Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Challenger Middle

Public Grades 6-8

249^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 91% of California middle schools

Summary

Challenger Middle is a public middle school located in San Diego, California, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 918 students. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District, which is ranked 588 out of 1,565 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Challenger Middle consistently ranks among the top 10% of middle schools in California, with a statewide ranking between 149-258 out of over 2,700 middle schools over the past 8 years. It has maintained a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating excellent academic performance. The school also excels in the performance of various student subgroups, ranking in the top 5% for Special Education students, top 10% for Homeless students, and top 20% for Low Socioeconomic Status students, English Language Learners, and Military Connected students. Challenger Middle's students significantly outperform the San Diego Unified School District and the state of California in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, as well as the California Science Test (CAST).

While Challenger Middle has experienced an increase in chronic absenteeism over the past few years, reaching 25.8% in 2022-2023, it still performs better than the district and state averages. The school also outperforms most of the nearby middle schools in the San Diego Unified and San Dieguito Union High School Districts, including Standley Middle, Innovation Middle, and Creative Performing and Media Arts. The only exceptions are the highly-ranked Carmel Valley Middle and Pacific Trails Middle, which are part of the San Dieguito Union High School District.

960

Students ?

24.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,848

Per pupil spending ?

48.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10810 Parkdale Ave.
San Diego, CA 92126-2599

(858) 302-3000

District: San Diego Unified

Students who attend Challenger Middle usually attend:

High:

Mira Mesa High

Feeder schools for Challenger Middle:

Elementary:	Hickman Elementary
	Jonas Salk Elementary
	Sandburg Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

47.4%

Hispanic:

19.7%

White:

15.4%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Challenger Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 90th percentile in 2013 → 91st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (66% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of California middle schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in San Diego Unified

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school66%

District avg49%

California avg41%

249^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 23Middle Schools in the San Diego Unified

577^th of 1,543San Diego 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	91.0	249 of 2761	91.0%	★★★★★
2024	90.9	260 of 2783	90.7%	★★★★★
2023	92.7	213 of 2781	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	91.5	239 of 2740	91.3%	★★★★★
2019	90.9	242 of 2715	91.1%	★★★★★
2018	94.0	149 of 2480	94.0%	★★★★★
2017	91.4	214 of 2508	91.5%	★★★★★
2016	92.1	181 of 2497	92.8%	★★★★★
2015	91.3	194 of 2477	92.2%	★★★★★
2013	83.4	238 of 2379	90.0%	★★★★★
2012	83.0	232 of 2259	89.7%	★★★★☆
2011	78.0	339 of 2236	84.8%	★★★★☆
2010	73.2	479 of 2179	78.0%	★★★★☆
2009	75.4	387 of 2063	81.2%	★★★★☆
2008	74.3	396 of 2005	80.2%	★★★★☆
2007	68.1	525 of 1999	73.7%	★★★★☆
2006	62.8	581 of 1804	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	66.0	503 of 1777	71.7%	★★★★☆
2004	61.8	564 of 1769	68.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	80.8	89 of 643	86.2%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.8	253 of 739	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.8	349 of 743	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.9	281 of 715	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.1	338 of 733	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.0	329 of 745	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.8	214 of 700	69.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	91.3	79 of 1531	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	70.4	275 of 1491	81.6%	★★★★☆
2018	80.8	156 of 1369	88.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	82.9	108 of 1442	92.5%	★★★★★
2018	84.0	115 of 1364	91.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.0	250 of 2533	90.1%	★★★★★
2024	91.8	205 of 2551	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	93.0	177 of 2531	93.0%	★★★★★
2022	93.5	162 of 2509	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	90.0	222 of 2380	90.7%	★★★★★
2018	92.3	161 of 2262	92.9%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.6	417 of 2395	82.6%	★★★★☆
2024	82.9	265 of 2388	88.9%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	283 of 2374	88.1%	★★★★☆
2022	87.2	179 of 2359	92.4%	★★★★★
2019	83.7	233 of 2213	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	89.8	140 of 2072	93.2%	★★★★★

