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Elizabeth Ustach Middle

Q: Is Elizabeth Ustach Middle a good school?

Elizabeth Ustach Middle ranks 808 th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

808^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,740 California Middle Schools

Better than 71% of California middle schools

Summary

Elizabeth Ustach Middle enrolls 1,016 students in grades 6–8 in Modesto, within the Sylvan Union Elementary district. Its clearest distinction is leading the nearby-school group in all three tested subjects in 2025–2026: students reached 53% proficiency in English language arts (ELA), 46% in mathematics and 37% in science. Its lead over the next-best nearby result was 1 point in ELA, 7 points in mathematics and 4 points in science, making mathematics its most decisive advantage.

The school’s results are above state and district levels in every subject, although science has the narrowest state advantage. In 2025–2026, results were 3 points above the state in ELA, 8 points in mathematics and 1 point in science; they were 11, 11 and 9 points above district results, respectively. Grade 8 mathematics is a particular strength: 51% of students were proficient, 14 points above the state result and 9 points above the school’s grade 7 result. Grade 7 ELA is closer to the state, with a 1-point advantage.

Scores rose overall from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026: ELA increased by 4 points, mathematics by 1 and science by 2, though results fluctuated between years. SchoolDigger ranks the school 799th of 2,703 statewide, at the 70th percentile with 4 stars; its percentile was 67 in 2024–2025. Chronic absenteeism fell from 29% in 2021–2022 to 13% in 2025–2026, below the latest district rate of 15% and state rate of 18%. For context, the 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 20.4, and 56% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for how well the school serves Multi-racial Students was at the 33rd percentile in 2025–2026, down from the 63rd percentile in 2023–2024, compared with the school’s overall 70th percentile. Its ranking for how well it serves Special Education Students rose from the 20th percentile in 2024–2025 to the 56th percentile in 2025–2026.

1,016

Students ?

20.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,321

Per pupil spending ?

56.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

2701 Kodiak Dr.
Modesto, CA 95355-9256

(209) 552-3000

District: Sylvan Union Elementary

Students who attend Elizabeth Ustach Middle usually attend:

High:

Fred C. Beyer High

Feeder schools for Elizabeth Ustach Middle:

Elementary:	Crossroads Elementary
	Stockard Coffee Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

50.2%

White:

25.1%

Asian:

14.3%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Elizabeth Ustach Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 75th percentile in 2015 → 71st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (48% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Above the California median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg37%

California avg42%

808^th of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Top 29%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

From top 26% (2016) to top 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Middle Schools in the Sylvan Union Elementary

948^th of 1,530Sylvan 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
2026	65.3	808 of 2740	70.5%	★★★★☆
2025	60.3	901 of 2761	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.7	753 of 2783	72.9%	★★★★☆
2023	68.3	707 of 2781	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	72.6	626 of 2740	77.2%	★★★★☆
2019	77.7	535 of 2715	80.3%	★★★★☆
2018	79.3	463 of 2480	81.3%	★★★★☆
2017	71.0	648 of 2508	74.2%	★★★★☆
2016	70.0	656 of 2497	73.7%	★★★★☆
2015	71.7	614 of 2477	75.2%	★★★★☆
2013	76.8	406 of 2379	82.9%	★★★★☆
2012	78.0	355 of 2259	84.3%	★★★★☆
2011	77.6	347 of 2236	84.5%	★★★★☆
2010	79.5	315 of 2179	85.5%	★★★★☆
2009	78.8	311 of 2063	84.9%	★★★★☆
2008	71.2	466 of 2005	76.8%	★★★★☆
2007	73.0	425 of 1999	78.7%	★★★★☆
2006	56.5	690 of 1804	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	57.3	657 of 1777	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	55.5	671 of 1769	62.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	77.1	102 of 627	83.7%	★★★★☆
2018	83.0	70 of 600	88.3%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	38.6	519 of 777	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.0	425 of 739	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.2	431 of 743	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.1	418 of 715	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.6	435 of 733	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.4	354 of 745	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.6	403 of 700	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	47.9	593 of 1531	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.1	221 of 1491	85.2%	★★★★☆
2018	66.5	287 of 1369	79.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	67.1	183 of 1478	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	50.2	449 of 1521	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	53.1	400 of 1540	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	51.1	410 of 1442	71.6%	★★★★☆
2018	60.0	299 of 1364	78.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	64.3	745 of 2516	70.4%	★★★★☆
2025	54.8	955 of 2533	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.0	744 of 2551	70.8%	★★★★☆
2023	68.3	662 of 2531	73.8%	★★★★☆
2022	69.1	624 of 2509	75.1%	★★★★☆
2019	77.5	475 of 2380	80.0%	★★★★☆
2018	78.8	426 of 2262	81.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	67.1	594 of 2357	74.8%	★★★★☆
2025	54.3	887 of 2395	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.7	672 of 2388	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	67.3	577 of 2374	75.7%	★★★★☆
2022	69.1	524 of 2359	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	78.8	329 of 2213	85.1%	★★★★☆
2018	83.2	226 of 2072	89.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	61.7	759 of 2529	70.0%	★★★★☆
2025	62.8	719 of 2542	71.7%	★★★★☆
2024	67.0	596 of 2579	76.9%	★★★★☆
2023	67.2	587 of 2531	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	68.9	532 of 2458	78.4%	★★★★☆
2019	75.9	380 of 2369	84.0%	★★★★☆
2018	77.9	323 of 2230	85.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	63.7	784 of 2514	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.0	772 of 2534	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.8	697 of 2552	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	66.4	687 of 2538	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	74.1	551 of 2527	78.2%	★★★★☆
2019	75.4	514 of 2407	78.6%	★★★★☆
2018	77.0	460 of 2273	79.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	36.2	491 of 735	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.3	450 of 726	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.1	260 of 701	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.6	321 of 677	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.8	259 of 665	61.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	693 of 1605	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	26.0	1247 of 1566	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.0	963 of 1552	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.6	831 of 1531	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	47.3	754 of 1490	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.0	777 of 1520	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.3	679 of 1537	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.3	755 of 1543	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.0	566 of 1555	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.8	675 of 1602	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.4	638 of 1496	57.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)88th percentile+15 vs school

