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James B. Davidson Middle

Q: Is James B. Davidson Middle a good school?

James B. Davidson Middle ranks 1282 nd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1282^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 54% of California middle schools

Summary

James B. Davidson Middle is a public middle school in San Rafael, California, serving 1,040 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the San Rafael City Elementary School District, which is ranked 872 out of 1,565 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, James B. Davidson Middle's performance is generally below the state average and that of nearby high-performing schools like Del Mar Middle, Mill Valley Middle, and Adaline E. Kent Middle. In English Language Arts, the school's proficiency rates range from 34.48% to 44.78%, compared to the state average of 45.82% to 49.65%. In Mathematics, the school's proficiency rates range from 25.99% to 34.91%, compared to the state average of 29.94% to 36.6%. The school also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 12.1% to 24.9%, which is significantly higher than the state average.

One interesting finding is that the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups. White and multi-racial students perform significantly better than the state average, while Hispanic students and English Language Learners perform significantly worse, with proficiency rates in the bottom 10-20% of California middle schools. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and homeless students also perform poorly. These disparities suggest that the school may need to focus on addressing equity and opportunity gaps to ensure all students have the resources and support they need to succeed.

1,052

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,007

Per pupil spending ?

69.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

280 Woodland Ave.
San Rafael, CA 94901-5046

(415) 485-2400

District: San Rafael City Elementary

Students who attend James B. Davidson Middle usually attend:

High:	San Rafael High
	Terra Linda High

Feeder schools for James B. Davidson Middle:

Elementary:	Bahia Vista Elementary
	Coleman Elementary
	Glenwood Elementary
	Laurel Dell Elementary
	More...
	San Pedro Elementary
	Sun Valley Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.7%

White:

20.7%

Two or more races:

2.9%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare James B. Davidson Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2015 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg35%

California avg41%

1,282^nd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From top 41% (2015) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

866^th of 1,543San Rafael City Elementary 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	46.5	1282 of 2761	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.5	1327 of 2783	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.7	1431 of 2781	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.3	1173 of 2740	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.2	511 of 894	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.9	1275 of 2715	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.6	1269 of 2480	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.8	1166 of 2508	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	52.7	1053 of 2497	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	53.6	1016 of 2477	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	64.3	770 of 2379	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	60.3	813 of 2259	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.7	796 of 2236	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.1	1015 of 2179	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	43.5	1121 of 2063	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.4	1052 of 2005	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	52.4	850 of 1999	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	53.3	752 of 1804	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	60.5	595 of 1777	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	57.1	637 of 1769	64.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	50.2	416 of 715	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	67.8	263 of 733	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.7	286 of 745	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.0	269 of 700	61.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	42.9	684 of 1531	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.9	185 of 354	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.5	1066 of 1491	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.5	870 of 1369	36.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	35.8	909 of 1478	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.8	934 of 1521	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.5	947 of 1540	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.6	271 of 363	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.8	1186 of 1442	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.5	1128 of 1364	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.0	1284 of 2533	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.0	1180 of 2551	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.1	1354 of 2531	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.3	1164 of 2509	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.1	465 of 738	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.6	1243 of 2380	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.6	1336 of 2262	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	1742 of 2395	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	1785 of 2388	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	1900 of 2374	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.7	1468 of 2359	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.7	1830 of 2213	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.0	1704 of 2072	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.8	311 of 477	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.9	308 of 394	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.5	244 of 320	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.5	125 of 336	62.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.8	1773 of 2542	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.6	1753 of 2579	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.5	2023 of 2531	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.0	1435 of 2458	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.9	549 of 721	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.4	1956 of 2369	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.9	1775 of 2230	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.9	1143 of 2534	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.1	1282 of 2552	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.0	1307 of 2538	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.7	982 of 2527	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.4	381 of 763	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.1	1100 of 2407	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.2	1067 of 2273	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	44.1	102 of 192	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.5	91 of 726	87.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.8	732 of 1566	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.0	1028 of 1552	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.9	725 of 1531	52.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.9	58 of 1520	96.2%	★★★★★
2024	88.8	91 of 1537	94.1%	★★★★★
2023	88.4	97 of 1543	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	90.3	76 of 1555	95.1%	★★★★★
2019	90.3	75 of 1602	95.3%	★★★★★
2018	86.9	117 of 1496	92.2%	★★★★★

