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Harden Middle

Public Grades 7-8

2181^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,740 California Middle Schools

Better than 20% of California middle schools

Summary

Harden Middle serves grades 7–8 and enrolls 1,101 students in Salinas, in the Salinas Union High district. In 2025–2026, fewer students met proficiency standards in English language arts (ELA), math and science than in the district or California overall. The central concern is that proficiency remains low across all three subjects, with especially large gaps from state results in ELA and math.

Science is Harden’s strongest subject relative to nearby schools, while ELA is its weakest. Harden’s proficiency was 30% in ELA, 17% in math and 21% in science, compared with 41%, 20% and 24% in the district and 49%, 38% and 36% statewide. Among seven nearby schools serving only grades 7–8, Harden was 6 points below the average in ELA and 2 points below in math, but 1 point above the science average. Its science results still trailed both the district and state. Seventh-grade math stands out as a particular concern: Harden’s 17% proficiency was the lowest among the nearby results compared.

Results over time are mixed: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, ELA proficiency fell by 2 points, while math rose by 2 and science by less than 1; state proficiency rose in all three subjects, widening Harden’s gaps. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking fell from the 31st percentile to the 20th percentile, with a 1-star rating in 2025–2026; nearby schools’ percentiles ranged from 12 to 85. Attendance has improved: chronic absenteeism dropped from 31% in 2021–2022 to 14% in 2025–2026, below the state rate but 2 points above the district. SchoolDigger ranked effectiveness for Special Education Students at the 49th percentile statewide, compared with Harden’s overall 20th percentile; for White Students, it ranked at the 4th percentile. Harden’s student-teacher ratio was 21.1 in 2024–2025, and 82% of students were reported as free/reduced lunch eligible that year; California is identified as a statewide-free-meals state, so this school figure does not mean only eligible students receive meals.

1,101

Students ?

21.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$29,522

Per pupil spending ?

82.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

1561 McKinnon St.
Salinas, CA 93906-4100

(831) 796-7300

District: Salinas Union High

Students who attend Harden Middle usually attend:

High:

North Salinas High

Feeder schools for Harden Middle:

Elementary:	Boronda Meadows
	Creekside Elementary
	El Gabilan Elementary
	Henry F. Kammann Elementary
	More...
	John E. Steinbeck Elementary
	Loma Vista Elementary
	Natividad Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

92.3%

Asian:

3.1%

White:

2.6%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Harden Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 28th percentile in 2015 → 20th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (23% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg29%

California avg42%

2,181^st of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Middle Schools in the Salinas Union High

1043^rd of 1,530Salinas Union High 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	20.8	2181 of 2740	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.1	2150 of 2761	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	2078 of 2783	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.7	1907 of 2781	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.5	1971 of 2740	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	1960 of 2715	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.6	2085 of 2480	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.1	1991 of 2508	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.1	1908 of 2497	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	26.0	1784 of 2477	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	21.9	1951 of 2379	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.9	1738 of 2259	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	24.8	1776 of 2236	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.1	1541 of 2179	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.9	1576 of 2063	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	39.6	1170 of 2005	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	30.4	1377 of 1999	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	35.3	1136 of 1804	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	45.6	883 of 1777	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	34.4	1101 of 1769	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	24.2	1289 of 1531	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.5	1145 of 1491	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.3	1338 of 1369	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	31.6	1141 of 1478	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.1	882 of 1521	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.8	1159 of 1540	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.8	843 of 1442	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.1	736 of 1364	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	20.6	2034 of 2516	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.1	2025 of 2533	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	1872 of 2551	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.1	1777 of 2531	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.0	1931 of 2509	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.0	1721 of 2380	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.6	1952 of 2262	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	26.2	1774 of 2357	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.6	1671 of 2395	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.5	1667 of 2388	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.9	1450 of 2374	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.2	1484 of 2359	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.4	1467 of 2213	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.9	1709 of 2072	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.9	225 of 477	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.4	299 of 394	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	22.4	2042 of 2529	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.7	1932 of 2542	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.0	1775 of 2579	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.2	1452 of 2531	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.7	1554 of 2458	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.1	1645 of 2369	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.3	1891 of 2230	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	20.8	2010 of 2514	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.5	1974 of 2534	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	1992 of 2552	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.2	1727 of 2538	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.0	1734 of 2527	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.9	1843 of 2407	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	1949 of 2273	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	41.3	63 of 106	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.7	33 of 95	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.8	20 of 94	78.7%	★★★★☆
2023	60.4	22 of 86	74.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	40.6	817 of 1605	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.6	762 of 1566	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.4	1082 of 1552	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.5	833 of 1531	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	6.5	1427 of 1490	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.0	1446 of 1520	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	1241 of 1537	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.0	1042 of 1543	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.7	936 of 1555	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.9	740 of 1602	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	29.8	1090 of 1496	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)53rd percentile+31 vs school

Special Education (2026)49th percentile+29 vs school

Migrant (2026)41st percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2026)25th percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)23rd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)20th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)19th percentile~ school

Female (2026)19th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)16th percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)4th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy30%-20 vs state

