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San Marcos Middle

Q: Is San Marcos Middle a good school?

San Marcos Middle ranks 1292 nd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1292^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 53% of California middle schools

Summary

San Marcos Middle is a public middle school serving 968 students in grades 6-8 within the San Marcos Unified district, representing a stable, mid-performing option in a region with a wide range of school choices.

Academically, the school's proficiency rates in English and Math are close to the California average but notably below the district average and significantly behind nearby schools like Aviara Oaks Middle and San Elijo Middle. It serves a student population with a higher rate of economic need than many of these comparison schools. The school has shown strong recent improvement in reducing chronic absenteeism, which is now better than the state average. However, performance varies widely among different student groups, with the school showing notable effectiveness for some populations, like homeless students, while facing significant challenges in supporting English Language Learners and students in special education.

An interesting point for parents is that High Technical Middle North County, a nearby charter school serving a similar demographic, achieves higher academic results with lower spending and smaller classes. Within its own district, Woodland Park Middle performs better academically despite also serving many students in need. This suggests that factors beyond funding and demographics, such as instructional models or school culture, play a key role in student outcomes at San Marcos Middle.

968

Students ?

24.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,704

Per pupil spending ?

58.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

650 West Mission Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069-1555

(760) 290-2500

District: San Marcos Unified

Feeder schools for San Marcos Middle:

Elementary:	Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary
	Paloma Elementary
	San Marcos Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.2%

White:

14.9%

Asian:

6.8%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare San Marcos Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 55th percentile in 2013 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)

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 school36%

District avg50%

California avg41%

1,292^nd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

From top 50% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Middle Schools in the San Marcos Unified

488^th of 1,543San Marcos 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	46.1	1292 of 2761	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.2	1366 of 2783	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.5	1038 of 2781	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.5	1241 of 2740	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.4	1167 of 2715	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.2	1063 of 2480	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.4	1092 of 2508	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	42.8	1299 of 2497	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	43.7	1245 of 2477	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	53.6	1060 of 2379	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	60.2	815 of 2259	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.7	890 of 2236	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	48.6	1073 of 2179	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	54.3	875 of 2063	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	48.4	967 of 2005	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	34.3	1273 of 1999	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.0	1119 of 1804	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	32.8	1155 of 1777	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	49.5	794 of 1769	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.4	293 of 739	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.5	355 of 743	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.5	196 of 715	72.6%	★★★★☆
2022	78.6	136 of 733	81.4%	★★★★☆
2019	63.1	317 of 745	57.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	44.8	656 of 1531	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.6	871 of 1491	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.5	751 of 1369	45.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.7	1191 of 1478	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.7	472 of 1521	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.0	449 of 1540	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	48.8	448 of 1442	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.0	702 of 1364	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.6	1250 of 2533	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.4	1280 of 2551	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.7	989 of 2531	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.0	1069 of 2509	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.2	1002 of 2380	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.8	935 of 2262	58.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	1419 of 2395	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.8	1580 of 2388	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.3	1002 of 2374	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.0	1191 of 2359	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.5	934 of 2213	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	789 of 2072	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.2	184 of 477	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.5	108 of 394	72.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.1	1641 of 2542	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.0	1778 of 2579	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.9	1120 of 2531	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.5	1353 of 2458	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.0	1013 of 2369	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.0	833 of 2230	62.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.1	1186 of 2534	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.7	1260 of 2552	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.9	936 of 2538	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.3	1207 of 2527	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.6	1197 of 2407	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.7	1103 of 2273	51.5%	★★★☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	88.5	3 of 86	96.5%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	35.9	126 of 193	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.3	373 of 726	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.0	330 of 701	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.5	247 of 677	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.0	188 of 665	71.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.3	1132 of 1566	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.7	1331 of 1552	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.6	921 of 1531	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.7	472 of 1520	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.2	384 of 1537	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	74.5	337 of 1543	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	61.3	563 of 1555	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.7	331 of 1602	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	75.1	354 of 1496	76.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Migrant (2023)97th percentile+34 vs school

White (2025)69th percentile+16 vs school

Homeless (2025)61st percentile+8 vs school

Asian (2025)60th percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2022)57th percentile~ school

Male (2025)53rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)51st percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)49th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)41st percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)35th percentile-18 vs school

Military Connected (2022)35th percentile-20 vs school

Special Education (2025)28th percentile-25 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)19th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy45%-4 vs state

