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Dorothy McElhinney Middle

Q: Is Dorothy McElhinney Middle a good school?

Dorothy McElhinney Middle ranks 339 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

339^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 88% of California middle schools

Summary

Dorothy McElhinney Middle is a high-performing public school serving about 1,450 students in grades 6-8 within the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, consistently ranking among the top middle schools in the state.

The school stands out for its strong academic results, significantly outperforming both the district and state averages in all core subjects, and is the highest-achieving middle school in the immediate area. It excels in supporting all students, with historically underserved subgroups ranking in the state's top percentiles, and it maintains the lowest rate of chronic absenteeism among nearby schools at just 11.5%, a key factor in its success. Furthermore, the school achieves these excellent outcomes while spending less per student than most comparison schools, such as Warm Springs Middle and Ethan A Chase Middle, demonstrating efficient and effective operations.

Dorothy McElhinney Middle shows consistent, year-over-year improvement and has made a remarkable recovery in student attendance since the pandemic. While mathematics presents a relative area for growth compared to its own stellar English scores, the school still outperforms all local competitors, including James L. Day Middle in Temecula Valley Unified. Its ability to deliver top-tier education for all students with moderate resources makes it a model of effective and equitable public education in the region.

1,451

Students ?

24.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,319

Per pupil spending ?

46.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

35125 Briggs Rd.
Murrieta, CA 92563-2346

(951) 304-1885

District: Murrieta Valley Unified

Students who attend Dorothy McElhinney Middle usually attend:

High:

Vista Murrieta High

Feeder schools for Dorothy McElhinney Middle:

Elementary:	Lisa J. Mails Elementary
	Monte Vista Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

36.7%

White:

35.1%

Two or more races:

10.8%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Dorothy McElhinney Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 73rd percentile in 2013 → 88th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (61% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% 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 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school61%

District avg54%

California avg41%

339^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 12%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From top 20% (2015) to top 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Middle Schools in the Murrieta Valley Unified

322^nd of 1,543Murrieta 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	86.9	339 of 2761	87.7%	★★★★☆
2024	83.9	400 of 2783	85.6%	★★★★☆
2023	79.0	510 of 2781	81.7%	★★★★☆
2022	78.1	524 of 2740	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	84.6	377 of 2715	86.1%	★★★★☆
2018	81.5	424 of 2480	82.9%	★★★★☆
2017	82.2	410 of 2508	83.7%	★★★★☆
2016	82.4	386 of 2497	84.5%	★★★★☆
2015	77.1	489 of 2477	80.3%	★★★★☆
2013	68.1	647 of 2379	72.8%	★★★★☆
2012	71.8	525 of 2259	76.8%	★★★★☆
2011	73.9	440 of 2236	80.3%	★★★★☆
2010	71.8	509 of 2179	76.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.0	19 of 609	96.9%	★★★★★
2024	85.2	61 of 627	90.3%	★★★★★
2023	86.4	48 of 613	92.2%	★★★★★
2022	74.4	124 of 637	80.5%	★★★★☆
2019	88.0	42 of 643	93.5%	★★★★★
2018	90.6	29 of 600	95.2%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.3	259 of 739	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.6	301 of 743	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.4	466 of 715	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.7	418 of 733	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.1	490 of 745	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.2	446 of 700	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	72.3	253 of 1531	83.5%	★★★★☆
2019	83.3	151 of 1491	89.9%	★★★★☆
2018	80.6	159 of 1369	88.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	78.0	100 of 1478	93.2%	★★★★★
2023	47.1	515 of 1521	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.5	139 of 1540	91.0%	★★★★★
2019	76.1	160 of 1442	88.9%	★★★★☆
2018	81.0	137 of 1364	90.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.1	357 of 2533	85.9%	★★★★☆
2024	81.2	419 of 2551	83.6%	★★★★☆
2023	75.5	513 of 2531	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	76.7	496 of 2509	80.2%	★★★★☆
2019	84.8	324 of 2380	86.4%	★★★★☆
2018	83.8	334 of 2262	85.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.1	89 of 2395	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	92.5	114 of 2388	95.2%	★★★★★
2023	86.7	195 of 2374	91.8%	★★★★★
2022	84.4	214 of 2359	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	89.2	152 of 2213	93.1%	★★★★★
2018	84.9	198 of 2072	90.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.0	119 of 2542	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	89.3	199 of 2579	92.3%	★★★★★
2023	83.8	263 of 2531	89.6%	★★★★☆
2022	78.9	320 of 2458	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	84.2	224 of 2369	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	77.9	324 of 2230	85.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.0	314 of 2534	87.6%	★★★★☆
2024	84.1	356 of 2552	86.1%	★★★★☆
2023	80.3	432 of 2538	83.0%	★★★★☆
2022	77.5	482 of 2527	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	81.8	386 of 2407	84.0%	★★★★☆
2018	76.0	485 of 2273	78.7%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.5	35 of 194	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	83.2	25 of 192	87.0%	★★★★☆
2023	78.6	39 of 197	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	68.7	53 of 193	72.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.9	231 of 726	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.0	284 of 701	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.4	330 of 677	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.4	332 of 665	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.7	248 of 554	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.8	253 of 462	45.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.0	160 of 1566	89.8%	★★★★☆
2024	83.0	154 of 1552	90.1%	★★★★★
2023	73.2	229 of 1531	85.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	398 of 1520	73.8%	★★★★☆
2024	66.2	483 of 1537	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.6	485 of 1543	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.5	492 of 1555	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.7	382 of 1602	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	70.1	437 of 1496	70.8%	★★★★☆