African American (2024)84th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)75th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)70th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)70th percentile~ school

Male (2026)69th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)61st percentile-16 vs school

Special Education (2026)57th percentile-14 vs school

White (2026)49th percentile-21 vs school

Asian (2026)33rd percentile-37 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)33rd percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy53%+3 vs state

Mathematics46%+8 vs state

Science37%~ state avg

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Monday, September 9, 2013

I attended Ustach Middle School between 1999 and 2000. I had a terrible experience in my time there. In one parent teacher conference, my English teacher told my mother and I that I would probably drop out of High School and fail to find a decent career. After moving to the Oakdale Unified School district my grades improved, I was finally diagnosed with a learning disability, and I went on to graduate in the top of my class. Four years later, I graduated in the top 1% of my undergraduate class and went on to earn a graduate degree from Princeton. I cannot speak to Ustach's recent performance, but I can say that I had a terrible experience at this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Elizabeth Ustach 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)				CSA Spanish Listening (2026)				CSA Spanish Writing (2026)				CSA Spanish Reading (2026)				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	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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
Elizabeth Ustach Middle	Public	6-8	2701 Kodiak Dr.	Modesto	95355	Stanislaus County	Sylvan Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 552-3000	1,016	50	20.4	56.3%	255 (25.1%)	17 (1.7%)	510 (50.2%)	145 (14.3%)	7 (0.7%)	13 (1.3%)	69 (6.8%)	65.3	808^th of 2740 public middle schools	70.5%		60.3	901^st of 2761 public middle schools	67.4%	93																	37.3	37.3	53.1	51.1	54.0	52.8	45.9	42.0	50.8	46.3	$16,321	$697	$15,624
Daniel J. Savage Middle	Public	6-8	1900 Maid Mariane Ln.	Modesto	95350	Stanislaus County	Sylvan Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 552-3300	906	43	21.3	52.6%	262 (28.9%)	31 (3.4%)	437 (48.2%)	90 (9.9%)	2 (0.2%)	7 (0.8%)	76 (8.4%)	56.8	1005^th of 2740 public middle schools	63.3%		54.2	1067^th of 2761 public middle schools	61.4%	62																	29.3	29.3	57.7	48.3	50.8	52.1	51.9	37.0	31.5	39.7	$16,949	$669	$16,280
Somerset Middle	Public	6-8	1037 Floyd Ave.	Modesto	95350	Stanislaus County	Sylvan Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 574-5300	947	45	20.8	74.0%	242 (25.6%)	34 (3.6%)	499 (52.7%)	85 (9.0%)	4 (0.4%)	11 (1.2%)	72 (7.6%)	23.4	2066^th of 2740 public middle schools	24.6%		38.3	1536^th of 2761 public middle schools	44.4%	530																	23.5	23.5	29.1	31.6	33.3	31.3	19.2	20.9	19.0	19.8	$16,654	$674	$15,980
La Loma Junior High	Public	7-8	1800 Encina Ave.	Modesto	95354	Stanislaus County	Modesto City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 574-1906	705	35	20.3	76.3%	178 (25.2%)	13 (1.8%)	439 (62.3%)	20 (2.8%)	3 (0.4%)	8 (1.1%)	44 (6.2%)	27.6	1928^th of 2740 public middle schools	29.6%		35.3	1636^th of 2761 public middle schools	40.7%	292																	21.8	21.8		33.5	35.2	34.3		21.1	26.2	23.6	$20,319	$2,226	$18,093
