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Pioneer Middle

Public Grades 6-8

268^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 90% of California middle schools

Summary

Pioneer Middle is a top-performing public middle school serving about 970 students in grades 6-8 within the Tustin Unified School District, consistently earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the top 10% of all California middle schools.

The school stands out for its exceptional academic results, where students are significantly more likely to be proficient in English and math than students at other Tustin Unified middle schools like Columbus Tustin Middle and C. E. Utt Middle. Pioneer also excels at supporting all students, with historically high rankings for English learners and students from low-income families. A key indicator of its positive environment is a chronic absenteeism rate of just 7.9%, which is dramatically lower than the state average and many neighboring schools.

While some elite schools in the Irvine Unified district, such as Sierra Vista Middle, show higher proficiency rates, Pioneer delivers remarkable results given its more diverse student population and efficient use of resources. The school has maintained its high performance even as it serves more students in need, demonstrating effective systems for academic growth from 6th to 8th grade.

971

Students ?

26.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,621

Per pupil spending ?

39.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2700 Pioneer Rd.
Tustin, CA 92782-3374

(714) 730-7534

District: Tustin Unified

Students who attend Pioneer Middle usually attend:

High:

Arnold O. Beckman High

Feeder schools for Pioneer Middle:

Elementary:	Ladera Elementary
	Myford Elementary
	Peters Canyon Elementary
	Tustin Ranch Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

38.8%

Hispanic:

28.0%

White:

19.3%

See top rated California middle schools

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 91st percentile in 2013 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

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

✓Ranks in the top 10% of California middle schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Tustin Unified

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school65%

District avg56%

California avg41%

268^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 10%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Middle Schools in the Tustin Unified

420^th of 1,543Tustin 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	90.4	268 of 2761	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	93.6	196 of 2783	93.0%	★★★★★
2023	93.3	196 of 2781	93.0%	★★★★★
2022	92.7	206 of 2740	92.5%	★★★★★
2019	89.8	270 of 2715	90.1%	★★★★★
2018	91.9	192 of 2480	92.3%	★★★★★
2017	92.3	183 of 2508	92.7%	★★★★★
2016	92.2	173 of 2497	93.1%	★★★★★
2015	90.2	213 of 2477	91.4%	★★★★★
2013	84.4	208 of 2379	91.3%	★★★★★
2012	85.4	187 of 2259	91.7%	★★★★★
2011	85.2	187 of 2236	91.6%	★★★★★
2010	86.3	166 of 2179	92.4%	★★★★★
2009	85.7	174 of 2063	91.6%	★★★★★
2008	90.2	105 of 2005	94.8%	★★★★★
2007	88.6	154 of 1999	92.3%	★★★★★
2006	91.4	97 of 1804	94.6%	★★★★★
2005	88.3	143 of 1777	92.0%	★★★★★
2004	92.3	85 of 1769	95.2%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	85.8	57 of 637	91.1%	★★★★★
2019	25.8	495 of 643	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.0	153 of 739	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	78.0	141 of 743	81.0%	★★★★☆
2023	78.6	123 of 715	82.8%	★★★★☆
2022	77.5	156 of 733	78.7%	★★★★☆
2019	76.4	167 of 745	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	79.5	112 of 700	84.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	75.2	231 of 1531	84.9%	★★★★☆
2019	87.4	109 of 1491	92.7%	★★★★★
2018	87.5	96 of 1369	93.0%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	76.6	109 of 1478	92.6%	★★★★★
2023	73.1	153 of 1521	89.9%	★★★★★
2022	73.2	158 of 1540	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	88.7	71 of 1442	95.1%	★★★★★
2018	91.8	66 of 1364	95.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.8	254 of 2533	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	93.6	167 of 2551	93.5%	★★★★★
2023	93.0	179 of 2531	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	92.6	176 of 2509	93.0%	★★★★★
2019	88.3	267 of 2380	88.8%	★★★★☆
2018	90.7	206 of 2262	90.9%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.6	467 of 2395	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	87.5	181 of 2388	92.4%	★★★★★
2023	87.8	177 of 2374	92.5%	★★★★★
2022	87.8	167 of 2359	92.9%	★★★★★
2019	80.2	303 of 2213	86.3%	★★★★☆
2018	80.1	274 of 2072	86.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.5	261 of 2542	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	88.3	210 of 2579	91.9%	★★★★★
2023	86.7	223 of 2531	91.2%	★★★★★
2022	83.2	240 of 2458	90.2%	★★★★★
2019	78.4	338 of 2369	85.7%	★★★★☆
2018	81.8	254 of 2230	88.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.1	271 of 2534	89.3%	★★★★☆
2024	91.6	215 of 2552	91.6%	★★★★★
2023	91.9	199 of 2538	92.2%	★★★★★
2022	90.9	224 of 2527	91.1%	★★★★★
2019	89.5	254 of 2407	89.4%	★★★★☆
2018	90.8	206 of 2273	90.9%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.3	37 of 194	80.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.8	223 of 726	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.8	174 of 701	75.2%	★★★★☆
2023	78.9	122 of 677	82.0%	★★★★☆
2022	67.0	210 of 665	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.2	131 of 554	76.4%	★★★★☆
2018	81.5	66 of 462	85.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.8	207 of 1566	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	84.2	135 of 1552	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	76.0	203 of 1531	86.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.8	504 of 1520	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.3	363 of 1537	76.4%	★★★★☆
2023	67.6	457 of 1543	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	73.6	353 of 1555	77.3%	★★★★☆
2019	64.3	562 of 1602	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.9	400 of 1496	73.3%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)93rd percentile~ school

African American (2022)91st percentile~ school

Female (2025)90th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)90th percentile~ school

