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Hercules Middle

Q: Is Hercules Middle a good school?

Hercules Middle ranks 876 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

876^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 68% of California middle schools

Summary

Hercules Middle is a public school serving about 600 students in grades 6-8 in Hercules, California, and stands out as a consistently improving and high-performing school within the broader West Contra Costa Unified district.

The school is on a strong upward trend, outperforming other middle schools in its own district like Pinole Middle and Lovonya DeJean Middle in core academic subjects, and it has an exceptionally low rate of chronic student absenteeism. It shows particular strength in supporting female students, students from low-income families, and African American students, achieving high rankings for these groups. Remarkably, it accomplishes this with the lowest per-student spending in its district, suggesting very efficient use of resources.

While Hercules Middle is a standout in its district, its academic results are more modest when compared to schools in higher-spending neighboring districts such as Albany Middle or Martinez Junior High. Families should note two areas the school is likely working to improve: support for Asian students, whose academic performance ranks lower than other groups at the school, and services for students with special needs, which saw a significant drop in ranking recently.

596

Students ?

24.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

44.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1900 Refugio Valley Rd.
Hercules, CA 94547-1554

(510) 231-1429

District: West Contra Costa Unified

Students who attend Hercules Middle usually attend:

High:

Hercules High

Feeder schools for Hercules Middle:

Elementary:	Hanna Ranch Elementary
	Lupine Hills Elementary
	Ohlone Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

39.3%

Hispanic:

26.0%

African American:

14.8%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Hercules Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 37th percentile in 2013 → 68th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 31 percentile points since 2013

✓Among the top-ranked schools in West Contra Costa Unified

✓Above the California median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg28%

California avg41%

876^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 32%▲ up 18 pts since 2015

From top 50% (2015) to top 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6Middle Schools in the West Contra Costa Unified

1110^th of 1,543West Contra Costa 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	61.2	876 of 2761	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.5	978 of 2783	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.0	1055 of 2781	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.5	1132 of 2740	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.2	1120 of 2715	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.3	1000 of 2480	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	46.1	1218 of 2508	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	42.7	1300 of 2497	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	44.5	1227 of 2477	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	37.4	1507 of 2379	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	33.4	1546 of 2259	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	39.2	1382 of 2236	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	38.8	1341 of 2179	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	38.7	1238 of 2063	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.1	993 of 2005	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	49.9	907 of 1999	54.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.6	169 of 609	72.2%	★★★★☆
2024	61.3	187 of 627	70.2%	★★★★☆
2023	65.4	164 of 613	73.2%	★★★★☆
2022	59.3	207 of 637	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.7	279 of 643	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.2	386 of 600	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.3	573 of 739	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.2	553 of 743	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	573 of 715	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.8	576 of 733	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.6	596 of 745	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.8	536 of 700	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	30.6	1041 of 1531	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.2	762 of 1491	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.4	694 of 1369	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	56.8	310 of 1478	79.0%	★★★★☆
2023	45.1	572 of 1521	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.4	675 of 1540	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.1	394 of 1442	72.7%	★★★★☆
2018	46.1	490 of 1364	64.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.8	707 of 2533	72.1%	★★★★☆
2024	60.7	813 of 2551	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.8	841 of 2531	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.7	1073 of 2509	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.6	1019 of 2380	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.1	953 of 2262	57.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.3	1176 of 2395	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.0	1572 of 2388	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.6	1381 of 2374	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.1	1430 of 2359	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.7	1166 of 2213	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.0	704 of 2072	66.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.2	752 of 2542	70.4%	★★★★☆
2024	51.8	982 of 2579	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.1	1251 of 2531	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.3	1290 of 2458	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.4	1343 of 2369	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.9	997 of 2230	55.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.2	983 of 2534	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.0	1082 of 2552	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.7	1132 of 2538	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.4	989 of 2527	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.1	1039 of 2407	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.1	939 of 2273	58.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.0	509 of 726	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.2	407 of 701	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.2	521 of 677	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	493 of 665	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	436 of 554	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.4	355 of 462	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	1409 of 1566	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	59.4	411 of 1552	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	55.5	457 of 1531	70.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.5	818 of 1520	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.7	870 of 1537	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.1	1032 of 1555	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.7	996 of 1602	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.9	1033 of 1496	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)79th percentile+14 vs school

African American (2025)72nd percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)72nd percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)70th percentile~ school

Male (2025)61st percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)51st percentile-17 vs school

White (2025)46th percentile-22 vs school

Disabled (2022)32nd percentile-27 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)30th percentile-38 vs school

Asian (2025)22nd percentile-46 vs school

Special Education (2025)10th percentile-58 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy54%+6 vs state

Science36%+4 vs state

Mathematics36%~ state avg

4.7

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a student
Thursday, October 18, 2018

Very good food.The teachers are very nice.You will be safe at the school. Close Quote

by a student
Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Great school and nice 7th graders. Close Quote

by a student
Wednesday, May 4, 2011

this school is awsome. In the year of 2011, they have rules, which is good!!!!
I love this school for the awsome teachers and a great principal. Close Quote

