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Joan MacQueen Middle

Q: Is Joan MacQueen Middle a good school?

Joan MacQueen Middle ranks 1308 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1308^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 53% of California middle schools

Summary

Joan MacQueen Middle is a public middle school serving about 405 students in grades 6-8 in the community of Alpine, within the Alpine Union Elementary school district.

Academically, the school is a mid-tier performer in the state, with test scores in English, Math, and Science generally below California averages. A significant challenge is chronic absenteeism, with over a quarter of students missing too much school, a rate higher than both the state and district. Performance varies by grade, with English skills improving by 8th grade but Math scores dipping after 7th grade, and Science proficiency is notably low. The school's statewide ranking has gradually declined over the past decade.

Compared to nearby schools, Joan MacQueen sits in an interesting middle ground. It performs better than several schools in the neighboring Cajon Valley Union district, like Cajon Valley Middle, Montgomery Middle, and Greenfield Middle, but is dramatically outperformed by the elite College Preparatory Middle. A particularly telling comparison is with Los Coches Creek Middle, which serves a student population with greater economic need yet achieves similar academic results, suggesting Joan MacQueen may have untapped potential for improvement.

405

Students ?

18.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

36.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2001 Tavern Rd.
Alpine, CA 91901-3129

(619) 445-3245

District: Alpine Union Elementary

Students who attend Joan MacQueen Middle usually attend:

High:

Granite Hills High

Feeder schools for Joan MacQueen Middle:

Elementary:	Boulder Oaks Elementary
	Creekside Early Learning Center
	Shadow Hills Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.4%

Hispanic:

30.9%

Two or more races:

11.6%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Joan MacQueen Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 47th percentile in 2022 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 53rd (2025) from a 47th-percentile low (2022)

✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (36% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg43%

California avg41%

1,308^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

554^th of 1,543Alpine Union Elementary 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	45.6	1308 of 2761	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.4	1206 of 2783	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.2	1003 of 2781	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.3	1455 of 2740	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.4	909 of 2715	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.1	1162 of 2480	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.6	903 of 2508	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.2	1132 of 2497	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	44.0	1240 of 2477	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	69.4	614 of 2379	74.2%	★★★★☆
2012	67.8	632 of 2259	72.0%	★★★★☆
2011	75.3	411 of 2236	81.6%	★★★★☆
2010	73.5	474 of 2179	78.2%	★★★★☆
2009	68.6	547 of 2063	73.5%	★★★★☆
2008	67.0	540 of 2005	73.1%	★★★★☆
2007	66.8	549 of 1999	72.5%	★★★★☆
2006	72.5	422 of 1804	76.6%	★★★★☆
2005	77.0	330 of 1777	81.4%	★★★★☆
2004	81.3	271 of 1769	84.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	41.8	717 of 1531	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.0	563 of 1491	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	28.4	1000 of 1369	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.6	1085 of 2533	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.0	987 of 2551	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.3	928 of 2531	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.2	1243 of 2509	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.1	852 of 2380	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.5	1197 of 2262	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.5	1292 of 2395	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.3	870 of 2388	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.4	913 of 2374	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.8	971 of 2359	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.5	700 of 2213	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.0	940 of 2072	54.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.2	1566 of 2542	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.5	1436 of 2579	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.4	810 of 2531	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.9	1737 of 2458	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.8	1113 of 2369	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	32.4	1512 of 2230	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.6	1384 of 2534	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.5	1262 of 2552	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.0	910 of 2538	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.9	1398 of 2527	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.4	817 of 2407	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.6	998 of 2273	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	477 of 726	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.6	555 of 701	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.8	445 of 677	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.7	522 of 665	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.6	790 of 1566	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	929 of 1552	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.1	574 of 1531	62.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.8	1096 of 1520	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.7	1013 of 1537	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.8	882 of 1543	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.9	1238 of 1555	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.8	824 of 1602	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.9	1087 of 1496	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)57th percentile+5 vs school

Disabled (2022)53rd percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2025)50th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)46th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2025)45th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)38th percentile-14 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)34th percentile-18 vs school

White (2025)28th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy43%-5 vs state

Mathematics32%-5 vs state

Science26%-7 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, June 9, 2019

Great programs but the racial bullying is horrible and the staff chooses not to address the problem. Close Quote

