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Pioneer Junior High

Q: Is Pioneer Junior High a good school?

Pioneer Junior High ranks 435 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

435^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 84% of California middle schools

Summary

Pioneer Junior High is a consistently high-performing public middle school serving about 770 students in grades 7 and 8 within the Upland Unified School District, achieving strong academic results while serving a socioeconomically diverse community.

The school excels academically, with student proficiency in English, math, and science significantly above both district and state averages. What makes Pioneer stand out is its exceptional support for all students, with historically underserved subgroups performing remarkably well, and its incredibly low chronic absenteeism rate of 10.9%, which is less than half the rate of its district peer, Upland Junior High. This focus on attendance and engagement appears to be a key driver of success. Furthermore, Pioneer achieves these excellent outcomes efficiently, with per-student spending that is lower than several nearby schools with similar or lower performance.

Pioneer's model of balanced excellence across all subjects is notable when compared to other high-performing area schools like El Roble Intermediate and Vineyard Junior High. Most striking is the dramatic performance gap within its own district, as Pioneer vastly outperforms Upland Junior High despite similar funding and oversight, highlighting the critical importance of school-level leadership, teaching quality, and culture in student achievement.

771

Students ?

21.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,648

Per pupil spending ?

50.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

245 West 18th St.
Upland, CA 91784-1682

(909) 949-7770

District: Upland Unified

Students who attend Pioneer Junior High usually attend:

High:

Upland High

Feeder schools for Pioneer Junior High:

Elementary:	Magnolia Elementary
	Pepper Tree Elementary
	Sycamore Elementary
	Valencia Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.2%

White:

32.7%

Asian:

13.1%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Pioneer Junior High to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 91st percentile in 2013 → 84th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (56% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of California middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg45%

California avg41%

435^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 16%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Upland Unified

579^th of 1,543Upland 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	82.3	435 of 2761	84.2%	★★★★☆
2024	82.8	421 of 2783	84.9%	★★★★☆
2023	81.0	460 of 2781	83.5%	★★★★☆
2022	78.6	515 of 2740	81.2%	★★★★☆
2019	82.3	427 of 2715	84.3%	★★★★☆
2018	84.5	353 of 2480	85.8%	★★★★☆
2017	88.9	268 of 2508	89.3%	★★★★☆
2016	86.6	297 of 2497	88.1%	★★★★☆
2015	90.0	219 of 2477	91.2%	★★★★★
2013	84.2	212 of 2379	91.1%	★★★★★
2012	79.0	332 of 2259	85.3%	★★★★☆
2011	74.4	428 of 2236	80.9%	★★★★☆
2010	68.1	594 of 2179	72.7%	★★★★☆
2009	65.7	607 of 2063	70.6%	★★★★☆
2008	75.5	372 of 2005	81.4%	★★★★☆
2007	83.1	245 of 1999	87.7%	★★★★☆
2006	88.4	149 of 1804	91.7%	★★★★★
2005	87.6	155 of 1777	91.3%	★★★★★
2004	90.1	115 of 1769	93.5%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.8	96 of 609	84.2%	★★★★☆
2024	96.7	18 of 627	97.1%	★★★★★
2023	95.1	17 of 613	97.2%	★★★★★
2022	93.8	26 of 637	95.9%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.5	146 of 739	80.2%	★★★★☆
2024	74.3	191 of 743	74.3%	★★★★☆
2023	70.9	220 of 715	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.3	288 of 733	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.0	175 of 745	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	71.0	226 of 700	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	59.0	422 of 1531	72.4%	★★★★☆
2019	76.3	218 of 1491	85.4%	★★★★☆
2018	87.5	97 of 1369	92.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.8	423 of 2533	83.3%	★★★★☆
2024	81.8	410 of 2551	83.9%	★★★★☆
2023	79.9	433 of 2531	82.9%	★★★★☆
2022	73.9	545 of 2509	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	78.2	459 of 2380	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	83.9	333 of 2262	85.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.9	213 of 2395	91.1%	★★★★★
2024	84.8	218 of 2388	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	83.6	245 of 2374	89.7%	★★★★☆
2022	83.6	229 of 2359	90.3%	★★★★★
2019	89.0	157 of 2213	92.9%	★★★★★
2018	90.6	127 of 2072	93.9%	★★★★★

