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Central Middle

Q: Is Central Middle a good school?

Central Middle ranks 1653 rd of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

1653^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,740 California Middle Schools

Better than 40% of California middle schools

Summary

Central Middle serves grades 7–8 in Riverside, California, and enrolls 621 students in a community with several nearby middle schools for comparison. Its key takeaway is that test results trail state and district levels, especially in math, even though the school performs well against nearby schools in two subjects.

Compared with eight nearby schools serving the same grades, Central ranked second in English language arts (ELA) and math, and fourth in science; its results were above the peer averages in all three. Central had 42% proficient in ELA, 25% in math, and 24% in science, compared with peer averages of 35%, 20%, and 21%. But each result remained below California’s 49%, 38%, and 36%, and below Riverside Unified’s 47%, 34%, and 32%. ELA is the strongest relative subject: the state and district gaps were 7 and 5 points, while math had the widest gaps, at 13 and 9 points. ELA results also differed notably by grade: 48% of seventh graders were proficient, compared with 37% of eighth graders.

Results have improved since 2022–2023: proficiency rose 6 points in ELA, 5 in math, and 8 in science, while gaps with the state narrowed overall. Chronic absenteeism also fell from 31% in 2021–2022 to 21% in 2025–2026, though it remained 4 points above the district and 2 above the state. SchoolDigger ranked Central in the 40th percentile statewide, with 2 stars, in 2025–2026; the district ranked in the 51st percentile with 3 stars. Central’s student-teacher ratio was 21.1 in 2024–2025, close to the nearby average of 21.6, and 83% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s student-group rankings show a notable strength for Special Education Students: the school ranked in the 57th percentile in 2025–2026, up from the 18th percentile in 2023–2024. For Homeless Students, it ranked in the 17th percentile, well below its overall 40th-percentile standing. These are comparative school rankings, not measures of individual students, and subgroup enrollment counts are unavailable.

621

Students ?

21.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$29,919

Per pupil spending ?

83.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

4795 Magnolia Ave.
Riverside, CA 92506-0155

(951) 788-7282

District: Riverside Unified

Students who attend Central Middle usually attend:

High:	Polytechnic High
	Riverside STEM Academy

Feeder schools for Central Middle:

Elementary:	Bryant Elementary
	Magnolia Elementary
	Pachappa Elementary
	Patricia Beatty Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

76.3%

White:

12.4%

African American:

6.9%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Central Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 40th percentile in 2015 → 40th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (32% vs 42% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 13 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg39%

California avg42%

1,653^rd of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 46% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 7Middle Schools in the Riverside Unified

759^th of 1,530Riverside 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	35.3	1653 of 2740	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.6	1658 of 2761	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	1678 of 2783	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	1733 of 2781	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.7	1749 of 2740	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.3	2172 of 2715	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.2	1688 of 2480	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	33.9	1572 of 2508	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	40.0	1360 of 2497	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.1	1498 of 2477	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.0	1423 of 2379	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.1	816 of 2259	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	46.8	1179 of 2236	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.6	1268 of 2179	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.3	1077 of 2063	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	36.5	1260 of 2005	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	43.3	1057 of 1999	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	39.1	1037 of 1804	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	35.5	1097 of 1777	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	28.8	1221 of 1769	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	51.1	259 of 594	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.6	288 of 609	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.7	448 of 627	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.5	421 of 613	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.3	391 of 637	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.8	434 of 643	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.6	460 of 600	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	29.5	1074 of 1531	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.8	1340 of 1491	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.5	793 of 1369	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	40.1	729 of 1478	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.7	894 of 1521	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.3	1060 of 1540	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.1	1012 of 1442	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.8	684 of 1364	49.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	29.8	1708 of 2516	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.2	1512 of 2533	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	1535 of 2551	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.8	1516 of 2531	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.1	1560 of 2509	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.7	2050 of 2380	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	1679 of 2262	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.2	1187 of 2357	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.7	1311 of 2395	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.2	1301 of 2388	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.0	1447 of 2374	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.7	1401 of 2359	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.3	1903 of 2213	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.1	1364 of 2072	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	24.9	365 of 442	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.8	305 of 477	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.6	216 of 394	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.1	273 of 320	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.3	259 of 336	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	37.0	1503 of 2529	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.2	1510 of 2542	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.8	1575 of 2579	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.9	1494 of 2531	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.7	1488 of 2458	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.9	1996 of 2369	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.3	1481 of 2230	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	39.2	1397 of 2514	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.7	1596 of 2534	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.2	1599 of 2552	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.9	1657 of 2538	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.1	1690 of 2527	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.8	1874 of 2407	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.0	1440 of 2273	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	12.0	161 of 181	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	156 of 197	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.0	185 of 193	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	46.7	682 of 1605	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	32.7	1023 of 1566	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.3	1267 of 1552	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.1	1173 of 1531	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	39.4	885 of 1490	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.0	996 of 1520	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.7	885 of 1537	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.5	837 of 1543	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.5	904 of 1555	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.6	922 of 1602	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.2	941 of 1496	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)58th percentile+18 vs school

African American (2026)56th percentile+17 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)51st percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)50th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)44th percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)41st percentile~ school

Female (2026)32nd percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)30th percentile-6 vs school

Homeless (2026)17th percentile-22 vs school

Military Connected (2026)11th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Mathematics25%-13 vs state