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	96.8	8 of 320	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	94.9	10 of 336	97.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.4	130 of 2542	94.9%	★★★★★
2024	90.5	181 of 2579	93.0%	★★★★★
2023	95.4	79 of 2531	96.9%	★★★★★
2022	93.3	100 of 2458	95.9%	★★★★★
2019	92.3	117 of 2369	95.1%	★★★★★
2018	97.0	43 of 2230	98.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.1	250 of 2534	90.1%	★★★★★
2024	87.7	297 of 2552	88.4%	★★★★☆
2023	90.4	238 of 2538	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	87.6	307 of 2527	87.9%	★★★★☆
2019	90.4	228 of 2407	90.5%	★★★★★
2018	94.3	132 of 2273	94.2%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	91.8	8 of 193	95.9%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	308 of 726	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.9	294 of 701	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.3	323 of 677	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.5	261 of 665	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.1	191 of 554	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.3	139 of 462	69.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.8	71 of 1566	95.5%	★★★★★
2024	91.3	94 of 1552	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	91.0	79 of 1531	94.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.3	161 of 1520	89.4%	★★★★☆
2024	85.5	145 of 1537	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	90.2	71 of 1543	95.4%	★★★★★
2022	81.4	223 of 1555	85.7%	★★★★☆
2019	77.7	307 of 1602	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	88.2	103 of 1496	93.1%	★★★★★

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 (2023)98th percentile+5 vs school

Military Connected (2022)96th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2025)95th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2022)95th percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)93rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)90th percentile~ school

Female (2025)90th percentile~ school

White (2025)89th percentile~ school

African American (2019)86th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)83rd percentile-8 vs school

Asian (2025)66th percentile-25 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)58th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy73%+24 vs state

Mathematics63%+26 vs state

Science51%+19 vs state

1.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

Rate Challenger Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a student
Sunday, September 2, 2018

I was a former student here a few years ago. Most teachers here don't care about any of the students. I witnessed bullying and the teachers did not do anything about it. The school only cares about their reputation and not their students. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, February 19, 2013

My child has been the victim of multiple, racially motivated harrassments, assaults, and beatings at this school.

When concerns were expressed to the principal, the reply was that we can move out of the school.

STAY AWAY from this place. Under its current management, violent children are protected and the victims penalized. Close Quote

