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Portola Middle

Q: Is Portola Middle a good school?

Portola Middle ranks 1597 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

1597^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 42% of California middle schools

Summary

Portola Middle is a public middle school in Orange, California, serving 577 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Orange Unified School District, which is ranked 507 out of 1,565 districts in the state.

Portola Middle consistently underperforms compared to the district and state averages in academic assessments. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 39.05% of Portola Middle students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 59.34% for the district and 48.81% for the state. In Mathematics, the proficiency rate was just 26.3% at Portola Middle, compared to 45.98% for the district and 37.3% for the state. The school also struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.8% to 25.9% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Cerro Villa Middle and Yorba Middle within the same district, as well as schools in other districts like Columbus Tustin Middle and Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate, Portola Middle consistently underperforms academically. These nearby schools generally have higher proficiency rates in core subjects and lower chronic absenteeism rates. Portola Middle's high percentage of students (over 90%) qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high concentration of students from low-income families, may contribute to the school's academic challenges.

422

Students ?

20.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,794

Per pupil spending ?

91.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

270 North Palm Dr.
Orange, CA 92868-2428

(714) 997-6361

District: Orange Unified

Students who attend Portola Middle usually attend:

High:

Orange High

Feeder schools for Portola Middle:

Elementary:	Fairhaven Elementary
	Lampson Elementary
	Sycamore Elementary
	West Orange Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.9%

Asian:

5.9%

White:

3.8%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Portola Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 43rd percentile in 2013 → 42nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (31% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 11 pts below the California average

!Near the bottom of Orange Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg50%

California avg41%

1,597^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 42%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 39% (2015) to bottom 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the Orange Unified

483^rd of 1,543Orange 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	36.6	1597 of 2761	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.5	2147 of 2783	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	2101 of 2781	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	2015 of 2740	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	2017 of 2715	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.5	1841 of 2480	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.2	1754 of 2508	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	26.9	1765 of 2497	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.3	1521 of 2477	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.6	1361 of 2379	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	46.9	1168 of 2259	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.1	1333 of 2236	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	35.5	1429 of 2179	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.9	1133 of 2063	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	25.9	1541 of 2005	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	29.2	1412 of 1999	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.4	1218 of 1804	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	24.6	1346 of 1777	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	25.8	1300 of 1769	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	37.3	499 of 715	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	464 of 733	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.4	604 of 745	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.6	591 of 700	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	26.2	1211 of 1531	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.1	1029 of 1491	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.5	1200 of 1369	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	39.0	773 of 1478	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.8	1131 of 1521	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.5	916 of 1540	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.1	832 of 1442	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.1	671 of 1364	50.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.2	1750 of 2533	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.6	2199 of 2551	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	2106 of 2531	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	2012 of 2509	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.6	1923 of 2380	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.6	1755 of 2262	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.9	1213 of 2395	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.3	1789 of 2388	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.0	1830 of 2374	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.9	1750 of 2359	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.8	1765 of 2213	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.1	1622 of 2072	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.9	241 of 477	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.5	1159 of 2542	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	27.9	1867 of 2579	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.5	1810 of 2531	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.2	1499 of 2458	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.3	1716 of 2369	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	1575 of 2230	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.6	1237 of 2534	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.0	1755 of 2552	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.6	1705 of 2538	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.4	1723 of 2527	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.1	1720 of 2407	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.8	1658 of 2273	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.9	1018 of 1566	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.5	1298 of 1552	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	1477 of 1531	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	33.9	1069 of 1602	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.2	828 of 1496	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)54th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)51st percentile+9 vs school

Homeless (2025)49th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)49th percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)48th percentile+25 vs school

Special Education (2025)35th percentile-7 vs school

White (2019)33rd percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)31st percentile-11 vs school

Asian (2023)30th percentile+6 vs school

Disabled (2022)21st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy39%-10 vs state

