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Bernardo Heights Middle

Public Grades 6-8

253^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 91% of California middle schools

Summary

Bernardo Heights Middle is a large, well-regarded public school serving grades 6-8 with about 1,500 students in the highly-ranked Poway Unified School District in San Diego, consistently placing in the top 10-15% of all California middle schools.

While the school's overall academic performance is strong and beats state averages, a closer look within its own district reveals some interesting comparisons. Specifically, Bernardo Heights has a noticeable gap in mathematics achievement compared to top district peers like Mesa Verde Middle and Oak Valley Middle, and it has a higher rate of chronic student absenteeism. However, the school excels in supporting specific student groups, with exceptional statewide rankings for its special education students and strong results for Hispanic students.

When compared to schools in neighboring districts, Bernardo Heights generally outperforms most in San Diego Unified and Escondido Union, though it trails elite performers like Pacific Trails Middle in the San Dieguito Union High district. In summary, it is a high-quality school with particular strengths, but one that sits in the middle of the pack among the highest-performing schools in its immediate area.

1,487

Students ?

22.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,811

Per pupil spending ?

13.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12990 Paseo Lucido
San Diego, CA 92128-4479

(858) 485-4850

District: Poway Unified

Students who attend Bernardo Heights Middle usually attend:

High:

Rancho Bernardo High

Feeder schools for Bernardo Heights Middle:

Elementary:	Chaparral Elementary
	Highland Ranch Elementary
	Turtleback Elementary
	Westwood Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.4%

Asian:

26.9%

Hispanic:

16.7%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Bernardo Heights Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 82nd percentile in 2013 → 91st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (65% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of California middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2013

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 school65%

District avg68%

California avg41%

253^rd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Middle Schools in the Poway Unified

106^th of 1,543Poway 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	91.0	253 of 2761	90.8%	★★★★★
2024	89.4	292 of 2783	89.5%	★★★★☆
2023	92.3	223 of 2781	92.0%	★★★★★
2022	90.3	274 of 2740	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	90.4	257 of 2715	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	87.9	285 of 2480	88.5%	★★★★☆
2017	87.1	311 of 2508	87.6%	★★★★☆
2016	91.6	191 of 2497	92.4%	★★★★★
2015	92.5	166 of 2477	93.3%	★★★★★
2013	75.7	434 of 2379	81.8%	★★★★☆
2012	77.2	370 of 2259	83.6%	★★★★☆
2011	76.9	368 of 2236	83.5%	★★★★☆
2010	80.2	295 of 2179	86.5%	★★★★☆
2009	84.7	201 of 2063	90.3%	★★★★★
2008	90.6	97 of 2005	95.2%	★★★★★
2007	90.7	107 of 1999	94.6%	★★★★★
2006	91.4	98 of 1804	94.6%	★★★★★
2005	91.7	90 of 1777	94.9%	★★★★★
2004	91.4	96 of 1769	94.6%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.6	274 of 609	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.0	111 of 613	81.9%	★★★★☆
2022	97.0	11 of 637	98.3%	★★★★★
2018	72.8	122 of 600	79.7%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.1	152 of 739	79.4%	★★★★☆
2024	74.9	185 of 743	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	71.0	218 of 715	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.3	271 of 733	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.2	228 of 745	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.4	309 of 700	55.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	90.4	89 of 1531	94.2%	★★★★★
2019	65.8	324 of 1491	78.3%	★★★★☆
2018	65.3	304 of 1369	77.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	63.1	232 of 1478	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	76.2	132 of 1521	91.3%	★★★★★
2022	95.4	28 of 1540	98.2%	★★★★★
2019	75.9	161 of 1442	88.8%	★★★★☆
2018	85.4	107 of 1364	92.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.4	305 of 2533	88.0%	★★★★☆
2024	87.0	307 of 2551	88.0%	★★★★☆
2023	92.0	200 of 2531	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	90.3	228 of 2509	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	90.3	217 of 2380	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	88.2	253 of 2262	88.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.6	239 of 2395	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	87.5	180 of 2388	92.5%	★★★★★
2023	91.4	119 of 2374	95.0%	★★★★★
2022	88.4	160 of 2359	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	87.2	178 of 2213	92.0%	★★★★★
2018	84.3	205 of 2072	90.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.9	557 of 2542	78.1%	★★★★☆
2024	76.4	414 of 2579	83.9%	★★★★☆
2023	84.7	252 of 2531	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	86.5	195 of 2458	92.1%	★★★★★
2019	87.4	180 of 2369	92.4%	★★★★★
2018	82.9	234 of 2230	89.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.9	202 of 2534	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	89.0	275 of 2552	89.2%	★★★★☆
2023	90.9	224 of 2538	91.2%	★★★★★
2022	88.7	280 of 2527	88.9%	★★★★☆
2019	89.0	265 of 2407	89.0%	★★★★☆
2018	85.9	306 of 2273	86.5%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	87.2	12 of 193	93.8%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.3	228 of 726	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.4	253 of 701	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.3	203 of 677	70.0%	★★★★☆
2022	71.2	182 of 665	72.6%	★★★★☆
2019	69.4	172 of 554	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.6	192 of 462	58.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.9	95 of 1566	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	93.0	73 of 1552	95.3%	★★★★★
2023	96.8	41 of 1531	97.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.4	418 of 1520	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.0	472 of 1537	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	77.3	285 of 1543	81.5%	★★★★☆
2022	74.4	336 of 1555	78.4%	★★★★☆
2019	74.0	378 of 1602	76.4%	★★★★☆
2018	71.1	429 of 1496	71.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Disabled (2022)94th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2025)94th percentile+3 vs school