Schools Near Joan MacQueen Middle

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 (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	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
Joan MacQueen Middle	Public	6-8	2001 Tavern Rd.	Alpine	91901	San Diego County	Alpine Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 445-3245	405	21	18.9	36.8%	204 (50.4%)	4 (1.0%)	125 (30.9%)	7 (1.7%)	14 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (11.6%)	45.6	1308^th of 2761 public middle schools	52.6%		48.4	1206^th of 2783 public middle schools	56.7%	102	25.7	25.7	33.3	46.4	47.3	43.3	30.0	39.1	27.2	32.2
Los Coches Creek Middle	Public	6-8	9669 Dunbar Ln.	El Cajon	92021	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 441-5741	518	27	19.5	71.8%	267 (51.5%)	5 (1.0%)	186 (35.9%)	15 (2.9%)	6 (1.2%)	4 (0.8%)	35 (6.8%)	37	1581^st of 2761 public middle schools	42.7%		53.4	1060^th of 2783 public middle schools	61.9%	521	15.9	15.9	36.5	52.3	40.0	43.2	16.6	33.6	23.0	24.7	$20,871	$2,476	$18,395
Tierra del Sol Middle	Public	6-8	9611 Petite Ln.	Lakeside	92040	San Diego County	Lakeside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 390-2670	713	36	19.5	41.4%	326 (45.7%)	19 (2.7%)	283 (39.7%)	22 (3.1%)	15 (2.1%)	4 (0.6%)	44 (6.2%)	42.8	1394^th of 2761 public middle schools	49.5%		43.5	1356^th of 2783 public middle schools	51.3%	38	32.4	32.4	41.7	46.5	36.7	41.9	25.7	33.2	25.0	28.2	$14,720	$840	$13,880
Oak Grove Middle	Public	6-8	14344 Olive Vista Dr.	Jamul	91935	San Diego County	Jamul-Dulzura Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 669-2700	215	11	19.5	39.1%	44 (20.5%)	6 (2.8%)	150 (69.8%)	5 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	27	1928^th of 2761 public middle schools	30.2%		27	1951^st of 2783 public middle schools	29.9%	23	11.9	11.9	30.4	31.9	43.5	36.2	21.4	19.4	20.2	20.3	$17,064	$1,952	$15,112
Montgomery Middle	Public	6-8	1570 Melody Ln.	El Cajon	92019	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3107	929	42	22.0	93.9%	437 (47.0%)	52 (5.6%)	289 (31.1%)	87 (9.4%)	2 (0.2%)	8 (0.9%)	54 (5.8%)	10.8	2590^th of 2761 public middle schools	6.2%		11.2	2620^th of 2783 public middle schools	5.9%	30	8.7	8.7	19.3	20.3	18.4	19.3	11.2	9.3	7.1	9.2	$18,643	$2,816	$15,827
Greenfield Middle	Public	6-8	1495 Greenfield Dr.	El Cajon	92021	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3103	730	32	22.6	94.1%	256 (35.1%)	64 (8.8%)	317 (43.4%)	49 (6.7%)	3 (0.4%)	7 (1.0%)	34 (4.7%)	16.7	2369^th of 2761 public middle schools	14.2%		15.3	2469^th of 2783 public middle schools	11.3%	100	15.8	15.8	24.5	25.8	26.3	25.6	13.9	12.3	12.5	12.8	$21,352	$2,797	$18,555
Lakeside Middle	Public	6-8	11833 Woodside Ave.	Lakeside	92040	San Diego County	Lakeside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 390-2636	724	30	23.9	38.7%	381 (52.6%)	23 (3.2%)	252 (34.8%)	25 (3.5%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.6%)	34 (4.7%)	52.3	1124^th of 2761 public middle schools	59.3%		52.7	1082^nd of 2783 public middle schools	61.1%	42	33.6	33.6	49.0	53.9	53.7	52.1	26.3	34.2	25.2	28.6	$16,343	$799	$15,544
Hillsdale Middle	Public	6-8	1301 Brabham St.	El Cajon	92019	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 441-6156	1,481	67	22.0	73.3%	818 (55.2%)	51 (3.4%)	397 (26.8%)	59 (4.0%)	4 (0.3%)	9 (0.6%)	142 (9.6%)	68.4	709^th of 2761 public middle schools	74.3%		66.1	764^th of 2783 public middle schools	72.5%	55	38.6	38.6	57.2	58.8	56.1	57.4	42.2	43.0	39.2	41.4	$19,621	$2,210	$17,411
Cajon Valley Middle	Public	6-8	550 Park Ave.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Cajon Valley Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3092	942	47	20.2	94.4%	342 (36.3%)	93 (9.9%)	327 (34.7%)	131 (13.9%)	3 (0.3%)	9 (1.0%)	37 (3.9%)	12.5	2537^th of 2761 public middle schools	8.1%		17	2398^th of 2783 public middle schools	13.8%	139	10.3	10.3	16.3	17.7	17.9	17.5	9.8	11.6	15.6	12.9	$20,561	$2,939	$17,622
EJE Middle Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	851 South Johnson Ave.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	EJE Middle Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 401-4150	254	15	16.8	67.7%	10 (3.9%)	3 (1.2%)	237 (93.3%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	28.7	1870^th of 2761 public middle schools	32.3%		28.2	1896^th of 2783 public middle schools	31.9%	26	15.6	15.6	29.3	46.7	39.0	38.6	17.1	22.2	15.8	18.6	$17,637	$1,745	$15,892

Frequently Asked Questions about Joan MacQueen Middle

Is Joan MacQueen Middle a good school?

Joan MacQueen Middle ranks 1308^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Joan MacQueen Middle attend?

Students who attend Joan MacQueen Middle usually go on to attend Granite Hills High

What is the racial makeup of Joan MacQueen Middle?

Students at Joan MacQueen Middle are 50% White, 31% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Joan MacQueen Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 405 students attended Joan MacQueen Middle.

What district is Joan MacQueen Middle in?

Alpine Union Elementary

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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.