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University Heights Middle

Q: Is University Heights Middle a good school?

University Heights Middle ranks 1805 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

1805^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 35% of California middle schools

Summary

University Heights Middle is a public middle school in Riverside, California, serving 834 students in grades 7-8. The school is part of the Riverside Unified School District, which is ranked 772 out of 1,565 districts in the state.

University Heights Middle consistently ranks in the bottom half of California middle schools, with academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates in state assessments, significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 40.84% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 47.33% for Riverside Unified and 48.81% for California. In Mathematics, the proficiency rate was just 20.44%, compared to 33.2% for Riverside Unified and 37.3% for California. The school also faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 19.0% to 26.9% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the state average.

While University Heights Middle performs similarly to other middle schools in the Riverside Unified School District, it lags behind some nearby schools in other districts, such as Garvey/Allen Visual & Performing Arts Academy for STEM and Vista Heights Middle, which have higher academic proficiency rates and lower chronic absenteeism. Addressing these challenges will be crucial for improving the educational outcomes for the students at University Heights Middle.

870

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,541

Per pupil spending ?

91.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1155 Massachusetts Ave.
Riverside, CA 92507-2897

(951) 788-7388

District: Riverside Unified

Students who attend University Heights Middle usually attend:

High:	John W. North High
	Riverside STEM Academy

Feeder schools for University Heights Middle:

Elementary:	Emerson Elementary
	Fremont Elementary
	Harada Elementary
	Highgrove Elementary
	More...
	Longfellow Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

80.1%

White:

6.4%

African American:

6.1%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare University Heights Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 34th percentile in 2013 → 35th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (27% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 19% California)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg38%

California avg41%

1,805^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 35%▲ up 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 15% (2015) to bottom 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7Middle Schools in the Riverside Unified

755^th of 1,543Riverside 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	30.7	1805 of 2761	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.4	1885 of 2783	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.1	2157 of 2781	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	1781 of 2740	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.4	1779 of 2715	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.0	1694 of 2480	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	20.0	2026 of 2508	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.5	2122 of 2497	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	17.1	2113 of 2477	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	34.8	1569 of 2379	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	39.5	1376 of 2259	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.4	1324 of 2236	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	37.2	1386 of 2179	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	40.3	1202 of 2063	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	41.6	1119 of 2005	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	33.0	1317 of 1999	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	26.9	1322 of 1804	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	30.1	1233 of 1777	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	29.0	1216 of 1769	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.7	272 of 609	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.4	227 of 627	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.8	304 of 613	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.4	236 of 637	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.2	335 of 643	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.3	390 of 600	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	28.8	559 of 743	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	26.2	1214 of 1531	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.0	1333 of 1491	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	1276 of 1369	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	44.3	586 of 1478	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.3	1060 of 1521	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.3	836 of 1540	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.6	769 of 1442	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.7	595 of 1364	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.8	1668 of 2533	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.1	1804 of 2551	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	1854 of 2531	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	1658 of 2509	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.8	1566 of 2380	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.0	1551 of 2262	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.5	1456 of 2395	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.1	1528 of 2388	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.8	1798 of 2374	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.8	1399 of 2359	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.3	1275 of 2213	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.1	1229 of 2072	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	267 of 477	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.3	237 of 394	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.3	229 of 320	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	54.0	120 of 336	64.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.9	1478 of 2542	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	1652 of 2579	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.6	1855 of 2531	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.9	1333 of 2458	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.2	1325 of 2369	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.9	1335 of 2230	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.8	1695 of 2534	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.0	1713 of 2552	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.8	2095 of 2538	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.7	1666 of 2527	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.5	1706 of 2407	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.6	1665 of 2273	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.9	173 of 194	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	150 of 192	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	159 of 197	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	165 of 193	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.8	827 of 1566	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.1	863 of 1552	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	855 of 1531	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.2	821 of 1520	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	970 of 1537	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.3	1166 of 1543	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.0	972 of 1555	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.1	1028 of 1602	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.0	1084 of 1496	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)60th percentile+28 vs school

African American (2025)55th percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2025)47th percentile+13 vs school

