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National City Middle

Q: Is National City Middle a good school?

National City Middle ranks 1578 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

1578^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 43% of California middle schools

Summary

National City Middle is a public school serving about 709 students in grades 7 and 8 within the Sweetwater Union High district in National City, CA, a community where many families face economic challenges.

While the school's overall test scores in English, math, and science are below state averages, it performs notably better than several nearby schools with similar student populations. For example, it achieves higher proficiency rates than Clark Middle and Knox Middle. The school also does a relatively strong job supporting its Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students and has managed to keep chronic student absenteeism (20.1%) lower than many peers, including KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy and Millennial Technical Middle. It accomplishes this despite having a high student-to-teacher ratio and lower per-student spending than many other schools in the area.

Recent years show promising improvements in math scores and overall rankings. However, a key point for parents to consider is the performance gap compared to its closest peer, Granger Junior High, which serves a similar community but achieves better academic results. The school also shows an unusual pattern where 7th graders outperform 8th graders in math, which may be worth asking the administration about. Performance can vary significantly for different student groups, such as those in Special Education, indicating areas where targeted support may be needed.

709

Students ?

25.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

79.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1701 D Ave.
National City, CA 91950-4535

(619) 336-2600

District: Sweetwater Union High

Students who attend National City Middle usually attend:

High:

Sweetwater High

Feeder schools for National City Middle:

Elementary:	Central Elementary
	John A. Otis Elementary
	Kimball
	Olivewood

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.6%

Asian:

6.8%

White:

2.1%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare National City Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 38th percentile in 2015 → 43rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (31% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Science scores 15 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg38%

California avg41%

1,578^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 38% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^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	37.0	1578 of 2761	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	1744 of 2783	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.3	1718 of 2781	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.1	1769 of 2740	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.2	616 of 894	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.6	1694 of 2715	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.0	1630 of 2480	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.1	1473 of 2508	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	31.1	1611 of 2497	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.8	1540 of 2477	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	32.9	1614 of 2379	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	53.8	992 of 2259	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	61.2	782 of 2236	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	53.0	957 of 2179	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.4	711 of 2063	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.6	750 of 2005	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	45.4	991 of 1999	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	29.8	1247 of 1804	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	40.1	994 of 1777	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	30.7	1180 of 1769	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	29.9	1061 of 1531	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.3	286 of 354	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	1095 of 1491	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	928 of 1369	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	35.1	948 of 1478	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.8	853 of 1521	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.9	631 of 1540	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.7	193 of 363	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.9	615 of 1442	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.4	567 of 1364	58.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	1609 of 2533	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.5	1654 of 2551	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	1414 of 2531	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.4	1488 of 2509	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.9	563 of 738	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.2	1679 of 2380	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.6	1495 of 2262	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.0	1148 of 2395	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.2	1460 of 2388	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.3	1352 of 2374	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	1434 of 2359	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.1	1304 of 2213	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.8	1239 of 2072	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.4	1198 of 2542	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.8	1469 of 2579	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.4	1190 of 2531	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.6	1245 of 2458	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.8	406 of 721	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.7	1162 of 2369	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.6	1093 of 2230	51.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.5	1365 of 2534	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.9	1609 of 2552	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.1	1729 of 2538	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.0	1806 of 2527	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.2	443 of 763	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.0	1468 of 2407	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.8	1595 of 2273	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.5	1191 of 1566	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.3	719 of 1552	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	27.6	1156 of 1531	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	28.2	1096 of 1537	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	1372 of 1543	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.1	1397 of 1555	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.9	1184 of 1602	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)53rd percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)52nd percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)46th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)36th percentile-6 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)36th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)31st percentile-5 vs school

White (2024)29th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)24th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy40%-9 vs state

Mathematics29%-8 vs state

Science18%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near National City Middle

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 (2024)
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 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
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
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
Knox Middle	Public	6-8	1098 South 49th St.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-5500	488	24	20.6	95.7%	5 (1.0%)	80 (16.4%)	355 (72.7%)	25 (5.1%)	3 (0.6%)	6 (1.2%)	14 (2.9%)	18.6	2281^st of 2761 public middle schools	17.4%		19	2300^th of 2783 public middle schools	17.4%	19		12.1	12.1		33.9	28.5	31.9	31.3		15.6	10.3	10.9	12.2	$22,685	$5,226	$17,459
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
KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	5-8	426 Euclid Ave.	San Diego	92114	San Diego County	KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 233-3242	314	17	18.4	91.7%	1 (0.3%)	27 (8.6%)	270 (86.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	10 (3.2%)	31.2	1792^nd of 2761 public middle schools	35.1%		43.7	1350^th of 2783 public middle schools	51.5%	442	15.6	22.9	21.2	28.1	25.3	42.6	42.2	36.5	25.0	9.0	32.0	14.3	19.6	$18,362	$1,823	$16,539
Millennial Technical Middle	Public	6-8	1110 Carolina Ln.	San Diego	92102	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-4650	378	22	17.2	88.9%	6 (1.6%)	63 (16.7%)	260 (68.8%)	21 (5.6%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.6%)	21 (5.6%)	18.2	2304^th of 2761 public middle schools	16.6%		21.6	2193^rd of 2783 public middle schools	21.2%	111		10.6	10.6		34.9	37.1	17.5	29.8		14.9	12.0	10.0	12.3	$23,055	$4,564	$18,491
King-Chavez Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	500 30th St.	San Diego	92102	San Diego County	King-Chavez Preparatory Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 744-3828	201	11	17.7	92.5%	3 (1.5%)	2 (1.0%)	192 (95.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	9.9	2617^th of 2761 public middle schools	5.2%		11.5	2612^th of 2783 public middle schools	6.1%	5		6.6	6.6		21.0	17.5	19.7	19.4		9.7	9.5	3.3	7.5	$19,955	$5,069	$14,886
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
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	$21,167	$3,526	$17,641
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)

Frequently Asked Questions about National City Middle

How many students attend National City Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 709 students attended National City Middle.

What is the racial makeup of National City Middle?

Students at National City Middle are 89% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 2% White, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of National City Middle attend?

Students who attend National City Middle usually go on to attend Sweetwater High

What district is National City Middle in?

Sweetwater Union High

Is National City Middle a good school?

National City Middle ranks 1578^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate National City Middle!

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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.