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Thornton Middle

Public Grades 6-8

105^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,703 California Middle Schools

Better than 96% of California middle schools

Summary

Thornton Middle serves 1,972 students in grades 6–8 in Fremont, in the East Bay area, as part of Fremont Unified. The school is among the strongest nearby middle schools in test results, and its most important distinction is that its 2025–2026 proficiency rates were substantially above both district and state results in ELA, math, and science.

Compared with nearby schools serving grades 6–8, Thornton ranked second in ELA proficiency and third in math and science: 80% of students were proficient in ELA, 73% in math, and 67% in science. William Hopkins Middle led in all three subjects, at 85%, 84%, and 77%, while John M. Horner Middle was close in math and science, at 77% and 67%. Thornton’s results were 8 percentage points above the district in ELA, 5 points in math, and 4 points in science. Its leads over the state were larger: 30 points in ELA, 35 in math, and 31 in science.

Science is the clearest area of improvement over time: proficiency rose 5 percentage points from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, while ELA fell 3 points and math rose 1 point. Thornton Middle also has a strong SchoolDigger statewide standing—rank 105 of 2,703, in the 96th percentile, with 5 stars—though Hopkins and Horner rank slightly higher. Its 25 students per teacher in 2024–2025 was the highest reported ratio among nearby schools, and 24% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in school year 2024–2025. Chronic absenteeism fell to 5% in 2025–2026, below the district’s 11% and the state’s 18%. SchoolDigger’s measure of how well the school serves African American students rose to the 83rd percentile in 2025–2026 from the 59th percentile in 2023–2024. Its standing for Hispanic students was lower, at the 64th percentile compared with the school’s overall 96th percentile.

1,972

Students ?

25.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,742

Per pupil spending ?

24.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

4357 Thornton Ave.
Fremont, CA 94536-4897

(510) 793-9090

District: Fremont Unified

Students who attend Thornton Middle usually attend:

High:

American High

Feeder schools for Thornton Middle:

Elementary:	Ardenwood Elementary
	Brookvale Elementary
	Forest Park Elementary
	Oliveira Elementary
	More...
	Patterson Elementary
	Warwick Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

76.2%

Hispanic:

10.8%

White:

6.7%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Thornton Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 94th percentile in 2015 → 96th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (75% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 4% of California middle schools

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school75%

District avg68%

California avg42%

105^th of 2,703

California public middle schools ?

Top 4%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

From top 7% (2016) to top 4% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Middle Schools in the Fremont Unified

