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Murray Middle

Q: Is Murray Middle a good school?

Murray Middle ranks 2036 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

2036^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 26% of California middle schools

Summary

Murray Middle is a public middle school serving 643 students in grades 6-8 within the Sierra Sands Unified school district in Ridgecrest, CA.

The school has experienced a significant, decade-long decline in its statewide academic ranking, now placing in the lower quarter of all California schools. Current test scores in English, math, and science are below both district and state averages. A notable challenge is chronic absenteeism, affecting nearly 30% of students, which is higher than the state average. Performance varies by grade, with eighth graders showing the weakest results across subjects, suggesting potential challenges with curriculum or support as students progress.

When compared to the nearby James Monroe Middle in the same district, Murray Middle operates with a higher student-teacher ratio and lower per-student spending, yet the schools have similar overall rankings. Murray performs slightly better in mathematics but has a slightly lower chronic absenteeism rate than its counterpart. This comparison indicates that the school's challenges, including post-pandemic academic recovery, may reflect broader district-wide trends rather than issues unique to Murray Middle alone.

643

Students ?

21.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,195

Per pupil spending ?

56.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

200 East Drummond Ave.
Ridgecrest, CA 93555-3119

(760) 499-1820

District: Sierra Sands Unified

Students who attend Murray Middle usually attend:

High:

Burroughs High

Feeder schools for Murray Middle:

Elementary:	Gateway Elementary
	Pierce Elementary
	Richmond Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.4%

Hispanic:

36.4%

African American:

6.7%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 75th percentile in 2015 → 26th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (24% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 19% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 49 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg33%

California avg41%

2,036^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 49 pts since 2015

From top 25% (2015) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Sierra Sands Unified

882^nd of 1,543Sierra Sands 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	24.5	2036 of 2761	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.8	1677 of 2783	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.5	1822 of 2781	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.7	1347 of 2740	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.6	496 of 894	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.3	991 of 2715	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	1096 of 2480	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.3	835 of 2508	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.4	830 of 2497	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	71.3	622 of 2477	74.9%	★★★★☆
2013	71.5	555 of 2379	76.7%	★★★★☆
2012	67.7	634 of 2259	71.9%	★★★★☆
2011	62.0	761 of 2236	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.2	731 of 2179	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.8	634 of 2063	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.7	576 of 2005	71.3%	★★★★☆
2007	61.1	659 of 1999	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	59.2	644 of 1804	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	69.0	461 of 1777	74.1%	★★★★☆
2004	62.3	561 of 1769	68.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.2	411 of 609	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.1	430 of 627	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.5	473 of 613	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	50.9	259 of 637	59.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	52.4	525 of 1531	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.1	122 of 354	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.5	653 of 1491	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.0	626 of 1369	54.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	28.5	1311 of 1478	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.4	1325 of 1521	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.3	751 of 1540	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.3	240 of 363	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.9	1915 of 2533	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.3	1663 of 2551	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.1	1776 of 2531	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.3	1298 of 2509	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.1	432 of 738	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.0	984 of 2380	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.7	1011 of 2262	55.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.2	2140 of 2395	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	1875 of 2388	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	2206 of 2374	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	34.0	1490 of 2359	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.4	1148 of 2213	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.6	947 of 2072	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.3	2300 of 2542	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	1954 of 2579	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	2247 of 2531	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.8	1341 of 2458	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.7	360 of 721	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.2	957 of 2369	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.2	1080 of 2230	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.7	1894 of 2534	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.4	1460 of 2552	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.5	1597 of 2538	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.3	1180 of 2527	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.2	393 of 763	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.8	887 of 2407	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.8	1022 of 2273	55.0%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.0	651 of 726	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.4	466 of 665	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.6	834 of 1566	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.5	764 of 1552	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.6	731 of 1531	52.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.6	1300 of 1520	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	1171 of 1537	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	1253 of 1543	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	1149 of 1555	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.8	977 of 1602	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.6	1049 of 1496	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)66th percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2025)47th percentile+20 vs school

African American (2025)33rd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)25th percentile~ school

Female (2025)24th percentile~ school

White (2025)14th percentile-12 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)11th percentile-28 vs school

Hispanic (2025)11th percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)10th percentile-16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)10th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy30%-19 vs state

Mathematics20%-17 vs state

Science18%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Murray 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)				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	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
Murray Middle	Public	6-8	200 East Drummond Ave.	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 499-1820	643	30	21.6	56.1%	279 (43.4%)	43 (6.7%)	234 (36.4%)	32 (5.0%)	9 (1.4%)	4 (0.6%)	42 (6.5%)	24.5	2036^th of 2761 public middle schools	26.3%		33.8	1677^th of 2783 public middle schools	39.7%	359	18.5	18.5	35.0	30.9	23.2	29.5	15.4	28.6	16.8	20.3	$15,195	$14,104	$1,091
James Monroe Middle	Public	6-8	340 West Church St.	Ridgecrest	93555	Kern County	Sierra Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 499-1830	490	25	19.4	58.4%	228 (46.5%)	41 (8.4%)	168 (34.3%)	15 (3.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.1%)	24	2051^st of 2761 public middle schools	25.7%		28.6	1876^th of 2783 public middle schools	32.6%	175	22.5	22.5	27.8	34.7	34.6	32.6	13.5	14.1	18.2	15.4	$16,403	$15,082	$1,321

Frequently Asked Questions about Murray Middle

What district is Murray Middle in?

Sierra Sands Unified

Is Murray Middle a good school?

Murray Middle ranks 2036^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Murray Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 643 students attended Murray Middle.

What high school do graduates of Murray Middle attend?

Students who attend Murray Middle usually go on to attend Burroughs High

What is the racial makeup of Murray Middle?

Students at Murray Middle are 43% White, 36% Hispanic, 7% African American, 7% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 1% American Indian.

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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.