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James L. Day Middle

Q: Is James L. Day Middle a good school?

James L. Day Middle ranks 458 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

458^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 83% of California middle schools

Summary

James L. Day Middle is a consistently high-performing public school serving about 930 students in grades 6-8 within the Temecula Valley Unified district, maintaining a strong 4-star rating for nearly a decade and ranking among the top 20% of all California middle schools.

The school stands out for its exceptional support for all students, with academic results that consistently beat both district and state averages, especially in English Language Arts and Science. A key insight is its remarkable effectiveness compared to its closest neighbor, Margarita Middle; despite serving families with similar economic backgrounds, James L. Day achieves significantly higher test scores and better attendance, demonstrating that strong school leadership and teaching make a real difference. The school also shows impressive, consistent improvement in reducing chronic absenteeism, a trend that outpaces both the district and state.

While math scores present an ongoing focus area, the school's overall performance is notable for its stability and for exceeding the results of many nearby schools with more advantaged demographics, such as Vail Ranch Middle. This success, shared across other high-performing schools in the Temecula Valley Unified district, points to effective use of resources and strong district-wide support systems that benefit every student.

932

Students ?

22.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,527

Per pupil spending ?

42%

Free/discounted lunch ?

40775 Camino Campos Verdes
Temecula, CA 92591-1849

(951) 699-8138

District: Temecula Valley Unified

Students who attend James L. Day Middle usually attend:

High:

Chaparral High

Feeder schools for James L. Day Middle:

Elementary:	Nicolas Valley Elementary
	Temecula Elementary
	Ysabel Barnett Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

37.6%

White:

33.7%

Asian:

12.9%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare James L. Day Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 68th percentile in 2013 → 83rd in 2025

Strengths

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

✓Ranks in the top 17% of California middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 15 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg55%

California avg41%

458^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 17%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Middle Schools in the Temecula Valley Unified

308^th of 1,543Temecula Valley 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	81.0	458 of 2761	83.4%	★★★★☆
2024	78.8	512 of 2783	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	76.1	557 of 2781	80.0%	★★★★☆
2022	81.0	452 of 2740	83.5%	★★★★☆
2019	80.5	475 of 2715	82.5%	★★★★☆
2018	82.8	394 of 2480	84.1%	★★★★☆
2017	78.1	513 of 2508	79.5%	★★★★☆
2016	80.5	436 of 2497	82.5%	★★★★☆
2015	80.2	425 of 2477	82.8%	★★★★☆
2013	64.8	754 of 2379	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.2	699 of 2259	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.3	672 of 2236	69.9%	★★★★☆
2010	69.3	569 of 2179	73.9%	★★★★☆
2009	79.6	297 of 2063	85.6%	★★★★☆
2008	78.0	323 of 2005	83.9%	★★★★☆
2007	80.6	294 of 1999	85.3%	★★★★☆
2006	75.7	363 of 1804	79.9%	★★★★☆
2005	76.6	340 of 1777	80.9%	★★★★☆
2004	77.8	318 of 1769	82.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.7	55 of 609	91.0%	★★★★★
2024	78.1	94 of 627	85.0%	★★★★☆
2023	51.5	254 of 613	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	87.9	49 of 637	92.3%	★★★★★
2019	77.9	104 of 643	83.8%	★★★★☆
2018	72.4	124 of 600	79.3%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.4	343 of 739	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.0	311 of 743	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.1	245 of 715	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.4	223 of 733	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.3	437 of 745	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	69.3	244 of 700	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	52.4	523 of 1531	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.8	448 of 1491	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	67.9	268 of 1369	80.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	64.5	215 of 1478	85.5%	★★★★☆
2023	50.0	453 of 1521	70.2%	★★★★☆
2022	67.0	224 of 1540	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	44.8	546 of 1442	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.6	194 of 1364	85.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.4	454 of 2533	82.1%	★★★★☆
2024	79.4	449 of 2551	82.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.7	422 of 2531	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	83.8	365 of 2509	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	77.9	465 of 2380	80.5%	★★★★☆
2018	80.8	389 of 2262	82.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.0	324 of 2395	86.5%	★★★★☆
2024	77.7	372 of 2388	84.4%	★★★★☆
2023	75.3	392 of 2374	83.5%	★★★★☆
2022	78.5	325 of 2359	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	77.9	348 of 2213	84.3%	★★★★☆
2018	80.1	275 of 2072	86.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.2	331 of 2542	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	83.4	287 of 2579	88.9%	★★★★☆
2023	75.6	410 of 2531	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	82.9	246 of 2458	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	76.0	379 of 2369	84.0%	★★★★☆
2018	82.2	243 of 2230	89.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.8	436 of 2534	82.8%	★★★★☆
2024	75.5	517 of 2552	79.7%	★★★★☆
2023	69.9	609 of 2538	76.0%	★★★★☆
2022	77.0	492 of 2527	80.5%	★★★★☆
2019	80.4	412 of 2407	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	82.2	369 of 2273	83.8%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.6	45 of 194	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	78.1	34 of 193	82.4%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.2	220 of 726	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.7	334 of 701	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.1	250 of 677	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.6	197 of 665	70.4%	★★★★☆
2019	58.3	263 of 554	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.6	149 of 462	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.7	362 of 1566	76.9%	★★★★☆
2024	54.9	481 of 1552	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.1	445 of 1531	70.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.6	457 of 1520	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.3	464 of 1537	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.9	616 of 1543	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.1	365 of 1555	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	75.8	345 of 1602	78.5%	★★★★☆
2018	73.8	379 of 1496	74.7%	★★★★☆

