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Buena Vista Middle

Q: Is Buena Vista Middle a good school?

Buena Vista Middle ranks 688 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

688^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 75% of California middle schools

Summary

Buena Vista Middle is a public middle school serving 321 students in grades 6-8 in Salinas, CA, and is part of the high-performing Spreckels Union Elementary district.

This school consistently earns a 4-star rating, ranking in the top 25% of all California middle schools, with students outperforming state averages in all core subjects, especially English Language Arts. It maintains a low chronic absenteeism rate of 9.0% and operates with a favorable student-teacher ratio. Compared to many nearby schools like Seaside Middle, Gavilan View Middle, and El Sausal Middle, Buena Vista achieves stronger academic results and has significantly lower chronic absenteeism.

An interesting finding is that Buena Vista spends considerably less per student than schools in the Monterey Peninsula Unified or Santa Rita Union Elementary districts yet achieves superior outcomes, highlighting factors beyond funding. The school shows particular strength in supporting Hispanic students, who perform at a very high level. While the school excels overall, it, like the similarly high-performing San Benancio Middle, faces a regional challenge in mathematics proficiency, which is lower than in English.

321

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,621

Per pupil spending ?

17.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

18250 Tara Dr.
Salinas, CA 93908-8752

(831) 455-8936

District: Spreckels Union Elementary

Students who attend Buena Vista Middle usually attend:

High:

Salinas High

Feeder schools for Buena Vista Middle:

Elementary:

Spreckels Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

50.8%

White:

37.7%

Two or more races:

6.5%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Buena Vista Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 73rd percentile in 2015 → 75th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (49% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 25% of California middle schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg48%

California avg41%

688^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 25%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

366^th of 1,543Spreckels Union 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	69.4	688 of 2761	75.1%	★★★★☆
2024	59.9	889 of 2783	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.1	759 of 2781	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	68.9	707 of 2740	74.2%	★★★★☆
2021	76.9	162 of 894	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	80.4	478 of 2715	82.4%	★★★★☆
2018	74.9	545 of 2480	78.0%	★★★★☆
2017	65.3	770 of 2508	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	67.6	700 of 2497	72.0%	★★★★☆
2015	69.4	658 of 2477	73.4%	★★★★☆
2013	72.2	532 of 2379	77.6%	★★★★☆
2012	75.7	410 of 2259	81.9%	★★★★☆
2011	72.7	468 of 2236	79.1%	★★★★☆
2010	76.9	375 of 2179	82.8%	★★★★☆
2009	74.0	412 of 2063	80.0%	★★★★☆
2008	74.1	403 of 2005	79.9%	★★★★☆
2007	77.8	336 of 1999	83.2%	★★★★☆
2006	78.8	309 of 1804	82.9%	★★★★☆
2005	79.1	303 of 1777	82.9%	★★★★☆
2004	75.1	350 of 1769	80.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	54.3	488 of 1531	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.2	55 of 354	84.5%	★★★★☆
2019	71.0	271 of 1491	81.8%	★★★★☆
2018	35.7	790 of 1369	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.9	601 of 2533	76.3%	★★★★☆
2024	62.4	778 of 2551	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.6	802 of 2531	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.5	747 of 2509	70.2%	★★★★☆
2021	69.4	192 of 738	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	81.2	403 of 2380	83.1%	★★★★☆
2018	75.5	493 of 2262	78.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	74.2	455 of 2395	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	63.5	649 of 2388	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	73.7	431 of 2374	81.8%	★★★★☆
2022	75.8	384 of 2359	83.7%	★★★★☆
2019	79.4	319 of 2213	85.6%	★★★★☆
2018	75.9	342 of 2072	83.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.6	724 of 2542	71.5%	★★★★☆
2024	47.3	1132 of 2579	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.0	727 of 2531	71.3%	★★★★☆
2022	62.5	679 of 2458	72.4%	★★★★☆
2021	72.4	139 of 721	80.7%	★★★★☆
2019	71.8	457 of 2369	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	53.8	869 of 2230	61.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.0	773 of 2534	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.1	930 of 2552	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.1	632 of 2538	75.1%	★★★★☆
2022	71.8	588 of 2527	76.7%	★★★★☆
2021	81.0	117 of 763	84.7%	★★★★☆
2019	76.2	507 of 2407	78.9%	★★★★☆
2018	71.2	568 of 2273	75.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	62.4	196 of 462	57.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	878 of 1566	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.4	791 of 1552	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.2	819 of 1531	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.2	677 of 1520	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.0	866 of 1537	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.1	898 of 1543	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.2	775 of 1555	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.7	457 of 1602	71.5%	★★★★☆
2018	54.7	673 of 1496	55.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)81st percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)76th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)72nd percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)69th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2022)68th percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2018)58th percentile-20 vs school

White (2025)55th percentile-20 vs school

Special Education (2025)44th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy57%+8 vs state

