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Pioneer Middle

Q: Is Pioneer Middle a good school?

Pioneer Middle ranks 1285 th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1285^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,740 California Middle Schools

Better than 53% of California middle schools

Summary

Pioneer Middle serves 754 students in grades 6–8 in Porterville, California, within Porterville Unified. It is the largest school in the nearby comparison, and SchoolDigger ranks it in the 53rd percentile statewide for 2025–2026, with 3 stars. The main takeaway is that math is Pioneer’s clearest academic strength, while science remains its most notable shortfall against state and district results.

In 2025–2026, Pioneer’s math proficiency was 33%—3 percentage points above the district and 5 below the state—and the highest among the eight nearby schools compared. Its ELA result was 47%, 2 points above the district and 2 below the state; it ranked third locally. Pioneer also exceeded the nearby-school averages in math and ELA by 9 and 7 points, respectively. Science was weaker: 25% was 4 points below the district and 11 below the state, although slightly above the nearby-school average; Pioneer ranked fifth locally. Grade results vary: eighth grade was above the state in ELA and math, while seventh grade fell below state results in both.

Results have improved overall: math rose from 20% in 2022–2023 to 33% in 2025–2026, while ELA increased from 40% to 47%; science rose from 20% to 25% but remains well below state and district levels. SchoolDigger’s overall ranking improved from the 43rd percentile and 2 stars in 2024–2025 to the 53rd percentile and 3 stars. Pioneer’s student-teacher ratio was 19.4 in 2024–2025, close to the nearby-school average of 19.1. Its reported free/reduced lunch-eligible measure was 94% in 2024–2025, above the nearby average of 87%; chronic absenteeism reached 20% in 2025–2026, higher than the state, district and nearby average. SchoolDigger’s group rankings indicate stronger relative standing in serving migrant students (84th percentile) and lower, sharply fluctuating standing for students receiving special education (28th percentile, down from 59th the year before).

754

Students ?

19.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,870

Per pupil spending ?

93.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

225 East College Ave.
Porterville, CA 93257-6062

(559) 782-7200

District: Porterville Unified

Students who attend Pioneer Middle usually attend:

High:

Porterville High

Feeder schools for Pioneer Middle:

Elementary:	John J. Doyle Elementary
	Santa Fe Elementary
	Vandalia Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.3%

American Indian:

6.9%

White:

3.2%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Pioneer Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 19th percentile in 2015 → 53rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 34 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Science scores 11 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg36%

California avg42%

1,285^th of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 36 pts since 2016

From bottom 17% (2016) to top 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Middle Schools in the Porterville Unified

879^th of 1,530Porterville 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	46.7	1285 of 2740	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	36.9	1585 of 2761	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.8	1470 of 2783	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	1556 of 2781	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.7	1967 of 2740	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.6	1845 of 2715	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.4	1778 of 2480	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.6	2084 of 2508	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.5	2079 of 2497	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.7	1999 of 2477	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.1	1743 of 2379	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.7	1612 of 2259	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.0	1642 of 2236	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.5	1530 of 2179	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	31.6	1428 of 2063	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	30.5	1415 of 2005	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	15.1	1772 of 1999	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	20.6	1473 of 1804	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	36.3	1084 of 1777	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	32.6	1144 of 1769	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	33.0	959 of 1531	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.9	1125 of 1491	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.6	1194 of 1369	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	63.3	229 of 1478	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	51.5	418 of 1521	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	50.5	460 of 1540	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	49.6	432 of 1442	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	35.5	765 of 1364	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.6	1246 of 2516	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.8	1530 of 2533	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.0	1310 of 2551	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.9	1361 of 2531	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.8	1767 of 2509	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	1664 of 2380	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.5	1630 of 2262	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	67.7	579 of 2357	75.4%	★★★★☆
2025	53.2	919 of 2395	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.5	790 of 2388	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.0	866 of 2374	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.4	1377 of 2359	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.2	1277 of 2213	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.8	1268 of 2072	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	58.8	837 of 2529	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.5	1091 of 2542	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.5	1025 of 2579	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.9	1056 of 2531	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.5	1557 of 2458	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	1386 of 2369	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.9	1565 of 2230	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	47.1	1170 of 2514	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.1	1431 of 2534	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.8	1421 of 2552	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.5	1509 of 2538	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.0	1847 of 2527	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.6	1737 of 2407	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	1716 of 2273	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	76.5	17 of 106	84.0%	★★★★☆
2025	88.1	6 of 95	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	84.5	6 of 94	93.6%	★★★★★
2023	80.2	10 of 86	88.4%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	20.6	139 of 181	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.4	6 of 12	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.9	6 of 10	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.0	11 of 16	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.5	11 of 15	26.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.1	9 of 19	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.1	12 of 18	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	29.3	1156 of 1605	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	47.1	635 of 1566	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.4	1088 of 1552	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	1043 of 1531	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	35.9	964 of 1537	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	13.1	1396 of 1555	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	1283 of 1602	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.1	1289 of 1496	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)85th percentile+37 vs school