Schools Near Challenger Middle

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 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 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
Challenger Middle	Public	6-8	10810 Parkdale Ave.	San Diego	92126	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 302-3000	960	39	24.5	48.8%	148 (15.4%)	26 (2.7%)	189 (19.7%)	455 (47.4%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	138 (14.4%)	91	249^th of 2761 public middle schools	91.0%		90.9	260^th of 2783 public middle schools	90.7%	11		51.2	51.2			72.4	75.4	70.3	72.8			60.3	63.1	66.3	63.1	$17,848	$2,625	$15,223
Wangenheim Middle	Public	6-8	9230 Gold Coast Dr.	San Diego	92126	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 605-2250	703	29	24.5	67.6%	72 (10.2%)	46 (6.5%)	248 (35.3%)	255 (36.3%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	77 (11.0%)	57.5	965^th of 2761 public middle schools	65.0%		60.6	872^nd of 2783 public middle schools	68.7%	93		34.5	34.5			51.9	55.9	49.0	52.5			32.6	38.7	31.0	34.4	$18,820	$2,507	$16,313
Mesa Verde Middle	Public	6-8	8375 Entreken Way	San Diego	92129	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 538-5478	1,178	47	25.1	11.2%	350 (29.7%)	12 (1.0%)	124 (10.5%)	536 (45.5%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	151 (12.8%)	97.1	80^th of 2761 public middle schools	97.1%		98	51^st of 2783 public middle schools	98.2%	29		70.8	70.8			78.6	81.2	81.2	80.2			73.3	78.8	79.9	77.1	$14,857	$673	$14,184
Pacific Trails Middle	Public	7-8	5975 Village Center Loop Rd.	San Diego	92130	San Diego County	San Dieguito Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 350-0253	971	40	24.4	12.0%	306 (31.5%)	6 (0.6%)	121 (12.5%)	440 (45.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	94 (9.7%)	98.5	28^th of 2761 public middle schools	99.0%		98.6	25^th of 2783 public middle schools	99.1%	3		77.4	77.4				89.2	82.0	85.7				82.8	78.6	80.8	$13,317	$467	$12,850
Marshall Middle	Public	6-8	9700 Avenue of Nations	San Diego	92131	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 549-5400	1,390	54	25.9	21.7%	488 (35.1%)	24 (1.7%)	175 (12.6%)	519 (37.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	182 (13.1%)	97.2	71^st of 2761 public middle schools	97.4%		97.8	63^rd of 2783 public middle schools	97.7%	8		70.1	70.1			78.7	85.0	84.3	82.7			75.0	71.8	74.4	73.7	$16,759	$2,181	$14,578
Black Mountain Middle	Public	6-8	9353 Oviedo St.	San Diego	92129	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 484-1300	1,077	47	22.6	20.7%	379 (35.2%)	33 (3.1%)	222 (20.6%)	299 (27.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	141 (13.1%)	88.4	303^rd of 2761 public middle schools	89.0%		89.3	293^rd of 2783 public middle schools	89.5%	10		54.6	54.6			72.5	70.7	64.6	69.2			55.9	59.2	59.7	58.3	$15,540	$723	$14,817
Carmel Valley Middle	Public	7-8	3800 Mykonos Ln.	San Diego	92130	San Diego County	San Dieguito Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 481-8221	697	30	23.5	15.4%	275 (39.5%)	6 (0.9%)	99 (14.2%)	241 (34.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (10.6%)	97.8	56^th of 2761 public middle schools	98.0%		98.3	36^th of 2783 public middle schools	98.7%	20		71.9	71.9				84.0	79.9	82.0				82.1	77.3	79.7	$16,472	$790	$15,682
Solana Pacific Elementary	Public	4-6	3901 Townsgate Dr.	San Diego	92130	San Diego County	Solana Beach Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 794-4500	375	16	23.4	14.1%	134 (35.7%)	3 (0.8%)	31 (8.3%)	156 (41.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (13.6%)								(n/a)	79.1		79.1	91.0	84.7	90.0			88.3	88.2	88.8	90.1			89.1	$22,498	$416	$22,082
Standley Middle	Public	6-8	6298 Radcliffe Dr.	San Diego	92122	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 605-2100	813	37	21.9	43.3%	327 (40.2%)	20 (2.5%)	236 (29.0%)	132 (16.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	95 (11.7%)	90.9	256^th of 2761 public middle schools	90.7%		90.1	277^th of 2783 public middle schools	90.0%	21		57.4	57.4			75.7	73.6	68.5	72.7			64.7	60.7	55.7	60.5	$18,167	$2,308	$15,859
Innovation Middle	Public	6-8	5095 Arvinels Ave.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 278-5948	350	21	16.5	80.0%	56 (16.0%)	15 (4.3%)	204 (58.3%)	37 (10.6%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	33 (9.4%)	54.5	1056^th of 2761 public middle schools	61.8%		55.3	1008^th of 2783 public middle schools	63.8%	48		46.7	46.7			42.7	38.8	60.0	49.1			29.3	15.2	36.7	28.5	$23,326	$3,154	$20,172

Frequently Asked Questions about Challenger Middle

What district is Challenger Middle in?

San Diego Unified

How many students attend Challenger Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 960 students attended Challenger Middle.

Is Challenger Middle a good school?

Yes. Challenger Middle ranks in the top 9.0% of California middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Challenger Middle?

Students at Challenger Middle are 47% Asian, 20% Hispanic, 15% White, 14% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What high school do graduates of Challenger Middle attend?

Students who attend Challenger Middle usually go on to attend Mira Mesa High

Rate Challenger Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in San Diego, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Challenger Middle!

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.