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Dorothy McElhinney Middle

Q: Is Dorothy McElhinney Middle a good school?

Dorothy McElhinney Middle ranks 376 th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

376^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,740 California Middle Schools

Better than 86% of California middle schools

Summary

Dorothy McElhinney Middle serves 1,451 students in grades 6–8 in Murrieta, within Murrieta Valley Unified, and is one of 11 middle schools in the nearby comparison. Its clearest headline is strong achievement across subjects: in 2025–26, proficiency exceeded both state and district rates in ELA, math and science.

ELA is its strongest result, while math is comparatively weaker but still leads the nearby schools. The school’s ELA proficiency was 70%, compared with 49% statewide and 63% in the district; it was 9 percentage points ahead of the next-highest nearby school, Thompson Middle. Math proficiency was 52%, above the state’s 38% and the district’s 49%, and 3 points above nearby Warm Springs Middle, the next-highest. Science was 55%, versus 36% statewide and 48% in the district. It ranked third nearby, behind Warm Springs and Shivela Middle.

Results have improved substantially since 2022–23 in math and science: math rose from 41% to 52%, and science from 40% to 55%; ELA increased more modestly, from 68% to 70%, and slipped from 73% in 2024–25. SchoolDigger ranks the school 368th of 2,703 California schools, at the 86th percentile with 4 stars; its percentile rose from 81 in 2021–22 but is 2 points below the prior year. SchoolDigger’s subgroup measure places the school at the 62nd percentile for serving Asian students, below its 86th-percentile overall standing. Its English Language Learner Students ranking has varied sharply, from the 91st percentile in 2021–22 to the 66th in 2022–23 and 93rd in 2023–24. The 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 24.9, above the nearby average, while 46% were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25, below that average.

1,451

Students ?

24.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,471

Per pupil spending ?

46.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

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 — 80th percentile in 2015 → 86th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (60% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 14% of California middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

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 (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg55%

California avg42%

376^th of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Top 14%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

332^nd of 1,530Murrieta 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	84.5	376 of 2740	86.3%	★★★★☆
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
2026	84.9	52 of 594	91.2%	★★★★★
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
2026	65.7	302 of 777	61.1%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	85.5	328 of 2516	87.0%	★★★★☆
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
2026	89.9	142 of 2357	94.0%	★★★★★
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
2026	89.1	174 of 2529	93.1%	★★★★★
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
2026	80.7	413 of 2514	83.6%	★★★★☆
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
2026	76.3	38 of 181	79.0%	★★★★☆
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
2026	64.1	283 of 735	61.5%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	82.8	154 of 1605	90.4%	★★★★★
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
2026	69.0	432 of 1490	71.0%	★★★★☆
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)

Hispanic (2026)94th percentile+8 vs school

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

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)93rd percentile+7 vs school

African American (2026)91st percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2026)90th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)87th percentile~ school

Male (2026)84th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)83rd percentile+3 vs school

Military Connected (2026)79th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)71st percentile-15 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)61st percentile-25 vs school

Asian (2026)61st percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy70%+21 vs state

Science55%+19 vs state

Mathematics52%+14 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 (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
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
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
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
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
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%)	38.8	1536^th of 2740 public middle schools	43.9%		47.1	1261^st of 2761 public middle schools	54.3%	275	29.7	29.7	38.0	45.5	41.7	41.7	29.8	30.4	22.5	27.7	$17,404	$1,192	$16,212
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	1196^th of 2740 public middle schools	56.4%		55.4	1019^th of 2761 public middle schools	63.1%	177	26.0	26.0	42.8	50.5	59.0	50.4	30.4	36.0	32.7	33.0	$17,856	$1,200	$16,656
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
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
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
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%)	28.2	1899^th of 2740 public middle schools	30.7%		25.4	1982^nd of 2761 public middle schools	28.2%	83	22.8	22.8	35.9	37.3	40.1	37.8	18.1	21.0	21.3	20.1	$16,661	$1,624	$15,037

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 376^th of 2740 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 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.