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Pioneer Middle

Q: Is Pioneer Middle a good school?

Pioneer Middle ranks 1585 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1585^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 43% of California middle schools

Summary

Pioneer Middle is a public school serving about 750 students in grades 6 through 8 in Porterville, part of the Porterville Unified School District, where a very high percentage of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

While the school's overall test scores in English, math, and science are below the state average, it performs remarkably well for a school facing significant economic challenges, outperforming other local schools with similar student populations like Bartlett Middle. Pioneer Middle shows particular strength in supporting specific groups of students, such as English learners and migrant students, where its performance ranks among the top schools in the state. The school has also made impressive strides in improving student attendance, now having one of the lowest chronic absenteeism rates in the area, and it achieves these results while spending less per student than most neighboring schools.

Areas for growth include mathematics, where proficiency is a challenge across the district, and science. However, the school's effective support for vulnerable student populations, efficient use of resources, and success in getting students to attend regularly are significant strengths that set it apart from other middle schools in the region.

754

Students ?

19.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,764

Per pupil spending ?

93.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2013 → 43rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (26% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 13 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg30%

California avg41%

1,585^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 23 pts since 2015

From bottom 19% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Middle Schools in the Porterville Unified

978^th of 1,543Porterville 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	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
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
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
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
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
2025	88.1	6 of 95	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	84.5	6 of 94	93.6%	★★★★★
2023	80.2	10 of 86	88.4%	★★★★☆

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
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)

Migrant (2025)94th percentile+51 vs school

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

Hispanic (2025)62nd percentile+19 vs school

Special Education (2025)59th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)57th percentile+14 vs school

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

Male (2025)44th percentile~ school

Female (2025)40th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)37th percentile+9 vs school

White (2024)37th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Mathematics25%-13 vs state

Listening22%-3 vs state

Science20%-12 vs state

Writing20%+3 vs state

Overall8%~ state avg

Reading6%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Pioneer Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)				CSA Spanish Listening (2025)				CSA Spanish Writing (2025)				CSA Spanish Reading (2025)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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
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%)	36.9	1585^th of 2761 public middle schools	42.6%		39.8	1470^th of 2783 public middle schools	47.2%	115	1.0	15.0	13.7	8.2	9.3	38.3	27.5	22.1	8.3	33.3	25.5	19.8	1.0	3.3	17.7	5.8	20.2	20.2	33.9	42.7	47.4	41.9	16.8	27.6	27.6	24.7	$18,764	$1,732	$17,032
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	2058^th of 2761 public middle schools	25.5%		26.1	1990^th of 2783 public middle schools	28.5%	68																	18.4	18.4		34.8	21.9	28.2		22.6	18.4	20.4	$21,212	$1,949	$19,263
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)																											$242,381	$1,486	$240,895
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%)	52.6	1114^th of 2761 public middle schools	59.7%		50.3	1163^rd of 2783 public middle schools	58.2%	49																	31.8	31.8		52.3	50.7	51.5		31.3	28.5	29.9	$19,856	$1,687	$18,169
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%)	43.5	1381^st of 2761 public middle schools	50.0%		40.2	1452^nd of 2783 public middle schools	47.8%	71																	14.3	14.3		37.5	46.6	41.8		35.5	37.5	36.4	$19,595	$1,858	$17,737
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%)	37.2	1571^st of 2761 public middle schools	43.1%		36.9	1569^th of 2783 public middle schools	43.6%	2																	31.0	31.0	35.3	43.3	44.1	40.9	14.0	17.8	32.9	21.5	$18,649	$4,712	$13,937
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)
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%)	28.3	1886^th of 2761 public middle schools	31.7%		31	1770^th of 2783 public middle schools	36.4%	116																	12.4	12.4	33.7	45.9	32.0	37.7	23.3	19.4	18.6	20.3	$22,329	$1,684	$20,645
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	2438^th of 2761 public middle schools	11.7%		18.3	2328^th of 2783 public middle schools	16.3%	110																	8.5	8.5	16.2	27.0	40.9	28.5	4.1	5.7	8.5	6.2	$23,799	$3,093	$20,706
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%)	37	1580^th of 2761 public middle schools	42.8%		33	1704^th of 2783 public middle schools	38.8%	124																	31.5	31.5	41.5	34.0	35.4	37.0	31.1	24.3	21.6	25.6	$18,606	$2,716	$15,890

Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer Middle

What district is Pioneer Middle in?

Porterville Unified

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.

Is Pioneer Middle a good school?

Pioneer Middle ranks 1585^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 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

Rate Pioneer Middle!

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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.