White (2025)46th percentile+11 vs school

Homeless (2025)44th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)42nd percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)39th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)34th percentile~ school

Male (2025)33rd percentile~ school

Asian (2024)25th percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)21st percentile-14 vs school

Military Connected (2025)11th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy41%-8 vs state

Mathematics20%-17 vs state

Science15%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near University Heights Middle

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 (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	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
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%)	30.7	1805^th of 2761 public middle schools	34.6%		28.4	1885^th of 2783 public middle schools	32.3%	80													14.8	14.8		44.9	36.5	40.8		23.7	17.0	20.4	$18,541	$1,368	$17,173
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%)	34.6	1658^th of 2761 public middle schools	39.9%		33.8	1678^th of 2783 public middle schools	39.7%	20													21.5	21.5		41.2	43.9	42.6		22.5	19.2	20.8	$19,743	$1,297	$18,446
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	2316^th of 2761 public middle schools	16.1%		19	2296^th of 2783 public middle schools	17.5%	20													14.5	14.5		23.8	26.6	25.1		16.7	15.3	16.0	$24,080	$5,080	$19,000
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%)	47.6	1246^th of 2761 public middle schools	54.9%		40.5	1442^nd of 2783 public middle schools	48.2%	196													25.4	25.4		51.1	43.4	47.0		35.8	27.7	31.5	$18,335	$1,414	$16,921
Vista Heights Middle	Public	6-8	23049 Old Lake Dr.	Moreno Valley	92557	Riverside County	Moreno Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 571-4300	1,419	66	21.4	80.3%	108 (7.6%)	183 (12.9%)	1,005 (70.8%)	55 (3.9%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	62 (4.4%)	34.2	1670^th of 2761 public middle schools	39.5%		37.2	1555^th of 2783 public middle schools	44.1%	115													20.1	20.1	38.4	45.2	38.9	40.9	27.2	21.9	19.2	22.7	$18,441	$2,243	$16,198
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%)	13	2519^th of 2761 public middle schools	8.8%		14	2514^th of 2783 public middle schools	9.7%	5													5.9	5.9		22.2	22.5	22.3		13.9	11.5	12.8	$22,111	$2,304	$19,807
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%)	31.9	1762^nd of 2761 public middle schools	36.2%		34.3	1654^th of 2783 public middle schools	40.6%	108													21.7	21.7		42.7	35.9	39.3		21.0	19.8	20.4	$18,810	$1,400	$17,410
Joe Baca	Public	7-8	1640 South Lilac Ave.	Bloomington	92316	San Bernardino County	Colton Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 580-5014	705	39	18.1	91.8%	20 (2.8%)	32 (4.5%)	641 (90.9%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	17	2356^th of 2761 public middle schools	14.7%		17.4	2373^rd of 2783 public middle schools	14.7%	17	6.5	0.0	3.4	12.9	3.6	8.5	9.7	10.7	10.2	0.0	3.6	1.7	14.7	14.7		22.2	25.9	24.1		16.9	12.2	14.5	$23,854	$4,959	$18,895
Colton Middle	Public	7-8	670 West Laurel St.	Colton	92324	San Bernardino County	Colton Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(909) 580-5009	870	40	21.9	92.8%	16 (1.8%)	16 (1.8%)	830 (95.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	15.8	2403^rd of 2761 public middle schools	13.0%		19.2	2291^st of 2783 public middle schools	17.7%	112													11.7	11.7		26.1	26.7	26.4		11.3	12.8	12.1	$23,488	$4,835	$18,653
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%)	15.4	2418^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.4%		18	2348^th of 2783 public middle schools	15.6%	70													12.3	12.3		19.6	28.7	24.4		15.1	9.2	12.0	$23,380	$4,818	$18,562

Frequently Asked Questions about University Heights Middle

What is the racial makeup of University Heights Middle?

Students at University Heights Middle are 80% Hispanic, 6% White, 6% African American, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend University Heights Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 870 students attended University Heights Middle.

Is University Heights Middle a good school?

University Heights Middle ranks 1805^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of University Heights Middle attend?

Students who attend University Heights Middle usually go on to attend John W. North High

What district is University Heights Middle in?

Riverside Unified

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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.