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Design Science Middle College High

Public Grades 9-12

136^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 94% of California high schools

Summary

Design Science Middle College High is a small, high-performing public high school (grades 9-12) serving 243 students within the Fresno Unified School District, consistently ranking in the top 6-7% of all California high schools.

The school achieves exceptional results, with near-perfect graduation rates, very low dropout and chronic absenteeism, and student proficiency in English, Math, and Science that dramatically exceeds both district and state averages. This is particularly notable as the school serves a student population with significant economic need, demonstrating that high achievement is possible for all students. Its specialized "middle college" model, which integrates college coursework, likely contributes to this strong academic preparation and engagement.

When compared to nearby schools, DSMCH stands out. For example, while Phillip J Patino School of Entrepreneurship also has a 100% graduation rate, its academic proficiency rates are lower. Traditional schools like Fresno High have much larger enrollments but significantly lower performance and higher chronic absenteeism. Furthermore, DSMCH delivers these top-tier outcomes at a lower per-student cost than many peers, including Career Technical Education Charter, making it a highly efficient and effective model within the region.

243

Students ?

22.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,319

Per pupil spending ?

63.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1101 E University Ave
Fresno, CA 93741-6219

(559) 489-2270

District: Fresno Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.8%

Asian:

12.8%

White:

11.1%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 94th percentile in 2013 → 94th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (65% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of California high schools

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school65%

District avg30%

California avg41%

136^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 6%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 12High Schools in the Fresno Unified

1061^st of 1,543Fresno 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	93.3	136 of 2162	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	95.1	108 of 2159	95.0%	★★★★★
2023	94.1	138 of 2170	93.6%	★★★★★
2022	92.1	167 of 2123	92.1%	★★★★★
2019	91.7	155 of 2133	92.7%	★★★★★
2018	95.7	70 of 2017	96.5%	★★★★★
2017	92.2	146 of 2021	92.8%	★★★★★
2016	95.6	58 of 2039	97.2%	★★★★★
2015	94.6	82 of 1994	95.9%	★★★★★
2013	78.8	156 of 2426	93.6%	★★★★★
2012	86.8	57 of 2354	97.6%	★★★★★
2011	86.5	61 of 2367	97.4%	★★★★★
2010	82.8	100 of 2281	95.6%	★★★★★
2009	67.4	297 of 2238	86.7%	★★★★☆
2008	72.2	233 of 2117	89.0%	★★★★☆
2007	58.6	483 of 2063	76.6%	★★★★☆
2006	79.3	127 of 1968	93.5%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.4	307 of 585	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.7	278 of 582	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	81.6	97 of 581	83.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.8	101 of 1906	94.7%	★★★★★
2024	87.6	231 of 1915	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	85.2	264 of 1915	86.2%	★★★★☆
2022	80.6	314 of 1858	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	81.4	298 of 1833	83.7%	★★★★☆
2018	95.6	47 of 1760	97.3%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.9	45 of 1900	97.6%	★★★★★
2024	97.0	47 of 1902	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	97.5	46 of 1917	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	96.0	63 of 1861	96.6%	★★★★★
2019	93.9	69 of 1814	96.2%	★★★★★
2018	96.5	51 of 1742	97.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.2	84 of 2013	95.8%	★★★★★
2024	96.2	69 of 2026	96.6%	★★★★★
2023	95.7	79 of 2030	96.1%	★★★★★
2022	94.1	90 of 1943	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	94.0	83 of 1937	95.7%	★★★★★
2018	97.9	30 of 1862	98.4%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.9	200 of 1942	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	97.4	68 of 1948	96.5%	★★★★★
2023	96.1	93 of 1963	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	96.0	90 of 1916	95.3%	★★★★★
2019	94.4	94 of 1880	95.0%	★★★★★
2018	94.9	98 of 1834	94.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	90.1	80 of 1204	93.4%	★★★★★

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)

Hispanic (2025)98th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)96th percentile~ school

Female (2025)95th percentile~ school

White (2022)93rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)90th percentile-4 vs school

Asian (2025)48th percentile-46 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy77%+28 vs state

Mathematics61%+24 vs state

Science58%+25 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Thursday, November 28, 2019

Students don't get prepared for University at this school. Fresno City College Courses are super easy and don't challenge or teach you anything. I received a 4.0 every year and only received a 820 SAT score. This tells me that my grades were meaningless. I got into UC Irvine and flunked out my first year. All that Design Science students are used for is to improve Fresno City College's pass rate. Don't believe the good reviews of this school, the staff give students school swag for writing reviews or posting positive things on social media. I was forced to come here by my parents and regret not going to another High School that would have actually prepared me. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, February 10, 2017

Design Science is a specialty school with an amazing staff and student body. The teachers work overtime to assure that students are on the road to college.
100 of the students graduate.
100 of the students attend college.
97 of the students go to a four year college after high school.

