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La Paz Middle

Public Grades 7-8

2181^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,703 California Middle Schools

Better than 19% of California middle schools

Summary

La Paz Middle serves grades 7–8 and enrolls 1,099 students in Salinas, in the Salinas Union High district. In 2025–2026, 32% of students were proficient in English language arts, 17% in math and 16% in science. Those results were below the state rates of 49%, 38% and 36%, respectively, and below district rates by 9, 3 and 8 percentage points. The central concern for families is that proficiency is low across all three subjects, with the largest state gap in math.

Attendance stands out as a strength: chronic absenteeism was 7% in 2025–2026, 5 percentage points below the district and 11 below the state. Among nearby schools, only San Benancio Middle had a lower rate; El Sausal Middle was next lowest. Test results are less competitive in nearby comparisons: La Paz’s 7th-grade math proficiency was higher than just one of the 10 nearby schools, and its 8th-grade science result was higher than two. Math is especially weak in 7th grade: 17% proficiency was 21 points below the state and only one nearby school scored lower. ELA is a relative bright spot against the state, with the smallest state gap of the three subjects.

Results have moved in different directions: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, ELA proficiency fell by 2 percentage points, while math rose by 4 and science by 4. Even so, the state gap widened by 4 points in ELA and 2 in science. SchoolDigger gave La Paz a 1-star rating and a statewide percentile of 19 in 2025–2026, down 16 points from 2021–2022. Its student-teacher ratio of 20.0 is about the nearby-school average. The school’s free/reduced lunch eligible rate was 94% in 2024–2025, the highest among nearby schools reporting that measure. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness percentile for Migrant Students was 62, compared with 19 overall, a notably higher relative ranking; its English Language Learner Students percentile fell from 69 in 2021–2022 to 24 in 2023–2024.

1,099

Students ?

20.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,891

Per pupil spending ?

93.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

1300 North Sanborn Rd.
Salinas, CA 93905-4127

(831) 796-7900

District: Salinas Union High

Students who attend La Paz Middle usually attend:

High:

Alisal High

Feeder schools for La Paz Middle:

Elementary:	Alisal Community
	Cesar E. Chavez Elementary
	Dr. Oscar F. Loya Elementary
	Frank Paul Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

99.4%

White:

0.2%

African American:

0.2%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare La Paz Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 16th percentile in 2015 → 19th in 2026

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 21 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg29%

California avg42%

2,181^st of 2,703

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the Salinas Union High

673^rd of 968Salinas 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	20.3	2181 of 2703	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.8	2119 of 2761	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.7	2102 of 2783	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.2	2073 of 2781	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.0	1778 of 2740	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.8	1968 of 2715	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.8	1761 of 2480	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.8	1700 of 2508	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	21.8	1952 of 2497	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.1	2078 of 2477	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	39.8	1432 of 2379	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	29.6	1652 of 2259	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	28.7	1684 of 2236	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	29.8	1581 of 2179	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	27.0	1550 of 2063	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	26.2	1532 of 2005	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	31.6	1349 of 1999	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.7	1099 of 1804	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	24.4	1354 of 1777	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	15.5	1560 of 1769	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	38.6	804 of 1531	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.7	1268 of 1491	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.9	1250 of 1369	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	32.0	1124 of 1478	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.4	871 of 1521	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.0	474 of 1540	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.8	547 of 1442	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.1	345 of 1364	74.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	17.6	2130 of 2483	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.3	2190 of 2533	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	2105 of 2551	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.8	1889 of 2531	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.6	1740 of 2509	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.7	1832 of 2380	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.5	1687 of 2262	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	1714 of 2325	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.0	1607 of 2395	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	1585 of 2388	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.9	1556 of 2374	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.5	1277 of 2359	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.1	1398 of 2213	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.1	1260 of 2072	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	389 of 477	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.6	297 of 394	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	26.4	1864 of 2493	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.1	1752 of 2542	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.3	1721 of 2579	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.2	1617 of 2531	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.5	1182 of 2458	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.3	1481 of 2369	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.1	1385 of 2230	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	1923 of 2478	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.7	1727 of 2534	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.3	1787 of 2552	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.7	1923 of 2538	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.4	1565 of 2527	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.0	1761 of 2407	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	1612 of 2273	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	55.4	40 of 106	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.4	38 of 95	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	40 of 94	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.9	53 of 86	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	24.0	1337 of 1586	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.0	1172 of 1566	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	1148 of 1552	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.4	840 of 1531	45.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Migrant (2026)62nd percentile+43 vs school

Disabled (2022)47th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2026)26th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)25th percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)24th percentile~ school

Male (2026)22nd percentile+3 vs school

Homeless (2025)18th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)16th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)14th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy32%-17 vs state

Mathematics17%-21 vs state

Science16%-20 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Friday, June 26, 2020

absolutely horrible. The Principal and VP are racist. The will never be able to run a school and the sooner the district realizes that the better. I feel sorry for the students Close Quote

Schools Near La Paz 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
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	2181^st of 2703 public middle schools	19.3%		22.8	2119^th of 2761 public middle schools	23.3%	62	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	1706^th of 2703 public middle schools	36.9%		32.8	1723^rd of 2761 public middle schools	37.6%	17	27.0	27.0		35.3	37.9	36.6		20.1	31.6	25.7	$31,165	$29,292	$1,873
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	2151^st of 2703 public middle schools	20.4%		22.1	2150^th of 2761 public middle schools	22.1%	1	21.3	21.3		26.6	32.8	29.7		16.6	18.0	17.3	$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%)	20.8	2149^th of 2703 public middle schools	20.5%		24.8	2012^th of 2761 public middle schools	27.1%	137	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
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	1694^th of 2703 public middle schools	37.3%		38.6	1531^st of 2761 public middle schools	44.5%	163	26.9	26.9		37.9	39.6	38.7		20.6	27.6	24.0	$30,230	$28,470	$1,760
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	2041^st of 2703 public middle schools	24.5%		24.6	2028^th of 2761 public middle schools	26.5%	13	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
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	1063^rd of 2703 public middle schools	60.7%		69.4	688^th of 2761 public middle schools	75.1%	375	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
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	418^th of 2703 public middle schools	84.5%		84.8	373^rd of 2761 public middle schools	86.5%	45	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
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	2384^th of 2703 public middle schools	11.8%		13.1	2513^th of 2761 public middle schools	9.0%	129	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	1690^th of 2703 public middle schools	37.5%		32.8	1722^nd of 2761 public middle schools	37.6%	32	27.1	27.1		42.6	40.4	41.6		24.3	17.5	21.0	$21,565	$19,476	$2,089

Frequently Asked Questions about La Paz Middle

Is La Paz Middle a good school?

La Paz Middle ranks in the bottom 19.3% of California middle schools.

How many students attend La Paz Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,099 students attended La Paz Middle.

What high school do graduates of La Paz Middle attend?

Students who attend La Paz Middle usually go on to attend Alisal High

What is the racial makeup of La Paz Middle?

Students at La Paz Middle are 99% Hispanic.

What district is La Paz Middle in?

Salinas Union High

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Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 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.