Mathematics43%+5 vs state

Science41%+9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Buena Vista 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
Buena Vista Middle	Public	6-8	18250 Tara Dr.	Salinas	93908	Monterey County	Spreckels Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 455-8936	321	18	17.5	17.4%	121 (37.7%)	0 (0.0%)	163 (50.8%)	16 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.5%)	69.4	688^th of 2761 public middle schools	75.1%		59.9	889^th of 2783 public middle schools	68.1%	201	41.4	41.4	51.7	54.1	64.0	57.0	46.1	45.0	37.8	42.7	$19,621	$19,162	$459
San Benancio Middle	Public	6-8	43 San Benancio Rd.	Salinas	93908	Monterey County	Washington Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 484-1172	261	12	21.7	10.3%	138 (52.9%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (28.7%)	26 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (8.4%)	84.8	373^rd of 2761 public middle schools	86.5%		85.2	379^th of 2783 public middle schools	86.4%	6	50.0	50.0	66.2	75.0	59.5	67.3	57.8	52.1	54.1	54.4	$17,191	$16,706	$485
Washington Middle	Public	7-8	560 Iverson St.	Salinas	93901	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7100	1,082	51	21.2	81.7%	62 (5.7%)	9 (0.8%)	977 (90.3%)	19 (1.8%)	9 (0.8%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	38.6	1531^st of 2761 public middle schools	44.5%		42.4	1386^th of 2783 public middle schools	50.2%	145	25.2	25.2		46.0	37.7	41.7		27.9	22.7	25.2	$30,230	$28,470	$1,760
El Sausal Middle	Public	7-8	1155 East Alisal St.	Salinas	93905	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7200	1,067	48	22.1	91.7%	10 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1,052 (98.6%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	32.8	1723^rd of 2761 public middle schools	37.6%		34.1	1661^st of 2783 public middle schools	40.3%	62	24.5	24.5		36.4	36.9	36.7		23.4	22.3	22.9	$31,165	$29,292	$1,873
La Paz Middle	Public	7-8	1300 North Sanborn Rd.	Salinas	93905	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7900	1,099	55	20.0	93.4%	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1,092 (99.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	22.8	2119^th of 2761 public middle schools	23.3%		23.7	2102^nd of 2783 public middle schools	24.5%	17	16.0	16.0		34.9	28.7	31.9		18.8	15.7	17.3	$28,891	$27,100	$1,791
Harden Middle	Public	7-8	1561 McKinnon St.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7300	1,101	52	21.1	82.2%	29 (2.6%)	10 (0.9%)	1,016 (92.3%)	34 (3.1%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	22.1	2150^th of 2761 public middle schools	22.1%		24.1	2078^th of 2783 public middle schools	25.3%	72	19.2	19.2		31.9	29.1	30.5		16.3	14.8	15.6	$29,522	$27,946	$1,576
Gavilan View Middle	Public	6-8	18250 Van Buren Ave.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Santa Rita Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 443-7212	556	30	18.5	87.6%	19 (3.4%)	2 (0.4%)	508 (91.4%)	16 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	9 (1.6%)	24.6	2028^th of 2761 public middle schools	26.5%		18.1	2337^th of 2783 public middle schools	16.0%	309	21.1	21.1	34.5	30.2	36.4	33.6	16.5	15.1	16.8	16.1	$11,092	$9,808	$1,284
John Gutierrez Middle	Public	6-8	1031 Rogge Rd.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Santa Rita Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 443-3300	568	29	19.4	80.5%	32 (5.6%)	5 (0.9%)	513 (90.3%)	9 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	7 (1.2%)	24.8	2012^th of 2761 public middle schools	27.1%		22.7	2137^th of 2783 public middle schools	23.2%	125	18.3	18.3	31.9	30.5	37.8	33.5	15.9	20.4	16.2	17.7	$12,197	$10,908	$1,289
Seaside Middle	Public	7-8	999 Coe Ave.	Seaside	93955	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 899-7080	521	27	19.5	83.5%	42 (8.1%)	26 (5.0%)	405 (77.7%)	20 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.3%)	14 (2.7%)	27.4	1915^th of 2761 public middle schools	30.6%		24.2	2075^th of 2783 public middle schools	25.4%	160	19.5	19.5		36.6	36.1	36.4		16.6	19.2	17.9	$21,301	$19,364	$1,937
Los Arboles Middle	Public	7-8	294 Hillcrest Ave.	Marina	93933	Monterey County	Monterey Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 384-3550	408	23	17.8	75.5%	48 (11.8%)	23 (5.6%)	258 (63.2%)	60 (14.7%)	3 (0.7%)	9 (2.2%)	6 (1.5%)	32.8	1722^nd of 2761 public middle schools	37.6%		24.8	2043^rd of 2783 public middle schools	26.6%	321	24.0	24.0		34.9	38.9	37.0		24.6	20.8	22.6	$21,565	$19,476	$2,089

Frequently Asked Questions about Buena Vista Middle

How many students attend Buena Vista Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 321 students attended Buena Vista Middle.

Is Buena Vista Middle a good school?

Buena Vista Middle ranks 688^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Buena Vista Middle in?

Spreckels Union Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Buena Vista Middle?

Students at Buena Vista Middle are 51% Hispanic, 38% White, 7% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Buena Vista Middle attend?

Students who attend Buena Vista Middle usually go on to attend Salinas High

Rate Buena Vista Middle!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.