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Serrano Intermediate

Q: Is Serrano Intermediate a good school?

Serrano Intermediate ranks 578 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

578^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 79% of California middle schools

Summary

Serrano Intermediate is a public middle school serving 868 students in grades 7-8 in Lake Forest, part of the Saddleback Valley Unified district, with a consistent 4-star rating and academic performance that is above the state average but below the district average.

The school serves a community with significant economic need, and its academic results are respectable when considering this context; it performs better than nearby Los Alisos Intermediate but lags behind schools like Carl Hankey Middle which have similar student demographics. A notable strength is its exceptional support for certain student subgroups, while a key challenge is a declining statewide ranking over the past decade, alongside a persistent gap where mathematics proficiency trails English language arts. The school also faces immediate competition from the highly-ranked Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle, located less than half a mile away.

Serrano operates with average per-student funding compared to peers like La Paz Intermediate and has shown strong improvement in reducing chronic absenteeism since the pandemic. Its science instruction is a relative strength, scoring above the district average. Ultimately, Serrano represents a solid, middle-performing school navigating the complex task of serving a diverse population within a district and region where school outcomes vary widely.

868

Students ?

22.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,308

Per pupil spending ?

48.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

24642 Jeronimo Rd.
Lake Forest, CA 92630-3112

(949) 586-3221

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Students who attend Serrano Intermediate usually attend:

High:

El Toro High

Feeder schools for Serrano Intermediate:

Elementary:	La Madera Elementary
	Lake Forest Elementary
	Portola Hills Elementary
	Rancho Canada Elementary
	More...
	Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

45.0%

White:

31.3%

Asian:

12.4%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Serrano Intermediate to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 93rd percentile in 2013 → 79th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (52% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of California middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2013

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

!Near the bottom of Saddleback Valley Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg54%

California avg41%

578^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 21%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 17% (2015) to top 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	75.3	578 of 2761	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	79.1	501 of 2783	82.0%	★★★★☆
2023	79.8	488 of 2781	82.5%	★★★★☆
2022	78.0	526 of 2740	80.8%	★★★★☆
2019	80.7	468 of 2715	82.8%	★★★★☆
2018	80.1	445 of 2480	82.1%	★★★★☆
2017	85.3	347 of 2508	86.2%	★★★★☆
2016	84.2	346 of 2497	86.1%	★★★★☆
2015	80.5	418 of 2477	83.1%	★★★★☆
2013	85.7	173 of 2379	92.7%	★★★★★
2012	81.5	262 of 2259	88.4%	★★★★☆
2011	86.3	163 of 2236	92.7%	★★★★★
2010	77.7	359 of 2179	83.5%	★★★★☆
2009	79.6	296 of 2063	85.7%	★★★★☆
2008	82.7	243 of 2005	87.9%	★★★★☆
2007	83.0	247 of 1999	87.6%	★★★★☆
2006	85.2	200 of 1804	88.9%	★★★★☆
2005	84.4	212 of 1777	88.1%	★★★★☆
2004	87.3	159 of 1769	91.0%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.9	50 of 609	91.8%	★★★★★
2024	93.8	30 of 627	95.2%	★★★★★
2019	81.6	80 of 643	87.6%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.6	159 of 739	78.5%	★★★★☆
2024	72.7	205 of 743	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	67.9	259 of 715	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.8	168 of 733	77.1%	★★★★☆
2019	74.3	196 of 745	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	74.5	179 of 700	74.4%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	55.7	468 of 1531	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.4	452 of 1491	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.5	417 of 1369	69.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	53.2	387 of 1478	73.8%	★★★★☆
2023	51.5	419 of 1521	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	79.6	113 of 1540	92.7%	★★★★★
2019	70.9	202 of 1442	86.0%	★★★★☆
2018	68.8	223 of 1364	83.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.5	664 of 2533	73.8%	★★★★☆
2024	74.1	560 of 2551	78.0%	★★★★☆
2023	81.7	401 of 2531	84.2%	★★★★☆
2022	80.7	413 of 2509	83.5%	★★★★☆
2019	79.3	439 of 2380	81.6%	★★★★☆
2018	75.9	482 of 2262	78.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.8	970 of 2395	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.8	755 of 2388	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	874 of 2374	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.8	861 of 2359	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.2	639 of 2213	71.1%	★★★★☆
2018	65.8	539 of 2072	74.0%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.3	109 of 477	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	64.7	86 of 394	78.2%	★★★★☆
2023	60.1	95 of 320	70.3%	★★★★☆
2022	65.7	82 of 336	75.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	983 of 2542	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.9	755 of 2579	70.7%	★★★★☆
2023	68.4	555 of 2531	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	58.8	761 of 2458	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.1	563 of 2369	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	65.3	578 of 2230	74.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.0	448 of 2534	82.3%	★★★★☆
2024	81.0	407 of 2552	84.1%	★★★★☆
2023	75.4	521 of 2538	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	74.0	556 of 2527	78.0%	★★★★☆
2019	80.1	419 of 2407	82.6%	★★★★☆
2018	82.2	367 of 2273	83.9%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.3	129 of 192	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.6	70 of 197	64.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.1	82 of 726	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	88.6	43 of 701	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	83.5	82 of 677	87.9%	★★★★☆
2022	81.6	93 of 665	86.0%	★★★★☆
2019	71.2	156 of 554	71.8%	★★★★☆
2018	62.9	189 of 462	59.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.0	375 of 1566	76.1%	★★★★☆
2024	72.4	255 of 1552	83.6%	★★★★☆
2023	52.0	516 of 1531	66.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.9	407 of 1520	73.2%	★★★★☆
2024	77.3	285 of 1537	81.5%	★★★★☆
2023	79.7	242 of 1543	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	72.4	378 of 1555	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	78.3	292 of 1602	81.8%	★★★★☆
2018	73.8	381 of 1496	74.5%	★★★★☆