Male (2025)89th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)87th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)85th percentile-8 vs school

Military Connected (2025)81st percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)81st percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2025)79th percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)69th percentile-21 vs school

White (2025)67th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy71%+22 vs state

Mathematics62%+25 vs state

Science59%+26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pioneer 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 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
Pioneer Middle	Public	6-8	2700 Pioneer Rd.	Tustin	92782	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7534	971	37	26.3	39.4%	187 (19.3%)	21 (2.2%)	272 (28.0%)	377 (38.8%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	110 (11.3%)	90.4	268^th of 2761 public middle schools	90.3%		93.6	196^th of 2783 public middle schools	93.0%	72	58.8	58.8	65.1	71.9	74.3	70.6	55.6	62.1	68.3	62.1	$18,621	$1,278	$17,343
C. E. Utt Middle	Public	6-8	13601 Browning Ave.	Tustin	92780	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7573	554	25	22.4	82.1%	40 (7.2%)	8 (1.4%)	437 (78.9%)	51 (9.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	15 (2.7%)	41.8	1441^st of 2761 public middle schools	47.8%		47.8	1221^st of 2783 public middle schools	56.1%	220	27.4	27.4	41.8	41.7	45.0	42.9	24.4	22.5	34.4	27.3	$17,604	$1,946	$15,658
Sierra Vista Middle	Public	7-8	2 Liberty	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-6600	1,282	49	26.1	14.7%	188 (14.7%)	16 (1.2%)	103 (8.0%)	859 (67.0%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	109 (8.5%)	97.8	55^th of 2761 public middle schools	98.0%		97.8	64^th of 2783 public middle schools	97.7%	9	71.1	71.1		82.7	81.2	82.0		81.5	78.7	80.1	$13,176	$394	$12,782
Hewes Middle	Public	6-8	13232 Hewes Ave.	Santa Ana	92705	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7348	929	37	25.2	40.4%	371 (39.9%)	10 (1.1%)	384 (41.3%)	74 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (9.7%)	78.7	502^nd of 2761 public middle schools	81.8%		76.8	551^st of 2783 public middle schools	80.2%	49	46.3	46.3	68.7	53.9	58.2	60.3	64.8	46.9	47.4	53.2	$14,099	$1,391	$12,708
Columbus Tustin Middle	Public	6-8	17952 Beneta Way	Tustin	92780	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7352	583	25	23.6	85.6%	34 (5.8%)	14 (2.4%)	472 (81.0%)	44 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	16 (2.7%)	41.9	1433^rd of 2761 public middle schools	48.1%		56.2	985^th of 2783 public middle schools	64.6%	448	27.0	27.0	31.5	48.3	42.9	40.9	24.4	32.0	31.9	29.5	$16,917	$1,892	$15,025
Santiago Charter Middle	Public, Charter	7-8	515 North Rancho Santiago Blvd	Orange	92869	Orange County	Santiago Charter Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6366	1,137	46	24.7	65.9%	216 (19.0%)	32 (2.8%)	745 (65.5%)	63 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (0.9%)	71 (6.2%)	57.4	967^th of 2761 public middle schools	65.0%		57.4	951^st of 2783 public middle schools	65.8%	16	32.6	32.6		59.8	47.3	52.9		36.0	33.0	34.3	$12,560	$661	$11,899
Jeffrey Trail Middle	Public	7-8	155 Visions	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-5000	1,049	42	24.7	18.3%	164 (15.6%)	21 (2.0%)	94 (9.0%)	681 (64.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	85 (8.1%)	96	117^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.8%		96.6	104^th of 2783 public middle schools	96.3%	13	65.4	65.4		78.1	74.7	76.4		76.6	73.4	75.0	$13,657	$405	$13,252
Venado Middle	Public	7-8	4 Deerfield Ave.	Irvine	92604	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-6800	506	24	20.9	20.8%	99 (19.6%)	4 (0.8%)	80 (15.8%)	263 (52.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (11.5%)	95.2	148^th of 2761 public middle schools	94.6%		93.7	194^th of 2783 public middle schools	93.0%	46	62.3	62.3		77.1	77.4	77.3		70.5	67.1	68.8	$16,643	$863	$15,780
Raymond A. Villa Fundamental Intermediate	Public	6-8	1441 East Chestnut Ave.	Santa Ana	92701	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 558-5100	936	46	20.4	95.3%	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	914 (97.6%)	15 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	20	2222^nd of 2761 public middle schools	19.5%		18.8	2308^th of 2783 public middle schools	17.1%	86	16.1	16.1	34.3	35.1	28.2	32.5	12.2	10.9	11.2	11.4	$23,520	$827	$22,693
Lakeside Middle	Public	7-8	3 Lemongrass	Irvine	92604	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 559-1601	629	25	24.8	23.4%	195 (31.0%)	12 (1.9%)	69 (11.0%)	289 (45.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (10.2%)	96.4	107^th of 2761 public middle schools	96.1%		97	90^th of 2783 public middle schools	96.8%	17	63.1	63.1		81.3	75.7	78.5		75.7	75.9	75.8	$15,142	$789	$14,353

Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer Middle

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer Middle?

Students at Pioneer Middle are 39% Asian, 28% Hispanic, 19% White, 11% Two or more races, 2% African American.

How many students attend Pioneer Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 971 students attended Pioneer Middle.

What district is Pioneer Middle in?

Tustin Unified

What high school do graduates of Pioneer Middle attend?

Students who attend Pioneer Middle usually go on to attend Arnold O. Beckman High

Is Pioneer Middle a good school?

Yes. Pioneer Middle ranks in the top 9.7% of California middle schools.

Rate Pioneer 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.