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Margarita Middle

Q: Is Margarita Middle a good school?

Margarita Middle ranks 938 th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

938^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,740 California Middle Schools

Better than 66% of California middle schools

Summary

Margarita Middle is a Temecula school in Temecula Valley Unified, serving 731 students in grades 6–8 in a community with several nearby middle schools. Its clearest concern is academic performance: in 2025–26, Margarita ranked second-lowest among 11 area schools in ELA, math, and science, with only one nearby school scoring lower in each subject.

Science is Margarita’s strongest subject compared with the state, while math is its weakest relative to the district and nearby schools. ELA proficiency was 53%, above the state’s 49% but below the district’s 64% and the nearby-school average of 59%. Math was 37%, below the state’s 38%, the district’s 52%, and the nearby average of 46%. Science was 43%, ahead of the state’s 36% but behind the district’s 51% and nearby average of 51%. Margarita was also the lowest-scoring of the five nearby schools in its district in all three subjects. Seventh grade stands out as a particular challenge: proficiency in both ELA and math was below state and district rates.

Science has improved substantially, rising from 28% in 2022–23 to 43% in 2025–26; math rebounded from 30% to 37% in the past year but has barely increased over the full period. SchoolDigger gives Margarita 3 stars and a statewide ranking at the 66th percentile, up from the 58th percentile the prior year, but below most nearby schools. The 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 21.9, below the nearby-school average of 24.1; this lower ratio has coexisted with comparatively weak test results, but the figures do not show that one caused the other. In 2024–25, 54.7% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the highest share among nearby schools in the district; California provides free meals to all students statewide. SchoolDigger’s measure of how well the school serves students with disabilities rose to the 55th percentile in 2025–26 from the 23rd percentile the year before, while its measure for Multi-racial Students was at the 31st percentile.

731

Students ?

21.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,560

Per pupil spending ?

54.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

30600 Margarita Rd.
Temecula, CA 92591-1528

(951) 695-7370

District: Temecula Valley Unified

Students who attend Margarita Middle usually attend:

High:

Temecula Valley High

Feeder schools for Margarita Middle:

Elementary:	Rancho Elementary
	Vail Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.3%

White:

30.5%

Two or more races:

9.0%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Margarita Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 68th percentile in 2015 → 66th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the California median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Temecula Valley Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg56%

California avg42%

938^th of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Top 34%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Middle Schools in the Temecula Valley Unified

284^th of 1,530Temecula 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
2026	59.8	938 of 2740	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.4	1167 of 2761	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.1	931 of 2783	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.6	882 of 2781	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.6	909 of 2740	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.0	600 of 2715	77.9%	★★★★☆
2018	75.5	526 of 2480	78.8%	★★★★☆
2017	68.4	702 of 2508	72.0%	★★★★☆
2016	60.6	860 of 2497	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	62.9	799 of 2477	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	69.9	600 of 2379	74.8%	★★★★☆
2012	74.0	477 of 2259	78.9%	★★★★☆
2011	78.3	331 of 2236	85.2%	★★★★☆
2010	83.0	240 of 2179	89.0%	★★★★☆
2009	85.4	182 of 2063	91.2%	★★★★★
2008	84.0	213 of 2005	89.4%	★★★★☆
2007	84.5	224 of 1999	88.8%	★★★★☆
2006	84.8	207 of 1804	88.5%	★★★★☆
2005	85.4	189 of 1777	89.4%	★★★★☆
2004	85.3	193 of 1769	89.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	62.7	190 of 594	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.5	303 of 609	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	82.6	75 of 643	88.3%	★★★★☆
2018	69.4	146 of 600	75.7%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.5	490 of 777	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.2	402 of 715	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	67.7	304 of 1531	80.1%	★★★★☆
2019	78.1	204 of 1491	86.3%	★★★★☆
2018	81.2	152 of 1369	88.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	34.8	958 of 1478	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.3	603 of 1521	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.6	481 of 1540	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.7	695 of 1442	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.1	203 of 1364	85.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	55.4	949 of 2516	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.9	1163 of 2533	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.9	768 of 2551	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.6	809 of 2531	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.8	795 of 2509	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.7	544 of 2380	77.1%	★★★★☆
2018	72.5	552 of 2262	75.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	59.7	772 of 2357	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.0	1184 of 2395	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.5	815 of 2388	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.9	750 of 2374	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.4	741 of 2359	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.7	421 of 2213	81.0%	★★★★☆
2018	73.7	378 of 2072	81.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	54.7	943 of 2529	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.5	1247 of 2542	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	936 of 2579	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.6	1004 of 2531	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.3	869 of 2458	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.8	638 of 2369	73.1%	★★★★☆
2018	69.8	483 of 2230	78.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	61.7	823 of 2514	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.9	1064 of 2534	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.2	1035 of 2552	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.7	845 of 2538	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.7	861 of 2527	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.3	539 of 2407	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	76.2	479 of 2273	78.9%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	50.9	92 of 193	52.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	34.2	504 of 735	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.2	569 of 726	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	561 of 701	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.9	484 of 677	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.1	429 of 665	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.4	227 of 554	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.2	198 of 462	57.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.7	725 of 1605	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	27.0	1207 of 1566	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.6	761 of 1552	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.1	435 of 1531	71.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	55.0	650 of 1490	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.8	782 of 1520	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.6	692 of 1537	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.7	709 of 1543	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.0	734 of 1555	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.4	404 of 1602	74.8%	★★★★☆
2018	69.2	459 of 1496	69.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)80th percentile+13 vs school