Migrant (2026)84th percentile+31 vs school

Hispanic (2026)75th percentile+22 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)67th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)53rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)50th percentile-3 vs school

Native American (2025)50th percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2022)37th percentile+9 vs school

White (2024)37th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2026)28th percentile-25 vs school

Military Connected (2026)23rd percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy47%~ state avg

Mathematics33%-5 vs state

Science25%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pioneer 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 5th Grade	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 5th Grade	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
Pioneer Middle	Public	6-8	225 East College Ave.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Porterville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 782-7200	754	39	19.4	93.9%	24 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	658 (87.3%)	9 (1.2%)	52 (6.9%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (1.3%)	46.7	1285^th of 2740 public middle schools	53.1%		36.9	1585^th of 2761 public middle schools	42.6%	300	25.3	25.3		47.5	43.2	51.4	47.2		33.0	28.0	39.6	33.3	$19,870	$1,255	$18,615
Bartlett Middle	Public	7-8	335 North G St.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Porterville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 782-7100	443	25	17.8	97.1%	32 (7.2%)	2 (0.5%)	395 (89.2%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.1%)	23.9	2044^th of 2740 public middle schools	25.4%		23.9	2058^th of 2761 public middle schools	25.5%	14	26.5	26.5			32.8	23.9	28.0			24.9	16.0	20.1	$21,920	$1,112	$20,808
Burton Community Day	Public	2-8	264 North Westwood St.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Burton Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 781-8020	1	1	2.0	—	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Sequoia Middle	Public	7-8	1450 West Castle Ave.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Porterville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 788-0923	532	25	21.2	85.5%	67 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	435 (81.8%)	16 (3.0%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.9%)	55.6	1042^nd of 2740 public middle schools	62.0%		52.6	1114^th of 2761 public middle schools	59.7%	72	39.6	39.6			48.7	56.4	52.6			30.2	35.3	32.8	$21,556	$1,280	$20,276
Burton Middle	Public	7-8	1155 North Elderwood St.	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Burton Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 781-2671	586	28	20.5	83.6%	69 (11.8%)	3 (0.5%)	450 (76.8%)	33 (5.6%)	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.1%)	35.9	1628^th of 2740 public middle schools	40.6%		43.5	1381^st of 2761 public middle schools	50.0%	247	19.1	19.1			36.3	39.8	38.2			37.2	29.2	32.8	$20,121	$379	$19,742
Carl Smith Middle	Public	6-8	23825 Avenue 92	Terra Bella	93270	Tulare County	Terra Bella Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 535-4451	262	13	20.1	93.1%	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	256 (97.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	30.4	1815^th of 2740 public middle schools	33.8%		37.2	1571^st of 2761 public middle schools	43.1%	244	15.6	15.6		39.3	34.4	44.3	39.3		18.0	20.2	31.1	23.7	$19,084	$699	$18,385
Buena Vista Community Day	Public	4-8	18900 Ave. 145	Porterville	93257	Tulare County	Pleasant View Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 788-2002	2	1	1.9	—	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (50.0%)								(n/a)													$22,775	$3,015	$19,760
Pixley Middle	Public	6-8	1520 East Ct. St.	Pixley	93256	Tulare County	Pixley Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 757-3018	297	17	17.1	96.3%	4 (1.3%)	4 (1.3%)	286 (96.3%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32.7	1729^th of 2740 public middle schools	36.9%		28.3	1886^th of 2761 public middle schools	31.7%	157	25.5	25.5		38.8	48.8	41.2	42.8		22.4	17.9	18.6	19.6	$25,755	$3,070	$22,685
Earlimart Middle	Public	6-8	599 South Sutter St.	Earlimart	93219	Tulare County	Earlimart Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 849-2611	479	26	18.1	72.9%	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	463 (96.7%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	15.8	2396^th of 2740 public middle schools	12.6%		15	2438^th of 2761 public middle schools	11.7%	42	9.6	9.6		14.5	29.6	42.3	29.6		5.3	9.9	12.7	9.5	$24,763	$1,795	$22,968
Wilson Middle	Public	6-8	710 West Maple St.	Exeter	93221	Tulare County	Exeter Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 592-2144	523	28	18.8	79.9%	131 (25.0%)	1 (0.2%)	385 (73.6%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	48.3	1240^th of 2740 public middle schools	54.7%		37	1580^th of 2761 public middle schools	42.8%	340	31.7	31.7		47.7	48.2	48.2	48.0		31.6	35.1	28.8	31.9	$19,149	$1,061	$18,088

Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer Middle

What district is Pioneer Middle in?

Porterville Unified

Is Pioneer Middle a good school?

Pioneer Middle ranks 1285^th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pioneer Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 754 students attended Pioneer Middle.

What high school do graduates of Pioneer Middle attend?

Students who attend Pioneer Middle usually go on to attend Porterville High

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer Middle?

Students at Pioneer Middle are 87% Hispanic, 7% American Indian, 3% White, 1% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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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.