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Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle

Public Grades 7-8

272^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 90% of California middle schools

Summary

Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle is a highly-rated public school serving about 566 students in grades 7-8 within the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District in Placentia, CA, where it consistently ranks among the top middle schools in the state.

The school stands out for its strong academic results, with student test scores in English, Math, and Science significantly above state averages, and it has shown excellent recovery in learning since the pandemic. A key strength is its effective support for all students, with particularly high rankings for multi-racial, Hispanic, and homeless student groups, and it has made dramatic recent improvements for English learners. While it serves a socioeconomically diverse population, its outcomes are notably stronger than nearby schools with similar demographics, such as Valadez Middle School Academy and South Junior High. The school also maintains a low chronic absenteeism rate, indicating good student engagement.

Within its own high-performing district, Yorba Linda Middle ranks slightly higher, but Tuffree achieves its top-tier results while operating efficiently with lower per-student spending than several comparison schools like Orange County School of Computer Science. Areas for attention include supporting military-connected students and addressing a recent dip in rankings for special education. Overall, Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle is distinguished by its ability to deliver excellent and equitable education for its diverse student community.

566

Students ?

23.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,639

Per pupil spending ?

46.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2151 North Kraemer Blvd.
Placentia, CA 92870-1930

(714) 986-7480

District: Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified

Students who attend Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle usually attend:

High:

El Dorado High

Feeder schools for Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle:

Elementary:	Brookhaven Elementary
	Charles Wagner Elementary
	Golden Elementary
	Sierra Vista Elementary
	More...
	Topaz Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.8%

White:

28.1%

Asian:

16.6%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 81st percentile in 2023 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (63% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of California middle schools

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 90th (2025) from a 81st-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school63%

District avg59%

California avg41%

272^nd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 10%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Middle Schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified

271^st of 1,543Placentia-Yorba Linda 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	90.3	272 of 2761	90.1%	★★★★★
2024	86.9	348 of 2783	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	78.7	516 of 2781	81.4%	★★★★☆
2022	82.4	428 of 2740	84.4%	★★★★☆
2019	83.0	413 of 2715	84.8%	★★★★☆
2018	82.3	406 of 2480	83.6%	★★★★☆
2017	90.8	230 of 2508	90.8%	★★★★★
2016	87.6	283 of 2497	88.7%	★★★★☆
2015	87.8	274 of 2477	88.9%	★★★★☆
2013	90.5	78 of 2379	96.7%	★★★★★
2012	86.1	167 of 2259	92.6%	★★★★★
2011	84.7	204 of 2236	90.9%	★★★★★
2010	84.1	216 of 2179	90.1%	★★★★★
2009	84.5	206 of 2063	90.0%	★★★★★
2008	80.5	276 of 2005	86.2%	★★★★☆
2007	86.1	197 of 1999	90.1%	★★★★★
2006	80.6	282 of 1804	84.4%	★★★★☆
2005	83.0	237 of 1777	86.7%	★★★★☆
2004	87.6	155 of 1769	91.2%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.3	216 of 739	70.8%	★★★★☆
2024	69.4	248 of 743	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.8	238 of 715	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.5	163 of 733	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	69.3	253 of 745	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.8	213 of 700	69.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	83.9	138 of 1531	91.0%	★★★★★
2019	81.0	178 of 1491	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	90.9	75 of 1369	94.5%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	71.6	145 of 1478	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	43.9	626 of 1521	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.2	887 of 1540	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.5	261 of 1442	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	62.1	278 of 1364	79.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.8	314 of 2533	87.6%	★★★★☆
2024	83.1	388 of 2551	84.8%	★★★★☆
2023	78.1	472 of 2531	81.4%	★★★★☆
2022	82.0	397 of 2509	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	76.5	498 of 2380	79.1%	★★★★☆
2018	75.7	485 of 2262	78.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.7	219 of 2395	90.9%	★★★★★
2024	79.0	344 of 2388	85.6%	★★★★☆
2023	68.1	555 of 2374	76.6%	★★★★☆
2022	78.5	324 of 2359	86.3%	★★★★☆
2019	83.2	246 of 2213	88.9%	★★★★☆
2018	81.8	252 of 2072	87.8%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.7	29 of 477	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	74.9	47 of 394	88.1%	★★★★☆
2022	78.9	37 of 336	89.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.6	274 of 2542	89.2%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	339 of 2579	86.9%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	505 of 2531	80.0%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	336 of 2458	86.3%	★★★★☆
2019	73.0	436 of 2369	81.6%	★★★★☆
2018	73.3	418 of 2230	81.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.9	228 of 2534	91.0%	★★★★★
2024	87.7	295 of 2552	88.4%	★★★★☆
2023	77.2	490 of 2538	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	81.1	419 of 2527	83.4%	★★★★☆
2019	86.3	319 of 2407	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	85.6	313 of 2273	86.2%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	111 of 194	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.4	115 of 192	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.6	140 of 197	28.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.7	1 of 726	99.9%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.8	476 of 1566	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.1	227 of 1552	85.4%	★★★★☆
2023	83.2	144 of 1531	90.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.2	67 of 1520	95.6%	★★★★★
2024	86.1	133 of 1537	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	79.8	239 of 1543	84.5%	★★★★☆
2022	80.2	245 of 1555	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	74.9	357 of 1602	77.7%	★★★★☆
2018	74.3	364 of 1496	75.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Multi-racial (2025)100th percentile+10 vs school

White (2025)96th percentile+5 vs school

Homeless (2025)94th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)91st percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)91st percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)91st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)90th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)89th percentile~ school

Female (2025)88th percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2025)71st percentile-19 vs school