Mathematics32%-5 vs state

Science23%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near San Marcos 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 All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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
San Marcos Middle	Public	6-8	650 West Mission Rd.	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2500	968	40	24.1	58.7%	144 (14.9%)	13 (1.3%)	699 (72.2%)	66 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (4.8%)	46.1	1292^nd of 2761 public middle schools	53.2%		43.2	1366^th of 2783 public middle schools	50.9%	74									23.0	23.0	44.9	46.1	44.6	45.2	36.8	31.1	28.9	32.2	$23,704	$22,782	$922
High Technical Middle North County	Public, Charter	6-8	1460 West San Marcos Blvd.	San Marcos	92078	San Diego County	High Technical Middle North County District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 759-2750	341	21	16.2	51.9%	115 (33.7%)	8 (2.3%)	169 (49.6%)	31 (9.1%)	3 (0.9%)	6 (1.8%)	8 (2.3%)	75.7	568^th of 2761 public middle schools	79.4%		78.4	519^th of 2783 public middle schools	81.4%	49									34.0	34.0	69.8	63.6	67.6	67.1	43.1	51.8	41.0	45.3	$24,386	$23,490	$896
Woodland Park Middle	Public	6-8	1270 Rock Springs Rd.	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2455	1,184	52	22.8	42.3%	358 (30.2%)	12 (1.0%)	618 (52.2%)	79 (6.7%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.4%)	110 (9.3%)	60.6	889^th of 2761 public middle schools	67.8%		62.5	831^st of 2783 public middle schools	70.1%	58									29.4	29.4	55.6	56.8	48.6	53.6	41.7	40.2	34.8	38.9	$22,477	$21,560	$917
San Elijo Middle	Public	6-8	1600 Schoolhouse Way	San Marcos	92078	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2800	1,395	60	23.2	19.1%	791 (56.7%)	16 (1.1%)	334 (23.9%)	112 (8.0%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	136 (9.7%)	80.9	461^st of 2761 public middle schools	83.3%		81.4	451^st of 2783 public middle schools	83.8%	10									42.4	42.4	68.2	67.5	65.7	67.1	52.5	48.3	47.8	49.4	$21,062	$20,474	$588
Del Dios Academy of Arts and Sciences	Public	6-8	1400 West Ninth Ave.	Escondido	92029	San Diego County	Escondido Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 432-2439	788	45	17.6	91.1%	49 (6.2%)	6 (0.8%)	685 (86.9%)	19 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (3.7%)	25.3	1987^th of 2761 public middle schools	28.0%		23.5	2106^th of 2783 public middle schools	24.3%	119									17.3	17.3	29.2	30.4	30.9	30.2	23.0	23.7	20.1	22.3	$24,214	$22,696	$1,518
Madison Middle	Public	6-8	4930 Lake Blvd.	Oceanside	92056	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 940-0176	1,158	61	19.1	68.7%	268 (23.1%)	20 (1.7%)	756 (65.3%)	27 (2.3%)	5 (0.4%)	9 (0.8%)	72 (6.2%)	32	1754^th of 2761 public middle schools	36.5%		31.5	1750^th of 2783 public middle schools	37.1%	4	4.6	4.6	4.6	4.6	9.1	9.1	2.3	2.3	22.5	22.5	43.1	37.5	30.0	36.9	22.9	23.0	22.4	22.8	$23,785	$22,592	$1,193
Vista Magnet Middle School of Technology Science and Math	Public	6-8	151 Civic Center Dr.	Vista	92084	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 726-5766	836	42	19.8	70.8%	148 (17.7%)	10 (1.2%)	600 (71.8%)	39 (4.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	36 (4.3%)	64.6	795^th of 2761 public middle schools	71.2%		71.9	655^th of 2783 public middle schools	76.5%	140									37.6	37.6	48.7	52.9	49.8	50.5	40.4	48.0	44.2	44.3	$22,101	$21,052	$1,049
Rincon Middle	Public	6-8	925 Lehner Ave.	Escondido	92026	San Diego County	Escondido Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 432-2491	772	41	18.8	83.0%	85 (11.0%)	7 (0.9%)	605 (78.4%)	26 (3.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	46 (6.0%)	38.2	1540^th of 2761 public middle schools	44.2%		40.3	1450^th of 2783 public middle schools	47.9%	90									31.3	31.3	29.6	38.3	46.9	38.6	20.2	25.4	28.7	24.9	$24,833	$23,348	$1,485
Mission Middle	Public	6-8	939 East Mission Ave.	Escondido	92026	San Diego County	Escondido Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 432-2452	855	43	19.9	95.9%	14 (1.6%)	5 (0.6%)	808 (94.5%)	11 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.9%)	22.9	2106^th of 2761 public middle schools	23.7%		26.9	1956^th of 2783 public middle schools	29.7%	150									14.6	14.6	25.6	37.2	31.7	31.5	15.0	19.6	19.5	18.1	$22,867	$21,240	$1,627
Vista Innovation and Design Academy	Public	6-8	740 Olive Ave.	Vista	92083	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 724-7115	834	44	19.0	58.2%	262 (31.4%)	15 (1.8%)	469 (56.2%)	18 (2.2%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.4%)	65 (7.8%)	47.9	1240^th of 2761 public middle schools	55.1%		53.6	1052^nd of 2783 public middle schools	62.2%	188									24.3	24.3	43.3	48.0	41.1	44.3	34.3	34.8	34.9	34.7	$21,912	$20,718	$1,194

Frequently Asked Questions about San Marcos Middle

What is the racial makeup of San Marcos Middle?

Students at San Marcos Middle are 72% Hispanic, 15% White, 7% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What district is San Marcos Middle in?

San Marcos Unified

How many students attend San Marcos Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 968 students attended San Marcos Middle.

Is San Marcos Middle a good school?

San Marcos Middle ranks 1292^nd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate San Marcos Middle!

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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.