Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

La Paz Intermediate

Public Grades 7-8

274^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 90% of California middle schools

Summary

La Paz Intermediate is a consistently high-performing public middle school serving grades 7-8 for 713 students in Mission Viejo, part of the Saddleback Valley Unified district, ranking in the 90th percentile statewide.

This school is the clear academic leader within its own district, with proficiency rates in English, Math, and Science that are significantly higher than its district peers, Serrano Intermediate and Los Alisos Intermediate. It also maintains lower chronic absenteeism than both district and state averages. La Paz achieves these strong results with funding and class sizes typical for the area, and it shows particular effectiveness in supporting diverse student groups, including military-connected and homeless students, who perform at very high percentiles.

While a top school in its district, La Paz operates in a region with other high-performing options. Nearby schools in the Capistrano Unified district, like Ladera Ranch Middle and Arroyo Vista Middle, rank even higher. Interestingly, Fred Newhart Middle, less than a mile away in a different district, also outperforms it slightly. Like many area schools, La Paz sees a performance dip in 8th grade compared to 7th, and while its overall scores are stable, results for specific student subgroups can vary from year to year.

713

Students ?

21.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,045

Per pupil spending ?

39.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

25151 Pradera Dr.
Mission Viejo, CA 92691-5310

(949) 830-1720

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Feeder schools for La Paz Intermediate:

Elementary:	De Portola Elementary
	Linda Vista Magnet Elementary
	Montevideo Elementary
	Valencia Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.5%

Hispanic:

31.3%

Asian:

12.5%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare La Paz Intermediate to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 94th percentile in 2013 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (64% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of California middle schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Saddleback Valley Unified

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg54%

California avg41%

274^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 10%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From top 15% (2015) to top 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Middle Schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified

377^th of 1,543Saddleback Valley 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	90.2	274 of 2761	90.1%	★★★★★
2024	90.8	261 of 2783	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	93.5	185 of 2781	93.3%	★★★★★
2022	90.9	256 of 2740	90.7%	★★★★★
2019	90.8	245 of 2715	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	87.8	288 of 2480	88.4%	★★★★☆
2017	89.1	258 of 2508	89.7%	★★★★☆
2016	88.6	261 of 2497	89.5%	★★★★☆
2015	82.9	375 of 2477	84.9%	★★★★☆
2013	87.3	139 of 2379	94.2%	★★★★★