Special Education (2025)70th percentile-21 vs school

Military Connected (2025)43rd percentile-47 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy74%+26 vs state

Mathematics56%+19 vs state

Science56%+23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Col. J. K. Tuffree 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 (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 (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/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 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th 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
Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle	Public	7-8	2151 North Kraemer Blvd.	Placentia	92870	Orange County	Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 986-7480	566	24	23.2	46.6%	159 (28.1%)	6 (1.1%)	282 (49.8%)	94 (16.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	21 (3.7%)	90.3	272^nd of 2761 public middle schools	90.1%		86.9	348^th of 2783 public middle schools	87.5%	76													56.1	56.1		77.2	71.9	74.4		56.0	56.3	56.2	$19,639	$18,834	$805
Kraemer Middle	Public	7-8	645 North Angelina Dr.	Placentia	92870	Orange County	Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 996-1551	889	36	24.5	52.9%	112 (12.6%)	14 (1.6%)	411 (46.2%)	315 (35.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	36 (4.0%)	87.8	316^th of 2761 public middle schools	88.6%		91.1	252^nd of 2783 public middle schools	90.9%	64													53.8	53.8		70.6	62.9	66.9		62.9	54.9	59.1	$16,346	$14,984	$1,362
Yorba Linda Middle	Public	6-8	4777 Casa Loma Ave.	Yorba Linda	92886	Orange County	Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 986-7080	818	37	22.3	34.1%	305 (37.3%)	9 (1.1%)	232 (28.4%)	225 (27.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	46 (5.6%)	94.4	171^st of 2761 public middle schools	93.8%		93.1	207^th of 2783 public middle schools	92.6%	36													63.1	63.1	73.7	77.5	78.5	76.7	69.4	66.4	63.2	66.2	$18,322	$17,388	$934
Brea Junior High	Public	7-8	400 North Brea Blvd.	Brea	92821	Orange County	Brea-Olinda Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 990-7500	921	45	20.2	37.9%	199 (21.6%)	10 (1.1%)	378 (41.0%)	285 (30.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.8%)	42 (4.6%)	89.4	289^th of 2761 public middle schools	89.5%		87.9	325^th of 2783 public middle schools	88.3%	36													53.3	53.3		69.9	67.0	68.5		65.1	58.3	61.8	$21,185	$19,986	$1,199
Ladera Vista Junior High School of the Arts	Public	7-8	1700 East Wilshire Dr.	Fullerton	92831	Orange County	Fullerton Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 447-7765	820	37	22.0	62.6%	160 (19.5%)	21 (2.6%)	525 (64.0%)	67 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	44 (5.4%)	53.8	1083^rd of 2761 public middle schools	60.8%		63.8	805^th of 2783 public middle schools	71.1%	278													24.3	24.3		57.5	45.4	51.0		40.7	32.3	36.2	$14,938	$14,634	$304
Valadez Middle School Academy	Public	6-8	161 East La Jolla St.	Placentia	92870	Orange County	Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 986-7440	527	27	19.8	95.8%	13 (2.5%)	4 (0.8%)	496 (94.1%)	11 (2.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	28.7	1873^rd of 2761 public middle schools	32.2%		23	2130^th of 2783 public middle schools	23.5%	257													15.1	15.1	39.4	37.5	43.2	40.1	17.8	18.6	15.9	17.4	$20,636	$19,188	$1,448
Sycamore Junior High	Public	7-8	1801 East Sycamore St.	Anaheim	92805	Orange County	Anaheim Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 999-3616	1,137	52	21.8	94.7%	23 (2.0%)	9 (0.8%)	1,053 (92.6%)	22 (1.9%)	23 (2.0%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.4%)	9.4	2633^rd of 2761 public middle schools	4.6%		11.3	2616^th of 2783 public middle schools	6.0%	17													6.9	6.9		22.1	12.8	17.1		10.9	3.8	7.1	$26,624	$25,292	$1,332
Orange County School of Computer Science	Public, Charter	6-8	5350 Fairmont Blvd.	Yorba Linda	92886	Orange County	Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 986-7400	753	37	20.3	42.5%	245 (32.5%)	9 (1.2%)	341 (45.3%)	120 (15.9%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	33 (4.4%)	73.4	617^th of 2761 public middle schools	77.7%		77.4	540^th of 2783 public middle schools	80.6%	77	7.4	9.6	8.9	18.5	21.2	20.3	37.0	9.6	19.0	0.0	15.4	10.1	42.3	42.3	58.8	65.6	57.2	60.9	42.8	46.5	41.1	43.6	$21,573	$20,768	$805
Washington Middle	Public	7-8	716 East La Habra Blvd.	La Habra	90631	Orange County	La Habra City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 690-2374	580	27	21.1	85.0%	27 (4.7%)	4 (0.7%)	515 (88.8%)	20 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	12 (2.1%)	45.3	1318^th of 2761 public middle schools	52.3%		46.2	1271^st of 2783 public middle schools	54.3%	47	13.7	16.7	14.8	29.4	33.3	30.9	33.3	13.3	25.9	7.8	16.7	11.1	22.0	22.0		52.2	48.5	50.4		32.8	19.4	26.5	$25,183	$16,428	$8,755
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	$25,436	$24,178	$1,258

Frequently Asked Questions about Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle

What is the racial makeup of Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle?

Students at Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle are 50% Hispanic, 28% White, 17% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American.

Is Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle a good school?

Yes. Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle ranks in the top 9.9% of California middle schools.

How many students attend Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 566 students attended Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle.

What district is Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle in?

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified

What high school do graduates of Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle attend?

Students who attend Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle usually go on to attend El Dorado High

Rate Col. J. K. Tuffree Middle!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.