Schools Near Hercules 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 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	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
Hercules Middle	Public	6-8	1900 Refugio Valley Rd.	Hercules	94547	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1429	596	24	24.7	44.3%	45 (7.6%)	88 (14.8%)	155 (26.0%)	234 (39.3%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	69 (11.6%)	61.2	876^th of 2761 public middle schools	68.3%		56.5	978^th of 2783 public middle schools	64.9%	102									36.5	36.5	53.9	52.7	56.5	54.3	33.9	34.8	40.5	36.4
Pinole Middle	Public	7-8	1575 Mann Dr.	Pinole	94564	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1436	381	15	25.1	80.1%	36 (9.4%)	46 (12.1%)	199 (52.2%)	77 (20.2%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	19 (5.0%)	26	1951^st of 2761 public middle schools	29.3%		21.8	2184^th of 2783 public middle schools	21.5%	233									9.9	9.9		38.9	29.5	34.2		30.3	12.0	21.4
Betty Reid Soskin Middle	Public	6-8	1121 Allview Ave.	El Sobrante	94803	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1447	372	20	18.5	55.4%	21 (5.6%)	62 (16.7%)	179 (48.1%)	76 (20.4%)	3 (0.8%)	8 (2.2%)	23 (6.2%)	12.7	2529^th of 2761 public middle schools	8.4%		14.3	2499^th of 2783 public middle schools	10.2%	30									9.0	9.0		25.2	13.7	19.3		18.1	5.8	11.8
Carquinez Middle	Public	6-8	1099 Pomona St.	Crockett	94525	Contra Costa County	John Swett Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 787-1081	286	14	20.5	83.6%	40 (14.0%)	42 (14.7%)	114 (39.9%)	54 (18.9%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.0%)	31 (10.8%)	24	2054^th of 2761 public middle schools	25.6%		20.3	2251^st of 2783 public middle schools	19.1%	197									16.7	16.7	36.3	37.7	28.6	34.5	17.8	17.0	13.1	16.1	$35,012	$34,148	$864
Helms Middle	Public	7-8	2500 Road 20	San Pablo	94806	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 233-3988	558	25	22.1	81.9%	9 (1.6%)	28 (5.0%)	485 (86.9%)	28 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	7.7	2685^th of 2761 public middle schools	2.8%		8	2717^th of 2783 public middle schools	2.4%	32									6.3	6.3		11.4	11.0	11.2		7.2	6.2	6.6
Fred T. Korematsu Middle	Public	7-8	7125 Donal Ave.	El Cerrito	94530	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1449	708	30	23.6	38.6%	191 (27.0%)	83 (11.7%)	223 (31.5%)	128 (18.1%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.6%)	75 (10.6%)	58.8	933^rd of 2761 public middle schools	66.2%		61.7	845^th of 2783 public middle schools	69.6%	88	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	39.0	39.0		48.2	47.6	47.9		39.3	36.6	38.0
Manzanita Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	461 33rd St.	Richmond	94804	Contra Costa County	Manzanita Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 222-3500	92	4	23.0	85.9%	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.3%)	87 (94.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.2%)	17.9	2322^nd of 2761 public middle schools	15.9%		30.5	1790^th of 2783 public middle schools	35.7%	532									10.0	10.0	23.5	25.0	35.0	29.2	5.9	9.7	17.5	12.5	$39,829	$35,778	$4,051
Benicia Middle	Public	6-8	1100 Southampton Rd.	Benicia	94510	Solano County	Benicia Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 747-8340	947	43	21.9	22.0%	399 (42.1%)	47 (5.0%)	236 (24.9%)	110 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	151 (15.9%)	68	716^th of 2761 public middle schools	74.1%		66.3	758^th of 2783 public middle schools	72.8%	42									37.9	37.9	46.3	52.7	47.8	48.8	45.7	55.4	55.5	52.1	$16,456	$16,164	$292
Lovonya DeJean Middle	Public	7-8	3400 Macdonald Ave.	Richmond	94805	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1430	381	19	20.3	81.9%	12 (3.1%)	51 (13.4%)	301 (79.0%)	10 (2.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	6.2	2713^th of 2761 public middle schools	1.7%		7.4	2728^th of 2783 public middle schools	2.0%	15									3.7	3.7		10.1	9.9	10.0		3.9	4.2	4.1
Martinez Junior High	Public	6-8	1600 Ct. St.	Martinez	94553	Contra Costa County	Martinez Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 335-5820	843	36	23.2	32.7%	367 (43.5%)	19 (2.3%)	263 (31.2%)	65 (7.7%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.7%)	121 (14.4%)	73	622^nd of 2761 public middle schools	77.5%		70	685^th of 2783 public middle schools	75.4%	63									38.8	38.8	55.2	62.2	56.7	58.1	43.2	54.3	44.7	47.5	$17,472	$16,352	$1,120

Frequently Asked Questions about Hercules Middle

What district is Hercules Middle in?

West Contra Costa Unified

What high school do graduates of Hercules Middle attend?

Students who attend Hercules Middle usually go on to attend Hercules High

What is the racial makeup of Hercules Middle?

Students at Hercules Middle are 39% Asian, 26% Hispanic, 15% African American, 12% Two or more races, 8% White.

Is Hercules Middle a good school?

Hercules Middle ranks 876^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Hercules Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 596 students attended Hercules Middle.

Rate Hercules 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.