2012	83.5	223 of 2259	90.1%	★★★★★
2011	89.6	95 of 2236	95.8%	★★★★★
2010	79.1	330 of 2179	84.9%	★★★★☆
2009	87.4	146 of 2063	92.9%	★★★★★
2008	86.3	168 of 2005	91.6%	★★★★★
2007	85.8	200 of 1999	90.0%	★★★★★
2006	89.1	136 of 1804	92.5%	★★★★★
2005	91.6	94 of 1777	94.7%	★★★★★
2004	89.8	123 of 1769	93.0%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.9	18 of 739	97.6%	★★★★★
2024	80.6	109 of 743	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	76.9	139 of 715	80.6%	★★★★☆
2022	78.8	133 of 733	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	77.6	145 of 745	80.5%	★★★★☆
2018	82.5	75 of 700	89.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	63.3	357 of 1531	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	73.9	245 of 1491	83.6%	★★★★☆
2018	76.9	198 of 1369	85.5%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	43.0	623 of 1478	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	82.3	98 of 1521	93.6%	★★★★★
2022	81.1	106 of 1540	93.1%	★★★★★
2019	78.2	143 of 1442	90.1%	★★★★★
2018	56.0	346 of 1364	74.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.9	312 of 2533	87.7%	★★★★☆
2024	90.2	243 of 2551	90.5%	★★★★★
2023	92.7	181 of 2531	92.8%	★★★★★
2022	91.1	210 of 2509	91.6%	★★★★★
2019	89.7	234 of 2380	90.2%	★★★★★
2018	88.3	252 of 2262	88.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.7	289 of 2395	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	306 of 2388	87.2%	★★★★☆
2023	84.8	223 of 2374	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	78.6	319 of 2359	86.5%	★★★★☆
2019	78.4	336 of 2213	84.8%	★★★★☆
2018	72.0	413 of 2072	80.1%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.4	35 of 477	92.7%	★★★★★
2024	65.0	85 of 394	78.4%	★★★★☆
2023	69.9	58 of 320	81.9%	★★★★☆
2022	93.4	12 of 336	96.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.8	325 of 2542	87.2%	★★★★☆
2024	82.1	309 of 2579	88.0%	★★★★☆
2023	88.9	179 of 2531	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	76.7	364 of 2458	85.2%	★★★★☆
2019	69.3	504 of 2369	78.7%	★★★★☆
2018	72.1	440 of 2230	80.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.8	229 of 2534	91.0%	★★★★★
2024	89.7	258 of 2552	89.9%	★★★★☆
2023	92.9	180 of 2538	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	89.2	268 of 2527	89.4%	★★★★☆
2019	90.3	234 of 2407	90.3%	★★★★★
2018	86.1	302 of 2273	86.7%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.5	6 of 194	96.9%	★★★★★
2023	67.0	64 of 197	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.0	135 of 726	81.4%	★★★★☆
2024	86.1	66 of 701	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	85.1	71 of 677	89.5%	★★★★☆
2022	85.3	62 of 665	90.7%	★★★★★
2019	79.3	90 of 554	83.8%	★★★★☆
2018	68.2	154 of 462	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.7	198 of 1566	87.4%	★★★★☆
2024	55.5	473 of 1552	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	84.6	134 of 1531	91.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.2	216 of 1520	85.8%	★★★★☆
2024	84.7	158 of 1537	89.7%	★★★★☆
2023	89.4	84 of 1543	94.6%	★★★★★
2022	85.1	145 of 1555	90.7%	★★★★★
2019	86.1	146 of 1602	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	81.7	222 of 1496	85.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Asian (2025)98th percentile+7 vs school

