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Tierra Linda Middle

Public Grades 6-8

34^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 99% of California middle schools

Summary

Tierra Linda Middle is a top-ranked public school serving 451 students in grades 6-8 within the highly-regarded San Carlos Elementary district, consistently placing in the top 4% of all California middle schools.

The school demonstrates exceptional strength across all core subjects, with particular excellence in science, outperforming many nearby schools like Crocker Middle and Hillview Middle. It achieves these outstanding results efficiently, with moderate per-student spending compared to other high-performing schools in the area. A notable finding is the school's performance pattern by grade, with a significant jump in mathematics proficiency from 6th to 7th grade, indicating strong support during this transitional year. While the school excels overall, it faces a relative challenge with chronic absenteeism, with a rate higher than its district peer, Central Middle.

Remarkably, Tierra Linda and Central Middle together create a "twin excellence" model, with both schools in the same small district ranking in the state's top 1%. This speaks to the strength of the San Carlos Elementary district as a whole. The school maintains its elite status even within the intensely competitive San Francisco Peninsula region, surrounded by other top schools like Ralston Intermediate and North Star Academy, confirming its reputation for genuine educational excellence.

451

Students ?

20.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,588

Per pupil spending ?

11.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

750 Dartmouth Ave.
San Carlos, CA 94070-1769

(650) 508-7370

District: San Carlos Elementary

Students who attend Tierra Linda Middle usually attend:

High:

Carlmont High

Feeder schools for Tierra Linda Middle:

Elementary:	Arundel Elementary
	Heather Elementary
	Mariposa

Racial breakdown:

White:

35.9%

Asian:

32.4%

Hispanic:

16.6%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 97th percentile in 2015 → 99th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (82% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of California middle schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school82%

District avg81%

California avg41%

34^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the San Carlos Elementary

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	98.3	34 of 2761	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	98.1	47 of 2783	98.3%	★★★★★
2023	96.9	101 of 2781	96.4%	★★★★★
2022	96.8	91 of 2740	96.7%	★★★★★
2021	95.8	38 of 894	95.7%	★★★★★
2019	94.5	153 of 2715	94.4%	★★★★★
2018	95.0	124 of 2480	95.0%	★★★★★
2017	94.9	126 of 2508	95.0%	★★★★★
2016	96.6	51 of 2497	98.0%	★★★★★
2015	95.8	84 of 2477	96.6%	★★★★★
2013	89.8	94 of 2379	96.0%	★★★★★
2012	93.7	21 of 2259	99.1%	★★★★★
2011	93.7	25 of 2236	98.9%	★★★★★
2010	92.4	49 of 2179	97.8%	★★★★★
2009	92.7	52 of 2063	97.5%	★★★★★
2008	92.1	74 of 2005	96.3%	★★★★★
2007	91.7	86 of 1999	95.7%	★★★★★
2006	96.3	18 of 1804	99.0%	★★★★★
2005	95.5	37 of 1777	97.9%	★★★★★
2004	86.8	166 of 1769	90.6%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	33 of 739	95.5%	★★★★★
2024	84.6	52 of 743	93.0%	★★★★★
2023	81.0	88 of 715	87.7%	★★★★☆
2022	83.0	66 of 733	91.0%	★★★★★
2019	83.3	60 of 745	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	85.0	39 of 700	94.4%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	86.9	116 of 1531	92.4%	★★★★★
2021	75.9	46 of 354	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	72.5	260 of 1491	82.6%	★★★★☆
2018	77.5	190 of 1369	86.1%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	80.5	140 of 1364	89.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.1	50 of 2533	98.0%	★★★★★
2024	97.6	44 of 2551	98.3%	★★★★★
2023	96.2	90 of 2531	96.4%	★★★★★
2022	95.8	101 of 2509	96.0%	★★★★★
2021	93.1	44 of 738	94.0%	★★★★★
2019	94.1	123 of 2380	94.8%	★★★★★
2018	94.4	111 of 2262	95.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.7	126 of 2395	94.7%	★★★★★
2024	75.9	397 of 2388	83.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.0	317 of 2374	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	83.9	222 of 2359	90.6%	★★★★★
2019	83.9	228 of 2213	89.7%	★★★★☆
2018	84.8	200 of 2072	90.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.3	647 of 2542	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	94.4	116 of 2579	95.5%	★★★★★
2023	61.5	714 of 2531	71.8%	★★★★☆
2022	72.8	449 of 2458	81.7%	★★★★☆
2021	70.0	152 of 721	78.9%	★★★★☆
2019	61.2	702 of 2369	70.4%	★★★★☆
2018	73.8	404 of 2230	81.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.5	30 of 2534	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	97.6	60 of 2552	97.6%	★★★★★
2023	96.5	88 of 2538	96.5%	★★★★★
2022	96.7	86 of 2527	96.6%	★★★★★
2021	96.7	35 of 763	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	93.3	172 of 2407	92.9%	★★★★★
2018	94.4	130 of 2273	94.3%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.9	32 of 726	95.6%	★★★★★
2024	91.1	25 of 701	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	89.1	36 of 677	94.7%	★★★★★
2022	86.4	51 of 665	92.3%	★★★★★
2019	85.4	49 of 554	91.2%	★★★★★
2018	84.0	49 of 462	89.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.8	96 of 1566	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	70.9	270 of 1552	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.9	244 of 1531	84.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.8	17 of 1520	98.9%	★★★★★
2024	94.0	25 of 1537	98.4%	★★★★★
2023	91.8	44 of 1543	97.1%	★★★★★
2022	92.3	44 of 1555	97.2%	★★★★★
2019	86.6	141 of 1602	91.2%	★★★★★
2018	89.7	70 of 1496	95.3%	★★★★★

