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Calavera Hills Middle

Q: Is Calavera Hills Middle a good school?

Calavera Hills Middle ranks 537 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

537^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 81% of California middle schools

Summary

Calavera Hills Middle is a well-regarded public school serving about 655 students in grades 6-8 within the high-performing Carlsbad Unified School District.

The school consistently earns strong 4-star ratings, performing solidly in the middle among the district's three middle schools—behind top-ranked Aviara Oaks Middle but comparable to Valley Middle. Its standout strength is in science, where its proficiency rate exceeds both the district average and its higher-performing peer. The school also does an excellent job managing student attendance, with a chronic absenteeism rate better than the district and much lower than many schools in neighboring Oceanside Unified and Vista Unified districts.

Notably, Calavera Hills Middle shows particular effectiveness in supporting students with special needs and English learners. While it serves a growing number of economically disadvantaged students and faces a challenge in 7th-grade math, it maintains a lower student-teacher ratio and higher per-student spending than some district peers, which may help address these evolving needs. Overall, it provides a robust education that significantly outperforms most middle schools in the surrounding area.

655

Students ?

20.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,038

Per pupil spending ?

33.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4104 Tamarack Ave.
Carlsbad, CA 92010-7101

(760) 331-6400

District: Carlsbad Unified

Students who attend Calavera Hills Middle usually attend:

High:

Carlsbad High

Feeder schools for Calavera Hills Middle:

Elementary:	Calavera Hills Elementary
	Hope Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.3%

Hispanic:

27.5%

Two or more races:

12.1%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Calavera Hills Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 73rd percentile in 2013 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (55% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of California middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg65%

California avg41%

537^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Middle Schools in the Carlsbad Unified

156^th of 1,543Carlsbad 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	77.2	537 of 2761	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	82.2	439 of 2783	84.2%	★★★★☆
2023	82.6	419 of 2781	84.9%	★★★★☆
2022	82.2	430 of 2740	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	74.1	616 of 2715	77.3%	★★★★☆
2018	80.7	438 of 2480	82.3%	★★★★☆
2017	77.2	531 of 2508	78.8%	★★★★☆
2016	80.7	432 of 2497	82.7%	★★★★☆
2015	79.7	436 of 2477	82.4%	★★★★☆
2013	68.5	639 of 2379	73.1%	★★★★☆
2012	70.5	562 of 2259	75.1%	★★★★☆
2011	73.2	458 of 2236	79.5%	★★★★☆
2010	71.6	513 of 2179	76.5%	★★★★☆
2009	71.5	479 of 2063	76.8%	★★★★☆
2008	81.7	260 of 2005	87.0%	★★★★☆
2007	86.6	180 of 1999	91.0%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	57.0	371 of 743	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.6	418 of 745	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	72.1	210 of 700	70.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	76.7	211 of 1531	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	66.6	314 of 1491	78.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.3	274 of 1369	80.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	63.6	232 of 1521	84.7%	★★★★☆
2022	51.1	446 of 1540	71.0%	★★★★☆
2019	26.4	1322 of 1442	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	41.1	588 of 1364	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.1	545 of 2533	78.5%	★★★★☆
2024	76.3	518 of 2551	79.7%	★★★★☆
2023	83.2	376 of 2531	85.1%	★★★★☆
2022	79.1	450 of 2509	82.1%	★★★★☆
2019	72.9	560 of 2380	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	78.4	435 of 2262	80.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.6	692 of 2395	71.1%	★★★★☆
2024	63.9	638 of 2388	73.3%	★★★★☆
2023	73.9	426 of 2374	82.1%	★★★★☆
2022	69.1	526 of 2359	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	62.2	637 of 2213	71.2%	★★★★☆
2018	63.8	582 of 2072	71.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.4	825 of 2542	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.9	428 of 2579	83.4%	★★★★☆
2023	64.5	640 of 2531	74.7%	★★★★☆
2022	50.7	1001 of 2458	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.7	1087 of 2369	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.6	923 of 2230	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.5	493 of 2534	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	84.8	345 of 2552	86.5%	★★★★☆
2023	79.0	458 of 2538	82.0%	★★★★☆
2022	82.8	391 of 2527	84.5%	★★★★☆
2019	72.9	560 of 2407	76.7%	★★★★☆
2018	80.9	398 of 2273	82.5%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.6	94 of 194	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.0	62 of 192	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.5	93 of 197	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.5	75 of 193	61.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.4	234 of 726	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.1	179 of 701	74.5%	★★★★☆
2023	61.7	265 of 677	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.7	269 of 665	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.1	215 of 554	61.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.3	244 of 1566	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	73.0	250 of 1552	83.9%	★★★★☆
2023	55.1	464 of 1531	69.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.8	579 of 1520	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.7	374 of 1537	75.7%	★★★★☆
2023	73.3	361 of 1543	76.6%	★★★★☆
2022	78.3	275 of 1555	82.3%	★★★★☆
2019	63.2	580 of 1602	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.5	329 of 1496	78.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Disabled (2022)86th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2023)85th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)84th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)81st percentile~ school

Female (2025)78th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)71st percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)68th percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)68th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)62nd percentile-19 vs school

Military Connected (2025)52nd percentile-29 vs school

Asian (2024)50th percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Science65%+32 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy62%+13 vs state

