fremont, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Thornton Middle!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.