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)96th percentile+43 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)87th percentile+34 vs school

Disabled (2022)55th percentile~ school

Male (2025)55th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)53rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)49th percentile-4 vs school

Military Connected (2024)47th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2023)42nd percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)38th percentile-14 vs school

Homeless (2025)35th percentile-19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)30th percentile-23 vs school

Hispanic (2025)27th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy45%-4 vs state

Mathematics31%-6 vs state

Science28%-4 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★0

4★2

3★1

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, April 10, 2011

My daughter is in her 3rd and final year at Davidson, about to graduate and move on to high school. Her opinion would be a 5 star review - that's how much she loves it. We've found it to be very good in terms of academics and social development. She is a straight-A student, so one of the questions was: would she be challenged enough at Davidson? The answer is yes. She had some honors classes which challenged her, but more important, the non-honors classes challenged her as well. Most of the teachers are highly adept at managing a class with students of various learning abilities and making sure they learn at their pace. I know some parents have had some teachers that were not as good at this. Fortunately for us, almost all of our daughter's teachers were excellent. I'm also impressed with the administration. The principal is highly principled! They suffer from not having as much support staff as they could use (as all schools in CA are these days with budget problems), but they do seem to find resources in various places to get some of the most important support staff such as folks to help with people with limited English skills. Each year they do more to integrate Spanish-speaking parents into the school functions and processes. Principal Dr. McLean's three areas of focus are: high achievement, one school community, and increased parent involvement. She's done an amazing job communicating these areas of focus and rallying the staff and school community toward making them a reality. I highly recommend Davidson Middle School. The only reason there are not 5 stars is due to the budget cuts and lack of additional resources and activities, which is out of the school's hands. Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, April 10, 2011

Great teachers! Never a quarrel with the level of academic performance and expectations from the students.
There has been phenomenal social spirit and the kids are heard to say things to their friends like "Davidson Rocks!"
The school site is improving all the time. With more parent involvement and local community financial support all the infrastructure can be brought up to a 21st century standards.
Electives are back and the music department is second to none in Marin County. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, April 6, 2011

I have a student at Davidson. He's bright and finds lots of stimulation both academically and socially. We are especially impressed with the music program. It's wonderful to hit the middle school years when art and PE become part of the daily program! Close Quote

