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Waterford Junior

Public Grades 7-8
1236th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 2,761 California Middle Schools
Better than 55% of California middle schools
Summary

Waterford Junior is a public middle school serving about 260 students in grades 7-8 in the rural Waterford Unified district, where it stands out for achieving solid academic results despite serving a community with significant economic need.

The school performs better than many nearby middle schools with similar challenges, particularly in supporting specific student groups. For instance, its English Language Learners and students with disabilities consistently score in the state's top percentiles, a remarkable achievement. Compared to other local schools like Cesar Chavez Junior High or Turlock Junior High, Waterford Junior often has higher math and English proficiency rates. It also benefits from smaller class sizes than many neighbors, such as Lucille Whitehead Intermediate in its own district, which it significantly outperforms academically.

While the school has shown strong recovery since the pandemic, areas to watch include a recent gap in performance between male and female students and lower scores in science. Its chronic absenteeism rate, though improved, remains a focus. Overall, Waterford Junior is recognized for its resilience and effective use of resources to support its students' success.

260
Students ?
17.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$18,839
Per pupil spending ?
93.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 12916 Bentley St.
       Waterford, CA  95386-9017

(209) 874-2382

District: Waterford Unified


Students who attend Waterford Junior usually attend:

High:    Waterford High

Feeder schools for Waterford Junior:

Elementary:    Richard M. Moon Primary
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
69.6%
White:
23.1%
Two or more races:
3.8%
more
 See top rated California middle schools

 Compare Waterford Junior to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 35th percentile in 2015 → 55th in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2015
Above the California median (55th percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school36%
District avg30%
California avg41%
1,236th of 2,761
California public middle schools ?
Top 45%▲ up 20 pts since 2015
From bottom 35% (2015) to top 45% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202547.91236 of 276155.2%★★★☆☆
202456.0992 of 278364.4%★★★☆☆
202363.7799 of 278171.3%★★★★☆
202243.41354 of 274050.6%★★★☆☆
202125.6667 of 89425.4%★☆☆☆☆
201941.71392 of 271548.7%★★☆☆☆
201843.71260 of 248049.2%★★☆☆☆
201730.41666 of 250833.6%★★☆☆☆
201649.71119 of 249755.2%★★★☆☆
201531.11602 of 247735.3%★★☆☆☆
201343.91320 of 237944.5%★★☆☆☆
201239.61368 of 225939.4%★★☆☆☆
201134.41519 of 223632.1%★★☆☆☆
201038.91336 of 217938.7%★★☆☆☆
200933.71372 of 206333.5%★★☆☆☆
200829.81443 of 200528.0%★☆☆☆☆
200730.21385 of 199930.7%★★☆☆☆
200637.31079 of 180440.2%★★☆☆☆
200535.41100 of 177738.1%★★☆☆☆
200434.81084 of 176938.7%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202255.7469 of 153169.4%★★★☆☆
202135.1212 of 35440.1%★★☆☆☆
201939.4759 of 149149.1%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202475.7116 of 147892.2%★★★★★
202382.0100 of 152193.4%★★★★★
202265.2238 of 154084.5%★★★★☆
202149.0109 of 36370.0%★★★★☆
201954.9362 of 144274.9%★★★★☆
201845.8497 of 136463.6%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202534.41543 of 253339.1%★★☆☆☆
202449.21088 of 255157.4%★★★☆☆
202367.1684 of 253173.0%★★★★☆
202246.81149 of 250954.2%★★★☆☆
202122.0594 of 73819.5%★☆☆☆☆
201945.31177 of 238050.5%★★★☆☆
201841.91241 of 226245.1%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202551.1992 of 239558.6%★★★☆☆
202466.2588 of 238875.4%★★★★☆
202375.2395 of 237483.4%★★★★☆
202254.7867 of 235963.2%★★★☆☆
201946.01058 of 221352.2%★★★☆☆
201849.8920 of 207255.6%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202557.9836 of 254267.1%★★★☆☆
202467.2592 of 257977.0%★★★★☆
202376.9383 of 253184.9%★★★★☆
202251.1983 of 245860.0%★★★☆☆
202139.6419 of 72141.9%★★☆☆☆
201953.5917 of 236961.3%★★★☆☆
201857.8748 of 223066.5%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202560.9823 of 253467.5%★★★☆☆
202461.6785 of 255269.2%★★★☆☆
202358.4852 of 253866.4%★★★☆☆
202240.41327 of 252747.5%★★☆☆☆
202129.9515 of 76332.5%★★☆☆☆
201935.21455 of 240739.6%★★☆☆☆
201843.71156 of 227349.1%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202546.7645 of 156658.8%★★★☆☆
202476.1218 of 155286.0%★★★★☆
202361.6380 of 153175.2%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202559.6615 of 152059.5%★★★☆☆
202443.3840 of 153745.3%★★☆☆☆
202347.4792 of 154348.7%★★☆☆☆
202228.31130 of 155527.3%★☆☆☆☆
201938.5985 of 160238.5%★★☆☆☆
201841.5873 of 149641.6%★★☆☆☆
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)
English Language Learner (2024)92nd percentile+28 vs school
Disabled (2022)69th percentile+19 vs school
Male (2025)68th percentile+12 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)67th percentile+12 vs school
White (2025)60th percentile+4 vs school
Special Education (2025)59th percentile+4 vs school
Hispanic (2025)59th percentile+3 vs school
Female (2025)39th percentile-16 vs school
By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy43%-6 vs state
Mathematics35%~ state avg
Science28%-5 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Waterford Junior

Students who attend Waterford Junior usually go on to attend Waterford High

Waterford Junior ranks 1236th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at Waterford Junior are 70% Hispanic, 23% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

In the 2024-25 school year, 260 students attended Waterford Junior.


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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.





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