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Pacific Grove Middle

Q: Is Pacific Grove Middle a good school?

Pacific Grove Middle ranks 288 th of 2703 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

288^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,703 California Middle Schools

Better than 89% of California middle schools

Summary

Pacific Grove Middle serves 439 students in grades 6–8 in Pacific Grove, California. In 2025–2026, 73% of students were proficient in English language arts (ELA), 57% in math and 62% in science. The school combines strong results across subjects with some variation in how it compares locally: its standout is ELA, while math is a relative weak spot. Most importantly, it had the highest ELA proficiency among the nearby schools in the comparison, at 73%.

Compared with the state, Pacific Grove was ahead by 24 percentage points in ELA, 18 points in math and 26 points in science. It was also slightly ahead of Pacific Grove Unified in ELA and science, by about 1 point in each, while sitting about 1 point below the district in math. Nearby, Carmel Middle was next in ELA, about 6 points behind; Pacific Grove ranked second in science and third in math. Attendance is a concern to keep in view: 17% of students were chronically absent in 2025–2026, about 2 points above the district, though about 1 point below the state. Only Los Arboles Middle had higher absenteeism among the nearby schools.

Results have improved overall since 2022–2023: ELA rose from 70% to 73%, math from 53% to 57%, and science from 56% to 62%, though all three dipped slightly from their 2024–2025 highs. SchoolDigger ranked Pacific Grove at the 89th percentile statewide, with four stars, in 2025–2026; its 17.2 student-teacher ratio was the second-lowest nearby. In 2024–2025, 16% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the same measure and year used for nearby comparisons; only San Benancio Middle had a lower share. One subgroup result stands out: SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness measure for Asian Students was at the 48th percentile, well below the school’s overall 89th-percentile standing, and had fallen from the 72nd percentile two years earlier.

439

Students ?

17.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$35,220

Per pupil spending ?

15.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

835 Forest Ave.
Pacific Grove, CA 93950-4837

(831) 646-6568

District: Pacific Grove Unified

Students who attend Pacific Grove Middle usually attend:

High:

Pacific Grove High

Feeder schools for Pacific Grove Middle:

Elementary:	Forest Grove Elementary
	Robert Down Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.7%

Hispanic:

19.6%

Asian:

13.2%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Pacific Grove Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 87th percentile in 2015 → 89th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (65% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of California middle schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

District avg64%

California avg42%

288^th of 2,703

California public middle schools ?

Top 11%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From top 16% (2016) to top 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