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)

White (2025)99th percentile~ school

Male (2025)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)98th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)96th percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2025)96th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)95th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)94th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2022)92nd percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2018)90th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)75th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy87%+38 vs state

Science80%+47 vs state

Mathematics78%+41 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, November 29, 2018

Awful education system with teachers not caring... Only upside is the music program, otherwise, pile of dogshit place that I wouldn't hesitate to chuck into a woodchipper Close Quote

Schools Near Tierra Linda 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)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)				CSA Spanish Listening (2025)				CSA Spanish Writing (2025)				CSA Spanish Reading (2025)				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	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	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 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	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
Tierra Linda Middle	Public	6-8	750 Dartmouth Ave.	San Carlos	94070	San Mateo County	San Carlos Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 508-7370	451	22	20.1	11.1%	162 (35.9%)	2 (0.4%)	75 (16.6%)	146 (32.4%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)	61 (13.5%)	98.3	34^th of 2761 public middle schools	98.8%		98.1	47^th of 2783 public middle schools	98.3%	13																		79.6	79.6				84.7	87.9	88.6	87.2				71.5	83.7	78.3	77.9	$23,588	$22,978	$610
Ralston Intermediate	Public	6-8	2675 Ralston Ave.	Belmont	94002	San Mateo County	Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 637-4880	1,082	54	20.0	6.2%	348 (32.2%)	5 (0.5%)	120 (11.1%)	425 (39.3%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	179 (16.5%)	98.9	21^st of 2761 public middle schools	99.2%		99	19^th of 2783 public middle schools	99.3%	2																		79.6	79.6				84.4	88.8	91.2	88.2				79.8	87.9	87.3	85.2	$19,741	$19,338	$403
Central Middle	Public	6-8	757 Cedar St.	San Carlos	94070	San Mateo County	San Carlos Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 508-7321	443	20	22.3	8.6%	232 (52.4%)	2 (0.5%)	67 (15.1%)	69 (15.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	72 (16.3%)	98.4	33^rd of 2761 public middle schools	98.8%		97.8	66^th of 2783 public middle schools	97.6%	33																		78.3	78.3				80.4	89.0	90.3	86.7				82.5	77.9	75.8	78.7	$21,754	$21,162	$592
Abbott Middle	Public	6-8	600 36th Ave.	San Mateo	94403	San Mateo County	San Mateo-Foster City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 312-7600	721	40	17.8	61.0%	106 (14.7%)	6 (0.8%)	448 (62.1%)	76 (10.5%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.8%)	71 (9.8%)	40.9	1470^th of 2761 public middle schools	46.8%		48.5	1204^th of 2783 public middle schools	56.7%	266	4.2	5.0	23.8	10.8	4.2	30.0	33.3	21.5	16.7	35.0	14.3	21.5	8.3	0.0	23.8	10.8		26.8	26.8				42.1	44.2	37.1	41.0				26.5	28.5	30.3	28.5	$25,193	$23,694	$1,499
McKinley Institute of Technology	Public	6-8	400 Duane St.	Redwood City	94062	San Mateo County	Redwood City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 482-2410	476	21	22.2	92.2%	10 (2.1%)	2 (0.4%)	457 (96.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	15	2440^th of 2761 public middle schools	11.6%		12.9	2552^nd of 2783 public middle schools	8.3%	112																		11.0	11.0				22.2	31.1	26.0	26.7				10.6	12.2	8.7	10.5	$20,623	$17,996	$2,627