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	99.2	3 of 394	99.2%	★★★★★
2022	95.1	9 of 336	97.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	367 of 2542	85.6%	★★★★☆
2024	81.2	321 of 2579	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	78.4	355 of 2531	86.0%	★★★★☆
2022	86.7	188 of 2458	92.4%	★★★★★
2019	82.9	248 of 2369	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	89.1	144 of 2230	93.5%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.3	417 of 2534	83.5%	★★★★☆
2024	81.8	399 of 2552	84.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.3	431 of 2538	83.0%	★★★★☆
2022	80.8	426 of 2527	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	84.1	343 of 2407	85.7%	★★★★☆
2018	82.7	359 of 2273	84.2%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.1	72 of 194	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	77.7	35 of 192	81.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.5	448 of 726	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.8	251 of 701	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.3	181 of 1566	88.4%	★★★★☆
2024	63.7	362 of 1552	76.7%	★★★★☆
2023	58.1	420 of 1531	72.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.5	439 of 1520	71.1%	★★★★☆
2024	72.0	387 of 1537	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	72.8	366 of 1543	76.3%	★★★★☆
2022	64.1	513 of 1555	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.9	490 of 1602	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.5	451 of 1496	69.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Homeless (2024)99th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)91st percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2025)88th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)86th percentile~ school

African American (2025)84th percentile~ school

Male (2025)84th percentile~ school

Female (2025)83rd percentile~ school

Asian (2025)80th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)72nd percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)71st percentile-13 vs school

Military Connected (2025)63rd percentile-21 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)38th percentile-46 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy64%+15 vs state