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)

African American (2025)91st percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)87th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)86th percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)85th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)83rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)82nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)77th percentile-7 vs school

Military Connected (2025)77th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)70th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)70th percentile-14 vs school

Disabled (2022)66th percentile-18 vs school

Asian (2025)54th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy65%+17 vs state

Mathematics49%+12 vs state

Science49%+16 vs state

★

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Schools Near James L. Day 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
James L. Day Middle	Public	6-8	40775 Camino Campos Verdes	Temecula	92591	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 699-8138	932	41	22.9	42.0%	314 (33.7%)	35 (3.8%)	350 (37.6%)	120 (12.9%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.4%)	107 (11.5%)	81	458^th of 2761 public middle schools	83.4%		78.8	512^th of 2783 public middle schools	81.6%	54	49.1	49.1	60.2	64.4	70.7	65.4	43.6	51.4	52.5	49.4	$15,527	$1,578	$13,949
Margarita Middle	Public	6-8	30600 Margarita Rd.	Temecula	92591	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 695-7370	731	33	21.9	54.7%	223 (30.5%)	30 (4.1%)	346 (47.3%)	61 (8.3%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	66 (9.0%)	50.4	1167^th of 2761 public middle schools	57.7%		58.1	931^st of 2783 public middle schools	66.5%	236	36.6	36.6	48.3	50.5	42.6	46.9	24.9	35.7	30.2	30.1	$16,038	$1,758	$14,280
Warm Springs Middle	Public	6-8	39245 Calle de Fortuna	Murrieta	92563	Riverside County	Murrieta Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 696-3503	755	34	22.0	62.9%	188 (24.9%)	46 (6.1%)	358 (47.4%)	75 (9.9%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	83 (11.0%)	68.3	711^th of 2761 public middle schools	74.2%		74.1	607^th of 2783 public middle schools	78.2%	104	48.8	48.8	50.0	60.4	51.2	53.9	45.2	41.6	39.2	41.9	$16,007	$480	$15,527
Temecula Middle	Public	6-8	42075 Meadows Pkwy.	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 302-5151	1,012	40	25.3	26.2%	470 (46.4%)	17 (1.7%)	336 (33.2%)	80 (7.9%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	105 (10.4%)	87.5	322^nd of 2761 public middle schools	88.3%		83.7	404^th of 2783 public middle schools	85.5%	82	53.3	53.3	64.0	67.5	72.2	68.1	49.8	62.1	63.8	58.9	$14,379	$1,000	$13,379
Bella Vista Middle	Public	6-8	31650 Browning St.	Murrieta	92563	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 294-6600	1,249	54	22.9	36.4%	404 (32.3%)	67 (5.4%)	496 (39.7%)	154 (12.3%)	3 (0.2%)	4 (0.3%)	121 (9.7%)	79	494^th of 2761 public middle schools	82.1%		75.4	578^th of 2783 public middle schools	79.2%	84	48.4	48.4	64.7	61.7	70.5	66.0	46.2	43.7	46.6	45.6	$14,399	$969	$13,430
