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Carmel Valley Middle

Public Grades 7-8

56^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 98% of California middle schools

Summary

Carmel Valley Middle is a highly-ranked public school serving grades 7-8 with about 700 students in the affluent Carmel Valley neighborhood of San Diego, part of the high-performing San Dieguito Union High school district.

The school is a consistent top performer, ranking in the top 2% of all California middle schools for nearly a decade, with student proficiency in English, Math, and Science far exceeding state averages. What truly sets it apart is its exceptional effectiveness with all student groups; its programs for special education students and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds are ranked among the very best in the entire state, indicating a school that creates success for every child. Furthermore, student engagement is high, with a chronic absenteeism rate less than half the district average.

Within its own district, Pacific Trails Middle is a very similar elite school, while the advantage of being in a top district like San Dieguito or Poway Unified is clear when compared to schools in other districts. Interestingly, among these top schools, higher per-student spending does not automatically mean a higher rank, suggesting that instructional quality and efficient use of resources are key drivers of Carmel Valley Middle's sustained excellence.

697

Students ?

23.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,472

Per pupil spending ?

15.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3800 Mykonos Ln.
San Diego, CA 92130-3572

(858) 481-8221

District: San Dieguito Union High

Students who attend Carmel Valley Middle usually attend:

High:

Torrey Pines High

Feeder schools for Carmel Valley Middle:

Elementary:	Carmel Creek Elementary
	Carmel Del Mar Elementary
	Ocean Air
	Sage Canyon
	More...
	Solana Highlands Elementary
	Torrey Hills

Racial breakdown:

White:

39.5%

Asian:

34.6%

Hispanic:

14.2%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Carmel Valley Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 95th percentile in 2013 → 98th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (79% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of California middle schools

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school79%

District avg71%

California avg41%

56^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 2%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Middle Schools in the San Dieguito Union High

105^th of 1,543San Dieguito Union High 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	97.8	56 of 2761	98.0%	★★★★★
2024	98.3	36 of 2783	98.7%	★★★★★
2023	98.4	40 of 2781	98.6%	★★★★★
2022	98.7	34 of 2740	98.8%	★★★★★
2019	98.2	29 of 2715	98.9%	★★★★★
2018	97.7	37 of 2480	98.5%	★★★★★
2017	98.1	32 of 2508	98.7%	★★★★★
2016	96.8	44 of 2497	98.2%	★★★★★
2015	97.5	37 of 2477	98.5%	★★★★★
2013	87.8	128 of 2379	94.6%	★★★★★
2012	88.7	110 of 2259	95.1%	★★★★★
2011	88.7	120 of 2236	94.6%	★★★★★
2010	84.3	211 of 2179	90.3%	★★★★★
2009	90.8	90 of 2063	95.6%	★★★★★
2008	90.6	96 of 2005	95.2%	★★★★★
2007	88.6	152 of 1999	92.4%	★★★★★
2006	90.0	124 of 1804	93.1%	★★★★★
2005	91.8	87 of 1777	95.1%	★★★★★
2004	93.4	72 of 1769	95.9%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.4	135 of 739	81.7%	★★★★☆
2024	85.7	36 of 743	95.2%	★★★★★
2023	80.9	90 of 715	87.4%	★★★★☆
2022	87.1	30 of 733	95.9%	★★★★★
2019	84.9	40 of 745	94.6%	★★★★★
2018	83.6	60 of 700	91.4%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	99.7	7 of 1531	99.5%	★★★★★
2019	99.8	6 of 1491	99.6%	★★★★★
2018	99.7	9 of 1369	99.3%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	92.4	41 of 1478	97.2%	★★★★★
2023	94.4	36 of 1521	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	98.4	10 of 1540	99.4%	★★★★★
2019	99.9	9 of 1442	99.4%	★★★★★
2018	99.1	22 of 1364	98.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.8	34 of 2533	98.7%	★★★★★
2024	98.5	23 of 2551	99.1%	★★★★★
2023	98.0	39 of 2531	98.5%	★★★★★
2022	98.1	38 of 2509	98.5%	★★★★★
2019	97.2	34 of 2380	98.6%	★★★★★
2018	96.7	42 of 2262	98.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.0	29 of 2395	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	96.0	59 of 2388	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	98.2	27 of 2374	98.9%	★★★★★
2022	98.0	32 of 2359	98.6%	★★★★★
2019	97.3	43 of 2213	98.1%	★★★★★
2018	98.7	22 of 2072	98.9%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.8	25 of 2542	99.0%	★★★★★
2024	94.4	115 of 2579	95.5%	★★★★★
2023	96.4	64 of 2531	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	98.6	27 of 2458	98.9%	★★★★★
2019	96.9	37 of 2369	98.4%	★★★★★
2018	97.1	42 of 2230	98.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.0	74 of 2534	97.1%	★★★★★
2024	97.3	70 of 2552	97.3%	★★★★★
2023	98.3	38 of 2538	98.5%	★★★★★
2022	98.8	32 of 2527	98.7%	★★★★★
2019	98.5	30 of 2407	98.8%	★★★★★
2018	98.1	31 of 2273	98.6%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.3	9 of 194	95.4%	★★★★★
2024	89.6	10 of 192	94.8%	★★★★★
2023	96.2	4 of 197	98.0%	★★★★★
2022	91.9	7 of 193	96.4%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.0	51 of 726	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	92.2	14 of 701	98.0%	★★★★★
2023	94.0	8 of 677	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	90.3	26 of 665	96.1%	★★★★★
2019	92.8	8 of 554	98.6%	★★★★★
2018	88.9	18 of 462	96.1%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.4	20 of 1566	98.7%	★★★★★
2024	99.2	19 of 1552	98.8%	★★★★★
2023	99.9	4 of 1531	99.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.0	47 of 1520	96.9%	★★★★★
2024	88.8	93 of 1537	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	92.0	41 of 1543	97.3%	★★★★★
2022	93.3	34 of 1555	97.8%	★★★★★
2019	91.4	59 of 1602	96.3%	★★★★★
2018	90.3	62 of 1496	95.9%	★★★★★