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)

African American (2025)92nd percentile+13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)89th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)82nd percentile+3 vs school

Asian (2025)78th percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)77th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)76th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)74th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2025)74th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)73rd percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2022)69th percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)61st percentile-18 vs school

Hispanic (2025)59th percentile-20 vs school

Military Connected (2024)33rd percentile-49 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy57%+8 vs state

Science50%+17 vs state

Mathematics47%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Serrano 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
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
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
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
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
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
Don Juan Avila Middle	Public	6-8	26278 Wood Canyon Dr.	Aliso Viejo	92656	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 362-0348	863	36	24.1	29.7%	394 (45.7%)	14 (1.6%)	195 (22.6%)	171 (19.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	88 (10.2%)	93.1	197^th of 2761 public middle schools	92.9%		96.4	109^th of 2783 public middle schools	96.1%	88	69.2	69.2	67.6	71.9	78.9	73.1	60.8	65.5	71.4	66.1	$18,500	$1,379	$17,121
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
Jeffrey Trail Middle	Public	7-8	155 Visions	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-5000	1,049	42	24.7	18.3%	164 (15.6%)	21 (2.0%)	94 (9.0%)	681 (64.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	85 (8.1%)	96	117^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.8%		96.6	104^th of 2783 public middle schools	96.3%	13	65.4	65.4		78.1	74.7	76.4		76.6	73.4	75.0	$13,657	$405	$13,252
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Serrano Intermediate

Is Serrano Intermediate a good school?

Serrano Intermediate ranks 578^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Serrano Intermediate?

Students at Serrano Intermediate are 45% Hispanic, 31% White, 12% Asian, 9% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is Serrano Intermediate in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

How many students attend Serrano Intermediate?

In the 2024-25 school year, 868 students attended Serrano Intermediate.

What high school do graduates of Serrano Intermediate attend?

Students who attend Serrano Intermediate usually go on to attend El Toro High

Rate Serrano Intermediate!

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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.