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Vandenberg Middle

Q: Is Vandenberg Middle a good school?

Vandenberg Middle ranks 1683 rd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

1683^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 39% of California middle schools

Summary

Vandenberg Middle is a public school serving 565 students in grades 7-8, located on Vandenberg Air Force Base within the Lompoc Unified School District, and it stands out for serving a military-connected community with a lower rate of economic disadvantage than most neighboring schools.

While Vandenberg Middle performs better than its own district in English and Math, its statewide ranking has declined significantly in recent years, now placing in the 39th percentile. The school faces notable challenges with chronic absenteeism at 26%, which is higher than the state average and higher than nearby schools like Kunst (Tommie) Junior High (16.9%) and El Camino Junior High (13.4%), despite those schools having higher poverty rates. Performance has dropped across most student groups, with science scores showing a particularly sharp decline to 15.6% proficiency.

An interesting comparison is with Orcutt Junior High, a school with a similar student demographic that achieves higher academic results (59th percentile) and lower absenteeism with significantly less per-student spending. Within its own district, Vandenberg is the stronger middle school compared to Lompoc Valley Middle, but both face performance challenges common to the area.

565

Students ?

20.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,216

Per pupil spending ?

52%

Free/discounted lunch ?

Mountain View Blvd.
Vandenberg Afb, CA 93437

(805) 742-2700

District: Lompoc Unified

Students who attend Vandenberg Middle usually attend:

High:

Cabrillo High

Feeder schools for Vandenberg Middle:

Elementary:	Buena Vista Elementary
	Crestview Elementary
	La Honda STEAM Academy
	Los Berros Visual and Performing Arts Academy

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.7%

White:

28.7%

Two or more races:

5.7%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Vandenberg Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 71st percentile in 2013 → 39th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (29% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 32 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg25%

California avg41%

1,683^rd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 26 pts since 2015

From top 35% (2015) to bottom 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Lompoc Unified

1225^th of 1,543Lompoc 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	33.9	1683 of 2761	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.8	1575 of 2783	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.8	1084 of 2781	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.1	998 of 2740	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.5	855 of 2715	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.0	794 of 2480	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	54.7	988 of 2508	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	62.4	809 of 2497	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.1	858 of 2477	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.4	699 of 2379	70.6%	★★★★☆
2012	70.5	561 of 2259	75.2%	★★★★☆
2011	72.2	485 of 2236	78.3%	★★★★☆
2010	65.5	651 of 2179	70.1%	★★★★☆
2009	65.3	614 of 2063	70.2%	★★★★☆
2008	62.8	645 of 2005	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	70.9	472 of 1999	76.4%	★★★★☆
2006	72.0	432 of 1804	76.1%	★★★★☆
2005	71.3	420 of 1777	76.4%	★★★★☆
2004	69.0	447 of 1769	74.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	86.9	50 of 643	92.2%	★★★★★
2018	90.3	32 of 600	94.7%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	36.0	877 of 1531	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.9	711 of 1491	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.4	691 of 1369	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	41.2	686 of 1478	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.9	981 of 1521	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.4	463 of 1540	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	27.3	1272 of 1442	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.4	800 of 1364	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.9	1493 of 2533	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	1493 of 2551	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.8	939 of 2531	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.3	824 of 2509	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.8	860 of 2380	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.1	874 of 2262	61.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.4	1592 of 2395	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.6	1588 of 2388	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.5	1346 of 2374	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.8	892 of 2359	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.8	758 of 2213	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.3	587 of 2072	71.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	1984 of 2542	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.3	1888 of 2579	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.6	1269 of 2531	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.4	1283 of 2458	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.1	902 of 2369	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.0	691 of 2230	69.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.2	1651 of 2534	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.7	1454 of 2552	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.5	1075 of 2538	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.6	984 of 2527	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.4	737 of 2407	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.7	679 of 2273	70.1%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.8	81 of 194	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	81.3	28 of 193	85.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.4	582 of 726	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.2	506 of 701	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.4	406 of 677	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.7	372 of 665	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.1	310 of 554	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.8	313 of 462	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.3	1199 of 1566	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.1	890 of 1552	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.2	653 of 1531	57.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.5	1130 of 1520	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.3	1073 of 1537	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.6	603 of 1543	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.8	699 of 1555	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.0	602 of 1602	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.6	704 of 1496	52.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2019)92nd percentile+24 vs school

Military Connected (2025)58th percentile+19 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)54th percentile+10 vs school

Disabled (2022)43rd percentile-21 vs school

Female (2025)41st percentile~ school

Male (2025)35th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)34th percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)26th percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2025)23rd percentile-16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)22nd percentile-17 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)20th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy41%-8 vs state