Schools Near James B. Davidson 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 All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 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
James B. Davidson Middle	Public	6-8	280 Woodland Ave.	San Rafael	94901	Marin County	San Rafael City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 485-2400	1,052	61	17.1	69.9%	218 (20.7%)	9 (0.9%)	765 (72.7%)	19 (1.8%)	6 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	31 (2.9%)	46.5	1282^nd of 2761 public middle schools	53.6%		44.5	1327^th of 2783 public middle schools	52.3%	45						28.5	28.5		43.1	46.1	45.2	44.8		26.6	34.9	31.4	31.0	$27,007	$25,768	$1,239
Adaline E. Kent Middle	Public	5-8	800 College Ave.	Kentfield	94904	Marin County	Kentfield Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 458-5970	488	32	15.4	10.7%	313 (64.1%)	3 (0.6%)	81 (16.6%)	20 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	68 (13.9%)	96.2	111^th of 2761 public middle schools	96.0%		95.5	137^th of 2783 public middle schools	95.1%	26					67.0	59.7	62.8	84.9	86.2	83.7	72.7	81.5	76.5	82.4	77.6	68.9	76.1	$37,518	$37,400	$118
Hall Middle	Public	6-8	200 Doherty Dr.	Larkspur	94939	Marin County	Larkspur-Corte Madera	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 927-6978	440	22	19.6	10.7%	306 (69.5%)	3 (0.7%)	68 (15.5%)	25 (5.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (8.2%)	96.1	114^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.9%		96.2	117^th of 2783 public middle schools	95.8%	3						65.8	65.8		76.4	82.7	76.8	78.6		68.1	81.3	71.7	73.6	$22,067	$21,300	$767
Miller Creek Middle	Public	6-8	2255 Las Gallinas Ave.	San Rafael	94903	Marin County	Miller Creek Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 492-3760	620	35	17.6	20.3%	344 (55.5%)	12 (1.9%)	171 (27.6%)	36 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (9.2%)	86.5	343^rd of 2761 public middle schools	87.6%		82.5	428^th of 2783 public middle schools	84.6%	85						47.6	47.6		72.9	67.0	63.8	68.1		61.7	59.8	51.3	57.8	$25,084	$24,324	$760
Mill Valley Middle	Public	6-8	425 Sycamore Ave.	Mill Valley	94941	Marin County	Mill Valley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 389-7711	721	46	15.6	6.2%	522 (72.4%)	5 (0.7%)	72 (10.0%)	42 (5.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	77 (10.7%)	97	83^rd of 2761 public middle schools	97.0%		97.9	57^th of 2783 public middle schools	98.0%	26						70.9	70.9		79.0	84.9	80.8	81.7		66.8	78.3	78.3	74.8	$41,923	$41,624	$299
White Hill Middle	Public	6-8	101 Glen Dr.	Fairfax	94930	Marin County	Ross Valley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 454-8390	601	35	17.3	12.0%	419 (69.7%)	6 (1.0%)	92 (15.3%)	19 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (10.6%)	93.7	186^th of 2761 public middle schools	93.3%		94.6	169^th of 2783 public middle schools	93.9%	17						68.4	68.4		71.4	83.7	74.9	76.9		66.5	61.8	61.2	63.1	$29,717	$28,724	$993
Del Mar Middle	Public	6-8	105 Avenida Miraflores	Tiburon	94920	Marin County	Reed Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 435-1468	359	31	11.6	4.7%	252 (70.2%)	3 (0.8%)	32 (8.9%)	25 (7.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (12.3%)	98	52^nd of 2761 public middle schools	98.1%		96.8	98^th of 2783 public middle schools	96.5%	46						71.9	71.9		78.2	90.2	83.5	83.8		78.2	85.7	80.2	81.3	$36,839	$35,278	$1,561
San Jose Middle	Public	6-8	1000 Sunset Pkwy.	Novato	94949	Marin County	Novato Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 883-7831	559	26	21.2	55.8%	157 (28.1%)	16 (2.9%)	311 (55.6%)	36 (6.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (6.4%)	54.4	1060^th of 2761 public middle schools	61.6%		56.8	966^th of 2783 public middle schools	65.3%	94	8.3	16.7	25.0	8.3		32.6	32.6		46.5	41.2	50.0	45.9		48.8	41.6	25.5	38.2	$22,055	$20,900	$1,155
Richmond Charter Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	1450 Marina Way South	Richmond	94804	Contra Costa County	Richmond Charter Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 235-2465	296	8	36.7	82.1%	7 (2.4%)	12 (4.1%)	270 (91.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.4%)	34.1	1674^th of 2761 public middle schools	39.4%		43.1	1370^th of 2783 public middle schools	50.8%	304						13.8	13.8		41.9	51.6	45.3	46.3		20.4	19.4	14.7	18.2	$35,777	$34,322	$1,455
Helms Middle	Public	7-8	2500 Road 20	San Pablo	94806	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 233-3988	558	25	22.1	81.9%	9 (1.6%)	28 (5.0%)	485 (86.9%)	28 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	7.7	2685^th of 2761 public middle schools	2.8%		8	2717^th of 2783 public middle schools	2.4%	32						6.3	6.3			11.4	11.0	11.2			7.2	6.2	6.6

Frequently Asked Questions about James B. Davidson Middle

What is the racial makeup of James B. Davidson Middle?

Students at James B. Davidson Middle are 73% Hispanic, 21% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend James B. Davidson Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,052 students attended James B. Davidson Middle.

Is James B. Davidson Middle a good school?

James B. Davidson Middle ranks 1282^nd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of James B. Davidson Middle attend?

Students who attend James B. Davidson Middle usually go on to attend San Rafael High

What district is James B. Davidson Middle in?

San Rafael City Elementary

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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.