Shivela Middle	Public	6-8	24515 Lincoln Ave.	Murrieta	92562	Riverside County	Murrieta Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 696-1406	1,282	46	27.8	66.1%	331 (25.8%)	87 (6.8%)	604 (47.1%)	106 (8.3%)	4 (0.3%)	14 (1.1%)	135 (10.5%)	67.6	725^th of 2761 public middle schools	73.7%		72.1	650^th of 2783 public middle schools	76.6%	75	45.1	45.1	53.2	58.6	49.6	53.8	41.2	42.2	42.4	42.0	$14,632	$433	$14,199
Erle Stanley Gardner Middle	Public	6-8	45125 Via Del Coronado	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 699-0080	1,008	42	23.9	36.4%	328 (32.5%)	23 (2.3%)	364 (36.1%)	184 (18.3%)	12 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	97 (9.6%)	78.3	512^th of 2761 public middle schools	81.5%		89	300^th of 2783 public middle schools	89.2%	212	45.1	45.1	59.1	71.0	60.5	63.6	46.4	53.4	44.2	48.0	$14,269	$1,078	$13,191
Vail Ranch Middle	Public	6-8	33340 Camino Piedra Rojo	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 302-5188	765	36	21.1	26.8%	312 (40.8%)	21 (2.7%)	234 (30.6%)	98 (12.8%)	6 (0.8%)	5 (0.7%)	89 (11.6%)	81.8	446^th of 2761 public middle schools	83.8%		80.3	471^st of 2783 public middle schools	83.1%	25	51.7	51.7	65.5	66.0	55.9	62.3	57.7	54.4	47.1	52.8	$16,013	$1,151	$14,862
Thompson Middle	Public	6-8	24040 Hayes Ave.	Murrieta	92562	Riverside County	Murrieta Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 696-1410	1,565	62	25.2	49.5%	656 (41.9%)	57 (3.6%)	606 (38.7%)	93 (5.9%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	145 (9.3%)	73.8	609^th of 2761 public middle schools	77.9%		75.2	582^nd of 2783 public middle schools	79.1%	27	43.0	43.0	58.4	60.5	59.4	59.5	46.1	43.1	46.6	45.3	$13,691	$418	$13,273
Dorothy McElhinney Middle	Public	6-8	35125 Briggs Rd.	Murrieta	92563	Riverside County	Murrieta Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 304-1885	1,451	58	24.9	46.2%	509 (35.1%)	88 (6.1%)	533 (36.7%)	154 (10.6%)	2 (0.1%)	8 (0.6%)	157 (10.8%)	86.9	339^th of 2761 public middle schools	87.7%		83.9	400^th of 2783 public middle schools	85.6%	61	51.4	51.4	68.6	76.6	72.7	72.8	53.6	50.8	53.4	52.6	$13,425	$317	$13,108

Frequently Asked Questions about James L. Day Middle

What district is James L. Day Middle in?

Temecula Valley Unified

How many students attend James L. Day Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 932 students attended James L. Day Middle.

Is James L. Day Middle a good school?

James L. Day Middle ranks 458^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of James L. Day Middle attend?

Students who attend James L. Day Middle usually go on to attend Chaparral High

What is the racial makeup of James L. Day Middle?

Students at James L. Day Middle are 38% Hispanic, 34% White, 13% Asian, 11% Two or more races, 4% African American.

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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.