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Terra Cotta Middle

Public Grades 6-8

2265^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 18% of California middle schools

Summary

Terra Cotta Middle is a public school serving about 1,026 students in grades 6-8 in the Lake Elsinore Unified district, located in a community where a high percentage of families face economic challenges.

Academically, the school faces significant hurdles, with proficiency rates in English and math that are the lowest among its district peers like Canyon Lake Middle and David A. Brown Middle, and its statewide ranking has recently declined. Math is a particular area of concern, with proficiency far below state averages. However, the school shows some important strengths, including a chronic absenteeism rate better than the district average and notably effective support for homeless students, where its performance has been much stronger.

When compared to schools in neighboring districts with higher funding and lower levels of economic need, such as Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate in Saddleback Valley Unified, the performance gap is wide. More tellingly, Terra Cotta's performance is similar to other area schools serving high-need communities, such as Tomas Rivera Middle and Pinacate Middle, indicating shared regional challenges.

1,026

Students ?

24.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,979

Per pupil spending ?

85.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

29291 Lake St.
Lake Elsinore, CA 92530-1801

(951) 253-7380

District: Lake Elsinore Unified

Students who attend Terra Cotta Middle usually attend:

High:

Lakeside High

Feeder schools for Terra Cotta Middle:

Elementary:	Alberhill Elementary
	Machado Elementary
	Rice Canyon Elementary
	Withrow Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

79.0%

White:

12.2%

African American:

3.4%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (20% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg30%

California avg41%

2,265^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 21 pts since 2015

From bottom 38% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the Lake Elsinore Unified

1075^th of 1,543Lake Elsinore 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	19.1	2265 of 2761	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	1869 of 2783	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.9	2039 of 2781	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	2131 of 2740	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.3	744 of 894	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.4	1900 of 2715	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.4	1843 of 2480	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.6	1711 of 2508	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.7	1500 of 2497	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	33.2	1524 of 2477	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	55.1	1015 of 2379	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.4	968 of 2259	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.8	791 of 2236	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.0	640 of 2179	70.6%	★★★★☆
2009	67.4	577 of 2063	72.0%	★★★★☆
2008	62.6	652 of 2005	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	54.5	795 of 1999	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	57.8	675 of 1804	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	54.2	716 of 1777	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	52.6	730 of 1769	58.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.9	526 of 609	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.0	449 of 613	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.1	344 of 643	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.6	318 of 600	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	30.9	1031 of 1531	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.0	1254 of 1491	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.3	825 of 1369	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.6	1198 of 1478	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.4	723 of 1521	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.3	1425 of 1540	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	38.5	731 of 1442	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.6	690 of 1364	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.1	2117 of 2533	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.9	1578 of 2551	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.8	1749 of 2531	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.1	1832 of 2509	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.5	1740 of 2380	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.9	1672 of 2262	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.5	1996 of 2395	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.1	1525 of 2388	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.2	1624 of 2374	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.3	1650 of 2359	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.8	1429 of 2213	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.0	1471 of 2072	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.0	268 of 477	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.2	112 of 394	71.6%	★★★★☆
2023	50.4	129 of 320	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.8	207 of 336	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.1	2106 of 2542	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.0	1736 of 2579	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.3	1823 of 2531	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	1842 of 2458	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.3	522 of 721	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	1612 of 2369	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.9	1626 of 2230	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.9	2106 of 2534	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.4	1854 of 2552	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	1946 of 2538	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.3	2035 of 2527	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.3	1711 of 2407	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.0	1751 of 2273	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	25.4	537 of 701	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	617 of 665	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.9	469 of 554	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	409 of 462	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.7	1254 of 1566	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	1408 of 1552	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.0	1080 of 1531	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.7	1184 of 1520	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.8	1164 of 1537	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	1334 of 1543	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.2	1478 of 1555	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.9	1342 of 1602	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.9	1325 of 1496	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)44th percentile+26 vs school

Disabled (2022)33rd percentile+10 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)23rd percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)22nd percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2025)20th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)19th percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)17th percentile~ school

Male (2025)17th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)17th percentile~ school

Female (2025)16th percentile~ school

African American (2025)14th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy26%-23 vs state