84^th of 968Pacific Grove 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	88.3	288 of 2703	89.3%	★★★★☆
2025	91.0	252 of 2761	90.9%	★★★★★
2024	87.2	340 of 2783	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	89.3	289 of 2781	89.6%	★★★★☆
2022	90.2	276 of 2740	89.9%	★★★★☆
2019	93.5	185 of 2715	93.2%	★★★★★
2018	91.3	210 of 2480	91.5%	★★★★★
2017	91.2	218 of 2508	91.3%	★★★★★
2016	82.3	390 of 2497	84.4%	★★★★☆
2015	85.1	329 of 2477	86.7%	★★★★☆
2013	85.6	176 of 2379	92.6%	★★★★★
2012	82.0	252 of 2259	88.8%	★★★★☆
2011	87.4	141 of 2236	93.7%	★★★★★
2010	91.7	68 of 2179	96.9%	★★★★★
2009	84.6	204 of 2063	90.1%	★★★★★
2008	88.8	130 of 2005	93.5%	★★★★★
2007	83.2	243 of 1999	87.8%	★★★★☆
2006	84.2	223 of 1804	87.6%	★★★★☆
2005	80.1	285 of 1777	84.0%	★★★★☆
2004	85.4	192 of 1769	89.1%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	55.0	402 of 769	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	69.9	250 of 739	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.0	210 of 743	71.7%	★★★★☆
2023	67.5	264 of 715	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.9	383 of 733	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.9	505 of 745	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.2	349 of 700	50.1%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	83.7	143 of 1531	90.7%	★★★★★
2019	86.9	116 of 1491	92.2%	★★★★★
2018	76.2	203 of 1369	85.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	89.1	247 of 2483	90.1%	★★★★★
2025	91.1	220 of 2533	91.3%	★★★★★
2024	81.8	409 of 2551	84.0%	★★★★☆
2023	87.6	288 of 2531	88.6%	★★★★☆
2022	87.8	276 of 2509	89.0%	★★★★☆
2019	89.8	227 of 2380	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	89.6	227 of 2262	90.0%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	82.9	241 of 2325	89.6%	★★★★☆
2025	83.2	265 of 2395	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	71.1	491 of 2388	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	68.0	558 of 2374	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	69.2	522 of 2359	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	86.1	192 of 2213	91.3%	★★★★★
2018	79.6	281 of 2072	86.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	63.6	702 of 2493	71.8%	★★★★☆
2025	68.3	579 of 2542	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	60.5	745 of 2579	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	77.3	373 of 2531	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	74.6	410 of 2458	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	81.2	282 of 2369	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	82.2	242 of 2230	89.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	85.5	316 of 2478	87.2%	★★★★☆
2025	88.3	286 of 2534	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	89.4	268 of 2552	89.5%	★★★★☆
2023	88.5	282 of 2538	88.9%	★★★★☆
2022	90.5	231 of 2527	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	94.8	131 of 2407	94.6%	★★★★★
2018	91.6	192 of 2273	91.6%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	79.5	130 of 734	82.3%	★★★★☆
2018	75.5	107 of 462	76.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	94.8	58 of 1586	96.3%	★★★★★
2025	92.4	73 of 1566	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	83.6	144 of 1552	90.7%	★★★★★
2023	65.5	330 of 1531	78.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	79.3	238 of 1482	83.9%	★★★★☆
2025	82.0	202 of 1520	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	73.9	350 of 1537	77.2%	★★★★☆
2023	81.2	219 of 1543	85.8%	★★★★☆
2022	82.6	193 of 1555	87.6%	★★★★☆
2019	85.5	156 of 1602	90.3%	★★★★★
2018	82.3	207 of 1496	86.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2026)96th percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2022)91st percentile~ school

Female (2026)90th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)90th percentile~ school

Male (2026)87th percentile~ school

White (2026)84th percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)82nd percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)72nd percentile-18 vs school

Asian (2026)48th percentile-42 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy73%+24 vs state

