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El Sausal Middle

Q: Is El Sausal Middle a good school?

El Sausal Middle ranks 1723 rd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

1723^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 38% of California middle schools

Summary

El Sausal Middle is a public school for grades 7 and 8 in Salinas, serving about 1,067 students in the Salinas Union High district, and it has shown steady improvement over the past decade despite serving a community where many families face economic challenges.

The school has notable strengths, including a very low rate of chronic absenteeism at 9.1%, which is better than the district and state averages and the best among its direct district peers like Harden Middle, La Paz Middle, and Washington Middle. Academically, it leads the district in science proficiency and performs well in math compared to these same schools. The school is particularly effective in supporting homeless, migrant, and Hispanic student populations, with state rankings for these groups ranging from above average to exceptional.

When compared to higher-performing nearby schools such as San Benancio Middle or Buena Vista Middle, El Sausal's overall test scores are lower, but these schools serve very different communities with far fewer students in need. Areas for growth include improving mathematics proficiency and better supporting special education students. Overall, El Sausal is a school making consistent progress, with effective use of resources and strong attendance culture.

1,067

Students ?

22.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$31,165

Per pupil spending ?

91.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1155 East Alisal St.
Salinas, CA 93905-2715

(831) 796-7200

District: Salinas Union High

Students who attend El Sausal Middle usually attend:

High:

Alisal High

Feeder schools for El Sausal Middle:

Elementary:	Bardin Elementary
	Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Academy
	Fremont Elementary
	Jesse G. Sanchez Elementary
	More...
	Monte Bella Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.6%

White:

0.9%

Asian:

0.4%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare El Sausal Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 23rd percentile in 2013 → 38th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 15 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (29% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 14 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg29%

California avg41%

1,723^rd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 38%▲ up 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 18% (2015) to bottom 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Middle Schools in the Salinas Union High

981^st of 1,543Salinas 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
2025	32.8	1723 of 2761	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.1	1661 of 2783	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.1	1884 of 2781	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.2	1645 of 2740	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.7	1797 of 2715	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.6	1769 of 2480	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.7	2075 of 2508	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.5	2081 of 2497	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.1	2043 of 2477	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.1	1842 of 2379	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	14.4	2035 of 2259	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	22.6	1842 of 2236	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.7	1614 of 2179	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	23.7	1643 of 2063	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	36.3	1263 of 2005	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	33.8	1292 of 1999	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	24.6	1385 of 1804	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	24.7	1339 of 1777	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	21.0	1418 of 1769	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	26.1	1222 of 1531	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.5	1140 of 1491	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.5	840 of 1369	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	37.0	848 of 1478	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.5	826 of 1521	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	685 of 1540	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.6	808 of 1442	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.4	426 of 1364	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	1631 of 2533	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.2	1631 of 2551	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.3	1632 of 2531	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	1516 of 2509	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.8	1596 of 2380	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.5	1661 of 2262	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.0	1182 of 2395	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.1	1095 of 2388	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.3	1324 of 2374	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.9	1058 of 2359	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.7	1229 of 2213	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.2	1254 of 2072	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	84 of 477	82.4%	★★★★☆
2024	60.8	98 of 394	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	38.3	187 of 320	41.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.8	1344 of 2542	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.9	1275 of 2579	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.1	1405 of 2531	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.1	1199 of 2458	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.9	1275 of 2369	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.1	1354 of 2230	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.7	1594 of 2534	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.9	1473 of 2552	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.9	1823 of 2538	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.1	1505 of 2527	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.0	1687 of 2407	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.6	1604 of 2273	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.9	41 of 95	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.2	42 of 94	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.4	51 of 86	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.1	1094 of 1566	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.6	1186 of 1552	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.8	1389 of 1531	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)82nd percentile+45 vs school

Migrant (2025)57th percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2025)51st percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)47th percentile+10 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)43rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)37th percentile~ school

Female (2025)36th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)30th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2022)20th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy37%-12 vs state

Science24%-8 vs state

Mathematics23%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near El Sausal 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				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/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
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%)	32.8	1723^rd of 2761 public middle schools	37.6%		34.1	1661^st of 2783 public middle schools	40.3%	62	24.5	24.5		36.4	36.9	36.7		23.4	22.3	22.9	$31,165	$29,292	$1,873
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%)	22.8	2119^th of 2761 public middle schools	23.3%		23.7	2102^nd of 2783 public middle schools	24.5%	17	16.0	16.0		34.9	28.7	31.9		18.8	15.7	17.3	$28,891	$27,100	$1,791
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%)	38.6	1531^st of 2761 public middle schools	44.5%		42.4	1386^th of 2783 public middle schools	50.2%	145	25.2	25.2		46.0	37.7	41.7		27.9	22.7	25.2	$30,230	$28,470	$1,760
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%)	22.1	2150^th of 2761 public middle schools	22.1%		24.1	2078^th of 2783 public middle schools	25.3%	72	19.2	19.2		31.9	29.1	30.5		16.3	14.8	15.6	$29,522	$27,946	$1,576
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%)	24.8	2012^th of 2761 public middle schools	27.1%		22.7	2137^th of 2783 public middle schools	23.2%	125	18.3	18.3	31.9	30.5	37.8	33.5	15.9	20.4	16.2	17.7	$12,197	$10,908	$1,289
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%)	24.6	2028^th of 2761 public middle schools	26.5%		18.1	2337^th of 2783 public middle schools	16.0%	309	21.1	21.1	34.5	30.2	36.4	33.6	16.5	15.1	16.8	16.1	$11,092	$9,808	$1,284
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%)	69.4	688^th of 2761 public middle schools	75.1%		59.9	889^th of 2783 public middle schools	68.1%	201	41.4	41.4	51.7	54.1	64.0	57.0	46.1	45.0	37.8	42.7	$19,621	$19,162	$459
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%)	84.8	373^rd of 2761 public middle schools	86.5%		85.2	379^th of 2783 public middle schools	86.4%	6	50.0	50.0	66.2	75.0	59.5	67.3	57.8	52.1	54.1	54.4	$17,191	$16,706	$485
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%)	32.8	1722^nd of 2761 public middle schools	37.6%		24.8	2043^rd of 2783 public middle schools	26.6%	321	24.0	24.0		34.9	38.9	37.0		24.6	20.8	22.6	$21,565	$19,476	$2,089
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%)	13.1	2513^th of 2761 public middle schools	9.0%		18.5	2317^th of 2783 public middle schools	16.7%	196	12.1	12.1		21.3	26.5	23.9		8.7	7.1	7.9	$19,268	$17,662	$1,606

Frequently Asked Questions about El Sausal Middle

What high school do graduates of El Sausal Middle attend?

Students who attend El Sausal Middle usually go on to attend Alisal High

Is El Sausal Middle a good school?

El Sausal Middle ranks 1723^rd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is El Sausal Middle in?

Salinas Union High

How many students attend El Sausal Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,067 students attended El Sausal Middle.

What is the racial makeup of El Sausal Middle?

Students at El Sausal Middle are 99% Hispanic.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.