Military Connected (2022)94th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)90th percentile~ school

Female (2025)88th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)84th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2025)79th percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)78th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)72nd percentile-18 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)69th percentile-22 vs school

African American (2025)55th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy74%+25 vs state

Science60%+27 vs state

Mathematics58%+21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bernardo Heights 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
Bernardo Heights Middle	Public	6-8	12990 Paseo Lucido	San Diego	92128	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 485-4850	1,487	66	22.6	13.8%	615 (41.4%)	29 (2.0%)	248 (16.7%)	400 (26.9%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	187 (12.6%)	91	253^rd of 2761 public middle schools	90.8%		89.4	292^nd of 2783 public middle schools	89.5%	39	59.6	59.6	73.1	74.5	74.0	73.9	59.9	59.3	56.1	58.4	$14,811	$661	$14,150
Meadowbrook Middle	Public	6-8	12320 Meadowbrook Ln.	Poway	92064	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 748-0802	972	46	21.2	24.6%	353 (36.3%)	22 (2.3%)	292 (30.0%)	192 (19.8%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	109 (11.2%)	76.1	561^st of 2761 public middle schools	79.7%		80.9	461^st of 2783 public middle schools	83.4%	100	46.2	46.2	60.9	60.9	57.6	59.8	48.4	48.9	44.4	47.3	$15,515	$690	$14,825
Twin Peaks Middle	Public	6-8	14640 Tierra Bonita Rd.	Poway	92064	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 748-5131	1,164	54	21.4	18.4%	643 (55.2%)	12 (1.0%)	282 (24.2%)	89 (7.6%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	132 (11.3%)	71.2	649^th of 2761 public middle schools	76.5%		79.2	493^rd of 2783 public middle schools	82.3%	156	48.1	48.1	58.4	55.4	55.8	56.6	45.4	38.5	45.8	43.3	$15,619	$608	$15,011
Oak Valley Middle	Public	6-8	16055 Winecreek Rd.	San Diego	92127	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 487-2939	1,503	60	24.9	8.4%	468 (31.1%)	12 (0.8%)	141 (9.4%)	729 (48.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	150 (10.0%)	96.7	97^th of 2761 public middle schools	96.5%		96.1	120^th of 2783 public middle schools	95.7%	23	74.3	74.3	79.3	81.0	77.0	79.0	70.0	74.5	78.0	74.2	$14,119	$560	$13,559
Black Mountain Middle	Public	6-8	9353 Oviedo St.	San Diego	92129	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 484-1300	1,077	47	22.6	20.7%	379 (35.2%)	33 (3.1%)	222 (20.6%)	299 (27.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	141 (13.1%)	88.4	303^rd of 2761 public middle schools	89.0%		89.3	293^rd of 2783 public middle schools	89.5%	10	54.6	54.6	72.5	70.7	64.6	69.2	55.9	59.2	59.7	58.3	$15,540	$723	$14,817