Norman N. Glick Middle	Public	5-8	400 Frazine Rd.	Modesto	95357	Stanislaus County	Empire Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 577-3945	602	29	20.6	80.6%	105 (17.4%)	23 (3.8%)	414 (68.8%)	35 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.0%)	18 (3.0%)	38.4	1550^th of 2740 public middle schools	43.4%		38.7	1528^th of 2761 public middle schools	44.7%	22																	23.6	23.6		51.7	45.6	48.7		24.8	20.2	22.5	$17,341	$1,313	$16,028
Roosevelt Junior High	Public	7-8	1330 College Ave.	Modesto	95350	Stanislaus County	Modesto City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 574-1930	818	38	21.7	74.7%	165 (20.2%)	28 (3.4%)	476 (58.2%)	47 (5.7%)	5 (0.6%)	8 (1.0%)	89 (10.9%)	37.8	1565^th of 2740 public middle schools	42.9%		41.6	1445^th of 2761 public middle schools	47.7%	120																	33.1	33.1		38.3	41.2	39.7		26.6	26.8	26.7	$19,458	$2,158	$17,300
Cardozo Middle	Public	6-8	3525 Santa Fe St.	Riverbank	95367	Stanislaus County	Riverbank Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 869-2591	544	28	19.4	82.5%	87 (16.0%)	3 (0.6%)	427 (78.5%)	6 (1.1%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.1%)	19.6	2235^th of 2740 public middle schools	18.4%		21.5	2169^th of 2761 public middle schools	21.4%	66	0.0	0.0	7.7	3.3	3.2	10.0	10.3	7.8	6.5	10.0	7.7	7.8	3.2	0.0	10.3	5.6	16.4	16.4	39.0	31.2	23.0	30.9	14.9	13.6	17.5	15.3	$19,128	$1,482	$17,646
Prescott Junior High	Public	7-8	2243 West Rumble Rd.	Modesto	95350	Stanislaus County	Stanislaus Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 529-9892	746	36	20.5	74.3%	104 (13.9%)	26 (3.5%)	408 (54.7%)	113 (15.1%)	5 (0.7%)	8 (1.1%)	82 (11.0%)	31.4	1782^nd of 2740 public middle schools	35.0%		37.9	1546^th of 2761 public middle schools	44.0%	236																	27.0	27.0		35.8	40.6	38.2		22.9	21.8	22.3	$18,675	$719	$17,956
Mark Twain Junior High	Public	7-8	707 Emerald Ave.	Modesto	95351	Stanislaus County	Modesto City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 574-1918	658	30	21.5	93.6%	20 (3.0%)	10 (1.5%)	540 (82.1%)	43 (6.5%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.6%)	39 (5.9%)	21.6	2153^rd of 2740 public middle schools	21.4%		19.9	2228^th of 2761 public middle schools	19.3%	75																	17.0	17.0		36.7	31.9	34.3		17.6	15.3	16.5	$20,603	$2,622	$17,981
Mae Hensley Junior High	Public	7-8	1806 Moffet Rd.	Ceres	95307	Stanislaus County	Ceres Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 556-1820	636	28	23.1	93.1%	68 (10.7%)	10 (1.6%)	523 (82.2%)	25 (3.9%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.8%)	32.5	1738^th of 2740 public middle schools	36.6%		26.5	1939^th of 2761 public middle schools	29.8%	201																	23.7	23.7		44.6	29.6	36.8		29.4	24.3	26.7	$18,213	$1,744	$16,469

Frequently Asked Questions about Elizabeth Ustach Middle

What is the racial makeup of Elizabeth Ustach Middle?

Students at Elizabeth Ustach Middle are 50% Hispanic, 25% White, 14% Asian, 7% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% Pacific Islander.

Is Elizabeth Ustach Middle a good school?

Elizabeth Ustach Middle ranks 808^th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Elizabeth Ustach Middle in?

Sylvan Union Elementary

How many students attend Elizabeth Ustach Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,016 students attended Elizabeth Ustach Middle.

What high school do graduates of Elizabeth Ustach Middle attend?

Students who attend Elizabeth Ustach Middle usually go on to attend Fred C. Beyer High

Rate Elizabeth Ustach Middle!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

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

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 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.