Science24%-12 vs state

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Schools Near Central 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
Central Middle	Public	7-8	4795 Magnolia Ave.	Riverside	92506	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 788-7282	621	29	21.1	83.3%	77 (12.4%)	43 (6.9%)	474 (76.3%)	11 (1.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.3%)	35.3	1653^rd of 2740 public middle schools	39.7%		34.6	1658^th of 2761 public middle schools	39.9%	5	24.0	24.0		48.1	36.8	42.3		27.9	22.9	25.3	$29,919	$29,174	$745
Sierra Middle	Public	7-8	4950 Central Ave.	Riverside	92504	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 788-7501	829	37	22.2	88.5%	63 (7.6%)	46 (5.5%)	690 (83.2%)	13 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	14 (1.7%)	33.2	1709^th of 2740 public middle schools	37.6%		31.9	1762^nd of 2761 public middle schools	36.2%	53	29.3	29.3		40.3	40.8	40.6		23.2	19.1	21.2	$26,021	$25,082	$939
Matthew Gage Middle	Public	7-8	6400 Lincoln Ave.	Riverside	92506	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 788-7350	840	40	21.1	70.1%	182 (21.7%)	31 (3.7%)	572 (68.1%)	22 (2.6%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	28 (3.3%)	44.8	1338^th of 2740 public middle schools	51.2%		47.6	1246^th of 2761 public middle schools	54.9%	92	27.4	27.4		45.0	44.4	44.7		32.1	35.3	33.8	$25,815	$24,772	$1,043
Mission Middle	Public	7-8	5961 Mustang Ln.	Jurupa Valley	92509	Riverside County	Jurupa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 222-7842	612	31	20.0	87.7%	15 (2.5%)	18 (2.9%)	561 (91.7%)	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.6%)	15.1	2433^rd of 2740 public middle schools	11.2%		13	2519^th of 2761 public middle schools	8.8%	86	17.4	17.4		21.3	29.8	25.6		10.1	13.5	11.8	$27,461	$26,454	$1,007
University Heights Middle	Public	7-8	1155 Massachusetts Ave.	Riverside	92507	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 788-7388	870	39	22.5	91.4%	56 (6.4%)	53 (6.1%)	697 (80.1%)	33 (3.8%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.6%)	23 (2.6%)	30.3	1817^th of 2740 public middle schools	33.7%		30.7	1805^th of 2761 public middle schools	34.6%	12	24.2	24.2		35.2	42.6	38.9		19.0	23.8	21.4	$25,131	$24,200	$931
Chemawa Middle	Public	7-8	8830 Magnolia Ave.	Riverside	92503	Riverside County	Riverside Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 352-8244	885	37	23.6	89.0%	67 (7.6%)	39 (4.4%)	726 (82.0%)	23 (2.6%)	4 (0.5%)	6 (0.7%)	18 (2.0%)	25.3	1998^th of 2740 public middle schools	27.1%		27.6	1910^th of 2761 public middle schools	30.8%	88	22.0	22.0		33.4	37.3	35.4		17.2	20.4	18.8	$23,939	$23,056	$883
Jurupa Middle	Public	7-8	8700 Galena St.	Jurupa Valley	92509	Riverside County	Jurupa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 360-2846	1,105	51	21.6	77.1%	86 (7.8%)	30 (2.7%)	930 (84.2%)	26 (2.4%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	29 (2.6%)	29.9	1837^th of 2740 public middle schools	33.0%		25	2003^rd of 2761 public middle schools	27.5%	166	23.9	23.9		36.5	40.0	38.2		21.0	23.3	22.1	$22,453	$21,576	$877
Wells Middle	Public	6-8	10000 Wells Ave.	Riverside	92505	Riverside County	Alvord Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 358-1705	768	34	22.2	95.8%	15 (2.0%)	7 (0.9%)	731 (95.2%)	12 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	12.3	2521^st of 2740 public middle schools	8.0%		12.7	2527^th of 2761 public middle schools	8.5%	6	13.3	13.3	15.5	29.9	20.2	21.7	9.6	17.8	6.5	11.1	$28,646	$27,092	$1,554
Ruth O. Harris Middle	Public	7-8	11150 Alder Ave.	Bloomington	92316	San Bernardino County	Colton Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 580-5020	562	28	19.7	85.9%	14 (2.5%)	29 (5.2%)	498 (88.6%)	14 (2.5%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	16.5	2371^st of 2740 public middle schools	13.5%		15.4	2418^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.4%	47	11.1	11.1		31.6	27.3	29.5		17.9	12.3	15.1	$21,720	$18,930	$2,790
Terrace Hills Middle	Public	7-8	22579 DeBerry St.	Grand Terrace	92313	San Bernardino County	Colton Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 580-5022	852	39	21.8	79.5%	66 (7.7%)	75 (8.8%)	669 (78.5%)	24 (2.8%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.6%)	10 (1.2%)	18.7	2269^th of 2740 public middle schools	17.2%		18	2316^th of 2761 public middle schools	16.1%	47	15.6	15.6		28.3	30.7	29.5		21.1	13.1	17.0	$21,668	$19,086	$2,582

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Middle

What is the racial makeup of Central Middle?

Students at Central Middle are 76% Hispanic, 12% White, 7% African American, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Central Middle attend?

Students who attend Central Middle usually go on to attend Polytechnic High

Is Central Middle a good school?

Central Middle ranks 1653^rd of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 621 students attended Central Middle.

What district is Central Middle in?

Riverside Unified

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Latest California data All new data »

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

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.