118^th of 968Fremont 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	96.1	105 of 2703	96.1%	★★★★★
2025	96.5	102 of 2761	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	97.0	93 of 2783	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	97.7	65 of 2781	97.7%	★★★★★
2022	96.5	98 of 2740	96.4%	★★★★★
2019	95.1	130 of 2715	95.2%	★★★★★
2018	95.3	114 of 2480	95.4%	★★★★★
2017	94.5	139 of 2508	94.5%	★★★★★
2016	92.0	182 of 2497	92.7%	★★★★★
2015	93.4	145 of 2477	94.1%	★★★★★
2013	80.4	312 of 2379	86.9%	★★★★☆
2012	76.7	380 of 2259	83.2%	★★★★☆
2011	75.4	408 of 2236	81.8%	★★★★☆
2010	81.6	263 of 2179	87.9%	★★★★☆
2009	82.8	235 of 2063	88.6%	★★★★☆
2008	75.6	371 of 2005	81.5%	★★★★☆
2007	80.3	299 of 1999	85.0%	★★★★☆
2006	79.2	306 of 1804	83.0%	★★★★☆
2005	78.1	316 of 1777	82.2%	★★★★☆
2004	82.7	239 of 1769	86.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	75.4	98 of 583	83.2%	★★★★☆
2025	71.4	126 of 609	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	51.3	258 of 627	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.8	156 of 613	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	41.0	340 of 637	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.8	182 of 643	71.7%	★★★★☆
2018	57.6	215 of 600	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	78.1	150 of 769	80.5%	★★★★☆
2025	78.9	142 of 739	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	80.6	107 of 743	85.6%	★★★★☆
2023	79.9	109 of 715	84.8%	★★★★☆
2022	80.1	110 of 733	85.0%	★★★★☆
2019	79.9	100 of 745	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	80.6	99 of 700	85.9%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	69.5	281 of 1531	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	60.5	392 of 1491	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	68.6	263 of 1369	80.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	75.0	121 of 1478	91.8%	★★★★★
2023	87.8	68 of 1521	95.5%	★★★★★
2022	86.8	71 of 1540	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	73.2	186 of 1442	87.1%	★★★★☆
2018	83.0	120 of 1364	91.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	95.1	109 of 2483	95.6%	★★★★★
2025	95.8	100 of 2533	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	96.2	95 of 2551	96.3%	★★★★★
2023	97.0	70 of 2531	97.2%	★★★★★
2022	96.1	94 of 2509	96.3%	★★★★★
2019	94.5	113 of 2380	95.3%	★★★★★
2018	94.6	102 of 2262	95.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	56.2	847 of 2325	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.6	800 of 2395	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.5	985 of 2388	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.5	569 of 2374	76.0%	★★★★☆
2022	50.2	992 of 2359	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.4	632 of 2213	71.4%	★★★★☆
2018	53.8	818 of 2072	60.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	82.2	282 of 2493	88.7%	★★★★☆
2025	85.4	247 of 2542	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	78.4	381 of 2579	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	88.8	181 of 2531	92.8%	★★★★★
2022	68.2	549 of 2458	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	68.0	540 of 2369	77.2%	★★★★☆
2018	65.7	563 of 2230	74.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	95.8	98 of 2478	96.0%	★★★★★
2025	96.0	111 of 2534	95.6%	★★★★★
2024	96.7	85 of 2552	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	97.6	64 of 2538	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	96.0	103 of 2527	95.9%	★★★★★
2019	94.6	136 of 2407	94.3%	★★★★★
2018	95.1	116 of 2273	94.9%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	68.0	251 of 734	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.9	284 of 726	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.5	317 of 701	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.2	193 of 677	71.5%	★★★★☆
2022	50.0	342 of 665	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.9	268 of 554	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.3	182 of 462	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	93.8	2 of 19	89.5%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	63.6	391 of 1586	75.3%	★★★★☆
2025	62.9	377 of 1566	75.9%	★★★★☆
2024	58.1	433 of 1552	72.1%	★★★★☆
2023	85.6	126 of 1531	91.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	63.5	520 of 1482	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.9	428 of 1520	71.8%	★★★★☆
2024	60.7	576 of 1537	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.6	424 of 1543	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	63.8	523 of 1555	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.5	708 of 1602	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.6	528 of 1496	64.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Male (2026)96th percentile~ school

Female (2026)96th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)92nd percentile-5 vs school

Pacific Islander (2019)89th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)89th percentile-7 vs school

African American (2026)83rd percentile-13 vs school

Disabled (2022)82nd percentile-15 vs school

Asian (2026)80th percentile-16 vs school

Special Education (2026)75th percentile-21 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)66th percentile-30 vs school

White (2026)65th percentile-31 vs school

Hispanic (2026)64th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy80%+30 vs state