Mathematics25%-13 vs state

Science16%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Vandenberg 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 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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
Vandenberg Middle	Public	7-8	Mountain View Blvd.	Vandenberg Afb	93437	Santa Barbara County	Lompoc Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 742-2700	565	28	20.2	52.0%	162 (28.7%)	16 (2.8%)	326 (57.7%)	25 (4.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (5.7%)	33.9	1683^rd of 2761 public middle schools	39.0%		36.8	1575^th of 2783 public middle schools	43.4%	108																						15.6	15.6			47.0	33.2	40.6			24.9	24.4	24.7	$16,216	$622	$15,594
Lompoc Valley Middle	Public	7-8	234 South N St.	Lompoc	93436	Santa Barbara County	Lompoc Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 742-2600	744	41	18.2	82.0%	64 (8.6%)	4 (0.5%)	626 (84.1%)	21 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	28 (3.8%)	18.1	2308^th of 2761 public middle schools	16.4%		18.1	2341^st of 2783 public middle schools	15.9%	33																						13.5	13.5			27.1	19.8	23.5			18.9	16.6	17.8	$16,170	$1,411	$14,759
Orcutt Junior High	Public	7-8	608 Pinal St.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8700	464	21	22.4	55.0%	145 (31.3%)	8 (1.7%)	249 (53.7%)	13 (2.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (10.1%)	52.2	1127^th of 2761 public middle schools	59.2%		57.5	948^th of 2783 public middle schools	65.9%	179																						32.2	32.2			51.8	33.7	43.1			43.0	31.6	37.6	$9,533	$770	$8,763
Arellanes Junior High	Public	7-8	1890 Sandalwood Dr.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-6820	668	37	18.1	93.1%	17 (2.5%)	4 (0.6%)	631 (94.5%)	14 (2.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18.4	2297^th of 2761 public middle schools	16.8%		16.5	2419^th of 2783 public middle schools	13.1%	122																						13.4	13.4			32.3	24.9	28.8			14.4	13.5	14.0	$21,144	$2,495	$18,649
Lakeview Junior High	Public	7-8	3700 Orcutt Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Orcutt Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 938-8600	463	20	23.5	72.4%	98 (21.2%)	3 (0.6%)	322 (69.5%)	13 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (5.2%)	51.9	1136^th of 2761 public middle schools	58.9%		48.2	1210^th of 2783 public middle schools	56.5%	74																						33.2	33.2			50.0	45.8	48.0			30.9	32.9	31.9	$9,860	$749	$9,111
Kermit McKenzie Intermediate	Public	4-8	4710 West Main St.	Guadalupe	93434	Santa Barbara County	Guadalupe Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 343-1951	585	32	18.2	87.9%	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	571 (97.6%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18.2	2307^th of 2761 public middle schools	16.4%		20.6	2238^th of 2783 public middle schools	19.6%	69	5.0	23.8	20.0	16.7	14.1	40.0	19.1	20.0	38.9	31.3	5.0	23.8	30.0	11.1	15.2	7.5	19.1	20.0	16.7	14.1	18.6	13.9	16.3	20.0	24.3	27.7	34.8	26.7	9.7	10.9	14.4	14.0	12.3	$17,662	$2,284	$15,378
El Camino Junior High	Public	7-8	219 West El Camino	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7800	830	45	18.2	97.0%	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	820 (98.8%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13.7	2489^th of 2761 public middle schools	9.9%		15.1	2475^th of 2783 public middle schools	11.1%	14																						9.4	9.4			24.1	22.0	23.1			13.9	10.1	12.0	$21,698	$2,635	$19,063
Fesler (Isaac) Junior High	Public	7-8	1100 East Fesler St.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-7880	974	49	20.0	94.5%	6 (0.6%)	4 (0.4%)	954 (97.9%)	5 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	13.2	2510^th of 2761 public middle schools	9.1%		13.6	2531^st of 2783 public middle schools	9.1%	21																						14.0	14.0			22.3	18.2	20.3			11.8	9.3	10.5	$20,610	$2,313	$18,297
Kunst (Tommie) Junior High	Public	7-8	930 Hidden Pines Way	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria-Bonita	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 361-5800	912	50	18.0	87.5%	23 (2.5%)	2 (0.2%)	852 (93.4%)	24 (2.6%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.9%)	24.8	2017^th of 2761 public middle schools	26.9%		27.7	1914^th of 2783 public middle schools	31.2%	103																						17.5	17.5			31.4	34.4	32.9			18.3	18.9	18.6	$21,183	$2,682	$18,501

Frequently Asked Questions about Vandenberg Middle

Is Vandenberg Middle a good school?

Vandenberg Middle ranks 1683^rd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Vandenberg Middle attend?

Students who attend Vandenberg Middle usually go on to attend Cabrillo High

How many students attend Vandenberg Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 565 students attended Vandenberg Middle.

What district is Vandenberg Middle in?

Lompoc Unified

What is the racial makeup of Vandenberg Middle?

Students at Vandenberg Middle are 58% Hispanic, 29% White, 6% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 3% African American.

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Schools in Vandenberg Afb, CA

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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.