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Hilltop Middle

Q: Is Hilltop Middle a good school?

Hilltop Middle ranks 1853 rd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

1853^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 33% of California middle schools

Summary

Hilltop Middle is a public school serving about 866 students in grades 7 and 8 in Chula Vista, part of the Sweetwater Union High school district, and it currently ranks in the lower-middle tier of California middle schools.

Academically, the school's test scores in English, math, and science are below both district and state averages, and its statewide ranking has declined over the past few years. While the school's chronic absenteeism rate has improved and is now slightly better than the district average, significant performance gaps exist among different groups of students; for example, male students and English Language Learners score particularly low compared to their peers. An interesting finding is that Rancho del Rey Middle, a higher-performing nearby school, actually spends less per student, suggesting factors beyond funding significantly impact results.

Compared to other schools in the area, Hilltop Middle sits in the middle of a wide performance range within its own district. It performs better than some schools like Castle Park Middle but lags behind others like Rancho del Rey Middle and Bonita Vista Middle. The analysis suggests that to improve, Hilltop Middle may need to focus on specific instructional strategies, particularly in math and for supporting its struggling student subgroups, potentially by learning from the practices of its higher-achieving neighbors.

866

Students ?

22.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$5,410

Per pupil spending ?

52.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

44 East J St.
Chula Vista, CA 91910-6115

(619) 498-2700

District: Sweetwater Union High

Students who attend Hilltop Middle usually attend:

High:

Hilltop Senior High

Feeder schools for Hilltop Middle:

Elementary:	Cook (Hazel Goes) Elementary
	Halecrest Elementary
	Hilltop Drive Elementary
	Kellogg (Karl H.) Elementary
	More...
	Rosebank Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

85.2%

White:

7.2%

Two or more races:

3.1%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Hilltop Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 47th percentile in 2015 → 33rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (27% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg38%

California avg41%

1,853^rd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 11Middle Schools in the Sweetwater Union High

729^th of 1,543Sweetwater Union High 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	29.2	1853 of 2761	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.6	1723 of 2783	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	1608 of 2781	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.3	1576 of 2740	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.2	554 of 894	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.8	1590 of 2715	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.8	1639 of 2480	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	31.2	1640 of 2508	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.5	1410 of 2497	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	40.6	1321 of 2477	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	45.6	1274 of 2379	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.1	1217 of 2259	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	56.8	910 of 2236	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.8	990 of 2179	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	56.6	823 of 2063	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.8	723 of 2005	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	63.0	619 of 1999	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.2	667 of 1804	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	68.0	473 of 1777	73.4%	★★★★☆
2004	64.2	533 of 1769	69.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	46.4	622 of 1531	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.3	190 of 354	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.7	773 of 1491	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.7	685 of 1369	50.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	27.5	1356 of 1478	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.7	1084 of 1521	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.1	1014 of 1540	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.0	135 of 363	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.3	1049 of 1442	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.3	697 of 1364	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.6	1596 of 2533	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.0	1670 of 2551	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.7	1363 of 2531	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.2	1399 of 2509	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.3	475 of 738	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.1	1394 of 2380	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.0	1592 of 2262	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.6	1455 of 2395	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.4	1324 of 2388	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.2	1201 of 2374	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.2	1053 of 2359	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.8	1165 of 2213	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.3	1228 of 2072	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.6	1822 of 2542	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.0	1777 of 2579	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	1297 of 2531	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.9	1236 of 2458	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.9	323 of 721	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.7	1310 of 2369	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.0	1192 of 2230	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.1	1868 of 2534	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.0	1523 of 2552	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.9	1554 of 2538	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	1498 of 2527	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.1	444 of 763	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.4	1509 of 2407	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.2	1467 of 2273	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.4	556 of 726	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.3	466 of 701	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.9	394 of 665	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	372 of 554	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.5	383 of 462	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.0	934 of 1566	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.9	663 of 1552	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.7	1086 of 1531	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.8	1157 of 1520	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	1224 of 1537	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.5	1021 of 1543	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.1	1340 of 1555	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.1	1179 of 1602	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	1180 of 1496	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)59th percentile+17 vs school

Special Education (2025)40th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)39th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)37th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)28th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2025)26th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)24th percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)23rd percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)8th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy38%-11 vs state