North Star Academy	Public	3-8	400 Duane St.	Redwood City	94062	San Mateo County	Redwood City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 482-2411	527	20	25.9	8.7%	261 (49.5%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (13.3%)	108 (20.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	87 (16.5%)	99.7	4^th of 2761 public middle schools	99.9%		99.7	3^rd of 2783 public middle schools	99.9%	1																	93.3	97.5	95.3	92.1	89.0	96.7	95.5	98.8	96.3	94.7	93.2	93.5	92.1	95.5	98.8	96.3	94.9	$18,783	$16,908	$1,875
Borel Middle	Public	6-8	425 Barneson Ave.	San Mateo	94402	San Mateo County	San Mateo-Foster City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 312-7670	903	47	19.1	46.4%	172 (19.0%)	2 (0.2%)	490 (54.3%)	132 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (1.9%)	90 (10.0%)	58.6	938^th of 2761 public middle schools	66.0%		66.4	755^th of 2783 public middle schools	72.9%	183																		40.1	40.1				45.9	44.0	54.8	48.3				32.4	35.5	46.1	38.2	$23,052	$21,642	$1,410
Bowditch Middle	Public	6-8	1450 Tarpon St.	Foster City	94404	San Mateo County	San Mateo-Foster City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 312-7680	929	44	21.2	19.4%	154 (16.6%)	11 (1.2%)	144 (15.5%)	500 (53.8%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.6%)	111 (11.9%)	94.6	166^th of 2761 public middle schools	94.0%		96.1	124^th of 2783 public middle schools	95.5%	42																		58.6	58.6				71.6	78.7	74.4	74.8				70.8	76.7	72.5	73.2	$21,204	$20,216	$988
John F. Kennedy Middle	Public	6-8	2521 Goodwin Ave.	Redwood City	94061	San Mateo County	Redwood City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 482-2409	808	41	19.9	67.5%	113 (14.0%)	10 (1.2%)	623 (77.1%)	25 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.7%)	31 (3.8%)	49	1204^th of 2761 public middle schools	56.4%		54.2	1037^th of 2783 public middle schools	62.7%	167																		21.2	21.2				40.6	54.8	56.7	50.4				25.5	35.2	33.0	31.0	$19,980	$17,256	$2,724
Crocker Middle	Public	6-8	2600 Ralston Ave.	Hillsborough	94010	San Mateo County	Hillsborough City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 342-6331	446	32	13.8	3.4%	176 (39.5%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.5%)	175 (39.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (14.3%)	97.5	62^nd of 2761 public middle schools	97.8%		98.1	43^rd of 2783 public middle schools	98.5%	19																		67.6	67.6				82.9	84.7	76.6	81.5				83.0	84.7	75.5	81.2	$46,555	$45,890	$665

Frequently Asked Questions about Tierra Linda Middle

What high school do graduates of Tierra Linda Middle attend?

Students who attend Tierra Linda Middle usually go on to attend Carlmont High

What district is Tierra Linda Middle in?

San Carlos Elementary

Is Tierra Linda Middle a good school?

Yes! Tierra Linda Middle is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 34^th of 2761 California middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Tierra Linda Middle?

Students at Tierra Linda Middle are 36% White, 32% Asian, 17% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races.

How many students attend Tierra Linda Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 451 students attended Tierra Linda Middle.

Rate Tierra Linda Middle!

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Schools in San Carlos, CA

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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.