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Innovation Middle

Q: Is Innovation Middle a good school?

Innovation Middle ranks 1056 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1056^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 62% of California middle schools

Summary

Innovation Middle is a public middle school serving about 350 students in grades 6-8 within the San Diego Unified school district, presenting a unique profile of notable strengths alongside areas for growth.

The school shines in its science program, where student proficiency significantly outpaces both the district and state averages and is competitive with higher-ranked schools like Pacific Beach Middle and De Portola Middle. It also demonstrates exceptional effectiveness in supporting specific student groups, ranking in the state's top percentiles for homeless and special education students. However, the school faces significant challenges in mathematics proficiency and has a high rate of chronic absenteeism, which is more than double that of nearby schools such as Standley Middle.

With the highest per-student spending among nearby schools and a favorable student-teacher ratio, Innovation Middle is well-resourced. Its performance trajectory has been variable over the past decade, and while it academically outperforms its closest neighbor, Creative Performing and Media Arts, it operates in a competitive landscape with several higher-performing schools nearby. The key for the school will be leveraging its proven successes in science and student support to address the critical areas of math and attendance.

350

Students ?

16.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,326

Per pupil spending ?

80%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5095 Arvinels Ave.
San Diego, CA 92117-2303

(858) 278-5948

District: San Diego Unified

Students who attend Innovation Middle usually attend:

High:

Madison High

Feeder schools for Innovation Middle:

Elementary:	Clairemont Canyons Academy
	Field Elementary
	Hawthorne Elementary
	Lafayette Elementary
	More...
	Sequoia Elementary
	Whitman Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.3%

White:

16.0%

Asian:

10.6%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Innovation Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 50th percentile in 2013 → 62nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2013

✓Above the California median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg49%

California avg41%

1,056^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 38%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From top 24% (2015) to top 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^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	54.5	1056 of 2761	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.3	1008 of 2783	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.2	1277 of 2781	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.6	1266 of 2740	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.8	1688 of 2715	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.0	1307 of 2480	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	46.0	1219 of 2508	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	63.5	789 of 2497	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	72.1	605 of 2477	75.6%	★★★★☆
2013	48.8	1182 of 2379	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	51.5	1061 of 2259	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	56.6	918 of 2236	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	38.4	1353 of 2179	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.2	138 of 739	81.3%	★★★★☆
2019	15.4	649 of 745	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.2	594 of 700	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	56.2	455 of 1531	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	47.2	594 of 1491	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.9	252 of 1369	81.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	40.0	731 of 1478	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.0	977 of 1521	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.3	618 of 1540	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.7	1135 of 1442	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.0	1043 of 1364	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.6	885 of 2533	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.2	959 of 2551	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.3	1264 of 2531	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.6	1291 of 2509	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.5	1704 of 2380	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.9	1301 of 2262	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.1	1018 of 2395	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	896 of 2388	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	985 of 2374	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.4	955 of 2359	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.6	1691 of 2213	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.8	1567 of 2072	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.6	30 of 477	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	57.9	113 of 394	71.3%	★★★★☆
2023	73.4	49 of 320	84.7%	★★★★☆
2022	51.9	128 of 336	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.0	862 of 2542	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.8	714 of 2579	72.3%	★★★★☆
2023	54.6	885 of 2531	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.7	964 of 2458	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.0	1598 of 2369	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.3	1375 of 2230	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	1057 of 2534	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.1	931 of 2552	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.9	1096 of 2538	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.4	1048 of 2527	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.7	1416 of 2407	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.2	1124 of 2273	50.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.0	527 of 726	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	490 of 701	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	12.0	589 of 677	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	54.7	303 of 665	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.0	443 of 554	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	54.8	242 of 462	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.0	376 of 1566	76.0%	★★★★☆
2024	62.6	373 of 1552	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	52.7	502 of 1531	67.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	56.2	660 of 1520	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.8	557 of 1537	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.0	962 of 1543	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	1063 of 1555	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.1	949 of 1602	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.9	728 of 1496	51.3%	★★★☆☆

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)94th percentile+32 vs school

Asian (2025)81st percentile+20 vs school

Special Education (2025)76th percentile+14 vs school

Disabled (2022)70th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)66th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)65th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)58th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)57th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)57th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)51st percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)27th percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy49%~ state avg