African American (2026)68th percentile~ school

Male (2026)67th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)67th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)63rd percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)62nd percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)56th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2026)55th percentile-11 vs school

Military Connected (2022)52nd percentile-14 vs school

Asian (2026)37th percentile-29 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)35th percentile-31 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)31st percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy53%+4 vs state

Science43%+7 vs state

Mathematics37%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, March 3, 2018

Principal, administration and teachers are top notch. Lots of programs for the kids. Very open to parent involvement, the PTSA here is the best. Close Quote

Schools Near Margarita Middle

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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 (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
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%)	59.8	938^th of 2740 public middle schools	65.8%		50.4	1167^th of 2761 public middle schools	57.7%	229	43.4	43.4	57.0	44.9	59.1	53.5	40.7	32.1	37.1	36.6	$17,560	$1,610	$15,950
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%)	70.1	690^th of 2740 public middle schools	74.8%		81	458^th of 2761 public middle schools	83.4%	232	46.7	46.7	51.5	60.0	54.0	55.1	39.3	53.4	49.3	47.1	$17,184	$1,373	$15,811
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%)	86.7	321^st of 2740 public middle schools	88.3%		87.5	322^nd of 2761 public middle schools	88.3%	1	60.2	60.2	62.5	60.0	73.1	65.5	63.3	54.1	66.8	61.6	$16,022	$796	$15,226
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%)	78	514^th of 2740 public middle schools	81.2%		68.3	711^th of 2761 public middle schools	74.2%	197	64.2	64.2	54.6	58.8	66.3	59.7	53.8	46.4	48.4	49.7	$17,637	$87	$17,550
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%)	72.1	636^th of 2740 public middle schools	76.8%		79	494^th of 2761 public middle schools	82.1%	142	49.3	49.3	48.6	62.1	64.9	58.7	37.6	48.3	51.1	45.8	$16,010	$803	$15,207
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%)	82.2	431^st of 2740 public middle schools	84.3%		78.3	512^th of 2761 public middle schools	81.5%	81	60.5	60.5	60.9	60.3	73.6	64.9	52.4	49.8	53.3	51.9	$16,121	$928	$15,193
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%)	72.4	631^st of 2740 public middle schools	77.0%		81.8	446^th of 2761 public middle schools	83.8%	185	47.4	47.4	49.4	62.8	56.6	56.1	40.2	51.5	56.0	49.4	$17,959	$952	$17,007
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%)	72.1	640^th of 2740 public middle schools	76.6%		67.6	725^th of 2761 public middle schools	73.7%	85	58.9	58.9	49.2	59.7	59.6	56.3	40.5	45.6	49.5	45.3	$14,740	$104	$14,636
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%)	84.5	376^th of 2740 public middle schools	86.3%		86.9	339^th of 2761 public middle schools	87.7%	37	54.7	54.7	63.4	74.2	72.5	70.1	47.2	55.3	53.8	52.2	$14,471	$63	$14,408
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%)	75	569^th of 2740 public middle schools	79.2%		73.8	609^th of 2761 public middle schools	77.9%	40	48.5	48.5	60.6	66.0	58.1	61.5	48.3	43.9	46.8	46.3	$14,407	$65	$14,342

Frequently Asked Questions about Margarita Middle

What high school do graduates of Margarita Middle attend?

Students who attend Margarita Middle usually go on to attend Temecula Valley High

How many students attend Margarita Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 731 students attended Margarita Middle.

What district is Margarita Middle in?

Temecula Valley Unified

Is Margarita Middle a good school?

Margarita Middle ranks 938^th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Margarita Middle?

Students at Margarita Middle are 47% Hispanic, 31% White, 9% Two or more races, 8% Asian, 4% African American.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 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.