Military Connected (2025)97th percentile+7 vs school

Homeless (2025)93rd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)91st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)88th percentile~ school

Female (2025)88th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)87th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)87th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)86th percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)81st percentile-9 vs school

Disabled (2022)77th percentile-14 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)58th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy70%+21 vs state

Mathematics63%+25 vs state

Science57%+24 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate La Paz Intermediate

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near La Paz Intermediate

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
La Paz Intermediate	Public	7-8	25151 Pradera Dr.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 830-1720	713	33	21.8	39.7%	310 (43.5%)	7 (1.0%)	223 (31.3%)	89 (12.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (11.5%)	90.2	274^th of 2761 public middle schools	90.1%		90.8	261^st of 2783 public middle schools	90.6%	13	57.1	57.1		75.4	64.1	69.5		70.4	55.7	62.8	$19,045	$1,362	$17,683
Fred Newhart Middle	Public	6-8	25001 Veterans Way	Mission Viejo	92692	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 855-0162	1,105	51	21.6	33.6%	466 (42.2%)	16 (1.4%)	295 (26.7%)	150 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	174 (15.7%)	94.5	168^th of 2761 public middle schools	93.9%		94.6	167^th of 2783 public middle schools	94.0%	1	59.3	59.3	75.0	78.0	78.8	77.2	69.4	63.9	70.8	67.9	$19,113	$1,344	$17,769
Los Alisos Intermediate	Public	7-8	25171 Moor Ave.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 830-9700	595	29	20.5	74.5%	93 (15.6%)	2 (0.3%)	429 (72.1%)	47 (7.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.5%)	52.8	1104^th of 2761 public middle schools	60.0%		53.1	1066^th of 2783 public middle schools	61.7%	38	33.0	33.0		48.4	40.1	44.3		41.5	31.9	36.7	$19,306	$1,735	$17,571
Carl Hankey Middle	Public	6-8	27252 Nubles	Mission Viejo	92692	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5315	181	12	15.6	49.7%	69 (38.1%)	3 (1.7%)	75 (41.4%)	18 (9.9%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.7%)	86.9	338^th of 2761 public middle schools	87.8%		79.1	499^th of 2783 public middle schools	82.1%	161	51.7	51.7	69.1	73.7	65.5	69.4	73.2	44.8	57.9	58.5	$24,837	$1,745	$23,092
Las Flores Middle	Public	6-8	25862 Antonio Pkwy.	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 589-6543	593	28	21.4	22.3%	332 (56.0%)	7 (1.2%)	92 (15.5%)	91 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	70 (11.8%)	95.4	137^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.0%		96.3	113^th of 2783 public middle schools	95.9%	24	69.1	69.1	78.4	79.0	77.9	78.4	65.3	66.7	71.7	67.9	$20,308	$1,388	$18,920
Aliso Viejo Middle	Public	6-8	111 Park Ave.	Aliso Viejo	92656	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 831-2622	803	36	22.3	35.4%	433 (53.9%)	16 (2.0%)	154 (19.2%)	109 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	87 (10.8%)	91.6	233^rd of 2761 public middle schools	91.6%		93.1	208^th of 2783 public middle schools	92.5%	25	55.2	55.2	70.5	70.7	72.9	71.4	62.7	65.2	66.8	65.0	$19,508	$1,401	$18,107
Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	22882 Loumont Dr.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 600-9050	495	22	22.6	18.4%	172 (34.7%)	12 (2.4%)	100 (20.2%)	152 (30.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (11.7%)	95.2	150^th of 2761 public middle schools	94.6%		95.2	147^th of 2783 public middle schools	94.7%	3	67.7	67.7	77.0	84.0	79.0	80.0	67.3	65.4	62.9	65.2
Serrano Intermediate	Public	7-8	24642 Jeronimo Rd.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 586-3221	868	39	22.3	48.7%	272 (31.3%)	16 (1.8%)	391 (45.0%)	108 (12.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	78 (9.0%)	75.3	578^th of 2761 public middle schools	79.1%		79.1	501^st of 2783 public middle schools	82.0%	77	49.5	49.5		55.0	58.4	56.6		48.8	46.0	47.4	$19,308	$1,376	$17,932
Ladera Ranch Middle	Public	6-8	29551 Sienna Pkwy.	Ladera Ranch	92694	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5922	1,064	46	23.0	19.0%	680 (63.9%)	10 (0.9%)	121 (11.4%)	134 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	115 (10.8%)	97.3	69^th of 2761 public middle schools	97.5%		98.1	42^nd of 2783 public middle schools	98.5%	27	65.2	65.2	84.1	80.6	82.2	82.3	75.2	74.9	79.2	76.5	$19,090	$1,273	$17,817
Arroyo Vista Middle	Public	6-8	23371 Arroyo Vista	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5951	329	16	20.8	19.8%	196 (59.6%)	1 (0.3%)	41 (12.5%)	48 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (13.1%)	97	82^nd of 2761 public middle schools	97.0%		97.3	83^rd of 2783 public middle schools	97.0%	1	71.6	71.6	83.2	81.1	84.3	82.9	64.4	78.3	79.8	74.4	$20,963	$1,500	$19,463

Frequently Asked Questions about La Paz Intermediate

How many students attend La Paz Intermediate?

In the 2024-25 school year, 713 students attended La Paz Intermediate.

Is La Paz Intermediate a good school?

Yes. La Paz Intermediate ranks in the top 9.9% of California middle schools.

What district is La Paz Intermediate in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

What is the racial makeup of La Paz Intermediate?

Students at La Paz Intermediate are 43% White, 31% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 12% Two or more races.

Rate La Paz Intermediate!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Mission Viejo, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for La Paz Intermediate!

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.