Science47%+14 vs state

Mathematics28%-9 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Really good teachers that meet the kids where they are at academically. Patient, caring and really good communicators. Glad we picked this school and our younger will follow. Close Quote

by a student
Tuesday, April 19, 2016

not good

Schools Near Innovation 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 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
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
Creative Performing and Media Arts	Public	6-8	5050 Conrad Ave.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 800-5550	614	35	17.3	77.4%	90 (14.7%)	76 (12.4%)	352 (57.3%)	51 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.2%)	28.4	1879^th of 2761 public middle schools	31.9%		26.4	1979^th of 2783 public middle schools	28.9%	100	16.2	16.2	39.2	42.4	34.0	38.4	21.7	20.0	14.7	18.6	$23,460	$4,929	$18,531
High Technical Middle Mesa	Public, Charter	6-8	5331 Mt. Alifan Dr.	San Diego	92111	San Diego County	High Technical Middle Mesa District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 510-4600	352	24	14.5	41.2%	121 (34.4%)	13 (3.7%)	123 (34.9%)	70 (19.9%)	3 (0.9%)	4 (1.1%)	16 (4.5%)	60	906^th of 2761 public middle schools	67.2%		66.3	760^th of 2783 public middle schools	72.7%	146	26.4	26.4	52.1	57.1	46.9	52.1	45.3	42.0	35.1	40.9	$12,683	$1,013	$11,670
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
Marston Middle	Public	6-8	3799 Clairemont Dr.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 810-7500	702	32	21.7	47.6%	343 (48.9%)	14 (2.0%)	239 (34.0%)	29 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	76 (10.8%)	76.6	550^th of 2761 public middle schools	80.1%		77.3	542^nd of 2783 public middle schools	80.5%	8	42.2	42.2	59.7	59.1	57.6	58.9	51.3	49.6	51.3	50.7	$19,283	$2,638	$16,645
Montgomery Middle	Public	6-8	2470 Ulric St.	San Diego	92111	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 397-6600	337	17	19.3	86.1%	22 (6.5%)	30 (8.9%)	211 (62.6%)	63 (18.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.0%)	36.8	1591^st of 2761 public middle schools	42.4%		27.7	1912^th of 2783 public middle schools	31.3%	321	20.6	20.6	31.0	45.0	44.2	39.6	24.2	32.0	24.5	26.8	$25,340	$4,868	$20,472
Taft Middle	Public	6-8	9191 Gramercy Dr.	San Diego	92123	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 935-2650	410	20	20.6	65.6%	63 (15.4%)	63 (15.4%)	171 (41.7%)	47 (11.5%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	60 (14.6%)	34.8	1654^th of 2761 public middle schools	40.1%		46.8	1256^th of 2783 public middle schools	54.9%	398	17.8	17.8	35.0	44.2	41.7	40.3	22.5	25.7	26.4	24.8	$21,248	$3,361	$17,887
Farb Middle	Public	6-8	4880 La Cuenta Dr.	San Diego	92124	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 397-6750	443	29	15.4	67.7%	134 (30.2%)	52 (11.7%)	165 (37.2%)	27 (6.1%)	5 (1.1%)	4 (0.9%)	56 (12.6%)	61.6	863^rd of 2761 public middle schools	68.7%		53.2	1062^nd of 2783 public middle schools	61.8%	199	32.0	32.0	52.0	56.6	64.3	57.4	40.5	26.2	39.5	35.8	$22,258	$3,279	$18,979
Pacific Beach Middle	Public	6-8	4676 Ingraham St.	San Diego	92109	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 221-5600	715	35	20.3	41.1%	332 (46.4%)	16 (2.2%)	211 (29.5%)	56 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (14.0%)	94	181^st of 2761 public middle schools	93.4%		94.5	172^nd of 2783 public middle schools	93.8%	9	53.7	53.7	75.6	81.3	80.5	78.9	72.8	66.1	57.7	66.5	$19,127	$2,189	$16,938
De Portola Middle	Public	6-8	11010 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.	San Diego	92124	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 496-8080	680	29	23.7	45.0%	239 (35.1%)	29 (4.3%)	245 (36.0%)	65 (9.6%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	97 (14.3%)	90.5	264^th of 2761 public middle schools	90.4%		88.7	303^rd of 2783 public middle schools	89.1%	39	54.3	54.3	72.7	77.5	66.7	72.3	62.3	63.4	56.5	60.8	$19,792	$2,696	$17,096

Frequently Asked Questions about Innovation Middle

What is the racial makeup of Innovation Middle?

Students at Innovation Middle are 58% Hispanic, 16% White, 11% Asian, 9% Two or more races, 4% African American, 1% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Innovation Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 350 students attended Innovation Middle.

What high school do graduates of Innovation Middle attend?

Students who attend Innovation Middle usually go on to attend Madison High

Is Innovation Middle a good school?

Innovation Middle ranks 1056^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Innovation Middle in?

San Diego Unified

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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.