Mathematics26%-11 vs state

Science24%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Portola 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
Portola Middle	Public	7-8	270 North Palm Dr.	Orange	92868	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6361	422	20	20.9	91.5%	16 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	371 (87.9%)	25 (5.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	36.6	1597^th of 2761 public middle schools	42.2%		22.5	2147^th of 2783 public middle schools	22.9%	550	23.9	23.9		41.4	36.3	39.1		25.6	27.2	26.3	$16,794	$1,356	$15,438
Yorba Middle	Public	7-8	935 North Cambridge	Orange	92867	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6161	418	23	18.1	88.5%	23 (5.5%)	2 (0.5%)	381 (91.1%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	40.7	1477^th of 2761 public middle schools	46.5%		37	1568^th of 2783 public middle schools	43.7%	91	18.0	18.0		53.4	41.3	47.1		29.4	23.3	26.3	$16,874	$1,515	$15,359
Gonzalo Felicitas Mendez Fundamental Intermediate	Public	6-8	2000 North Bristol	Santa Ana	92706	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 972-7800	1,234	58	21.3	91.7%	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1,217 (98.6%)	12 (1.0%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	45.9	1297^th of 2761 public middle schools	53.0%		45.5	1294^th of 2783 public middle schools	53.5%	3	16.0	16.0	42.1	41.8	40.3	41.4	34.9	34.9	44.8	38.0	$23,007	$978	$22,029
Willard Intermediate	Public	6-8	1342 North Ross	Santa Ana	92706	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 480-4800	390	27	14.3	97.2%	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	383 (98.2%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.2	2672^nd of 2761 public middle schools	3.2%		10.4	2652^nd of 2783 public middle schools	4.7%	20	6.9	6.9	11.6	17.3	11.9	13.8	4.3	10.5	4.9	6.7	$28,724	$1,005	$27,719
Leroy L. Doig Intermediate	Public	7-8	12752 Trask Ave.	Garden Grove	92843	Orange County	Garden Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 663-6241	557	25	21.8	93.7%	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	468 (84.0%)	73 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	5 (0.9%)	54.5	1050^th of 2761 public middle schools	62.0%		53.9	1045^th of 2783 public middle schools	62.5%	5	28.4	28.4		50.6	45.8	48.2		40.2	35.1	37.6	$19,590	$2,191	$17,399
South Junior High	Public	7-8	2320 East South St.	Anaheim	92806	Orange County	Anaheim Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 999-3667	1,159	49	23.5	92.1%	31 (2.7%)	9 (0.8%)	1,045 (90.2%)	43 (3.7%)	15 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	14 (1.2%)	14.6	2461^st of 2761 public middle schools	10.9%		12.6	2563^rd of 2783 public middle schools	7.9%	102	12.2	12.2		24.1	27.0	25.6		10.5	8.9	9.7	$18,426	$1,130	$17,296
Izaak Walton Intermediate	Public	7-8	12181 Buaro St.	Garden Grove	92840	Orange County	Garden Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 663-6040	458	21	21.7	91.0%	16 (3.5%)	5 (1.1%)	346 (75.5%)	86 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)	48.5	1219^th of 2761 public middle schools	55.8%		52.7	1085^th of 2783 public middle schools	61.0%	134	25.5	25.5		49.7	44.5	46.8		33.5	32.4	32.9	$18,912	$2,202	$16,710
Raymond A. Villa Fundamental Intermediate	Public	6-8	1441 East Chestnut Ave.	Santa Ana	92701	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 558-5100	936	46	20.4	95.3%	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	914 (97.6%)	15 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	20	2222^nd of 2761 public middle schools	19.5%		18.8	2308^th of 2783 public middle schools	17.1%	86	16.1	16.1	34.3	35.1	28.2	32.5	12.2	10.9	11.2	11.4	$23,520	$827	$22,693
Vista Heritage Global Academy	Public, Charter	6-9	2609 West Fifth St.	Santa Ana	92703	Orange County	Vista Heritage Global Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 988-2719	369	16	22.8	97.0%	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.5%)	352 (95.4%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	20.4	2208^th of 2761 public middle schools	20.0%		15.1	2476^th of 2783 public middle schools	11.0%	268	11.0	11.0	24.6	36.6	34.5	32.2	16.5	18.5	6.0	13.8	$25,449	$4,433	$21,016
Cerro Villa Middle	Public	7-8	17852 East Serrano Ave.	Villa Park	92861	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6251	747	28	26.2	57.8%	216 (28.9%)	5 (0.7%)	406 (54.4%)	75 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	43 (5.8%)	64.8	792^nd of 2761 public middle schools	71.3%		67	746^th of 2783 public middle schools	73.2%	46	40.2	40.2		54.8	47.8	51.5		44.2	38.6	41.6	$16,090	$1,182	$14,908

Frequently Asked Questions about Portola Middle

Is Portola Middle a good school?

Portola Middle ranks 1597^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Portola Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 422 students attended Portola Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Portola Middle?

Students at Portola Middle are 88% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 4% White, 1% Two or more races.

What district is Portola Middle in?

Orange Unified

What high school do graduates of Portola Middle attend?

Students who attend Portola Middle usually go on to attend Orange High

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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.