Mathematics52%+15 vs state

Science50%+18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pioneer Junior High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (2025)
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 Junior High	Public	7-8	245 West 18th St.	Upland	91784	San Bernardino County	Upland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 949-7770	771	35	21.8	50.5%	252 (32.7%)	24 (3.1%)	356 (46.2%)	101 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.8%)	82.3	435^th of 2761 public middle schools	84.2%		82.8	421^st of 2783 public middle schools	84.9%	14	50.3	50.3		61.2	66.3	63.6		50.8	52.9	51.8	$15,648	$14,272	$1,376
Upland Junior High	Public	7-8	444 East 11th St.	Upland	91785	San Bernardino County	Upland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 949-7810	599	32	18.8	91.3%	49 (8.2%)	49 (8.2%)	468 (78.1%)	16 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.7%)	23.2	2091^st of 2761 public middle schools	24.3%		23.1	2124^th of 2783 public middle schools	23.7%	33	10.1	10.1		40.8	30.0	35.2		21.7	11.4	16.4	$20,519	$18,852	$1,667
Alta Loma Junior High	Public	6-8	9000 Lemon Ave.	Alta Loma	91701	San Bernardino County	Alta Loma Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 484-5100	831	33	24.9	33.2%	247 (29.7%)	39 (4.7%)	435 (52.3%)	69 (8.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (4.7%)	74.2	600^th of 2761 public middle schools	78.3%		77.9	529^th of 2783 public middle schools	81.0%	71	36.7	36.7	56.7	66.8	67.4	64.6	41.8	47.4	42.8	44.3	$17,901	$17,336	$565
Cucamonga Middle	Public	6-8	7611 Hellman Ave.	Rancho Cucamonga	91730	San Bernardino County	Central Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 987-1788	662	34	19.4	71.5%	97 (14.7%)	55 (8.3%)	461 (69.6%)	22 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	24 (3.6%)	49	1203^rd of 2761 public middle schools	56.4%		48.2	1209^th of 2783 public middle schools	56.6%	6	25.1	25.1	48.2	59.1	46.3	51.3	31.3	33.6	20.4	28.7	$20,929	$17,834	$3,095
Vina Danks Middle	Public	7-8	1020 North Vine Ave.	Ontario	91762	San Bernardino County	Ontario-Montclair	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 983-2691	544	33	16.2	90.3%	12 (2.2%)	15 (2.8%)	496 (91.2%)	9 (1.7%)	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	26.6	1937^th of 2761 public middle schools	29.8%		23.4	2112^th of 2783 public middle schools	24.1%	175	10.6	10.6		39.0	34.0	36.3		26.6	15.4	20.8	$35,261	$32,436	$2,825
Vernon Middle	Public	7-8	9775 Vernon Ave.	Montclair	91763	San Bernardino County	Ontario-Montclair	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 624-5036	580	31	18.9	85.9%	24 (4.1%)	23 (4.0%)	514 (88.6%)	9 (1.6%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	36.7	1595^th of 2761 public middle schools	42.2%		41.6	1411^th of 2783 public middle schools	49.3%	184	15.8	15.8		46.1	40.2	43.3		28.7	22.6	25.8	$30,900	$28,058	$2,842
Serrano Middle	Public	7-8	4725 San Jose St.	Montclair	91763	San Bernardino County	Ontario-Montclair	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 624-0029	657	36	18.4	91.5%	15 (2.3%)	22 (3.3%)	588 (89.5%)	23 (3.5%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	65.3	779^th of 2761 public middle schools	71.8%		63.3	812^th of 2783 public middle schools	70.8%	33	27.7	27.7		53.8	56.7	55.2		38.8	54.9	46.8	$31,286	$28,522	$2,764
Vineyard Junior High	Public	6-8	6440 Mayberry	Alta Loma	91737	San Bernardino County	Alta Loma Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 484-5120	933	37	25.4	41.3%	229 (24.5%)	36 (3.9%)	459 (49.2%)	145 (15.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	62 (6.6%)	79.3	488^th of 2761 public middle schools	82.3%		85.7	373^rd of 2783 public middle schools	86.6%	115	38.6	38.6	65.2	74.0	66.6	68.7	52.3	46.1	45.3	47.6	$20,419	$20,124	$295
Ray Wiltsey Middle	Public	6-8	1450 East G St.	Ontario	91764	San Bernardino County	Ontario-Montclair	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 986-5838	727	42	17.4	95.2%	9 (1.2%)	49 (6.7%)	648 (89.1%)	10 (1.4%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	32.7	1726^th of 2761 public middle schools	37.5%		31.3	1758^th of 2783 public middle schools	36.8%	32	23.2	23.2	35.6	37.0	41.2	38.1	24.9	25.5	17.4	22.4	$29,878	$27,044	$2,834
Rancho Cucamonga Middle	Public	6-8	10022 Feron Blvd.	Rancho Cucamonga	91730	San Bernardino County	Cucamonga Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 980-0969	770	43	17.7	82.2%	38 (4.9%)	139 (18.1%)	522 (67.8%)	40 (5.2%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (0.9%)	23 (3.0%)	29.4	1848^th of 2761 public middle schools	33.1%		25.9	2003^rd of 2783 public middle schools	28.0%	155	19.9	19.9	35.6	37.2	42.1	38.2	18.7	20.2	17.9	19.0	$27,275	$26,370	$905

Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer Junior High

Is Pioneer Junior High a good school?

Pioneer Junior High ranks 435^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pioneer Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 771 students attended Pioneer Junior High.

What high school do graduates of Pioneer Junior High attend?

Students who attend Pioneer Junior High usually go on to attend Upland High

What district is Pioneer Junior High in?

Upland Unified

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer Junior High?

Students at Pioneer Junior High are 46% Hispanic, 33% White, 13% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.