Science19%-14 vs state

Mathematics15%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Terra Cotta 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
Terra Cotta Middle	Public	6-8	29291 Lake St.	Lake Elsinore	92530	Riverside County	Lake Elsinore Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 253-7380	1,026	42	24.4	85.3%	125 (12.2%)	35 (3.4%)	811 (79.0%)	33 (3.2%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (1.9%)	19.1	2265^th of 2761 public middle schools	18.0%		28.7	1869^th of 2783 public middle schools	32.8%	396	18.8	18.8	22.0	25.2	29.6	25.8	11.9	10.5	21.9	14.9	$15,979	$1,845	$14,134
Elsinore Middle	Public	6-8	1203 West Graham Ave.	Lake Elsinore	92530	Riverside County	Lake Elsinore Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 674-2118	947	35	26.7	81.0%	111 (11.7%)	32 (3.4%)	730 (77.1%)	35 (3.7%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	34 (3.6%)	28.2	1891^st of 2761 public middle schools	31.5%		27.2	1937^th of 2783 public middle schools	30.4%	46	20.7	20.7	32.2	34.6	29.6	32.3	24.9	25.7	18.6	23.3	$14,608	$1,694	$12,914
Canyon Lake Middle	Public	6-8	33005 Canyon Hills Rd.	Lake Elsinore	92532	Riverside County	Lake Elsinore Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 253-7790	951	40	23.8	59.6%	344 (36.2%)	63 (6.6%)	451 (47.4%)	37 (3.9%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	50 (5.3%)	52.1	1131^st of 2761 public middle schools	59.0%		52.5	1089^th of 2783 public middle schools	60.9%	42	28.9	28.9	59.8	51.6	47.6	53.0	33.4	34.2	19.9	29.2	$15,373	$1,782	$13,591
Kathryn Newport Middle	Public	6-8	29792 Audie Murphy Rd.	Menifee	92587	Riverside County	Menifee Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 672-1851	965	40	24.3	66.9%	204 (21.1%)	41 (4.2%)	554 (57.4%)	45 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	119 (12.3%)	58.1	945^th of 2761 public middle schools	65.8%		47.6	1231^st of 2783 public middle schools	55.8%	286	41.9	41.9	46.5	49.5	48.9	48.3	36.2	39.0	36.4	37.2	$15,678	$1,215	$14,463
David A. Brown Middle	Public	6-8	21861 Grand Ave.	Wildomar	92595	Riverside County	Lake Elsinore Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 253-7430	1,030	41	24.9	78.9%	196 (19.0%)	43 (4.2%)	690 (67.0%)	38 (3.7%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (0.7%)	55 (5.3%)	29.4	1849^th of 2761 public middle schools	33.0%		30.4	1794^th of 2783 public middle schools	35.5%	55	24.4	24.4	32.0	37.3	42.7	37.5	17.7	16.1	18.0	17.3	$15,705	$1,841	$13,864
Pinacate Middle	Public	7-8	1990 South A St.	Perris	92570	Riverside County	Perris Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 943-6441	952	40	23.9	94.7%	18 (1.9%)	47 (4.9%)	871 (91.5%)	8 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.8%)	11.6	2565^th of 2761 public middle schools	7.1%		12.2	2577^th of 2783 public middle schools	7.4%	12	7.5	7.5		18.6	22.4	20.5		10.5	9.8	10.2	$19,890	$1,585	$18,305
Menifee Valley Middle	Public	6-8	26255 Garbani Rd.	Menifee	92584	Riverside County	Menifee Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 672-6400	941	40	23.7	62.5%	207 (22.0%)	54 (5.7%)	479 (50.9%)	42 (4.5%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.5%)	151 (16.0%)	55.4	1019^th of 2761 public middle schools	63.1%		54.4	1032^nd of 2783 public middle schools	62.9%	13	28.3	28.3	52.1	47.6	61.1	53.6	35.2	30.5	34.0	33.3	$16,537	$1,155	$15,382
Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate	Public	7-8	21931 Alma Aldea	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 459-8253	1,153	48	24.0	29.1%	529 (45.9%)	14 (1.2%)	302 (26.2%)	180 (15.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.4%)	123 (10.7%)	86.6	342^nd of 2761 public middle schools	87.6%		89.1	298^th of 2783 public middle schools	89.3%	44	55.8	55.8		67.8	59.4	63.7		59.0	59.2	59.1	$17,967	$1,361	$16,606
Tomas Rivera Middle	Public	6-8	21675 Martin St.	Perris	92570	Riverside County	Val Verde Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 940-8570	1,014	44	22.8	94.8%	28 (2.8%)	17 (1.7%)	956 (94.3%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	19.1	2264^th of 2761 public middle schools	18.0%		15.6	2457^th of 2783 public middle schools	11.7%	193	15.0	15.0	34.4	24.0	30.8	29.9	14.5	12.5	12.2	13.1	$18,918	$872	$18,046
Hans Christensen Middle	Public	6-8	27625 Sherman Rd.	Menifee	92586	Riverside County	Menifee Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 679-8356	369	17	21.3	73.4%	56 (15.2%)	31 (8.4%)	207 (56.1%)	14 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	54 (14.6%)	42.4	1409^th of 2761 public middle schools	49.0%		43	1373^rd of 2783 public middle schools	50.7%	36	30.8	30.8	50.9	39.5	47.8	46.2	25.6	21.8	22.8	23.5	$19,170	$1,152	$18,018

Frequently Asked Questions about Terra Cotta Middle

How many students attend Terra Cotta Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,026 students attended Terra Cotta Middle.

What district is Terra Cotta Middle in?

Lake Elsinore Unified

What high school do graduates of Terra Cotta Middle attend?

Students who attend Terra Cotta Middle usually go on to attend Lakeside High

Is Terra Cotta Middle a good school?

Terra Cotta Middle ranks in the bottom 18.0% of California middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Terra Cotta Middle?

Students at Terra Cotta Middle are 79% Hispanic, 12% White, 3% African American, 3% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

Rate Terra Cotta Middle!

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Schools in Lake Elsinore, CA

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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.