Mathematics73%+35 vs state

Science66%+31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Thornton 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)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)			CSA Spanish Listening (2026)			CSA Spanish Writing (2026)			CSA Spanish Reading (2026)			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	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th 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
Thornton Middle	Public	6-8	4357 Thornton Ave.	Fremont	94536	Alameda County	Fremont Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 793-9090	1,972	79	25.0	24.1%	133 (6.7%)	29 (1.5%)	213 (10.8%)	1,503 (76.2%)	2 (0.1%)	15 (0.8%)	77 (3.9%)	96.1	105^th of 2703 public middle schools	96.1%		96.5	102^nd of 2761 public middle schools	96.3%	3													66.5	66.5	77.6	83.2	77.5	79.6	73.8	75.2	70.2	73.2	$15,742	$15,422	$320
Centerville Middle	Public	6-8	37720 Fremont Blvd.	Fremont	94536	Alameda County	Fremont Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 797-2072	1,495	64	23.1	37.1%	187 (12.5%)	42 (2.8%)	317 (21.2%)	839 (56.1%)	6 (0.4%)	17 (1.1%)	87 (5.8%)	80.1	457^th of 2703 public middle schools	83.1%		85	371^st of 2761 public middle schools	86.6%	86													47.2	47.2	60.0	63.3	60.7	61.3	54.1	56.2	55.9	55.4	$17,523	$16,870	$653
Newark Middle	Public	6-8	6201 Lafayette Ave.	Newark	94560	Alameda County	Newark Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 818-3000	980	44	22.5	40.1%	77 (7.9%)	22 (2.2%)	545 (55.6%)	230 (23.5%)	2 (0.2%)	25 (2.6%)	76 (7.8%)	49.3	1190^th of 2703 public middle schools	56.0%		55	1030^th of 2761 public middle schools	62.7%	160													18.0	18.0	54.0	49.5	37.6	47.3	43.6	38.6	31.8	38.2	$20,188	$19,604	$584
G. M. Walters Middle	Public	6-8	39600 Logan Dr.	Fremont	94538	Alameda County	Fremont Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 656-7211	1,149	56	20.4	46.0%	103 (9.0%)	30 (2.6%)	360 (31.3%)	589 (51.3%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.4%)	59 (5.1%)	67.2	750^th of 2703 public middle schools	72.3%		71	652^nd of 2761 public middle schools	76.4%	98													39.7	39.7	57.4	50.6	58.4	55.6	48.9	42.4	42.5	44.7	$19,960	$18,734	$1,226
Cesar Chavez Middle	Public	6-8	2801 Hop Ranch Rd.	Union City	94587	Alameda County	New Haven Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 487-1700	990	44	22.3	74.1%	52 (5.3%)	37 (3.7%)	576 (58.2%)	261 (26.4%)	11 (1.1%)	8 (0.8%)	43 (4.3%)	31.8	1737^th of 2703 public middle schools	35.7%		31	1796^th of 2761 public middle schools	35.0%	59													26.1	26.1	36.7	31.9	43.7	37.7	23.9	22.7	24.3	23.7	$23,420	$22,650	$770
John M. Horner Middle	Public	6-8	4350 Irvington Ave.	Fremont	94538	Alameda County	Fremont Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 656-4000	1,574	64	24.6	23.2%	58 (3.7%)	13 (0.8%)	148 (9.4%)	1,299 (82.5%)	4 (0.3%)	5 (0.3%)	47 (3.0%)	96.1	102^nd of 2703 public middle schools	96.2%		97.2	73^rd of 2761 public middle schools	97.4%	29													67.2	67.2	73.9	82.2	77.2	77.8	75.4	80.5	75.8	77.2	$17,192	$16,610	$582
William Hopkins Middle	Public	6-8	600 Driscoll Rd.	Fremont	94539	Alameda County	Fremont Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 656-3500	1,424	58	24.3	18.0%	53 (3.7%)	10 (0.7%)	127 (8.9%)	1,185 (83.2%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	44 (3.1%)	98.3	36^th of 2703 public middle schools	98.7%		98.7	23^rd of 2761 public middle schools	99.2%	13	2.8	15.0	9.2	8.3	42.5	26.3	5.6	28.2	17.3	0.0	15.4	8.0	76.7	76.7	79.0	87.7	86.8	84.7	80.9	86.4	84.4	84.0	$17,977	$17,458	$519
Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle	Public	6-8	31604 Alvarado Blvd.	Union City	94587	Alameda County	New Haven Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 489-0700	1,097	48	22.7	53.5%	67 (6.1%)	37 (3.4%)	210 (19.1%)	683 (62.3%)	5 (0.5%)	22 (2.0%)	73 (6.7%)	63.6	831^st of 2703 public middle schools	69.3%		70.2	670^th of 2761 public middle schools	75.7%	161													40.4	40.4	52.9	54.8	51.3	53.0	44.9	38.2	44.4	42.4	$20,906	$20,268	$638
Cesar Chavez Middle	Public	7-8	27845 Whitman Rd.	Hayward	94544	Alameda County	Hayward Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 723-3110	453	25	18.0	84.1%	11 (2.4%)	17 (3.8%)	333 (73.5%)	73 (16.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	12 (2.6%)	13.4	2449^th of 2703 public middle schools	9.4%		12.7	2528^th of 2761 public middle schools	8.4%	79													14.0	14.0		22.2	19.6	20.8		14.6	14.7	14.7	$37,690	$34,486	$3,204
Martin Luther King Junior Middle	Public	7-8	26890 Holly Hill Ave.	Hayward	94540	Alameda County	Hayward Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 723-3120	669	30	22.4	82.8%	12 (1.8%)	35 (5.2%)	458 (68.5%)	112 (16.7%)	2 (0.3%)	26 (3.9%)	23 (3.4%)	44.4	1328^th of 2703 public middle schools	50.9%		39.1	1516^th of 2761 public middle schools	45.1%	188													30.2	30.2		49.8	40.6	45.2		36.4	26.2	31.2	$31,963	$29,916	$2,047

Frequently Asked Questions about Thornton Middle

What high school do graduates of Thornton Middle attend?

Students who attend Thornton Middle usually go on to attend American High

Is Thornton Middle a good school?

Yes! Thornton Middle is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 105^th of 2703 California middle schools.

What district is Thornton Middle in?

Fremont Unified

What is the racial makeup of Thornton Middle?

Students at Thornton Middle are 76% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 7% White, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend Thornton Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,972 students attended Thornton Middle.

Rate Thornton Middle!

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Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 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.