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)97th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)96th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile+8 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)93rd percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2025)90th percentile~ school

Male (2025)88th percentile~ school

Female (2025)86th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)83rd percentile+3 vs school

Military Connected (2025)82nd percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)74th percentile-14 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)68th percentile-20 vs school

Asian (2025)65th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy73%+24 vs state

Mathematics53%+15 vs state

Science51%+19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dorothy McElhinney 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 (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
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	$19,319	$19,256	$63
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	$17,547	$16,744	$803
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	$25,627	$25,540	$87
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	$19,816	$19,712	$104
Bell Mountain Middle	Public	6-8	28525 La Piedra Dr.	Menifee	92584	Riverside County	Menifee Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 301-8496	1,066	44	24.4	61.6%	208 (19.5%)	52 (4.9%)	497 (46.6%)	61 (5.7%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.4%)	242 (22.7%)	47.1	1261^st of 2761 public middle schools	54.3%		49.7	1181^st of 2783 public middle schools	57.6%	80	32.1	32.1	50.9	37.6	41.9	43.5	39.8	28.7	26.7	31.8	$15,816	$14,624	$1,192
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	$16,712	$15,512	$1,200
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	$19,325	$17,952	$1,373
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	$19,840	$18,230	$1,610
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	$19,189	$19,124	$65
Ethan A Chase Middle	Public	6-8	28100 Calm Horizon Dr.	Menifee	92585	Riverside County	Romoland Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 926-9244	1,447	58	24.7	74.8%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25.4	1982^nd of 2761 public middle schools	28.2%		27.4	1926^th of 2783 public middle schools	30.8%	56	13.2	13.2	35.3	39.7	33.5	36.1	19.3	18.3	16.0	17.8	$20,042	$18,418	$1,624

Frequently Asked Questions about Dorothy McElhinney Middle

What high school do graduates of Dorothy McElhinney Middle attend?

Students who attend Dorothy McElhinney Middle usually go on to attend Vista Murrieta High

Is Dorothy McElhinney Middle a good school?

Dorothy McElhinney Middle ranks 339^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Dorothy McElhinney Middle?

Students at Dorothy McElhinney Middle are 37% Hispanic, 35% White, 11% Two or more races, 11% Asian, 6% African American.

How many students attend Dorothy McElhinney Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,451 students attended Dorothy McElhinney Middle.

What district is Dorothy McElhinney Middle in?

Murrieta Valley Unified

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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.