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Cajon Valley Middle

Public Grades 6-8

2537^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 8% of California middle schools

Summary

Cajon Valley Middle is a public school serving 942 students in grades 6-8 in El Cajon, part of the Cajon Valley Union school district, which faces significant academic and socioeconomic challenges.

The school's academic performance is among the lowest in the state, with only about 17% of students proficient in English and 13% in math, and it struggles with a very high chronic absenteeism rate of 30.5%. While the school spends over $20,500 per student, which is relatively high, these resources have not translated into strong academic outcomes. Notably, the school serves a student population where 94% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need.

Interesting comparisons with nearby schools highlight areas for potential learning. For instance, Hillsdale Middle, in the same district, has proficiency rates more than three times higher despite similar demographics. Furthermore, the stark contrast with College Preparatory Middle, a high-performing charter school nearby, suggests factors beyond just funding or poverty affect results. The analysis suggests Cajon Valley Middle could benefit from focusing on improving attendance and examining the instructional practices that have shown relative success with some student groups.

942

Students ?

20.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,021

Per pupil spending ?

94.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

550 Park Ave.
El Cajon, CA 92020-3922

(619) 588-3092

District: Cajon Valley Union

Feeder schools for Cajon Valley Middle:

Elementary:	Flying Hills School of Arts
	Johnson Elementary
	Naranca Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

36.3%

Hispanic:

34.7%

Asian:

13.9%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 22nd percentile in 2013 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (14% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school14%

District avg26%

California avg41%

2,537^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Middle Schools in the Cajon Valley Union

1184^th of 1,543Cajon Valley Union 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	12.5	2537 of 2761	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	2398 of 2783	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.3	2293 of 2781	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.3	2479 of 2740	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.3	2208 of 2715	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	2029 of 2480	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.8	1905 of 2508	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.0	1909 of 2497	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.8	1990 of 2477	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	25.7	1853 of 2379	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	29.8	1648 of 2259	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	28.0	1701 of 2236	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	24.9	1718 of 2179	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.7	1584 of 2063	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	23.6	1599 of 2005	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	22.6	1591 of 1999	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	17.5	1547 of 1804	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	20.2	1445 of 1777	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	22.5	1385 of 1769	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	367 of 609	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.4	270 of 627	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.5	390 of 613	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.9	469 of 637	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.3	415 of 643	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.3	471 of 600	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	0.9	730 of 739	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	0.8	736 of 743	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.4	696 of 715	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.2	725 of 733	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	23.2	1328 of 1531	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.7	1269 of 1491	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	1190 of 1369	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	36.4	882 of 1478	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.1	837 of 1521	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.1	763 of 1540	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.9	795 of 1442	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.5	720 of 1364	47.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.3	2391 of 2533	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.9	2296 of 2551	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	2156 of 2531	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	2278 of 2509	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.3	1967 of 2380	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	1877 of 2262	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.6	2128 of 2395	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.3	2006 of 2388	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.9	1555 of 2374	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.8	2016 of 2359	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.5	1660 of 2213	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.2	1580 of 2072	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	29.2	290 of 394	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.5	258 of 320	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.9	2285 of 2542	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	2109 of 2579	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.4	2028 of 2531	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	2172 of 2458	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.2	1830 of 2369	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	1670 of 2230	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.8	2302 of 2534	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	2125 of 2552	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	2048 of 2538	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	2307 of 2527	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.9	2028 of 2407	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	1888 of 2273	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	686 of 726	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.4	673 of 701	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.6	658 of 677	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.5	631 of 665	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.6	1053 of 1566	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.7	1071 of 1552	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.8	1120 of 1531	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	3.4	1499 of 1520	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.6	1484 of 1537	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.7	1497 of 1543	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.5	1519 of 1555	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.0	1532 of 1602	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	1416 of 1496	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)40th percentile+26 vs school

African American (2025)40th percentile+32 vs school

Special Education (2025)33rd percentile+25 vs school

Homeless (2024)26th percentile+13 vs school

Disabled (2022)13th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)11th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)10th percentile~ school

Male (2025)9th percentile~ school

Female (2025)6th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)6th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)1st percentile-7 vs school

Asian (2025)1st percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy17%-31 vs state

Mathematics13%-24 vs state

Science10%-22 vs state

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Schools Near Cajon Valley 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					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/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 5th Grade	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
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	$23,021	$20,964	$2,057
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
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	$23,962	$21,966	$1,996
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	$19,171	$17,398	$1,773
Parkway Sports and Health Science Academy	Public	6-8	9009 Park Plaza Dr.	La Mesa	91942	San Diego County	La Mesa-Spring Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-5810	897	50	18.0	48.8%	332 (37.0%)	60 (6.7%)	349 (38.9%)	49 (5.5%)	5 (0.6%)	10 (1.1%)	89 (9.9%)	54.7	1045^th of 2761 public middle schools	62.2%		56.6	975^th of 2783 public middle schools	65.0%	70		31.5	31.5		58.9	52.5	39.1	49.9		37.0	37.2	30.3	34.7	$17,185	$15,684	$1,501
Pershing Middle	Public	6-8	8204 San Carlos Dr.	San Diego	92119	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-3550	980	39	24.8	35.8%	459 (46.8%)	46 (4.7%)	294 (30.0%)	60 (6.1%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	117 (11.9%)	82.1	440^th of 2761 public middle schools	84.1%		83.5	409^th of 2783 public middle schools	85.3%	31		43.3	43.3		69.6	68.0	54.5	64.7		55.7	56.1	50.2	54.3	$22,121	$21,098	$1,023
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	$21,396	$20,242	$1,154
College Preparatory Middle	Public, Charter	5-8	10269 Madrid Way	Spring Valley	91977	San Diego County	College Preparatory Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 303-2782	397	20	19.6	42.8%	227 (57.2%)	17 (4.3%)	106 (26.7%)	20 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.8%)	98.6	25^th of 2761 public middle schools	99.1%		97.9	58^th of 2783 public middle schools	97.9%	33	75.8	80.4	78.0	80.8	87.9	84.0	91.5	86.0	75.8	81.8	79.0	79.8	79.1	$21,885	$20,480	$1,405
Spring Valley Academy	Public	6-8	3900 Conrad Dr.	Spring Valley	91977	San Diego County	La Mesa-Spring Valley	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-5750	597	35	16.8	77.4%	92 (15.4%)	57 (9.5%)	371 (62.1%)	26 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (7.5%)	25.5	1977^th of 2761 public middle schools	28.4%		31.1	1766^th of 2783 public middle schools	36.5%	211		15.8	15.8		30.4	33.3	37.1	33.5		19.4	22.0	18.3	19.9	$20,270	$18,716	$1,554
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	$18,893	$18,200	$693

Frequently Asked Questions about Cajon Valley Middle

How many students attend Cajon Valley Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 942 students attended Cajon Valley Middle.

Is Cajon Valley Middle a good school?

Cajon Valley Middle ranks in the bottom 8.1% of California middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Cajon Valley Middle?

Students at Cajon Valley Middle are 36% White, 35% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 10% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Cajon Valley Middle in?

Cajon Valley Union

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.