Science21%-15 vs state

Mathematics17%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Harden 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
Harden Middle	Public	7-8	1561 McKinnon St.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7300	1,101	52	21.1	82.2%	29 (2.6%)	10 (0.9%)	1,016 (92.3%)	34 (3.1%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	20.8	2181^st of 2740 public middle schools	20.4%		22.1	2150^th of 2761 public middle schools	22.1%	31	21.3	21.3		26.6	32.8	29.7		16.6	18.0	17.3	$29,522	$27,946	$1,576
Gavilan View Middle	Public	6-8	18250 Van Buren Ave.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Santa Rita Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 443-7212	556	30	18.5	87.6%	19 (3.4%)	2 (0.4%)	508 (91.4%)	16 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	9 (1.6%)	23.4	2070^th of 2740 public middle schools	24.5%		24.6	2028^th of 2761 public middle schools	26.5%	42	23.0	23.0	29.1	23.5	35.6	29.5	19.5	21.7	20.9	20.7	$11,092	$9,808	$1,284
John Gutierrez Middle	Public	6-8	1031 Rogge Rd.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Santa Rita Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 443-3300	568	29	19.4	80.5%	32 (5.6%)	5 (0.9%)	513 (90.3%)	9 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	7 (1.2%)	20.8	2179^th of 2740 public middle schools	20.5%		24.8	2012^th of 2761 public middle schools	27.1%	167	13.0	13.0	40.8	31.1	30.7	33.7	20.0	18.9	10.0	16.0	$12,197	$10,908	$1,289
La Paz Middle	Public	7-8	1300 North Sanborn Rd.	Salinas	93905	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7900	1,099	55	20.0	93.4%	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1,092 (99.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20.3	2212^th of 2740 public middle schools	19.3%		22.8	2119^th of 2761 public middle schools	23.3%	93	16.0	16.0		32.5	31.9	32.2		16.6	17.5	17.1	$28,891	$27,100	$1,791
El Sausal Middle	Public	7-8	1155 East Alisal St.	Salinas	93905	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7200	1,067	48	22.1	91.7%	10 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1,052 (98.6%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	32.6	1731^st of 2740 public middle schools	36.8%		32.8	1723^rd of 2761 public middle schools	37.6%	8	27.0	27.0		35.3	37.9	36.6		20.1	31.6	25.7	$31,165	$29,292	$1,873
Washington Middle	Public	7-8	560 Iverson St.	Salinas	93901	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7100	1,082	51	21.2	81.7%	62 (5.7%)	9 (0.8%)	977 (90.3%)	19 (1.8%)	9 (0.8%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	32.9	1719^th of 2740 public middle schools	37.3%		38.6	1531^st of 2761 public middle schools	44.5%	188	26.9	26.9		37.9	39.6	38.7		20.6	27.6	24.0	$30,230	$28,470	$1,760
Buena Vista Middle	Public	6-8	18250 Tara Dr.	Salinas	93908	Monterey County	Spreckels Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 455-8936	321	18	17.5	17.4%	121 (37.7%)	0 (0.0%)	163 (50.8%)	16 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.5%)	54.1	1076^th of 2740 public middle schools	60.7%		69.4	688^th of 2761 public middle schools	75.1%	388	35.0	35.0	49.4	54.0	42.2	48.7	36.5	48.2	26.5	37.5	$19,621	$19,162	$459
North Monterey County Middle	Public	7-8	10301 Seymour St.	Castroville	95012	Monterey County	North Monterey County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 633-3391	624	30	20.8	87.8%	30 (4.8%)	2 (0.3%)	586 (93.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15.4	2416^th of 2740 public middle schools	11.8%		13.1	2513^th of 2761 public middle schools	9.0%	97	12.6	12.6		27.8	26.4	27.1		17.2	11.9	14.5	$19,268	$17,662	$1,606
Los Arboles Middle	Public	7-8	294 Hillcrest Ave.	Marina	93933	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 384-3550	408	23	17.8	75.5%	48 (11.8%)	23 (5.6%)	258 (63.2%)	60 (14.7%)	3 (0.7%)	9 (2.2%)	6 (1.5%)	33	1715^th of 2740 public middle schools	37.4%		32.8	1722^nd of 2761 public middle schools	37.6%	7	27.1	27.1		42.6	40.4	41.6		24.3	17.5	21.0	$21,565	$19,476	$2,089
San Benancio Middle	Public	6-8	43 San Benancio Rd.	Salinas	93908	Monterey County	Washington Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 484-1172	261	12	21.7	10.3%	138 (52.9%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (28.7%)	26 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (8.4%)	82.4	426^th of 2740 public middle schools	84.5%		84.8	373^rd of 2761 public middle schools	86.5%	53	54.4	54.4	60.5	67.1	57.6	61.6	53.1	63.5	55.4	57.4	$17,191	$16,706	$485

Frequently Asked Questions about Harden Middle

How many students attend Harden Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,101 students attended Harden Middle.

What high school do graduates of Harden Middle attend?

Students who attend Harden Middle usually go on to attend North Salinas High

Is Harden Middle a good school?

Harden Middle ranks in the bottom 20.4% of California middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Harden Middle?

Students at Harden Middle are 92% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 3% White.

What district is Harden Middle in?

Salinas Union High

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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 ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 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.