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)

Disabled (2022)100th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)99th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)99th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)97th percentile~ school

Male (2025)97th percentile~ school

White (2025)97th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2025)95th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)93rd percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2025)82nd percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy82%+33 vs state

Mathematics80%+42 vs state

Science72%+39 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Friday, August 2, 2013

CVMS is clean and safe. The intelligence at school helps immensely and I am not quite sure this is a school that would cater to children with slight disabilities. The teachers are responsive if you have the time to stay involved. Close Quote

Schools Near Carmel Valley Middle

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 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	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 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	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
Carmel Valley Middle	Public	7-8	3800 Mykonos Ln.	San Diego	92130	San Diego County	San Dieguito Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 481-8221	697	30	23.5	15.4%	275 (39.5%)	6 (0.9%)	99 (14.2%)	241 (34.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (10.6%)	97.8	56^th of 2761 public middle schools	98.0%		98.3	36^th of 2783 public middle schools	98.7%	20		71.9	71.9				84.0	79.9	82.0				82.1	77.3	79.7	$16,472	$790	$15,682
Solana Pacific Elementary	Public	4-6	3901 Townsgate Dr.	San Diego	92130	San Diego County	Solana Beach Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 794-4500	375	16	23.4	14.1%	134 (35.7%)	3 (0.8%)	31 (8.3%)	156 (41.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (13.6%)								(n/a)	79.1		79.1	91.0	84.7	90.0			88.3	88.2	88.8	90.1			89.1	$22,498	$416	$22,082
Pacific Trails Middle	Public	7-8	5975 Village Center Loop Rd.	San Diego	92130	San Diego County	San Dieguito Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 350-0253	971	40	24.4	12.0%	306 (31.5%)	6 (0.6%)	121 (12.5%)	440 (45.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	94 (9.7%)	98.5	28^th of 2761 public middle schools	99.0%		98.6	25^th of 2783 public middle schools	99.1%	3		77.4	77.4				89.2	82.0	85.7				82.8	78.6	80.8	$13,317	$467	$12,850
Earl Warren Middle	Public	7-8	155 Stevens St.	Solana Beach	92075	San Diego County	San Dieguito Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 755-1558	476	20	23.5	18.1%	324 (68.1%)	2 (0.4%)	87 (18.3%)	15 (3.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (9.2%)	96.1	113^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.9%		96.3	114^th of 2783 public middle schools	95.9%	1		63.6	63.6				81.2	75.5	78.5				75.5	70.5	73.1	$15,940	$519	$15,421
Challenger Middle	Public	6-8	10810 Parkdale Ave.	San Diego	92126	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 302-3000	960	39	24.5	48.8%	148 (15.4%)	26 (2.7%)	189 (19.7%)	455 (47.4%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	138 (14.4%)	91	249^th of 2761 public middle schools	91.0%		90.9	260^th of 2783 public middle schools	90.7%	11		51.2	51.2			72.4	75.4	70.3	72.8			60.3	63.1	66.3	63.1	$17,848	$2,625	$15,223