Science62%+26 vs state

Mathematics57%+18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pacific Grove 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)				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	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
Pacific Grove Middle	Public	6-8	835 Forest Ave.	Pacific Grove	93950	Monterey County	Pacific Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 646-6568	439	25	17.2	15.9%	240 (54.7%)	9 (2.1%)	86 (19.6%)	58 (13.2%)	6 (1.4%)	5 (1.1%)	35 (8.0%)	88.3	288^th of 2703 public middle schools	89.3%		91	252^nd of 2761 public middle schools	90.9%	36	61.9	61.9	82.3	64.0	74.2	73.4	60.5	56.6	52.6	56.5	$35,220	$33,958	$1,262
Monterey Peninsula UNF School District COM Day MID	Public	6-8	200 Coe Ave.	Seaside	93955	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 392-3822	3	0	12.0	—	1 (33.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Carmel Middle	Public	6-8	4380 Carmel Valley Rd.	Carmel	93922	Monterey County	Carmel Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 624-2785	468	36	13.1	17.3%	293 (62.6%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (20.3%)	20 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (12.4%)	86.7	311^th of 2703 public middle schools	88.5%		90.3	271^st of 2761 public middle schools	90.2%	40	55.0	55.0	66.3	68.5	67.7	67.5	55.8	62.9	58.0	58.8	$50,747	$49,908	$839
Seaside Middle	Public	7-8	999 Coe Ave.	Seaside	93955	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 899-7080	521	27	19.5	83.5%	42 (8.1%)	26 (5.0%)	405 (77.7%)	20 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.3%)	14 (2.7%)	28.7	1853^rd of 2703 public middle schools	31.4%		27.4	1915^th of 2761 public middle schools	30.6%	62	18.7	18.7		44.0	37.1	40.5		26.5	13.6	19.9	$21,301	$19,364	$1,937
Los Arboles Middle	Public	7-8	294 Hillcrest Ave.	Marina	93933	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 384-3550	408	23	17.8	75.5%	48 (11.8%)	23 (5.6%)	258 (63.2%)	60 (14.7%)	3 (0.7%)	9 (2.2%)	6 (1.5%)	33	1690^th of 2703 public middle schools	37.5%		32.8	1722^nd of 2761 public middle schools	37.6%	32	27.1	27.1		42.6	40.4	41.6		24.3	17.5	21.0	$21,565	$19,476	$2,089
San Benancio Middle	Public	6-8	43 San Benancio Rd.	Salinas	93908	Monterey County	Washington Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 484-1172	261	12	21.7	10.3%	138 (52.9%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (28.7%)	26 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (8.4%)	82.4	418^th of 2703 public middle schools	84.5%		84.8	373^rd of 2761 public middle schools	86.5%	45	54.4	54.4	60.5	67.1	57.6	61.6	53.1	63.5	55.4	57.4	$17,191	$16,706	$485
North Monterey County Middle	Public	7-8	10301 Seymour St.	Castroville	95012	Monterey County	North Monterey County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 633-3391	624	30	20.8	87.8%	30 (4.8%)	2 (0.3%)	586 (93.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15.4	2384^th of 2703 public middle schools	11.8%		13.1	2513^th of 2761 public middle schools	9.0%	129	12.6	12.6		27.8	26.4	27.1		17.2	11.9	14.5	$19,268	$17,662	$1,606
Washington Middle	Public	7-8	560 Iverson St.	Salinas	93901	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7100	1,082	51	21.2	81.7%	62 (5.7%)	9 (0.8%)	977 (90.3%)	19 (1.8%)	9 (0.8%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	32.9	1694^th of 2703 public middle schools	37.3%		38.6	1531^st of 2761 public middle schools	44.5%	163	26.9	26.9		37.9	39.6	38.7		20.6	27.6	24.0	$30,230	$28,470	$1,760
Buena Vista Middle	Public	6-8	18250 Tara Dr.	Salinas	93908	Monterey County	Spreckels Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 455-8936	321	18	17.5	17.4%	121 (37.7%)	0 (0.0%)	163 (50.8%)	16 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.5%)	54.1	1063^rd of 2703 public middle schools	60.7%		69.4	688^th of 2761 public middle schools	75.1%	375	35.0	35.0	49.4	54.0	42.2	48.7	36.5	48.2	26.5	37.5	$19,621	$19,162	$459
Harden Middle	Public	7-8	1561 McKinnon St.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7300	1,101	52	21.1	82.2%	29 (2.6%)	10 (0.9%)	1,016 (92.3%)	34 (3.1%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	20.8	2151^st of 2703 public middle schools	20.4%		22.1	2150^th of 2761 public middle schools	22.1%	1	21.3	21.3		26.6	32.8	29.7		16.6	18.0	17.3	$29,522	$27,946	$1,576

Frequently Asked Questions about Pacific Grove Middle

What high school do graduates of Pacific Grove Middle attend?

Students who attend Pacific Grove Middle usually go on to attend Pacific Grove High

Is Pacific Grove Middle a good school?

Pacific Grove Middle ranks 288^th of 2703 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Pacific Grove Middle in?

Pacific Grove Unified

How many students attend Pacific Grove Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 439 students attended Pacific Grove Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Pacific Grove Middle?

Students at Pacific Grove Middle are 55% White, 20% Hispanic, 13% Asian, 8% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

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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.