Mesa Verde Middle	Public	6-8	8375 Entreken Way	San Diego	92129	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 538-5478	1,178	47	25.1	11.2%	350 (29.7%)	12 (1.0%)	124 (10.5%)	536 (45.5%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	151 (12.8%)	97.1	80^th of 2761 public middle schools	97.1%		98	51^st of 2783 public middle schools	98.2%	29	70.8	70.8	78.6	81.2	81.2	80.2	73.3	78.8	79.9	77.1	$14,857	$673	$14,184
Bear Valley Middle	Public	6-8	3003 Bear Valley Pkwy.	Escondido	92025	San Diego County	Escondido Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 432-4060	923	51	17.9	68.4%	228 (24.7%)	8 (0.9%)	585 (63.4%)	39 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (6.8%)	49	1208^th of 2761 public middle schools	56.2%		42.5	1383^rd of 2783 public middle schools	50.3%	175	21.4	21.4	47.8	51.0	45.5	48.1	34.2	32.2	33.3	33.2
Wangenheim Middle	Public	6-8	9230 Gold Coast Dr.	San Diego	92126	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 605-2250	703	29	24.5	67.6%	72 (10.2%)	46 (6.5%)	248 (35.3%)	255 (36.3%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	77 (11.0%)	57.5	965^th of 2761 public middle schools	65.0%		60.6	872^nd of 2783 public middle schools	68.7%	93	34.5	34.5	51.9	55.9	49.0	52.5	32.6	38.7	31.0	34.4	$18,820	$2,507	$16,313
Marshall Middle	Public	6-8	9700 Avenue of Nations	San Diego	92131	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 549-5400	1,390	54	25.9	21.7%	488 (35.1%)	24 (1.7%)	175 (12.6%)	519 (37.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	182 (13.1%)	97.2	71^st of 2761 public middle schools	97.4%		97.8	63^rd of 2783 public middle schools	97.7%	8	70.1	70.1	78.7	85.0	84.3	82.7	75.0	71.8	74.4	73.7	$16,759	$2,181	$14,578
Pacific Trails Middle	Public	7-8	5975 Village Center Loop Rd.	San Diego	92130	San Diego County	San Dieguito Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 350-0253	971	40	24.4	12.0%	306 (31.5%)	6 (0.6%)	121 (12.5%)	440 (45.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	94 (9.7%)	98.5	28^th of 2761 public middle schools	99.0%		98.6	25^th of 2783 public middle schools	99.1%	3	77.4	77.4		89.2	82.0	85.7		82.8	78.6	80.8	$13,317	$467	$12,850

Frequently Asked Questions about Bernardo Heights Middle

What is the racial makeup of Bernardo Heights Middle?

Students at Bernardo Heights Middle are 41% White, 27% Asian, 17% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is Bernardo Heights Middle in?

Poway Unified

How many students attend Bernardo Heights Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,487 students attended Bernardo Heights Middle.

What high school do graduates of Bernardo Heights Middle attend?

Students who attend Bernardo Heights Middle usually go on to attend Rancho Bernardo High

Is Bernardo Heights Middle a good school?

Yes. Bernardo Heights Middle ranks in the top 9.2% of California middle schools.

Rate Bernardo Heights Middle!

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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.