Mesa Verde Middle	Public	6-8	8375 Entreken Way	San Diego	92129	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 538-5478	1,178	47	25.1	11.2%	350 (29.7%)	12 (1.0%)	124 (10.5%)	536 (45.5%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	151 (12.8%)	97.1	80^th of 2761 public middle schools	97.1%		98	51^st of 2783 public middle schools	98.2%	29		70.8	70.8			78.6	81.2	81.2	80.2			73.3	78.8	79.9	77.1	$14,857	$673	$14,184
R. Roger Rowe Middle	Public	6-8	5927 La Granada	Rancho Santa Fe	92067	San Diego County	Rancho Santa Fe Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 756-1141	189	17	11.0	6.3%	127 (67.2%)	2 (1.1%)	23 (12.2%)	16 (8.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (10.6%)	98	47^th of 2761 public middle schools	98.3%		97	89^th of 2783 public middle schools	96.8%	42		64.4	64.4			88.5	85.5	81.4	85.2			82.0	88.7	77.6	83.2	$16,318	$00	$16,318
Black Mountain Middle	Public	6-8	9353 Oviedo St.	San Diego	92129	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 484-1300	1,077	47	22.6	20.7%	379 (35.2%)	33 (3.1%)	222 (20.6%)	299 (27.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	141 (13.1%)	88.4	303^rd of 2761 public middle schools	89.0%		89.3	293^rd of 2783 public middle schools	89.5%	10		54.6	54.6			72.5	70.7	64.6	69.2			55.9	59.2	59.7	58.3	$15,540	$723	$14,817
Standley Middle	Public	6-8	6298 Radcliffe Dr.	San Diego	92122	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 605-2100	813	37	21.9	43.3%	327 (40.2%)	20 (2.5%)	236 (29.0%)	132 (16.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	95 (11.7%)	90.9	256^th of 2761 public middle schools	90.7%		90.1	277^th of 2783 public middle schools	90.0%	21		57.4	57.4			75.7	73.6	68.5	72.7			64.7	60.7	55.7	60.5	$18,167	$2,308	$15,859
Wangenheim Middle	Public	6-8	9230 Gold Coast Dr.	San Diego	92126	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 605-2250	703	29	24.5	67.6%	72 (10.2%)	46 (6.5%)	248 (35.3%)	255 (36.3%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	77 (11.0%)	57.5	965^th of 2761 public middle schools	65.0%		60.6	872^nd of 2783 public middle schools	68.7%	93		34.5	34.5			51.9	55.9	49.0	52.5			32.6	38.7	31.0	34.4	$18,820	$2,507	$16,313

Frequently Asked Questions about Carmel Valley Middle

What high school do graduates of Carmel Valley Middle attend?

Students who attend Carmel Valley Middle usually go on to attend Torrey Pines High

Is Carmel Valley Middle a good school?

Yes! Carmel Valley Middle is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 56^th of 2761 California middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Carmel Valley Middle?

Students at Carmel Valley Middle are 39% White, 35% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races.

What district is Carmel Valley Middle in?

San Dieguito Union High

How many students attend Carmel Valley Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 697 students attended Carmel Valley Middle.

Rate Carmel Valley Middle!

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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.