Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! California test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Hilltop Middle

Q: Is Hilltop Middle a good school?

Hilltop Middle ranks 1736 th of 2703 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

1736^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,703 California Middle Schools

Better than 36% of California middle schools

Summary

Hilltop Middle serves 866 students in grades 7–8 in Chula Vista, in the Sweetwater Union High district. In 2025–2026, proficiency was 40% in English language arts (ELA), 23% in math, and 24% in science; all three results were below the state. The clearest academic challenge is math, where Hilltop was 15 points below the state.

ELA is Hilltop’s strongest subject compared with nearby schools: its 39.6% proficiency was 0.2 points above the nearby mean of 39.4%, ranking fourth among 10 schools. Math was 4 points below the nearby mean, and science was 3 points below; Hilltop ranked sixth in math and seventh in science. It fell short of the district by 12 points in ELA, 9 in math, and 11 in science. Compared with the state, it was behind by 10 points in ELA, 15 in math, and 12 in science.

Results have improved recently: from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, Hilltop gained 2 points in ELA, 3 in math, and 6 in science. Since 2023–2024, its gaps with the state have narrowed in all three subjects, though they remain substantial. Attendance is a relative strength: chronic absenteeism fell 14 points from 2021–2022 to 2025–2026, to 15%, below the district’s 17% and state’s 18%. SchoolDigger placed Hilltop at the 36th percentile with 2 stars in 2025–2026; the district was at the 50th percentile with 3 stars. Hilltop’s 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 22.3, close to the nearby mean of 22.1, and 52% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that school year, compared with a nearby average of 64%. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for English Language Learner Students was notably low: 8th percentile in 2023–2024, versus the school’s overall 38th percentile that year. Its Special Education Students ranking also fell, from the 57th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 30th in 2025–2026, while the overall school stood at the 36th percentile.

866

Students ?

22.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$5,410

Per pupil spending ?

52.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

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 — 44th percentile in 2016 → 36th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (30% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg40%

California avg42%

1,736^th of 2,703

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 36%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 44% (2016) to bottom 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

483^rd of 968Sweetwater 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
2026	31.9	1736 of 2703	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	31.5	1626 of 2483	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	38.9	1321 of 2325	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	34.7	1567 of 2493	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	31.2	1610 of 2478	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	41.6	451 of 734	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	30.4	1103 of 1586	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	38.6	897 of 1482	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
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

Hispanic (2026)43rd percentile+7 vs school

White (2026)39th percentile+4 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)39th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)37th percentile~ school

Male (2026)35th percentile~ school

Female (2026)35th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)30th percentile-5 vs school

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

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy40%-10 vs state

Science24%-12 vs state

Mathematics23%-15 vs state

1.0

1 rating

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate Hilltop Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Hilltop Middle

Load more schools when map is moved

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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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%)	31.9	1736^th of 2703 public middle schools	35.8%		29.2	1853^rd of 2761 public middle schools	32.9%	117	24.2	24.2		41.3	37.7	39.6		25.2	21.7	23.4	$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%)	32.3	1719^th of 2703 public middle schools	36.4%		27	1927^th of 2761 public middle schools	30.2%	208	29.9	29.9		36.0	32.5	34.3		31.5	20.0	25.7	$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%)	18.6	2249^th of 2703 public middle schools	16.8%		15.4	2416^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.5%	167	12.0	12.0		32.1	27.5	29.5		16.7	20.2	18.7	$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%)	44.1	1342^nd of 2703 public middle schools	50.4%		43	1390^th of 2761 public middle schools	49.7%	48	32.7	32.7		41.1	43.9	42.4		26.5	39.7	32.5	$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%)	79.7	472^nd of 2703 public middle schools	82.5%		83.4	400^th of 2761 public middle schools	85.5%	72	45.1	45.1		73.3	62.5	67.8		54.4	46.7	50.5	$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%)	64.1	821^st of 2703 public middle schools	69.6%		58.1	948^th of 2761 public middle schools	65.7%	127	39.7	39.7		58.0	50.2	54.1		43.8	41.3	42.5	$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%)	32.8	1698^th of 2703 public middle schools	37.2%		37	1578^th of 2761 public middle schools	42.8%	120	24.3	24.3		29.9	42.7	37.0		22.4	29.7	26.4	$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%)	21.7	2118^th of 2703 public middle schools	21.6%		24.8	2011^th of 2761 public middle schools	27.2%	107	18.2	18.2		31.1	29.9	30.5		18.6	21.3	20.0	$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%)	17	2320^th of 2703 public middle schools	14.2%		27.5	1911^th of 2761 public middle schools	30.8%	409	24.5	24.5	27.2	28.0	24.7	26.8	12.2	13.8	11.5	12.5	$28,141	$25,944	$2,197

Frequently Asked Questions about Hilltop Middle

Is Hilltop Middle a good school?

Hilltop Middle ranks 1736^th of 2703 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.

Rate Hilltop Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Chula Vista, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Hilltop Middle!

Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

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.