Mathematics20%-17 vs state

Science18%-15 vs state

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Schools Near Hilltop 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
Hilltop Middle	Public	7-8	44 East J St.	Chula Vista	91910	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 498-2700	866	39	22.3	52.2%	62 (7.2%)	12 (1.4%)	738 (85.2%)	24 (2.8%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.1%)	29.2	1853^rd of 2761 public middle schools	32.9%		32.6	1723^rd of 2783 public middle schools	38.1%	130	17.8	17.8		40.9	34.2	37.5		24.6	15.9	20.3	$5,410	$4,218	$1,192
Chula Vista Middle	Public	7-8	415 Fifth Ave.	Chula Vista	91910	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 498-6800	678	32	21.0	59.3%	44 (6.5%)	16 (2.4%)	592 (87.3%)	13 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	10 (1.5%)	27	1927^th of 2761 public middle schools	30.2%		27.6	1915^th of 2783 public middle schools	31.2%	12	17.9	17.9		35.3	30.6	32.7		25.4	18.9	21.8	$8,130	$6,400	$1,730
Sweetwater Community Day	Public	7-9	1355 Second Ave.	Chula Vista	91911	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 498-6000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Castle Park Middle	Public	7-8	160 Quintard St.	Chula Vista	91911	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 691-5490	703	36	19.5	63.3%	15 (2.1%)	7 (1.0%)	651 (92.6%)	23 (3.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.7%)	15.4	2416^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.5%		19.6	2275^th of 2783 public middle schools	18.3%	141	12.0	12.0		15.8	26.8	20.7		11.4	18.9	14.8	$9,436	$7,834	$1,602
Granger Junior High	Public	7-9	2101 Granger Ave.	National City	91950	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 472-6000	724	33	21.9	76.4%	26 (3.6%)	12 (1.7%)	514 (71.0%)	146 (20.2%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	17 (2.3%)	43	1390^th of 2761 public middle schools	49.7%		41.4	1414^th of 2783 public middle schools	49.2%	24	26.5	26.5		40.5	36.5	38.3		30.8	35.9	33.6	$6,195	$4,790	$1,405
Rancho del Rey Middle	Public	7-8	1174 East J St.	Chula Vista	91910	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 397-2500	1,705	73	23.4	27.8%	140 (8.2%)	125 (7.3%)	843 (49.4%)	457 (26.8%)	3 (0.2%)	10 (0.6%)	127 (7.4%)	83.4	400^th of 2761 public middle schools	85.5%		78	528^th of 2783 public middle schools	81.0%	128	48.3	48.3		70.4	68.8	69.7		48.1	50.2	49.1	$3,994	$3,510	$484
Bonita Vista Middle	Public	7-8	650 Otay Lakes Rd.	Chula Vista	91910	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 397-2200	972	40	24.3	39.4%	106 (10.9%)	27 (2.8%)	705 (72.5%)	84 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	44 (4.5%)	58.1	948^th of 2761 public middle schools	65.7%		65.9	770^th of 2783 public middle schools	72.3%	178	36.0	36.0		42.7	50.1	46.3		40.0	40.4	40.2	$3,987	$3,102	$885
National City Middle	Public	7-8	1701 D Ave.	National City	91950	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 336-2600	709	28	25.5	79.4%	15 (2.1%)	4 (0.6%)	628 (88.6%)	48 (6.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	12 (1.7%)	37	1578^th of 2761 public middle schools	42.8%		31.7	1744^th of 2783 public middle schools	37.3%	166	17.7	17.7		39.0	40.8	39.9		34.2	23.6	28.9	$4,660	$3,252	$1,408
Montgomery Middle	Public	7-8	1051 Picador Blvd.	San Diego	92154	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 662-4000	734	34	21.4	63.5%	11 (1.5%)	18 (2.5%)	648 (88.3%)	45 (6.1%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	9 (1.2%)	24.8	2011^th of 2761 public middle schools	27.2%		30.3	1800^th of 2783 public middle schools	35.3%	211	17.4	17.4		30.8	35.9	33.4		17.0	19.0	18.0	$6,358	$5,008	$1,350
Bell Middle	Public	6-8	620 Briarwood Rd.	San Diego	92139	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 430-1000	700	33	21.4	81.1%	26 (3.7%)	92 (13.1%)	377 (53.9%)	143 (20.4%)	4 (0.6%)	5 (0.7%)	53 (7.6%)	27.5	1911^th of 2761 public middle schools	30.8%		24.5	2054^th of 2783 public middle schools	26.2%	143	25.7	25.7	26.2	40.7	41.3	35.9	12.4	17.5	15.5	15.0	$28,141	$25,944	$2,197

Frequently Asked Questions about Hilltop Middle

Is Hilltop Middle a good school?

Hilltop Middle ranks 1853^rd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Hilltop Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 866 students attended Hilltop Middle.

What high school do graduates of Hilltop Middle attend?

Students who attend Hilltop Middle usually go on to attend Hilltop Senior High

What district is Hilltop Middle in?

Sweetwater Union High

What is the racial makeup of Hilltop Middle?

Students at Hilltop Middle are 85% Hispanic, 7% White, 3% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

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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.