Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! California test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Terra Cotta Middle

Public Grades 6-8

2342^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,703 California Middle Schools

Better than 13% of California middle schools

Summary

Terra Cotta Middle serves grades 6–8 and enrolls 1,026 students in Lake Elsinore, within the Lake Elsinore Unified area. In 2025–26, its proficiency rates were below district and state rates in English language arts (ELA), math and science. This consistent shortfall—not just one low subject score—is the school’s most important finding: Terra Cotta trails both the district and state across all three subjects and is at or near the bottom among nearby schools serving grades 6–8.

Science is Terra Cotta’s strongest subject relative to the district and state, while ELA is its weakest compared with nearby schools. Terra Cotta’s rates were 27% in ELA, 13% in math and 20% in science, versus 40%, 25% and 27% in the district and 49%, 38% and 36% statewide. The state leads by 23 points in ELA, 25 in math and 16 in science; district leads are 13, 12 and 7 points. Among nearby grade 6–8 schools, Terra Cotta had the lowest ELA rate and the second-lowest math and science rates; Tomas Rivera Middle was just below it in math and science.

Results have moved in different directions: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, ELA fell from 29% to 27% and math from 17% to 13%, while science rose from 15% to 20%. Even so, the gaps with the state widened by 5 points in ELA, 8 in math and 2 in science. SchoolDigger’s overall rating also declined, from the 33rd percentile in 2023–24 to the 13th percentile and 1 star in 2025–26; only Pinacate Middle and Tomas Rivera ranked lower among the ten nearby schools. Terra Cotta’s 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 24.4, the third-highest among 11 nearby schools, and 85% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile for Homeless Students fell from the 72nd in 2023–24 to the 15th in 2025–26, a sharp decline in its measure of how well the school serves that group.

1,026

Students ?

24.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,546

Per pupil spending ?

85.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

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%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Terra Cotta Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 40th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (20% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school20%

District avg31%

California avg42%

2,342^nd of 2,703

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From bottom 40% (2016) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

648^th of 968Lake 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
2026	16.5	2342 of 2703	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	18.0	526 of 583	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	17.7	2127 of 2483	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	18.8	1983 of 2325	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	22.8	376 of 442	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	19.2	2126 of 2493	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	15.6	2191 of 2478	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	21.9	1411 of 1586	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	15.7	1268 of 1482	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
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)

Disabled (2022)33rd percentile+10 vs school

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

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

Homeless (2026)15th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)15th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)15th percentile~ school

White (2026)14th percentile~ school

Female (2026)14th percentile~ school

Male (2026)12th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)11th percentile~ school

African American (2026)10th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy27%-23 vs state

Science20%-16 vs state

Mathematics13%-25 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Terra Cotta Middle and help other families decide.

Rate Terra Cotta Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Terra Cotta Middle

Load more schools when map is moved

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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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%)	16.5	2342^nd of 2703 public middle schools	13.4%		19.1	2265^th of 2761 public middle schools	18.0%	77	19.7	19.7	19.5	30.2	30.0	26.6	11.8	15.1	12.7	13.1	$19,546	$17,864	$1,682
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%)	32.1	1725^th of 2703 public middle schools	36.2%		28.2	1891^st of 2761 public middle schools	31.5%	166	28.9	28.9	37.0	39.9	35.8	37.6	18.3	28.2	23.2	23.3	$18,129	$16,832	$1,297
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%)	53.4	1081^st of 2703 public middle schools	60.0%		52.1	1131^st of 2761 public middle schools	59.0%	50	44.4	44.4	51.0	48.0	55.6	51.6	30.7	32.8	25.9	29.7	$20,027	$18,752	$1,275
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%)	55.1	1039^th of 2703 public middle schools	61.6%		58.1	945^th of 2761 public middle schools	65.8%	94	44.1	44.1	44.9	46.9	49.8	47.2	33.7	39.7	37.0	36.9	$15,147	$13,946	$1,201
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%)	26	1952^nd of 2703 public middle schools	27.8%		29.4	1849^th of 2761 public middle schools	33.0%	103	21.1	21.1	34.8	43.1	39.2	38.9	13.5	19.6	14.1	15.6	$19,760	$18,318	$1,442
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%)	9.9	2569^th of 2703 public middle schools	5.0%		11.6	2565^th of 2761 public middle schools	7.1%	4	11.9	11.9		20.4	15.6	17.8		12.9	6.6	9.5	$27,080	$25,938	$1,142
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%)	49.5	1182^nd of 2703 public middle schools	56.3%		55.4	1019^th of 2761 public middle schools	63.1%	163	26.0	26.0	42.8	50.5	59.0	50.4	30.4	36.0	32.7	33.0	$16,712	$15,512	$1,200
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%)	83.1	404^th of 2703 public middle schools	85.1%		86.6	342^nd of 2761 public middle schools	87.6%	62	54.4	54.4		66.3	58.5	62.4		58.9	56.2	57.6	$15,407	$14,480	$927
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%)	14.9	2407^th of 2703 public middle schools	11.0%		19.1	2264^th of 2761 public middle schools	18.0%	143	16.4	16.4	23.7	29.1	29.6	27.4	11.7	11.0	10.6	11.1	$18,696	$18,220	$476
Hans Christensen Middle	Public	6-8	27625 Sherman Rd.	Menifee	92584	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%)	30.8	1773^rd of 2703 public middle schools	34.4%		42.4	1409^th of 2761 public middle schools	49.0%	364	31.6	31.6	38.4	41.5	42.7	41.0	10.6	21.5	14.5	15.8	$22,870	$21,662	$1,208

Frequently Asked Questions about Terra Cotta Middle

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.

How many students attend Terra Cotta Middle?

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

What high school do graduates of Terra Cotta Middle attend?

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

What district is Terra Cotta Middle in?

Lake Elsinore Unified

Is Terra Cotta Middle a good school?

Terra Cotta Middle ranks in the bottom 13.4% of California middle schools.

Rate Terra Cotta Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Lake Elsinore, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Terra Cotta Middle!

Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

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.