Mathematics44%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Calavera Hills 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 All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 6th 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
Calavera Hills Middle	Public	6-8	4104 Tamarack Ave.	Carlsbad	92010	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-6400	655	31	20.8	33.1%	349 (53.3%)	7 (1.1%)	180 (27.5%)	33 (5.0%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	79 (12.1%)	77.2	537^th of 2761 public middle schools	80.6%		82.2	439^th of 2783 public middle schools	84.2%	98									65.0	65.0	55.1	63.3	69.0	62.2	47.6	38.1	47.3	44.4	$15,038	$343	$14,695
Madison Middle	Public	6-8	4930 Lake Blvd.	Oceanside	92056	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 940-0176	1,158	61	19.1	68.7%	268 (23.1%)	20 (1.7%)	756 (65.3%)	27 (2.3%)	5 (0.4%)	9 (0.8%)	72 (6.2%)	32	1754^th of 2761 public middle schools	36.5%		31.5	1750^th of 2783 public middle schools	37.1%	4	4.6	4.6	4.6	4.6	9.1	9.1	2.3	2.3	22.5	22.5	43.1	37.5	30.0	36.9	22.9	23.0	22.4	22.8	$16,667	$2,168	$14,499
Valley Middle	Public	6-8	1645 Magnolia Ave.	Carlsbad	92008	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-5300	807	36	22.2	36.6%	442 (54.8%)	11 (1.4%)	262 (32.5%)	20 (2.5%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (8.3%)	73	621^st of 2761 public middle schools	77.5%		78.4	518^th of 2783 public middle schools	81.4%	103									47.5	47.5	61.6	50.6	53.8	55.4	51.9	45.9	44.9	47.6	$15,568	$379	$15,189
Vista Innovation and Design Academy	Public	6-8	740 Olive Ave.	Vista	92083	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 724-7115	834	44	19.0	58.2%	262 (31.4%)	15 (1.8%)	469 (56.2%)	18 (2.2%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.4%)	65 (7.8%)	47.9	1240^th of 2761 public middle schools	55.1%		53.6	1052^nd of 2783 public middle schools	62.2%	188									24.3	24.3	43.3	48.0	41.1	44.3	34.3	34.8	34.9	34.7	$16,748	$2,205	$14,543
Martin Luther King Junior Middle	Public	6-8	1290 Ivey Ranch Rd.	Oceanside	92057	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 901-8800	1,098	47	23.3	63.9%	210 (19.1%)	49 (4.5%)	588 (53.6%)	72 (6.6%)	4 (0.4%)	29 (2.6%)	146 (13.3%)	49.4	1191^st of 2761 public middle schools	56.9%		60.2	880^th of 2783 public middle schools	68.4%	311									26.9	26.9	45.0	43.4	42.9	43.8	34.4	36.1	38.1	36.2	$10,126	$1,001	$9,125
Lincoln Middle	Public	6-8	2000 California St.	Oceanside	92054	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 901-8900	621	30	20.6	72.3%	176 (28.3%)	12 (1.9%)	377 (60.7%)	12 (1.9%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	38 (6.1%)	34.5	1661^st of 2761 public middle schools	39.8%		35.8	1596^th of 2783 public middle schools	42.7%	65									30.2	30.2	33.7	26.9	40.7	33.8	23.9	24.6	28.2	25.6	$9,295	$930	$8,365
Vista Magnet Middle School of Technology Science and Math	Public	6-8	151 Civic Center Dr.	Vista	92084	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 726-5766	836	42	19.8	70.8%	148 (17.7%)	10 (1.2%)	600 (71.8%)	39 (4.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	36 (4.3%)	64.6	795^th of 2761 public middle schools	71.2%		71.9	655^th of 2783 public middle schools	76.5%	140									37.6	37.6	48.7	52.9	49.8	50.5	40.4	48.0	44.2	44.3	$17,032	$2,116	$14,916
Roosevelt Middle	Public	6-8	850 Sagewood Dr.	Oceanside	92057	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 726-8003	866	48	17.9	77.6%	128 (14.8%)	12 (1.4%)	639 (73.8%)	28 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.0%)	49 (5.7%)	23.3	2082^nd of 2761 public middle schools	24.6%		35.9	1594^th of 2783 public middle schools	42.7%	488									19.4	19.4	36.9	27.4	22.6	28.9	20.0	18.7	18.7	19.1	$19,705	$2,780	$16,925
Aviara Oaks Middle	Public	6-8	6880 Ambrosia Ln.	Carlsbad	92011	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-6100	991	44	22.3	21.9%	572 (57.7%)	15 (1.5%)	207 (20.9%)	89 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	107 (10.8%)	92.2	218^th of 2761 public middle schools	92.1%		94.3	176^th of 2783 public middle schools	93.7%	42									62.5	62.5	74.4	73.7	67.5	71.8	67.9	61.3	63.4	64.2	$14,154	$341	$13,813
Cesar Chavez Middle	Public	6-8	202 Oleander Dr.	Oceanside	92057	San Diego County	Oceanside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 966-4900	557	29	19.3	80.4%	49 (8.8%)	18 (3.2%)	409 (73.4%)	25 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.1%)	39 (7.0%)	42.5	1404^th of 2761 public middle schools	49.1%		30.4	1793^rd of 2783 public middle schools	35.6%	389									24.2	24.2	41.9	43.3	51.4	45.6	23.0	27.1	30.0	26.8	$10,355	$1,056	$9,299

Frequently Asked Questions about Calavera Hills Middle

What high school do graduates of Calavera Hills Middle attend?

Students who attend Calavera Hills Middle usually go on to attend Carlsbad High

What district is Calavera Hills Middle in?

Carlsbad Unified

How many students attend Calavera Hills Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 655 students attended Calavera Hills Middle.

Is Calavera Hills Middle a good school?

Calavera Hills Middle ranks 537^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Calavera Hills Middle?

Students at Calavera Hills Middle are 53% White, 27% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 1% African American.

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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.