The school is currently housed on another school's campus but eventually they will get their own school. This school is a hidden gem in the Valley and my child loves it there and I am completely satisfied with the program as a parent. Close Quote

Schools Near Design Science Middle College High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Design Science Middle College High	Public	9-12	1101 E University Ave	Fresno	93741	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 489-2270	243	11	22.0	63.8%	27 (11.1%)	6 (2.5%)	160 (65.8%)	31 (12.8%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.6%)	13 (5.3%)	93.3	136^th of 2162 public high schools	93.7%		95.1	108^th of 2159 public high schools	95.0%	28			57.9		57.9			77.2	77.2			61.4	61.4	$17,319	$1,604	$15,715
Phillip J Patino School of Entrepreneurship	Public	9-12	2000 East Cambridge Ave.	Fresno	93703	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 248-7360	282	13	21.3	84.0%	23 (8.2%)	22 (7.8%)	212 (75.2%)	10 (3.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.6%)	58.3	867^th of 2162 public high schools	59.9%		59.4	784^th of 2159 public high schools	63.7%	83			26.8		26.8			69.6	69.6			21.4	21.4	$22,091	$1,688	$20,403
Fresno High	Public	9-12	1839 Echo Ave.	Fresno	93704	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 457-2780	1,867	103	18.0	88.5%	159 (8.5%)	141 (7.6%)	1,410 (75.5%)	88 (4.7%)	14 (0.7%)	6 (0.3%)	44 (2.4%)	36.1	1357^th of 2162 public high schools	37.2%		32.1	1447^th of 2159 public high schools	33.0%	90			24.2		24.2			40.0	40.0			12.6	12.6	$20,107	$2,428	$17,679
Fulton	Public	7-12	2004 Cambridge Ave.	Fresno	93703	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 248-7385	23	6	3.8	91.3%	3 (13.0%)	2 (8.7%)	16 (69.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.3%)	1 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$192,856	$47,836	$145,020
Crescent View West Public Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	1901 East Shields Ave. Ste. 10	Fresno	93726	Fresno County	Crescent View West Public Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 222-8439	1,703	63	27.0	90.3%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26.4	1563^rd of 2162 public high schools	27.7%		26.1	1570^th of 2159 public high schools	27.3%	7				26.7	26.7			36.0	36.0			5.7	5.7	$120,718	$85	$120,633
Career Technical Education Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	1320 North Mariposa St.	Fresno	93703	Fresno County	Career Technical Education Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 443-4872	289	23	12.5	46.7%	55 (19.0%)	17 (5.9%)	174 (60.2%)	16 (5.5%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (1.0%)	23 (8.0%)	86.2	277^th of 2162 public high schools	87.2%		95	111^th of 2159 public high schools	94.9%	166			55.9		55.9			72.9	72.9			40.7	40.7	$25,324	$1,161	$24,163
Aspen Ridge Public	Public, Charter	7-12	3821 North Clark St.	Fresno	93726	Fresno County	Aspen Ridge Public District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 374-0080	246	17	14.7	81.3%	12 (4.9%)	26 (10.6%)	193 (78.5%)	8 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.8%)	59.3	841^st of 2162 public high schools	61.1%		32.1	1446^th of 2159 public high schools	33.0%	605	16.7	29.0			21.4	37.7	30.3	70.6	38.2	23.0	13.6	17.7	18.1	$16,727	$1,482	$15,245
Carter G. Woodson Public Charter	Public, Charter	7-12	3333 North Bond Ave.	Fresno	93726	Fresno County	Carter G. Woodson Public Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 229-3529	364	22	16.3	93.7%	39 (10.7%)	64 (17.6%)	234 (64.3%)	13 (3.6%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.5%)	8 (2.2%)	14.4	1824^th of 2162 public high schools	15.6%		16.6	1772^nd of 2159 public high schools	17.9%	52	3.5			8.5	7.1	0.0	17.2	11.0	11.5	18.2	3.5	0.0	2.3	$20,393	$876	$19,517
School of Unlimited Learning	Public, Charter	9-12	2336 Calaveras St.	Fresno	93721	Fresno County	School of Unlimited Learning District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 500-1352	199	11	17.9	94.5%	5 (2.5%)	14 (7.0%)	172 (86.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.5%)	20.6	1683^rd of 2162 public high schools	22.2%		14	1851^st of 2159 public high schools	14.3%	168				18.8	18.8			13.1	13.1			0.0	0.0
Pershing Continuation High	Public	9-12	855 West Nielsen	Fresno	93706	Fresno County	Central Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 268-2272	101	6	16.0	86.1%	5 (5.0%)	11 (10.9%)	74 (73.3%)	4 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	5 (5.0%)	10.9	1970^th of 2162 public high schools	8.9%		9.2	2114^th of 2159 public high schools	2.1%	144			8.3	0.0	6.4			8.6	8.6			0.0	0.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Design Science Middle College High

What district is Design Science Middle College High in?

Fresno Unified

What is the racial makeup of Design Science Middle College High?

Students at Design Science Middle College High are 66% Hispanic, 13% Asian, 11% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Design Science Middle College High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 243 students attended Design Science Middle College High.

Is Design Science Middle College High a good school?

Yes. Design Science Middle College High ranks in the top 6.3% of California high schools.

Rate Design Science Middle College High!

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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.