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Jefferson Middle

Public Grades 6-8

216^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 92% of California middle schools

Summary

Jefferson Middle is a consistently top-rated public school serving about 675 students in grades 6-8 within the high-performing Torrance Unified district, ranking in the 92nd percentile among all California middle schools.

The school stands out for its remarkable stability, maintaining elite academic performance for over a decade, and for its exceptional effectiveness in supporting all students. While other excellent schools like Edward J. Richardson Middle or Calle Mayor Middle may have slightly higher test scores in some subjects, Jefferson achieves its top-tier results while serving a more diverse student population, with standout success for English learners and students from lower-income families. Its science program is a particular strength, and it boasts an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of just 6.2%, signaling a strong, engaging school culture.

In a region with many great options, including Hermosa Valley Elementary and Bert M. Lynn Middle, Jefferson Middle offers a compelling balance of sustained academic excellence, equitable support for every student, and efficient use of resources, making it a pillar of quality education in the South Bay.

674

Students ?

26.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,731

Per pupil spending ?

32.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

21717 Talisman St.
Torrance, CA 90503-6441

(310) 533-4794

District: Torrance Unified

Students who attend Jefferson Middle usually attend:

High:

West High

Feeder schools for Jefferson Middle:

Elementary:

Anza Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

32.8%

Hispanic:

27.3%

White:

19.4%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Jefferson Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 82nd percentile in 2013 → 92nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (67% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of California middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 27 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school67%

District avg62%

California avg41%

216^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 8%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From top 15% (2015) to top 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 8Middle Schools in the Torrance Unified

204^th of 1,543Torrance Unified 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	92.3	216 of 2761	92.2%	★★★★★
2024	92.2	225 of 2783	91.9%	★★★★★
2023	91.7	245 of 2781	91.2%	★★★★★
2022	91.2	248 of 2740	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	89.2	284 of 2715	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	90.4	230 of 2480	90.7%	★★★★★
2017	91.3	216 of 2508	91.4%	★★★★★
2016	88.8	257 of 2497	89.7%	★★★★☆
2015	83.5	362 of 2477	85.4%	★★★★☆
2013	76.2	422 of 2379	82.3%	★★★★☆
2012	78.3	348 of 2259	84.6%	★★★★☆
2011	74.9	418 of 2236	81.3%	★★★★☆
2010	79.5	313 of 2179	85.6%	★★★★☆
2009	70.5	499 of 2063	75.8%	★★★★☆
2008	64.9	601 of 2005	70.0%	★★★★☆
2007	68.1	526 of 1999	73.7%	★★★★☆
2006	67.1	500 of 1804	72.3%	★★★★☆
2005	69.6	449 of 1777	74.7%	★★★★☆
2004	74.9	352 of 1769	80.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.4	24 of 609	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	87.0	52 of 627	91.7%	★★★★★
2023	91.8	27 of 613	95.6%	★★★★★
2022	96.7	14 of 637	97.8%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.0	88 of 739	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	215 of 743	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	76.9	140 of 715	80.4%	★★★★☆
2022	71.9	218 of 733	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	72.3	227 of 745	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.7	241 of 700	65.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	98.0	30 of 1531	98.0%	★★★★★
2019	88.1	101 of 1491	93.2%	★★★★★
2018	89.5	83 of 1369	93.9%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	90.3	53 of 1478	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	97.8	24 of 1521	98.4%	★★★★★
2022	94.6	38 of 1540	97.5%	★★★★★
2019	90.1	66 of 1442	95.4%	★★★★★
2018	97.3	32 of 1364	97.7%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.7	276 of 2533	89.1%	★★★★☆
2024	91.8	204 of 2551	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	90.9	234 of 2531	90.8%	★★★★★
2022	88.8	259 of 2509	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	88.6	257 of 2380	89.2%	★★★★☆
2018	92.1	165 of 2262	92.7%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.4	354 of 2395	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	79.8	330 of 2388	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	73.4	437 of 2374	81.6%	★★★★☆
2022	82.0	263 of 2359	88.9%	★★★★☆
2019	83.4	241 of 2213	89.1%	★★★★☆
2018	89.6	145 of 2072	93.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.8	225 of 2542	91.1%	★★★★★
2024	95.2	97 of 2579	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	87.1	209 of 2531	91.7%	★★★★★
2022	90.8	136 of 2458	94.5%	★★★★★
2019	76.8	357 of 2369	84.9%	★★★★☆
2018	87.4	169 of 2230	92.4%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.5	175 of 2534	93.1%	★★★★★
2024	90.6	237 of 2552	90.7%	★★★★★
2023	90.6	235 of 2538	90.7%	★★★★★
2022	91.8	203 of 2527	92.0%	★★★★★
2019	87.8	286 of 2407	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	86.3	298 of 2273	86.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.4	155 of 726	78.7%	★★★★☆
2024	82.1	98 of 701	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	74.5	165 of 677	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	74.4	156 of 665	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	66.6	195 of 554	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.0	164 of 462	64.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.1	157 of 1566	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	94.6	55 of 1552	96.5%	★★★★★
2023	90.1	92 of 1531	94.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.6	236 of 1520	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	80.8	214 of 1537	86.1%	★★★★☆
2023	80.9	224 of 1543	85.5%	★★★★☆
2022	71.8	386 of 1555	75.2%	★★★★☆
2019	66.7	514 of 1602	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.4	348 of 1496	76.7%	★★★★☆

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)98th percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)96th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2025)96th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)90th percentile~ school

Female (2025)89th percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2025)88th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)85th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)84th percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)79th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy72%+24 vs state

Mathematics64%+27 vs state

Science62%+29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jefferson 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
Jefferson Middle	Public	6-8	21717 Talisman St.	Torrance	90503	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4794	674	25	26.6	32.2%	131 (19.4%)	48 (7.1%)	184 (27.3%)	221 (32.8%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	86 (12.8%)	92.3	216^th of 2761 public middle schools	92.2%		92.2	225^th of 2783 public middle schools	91.9%	9		61.7	61.7		70.4	71.6	75.6	72.4		69.1	60.7	61.7	64.2	$15,731	$550	$15,181
Madrona Middle	Public	6-8	21364 Madrona Ave.	Torrance	90503	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4562	678	25	27.0	26.8%	109 (16.1%)	21 (3.1%)	227 (33.5%)	257 (37.9%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	59 (8.7%)	85.3	365^th of 2761 public middle schools	86.8%		81.7	446^th of 2783 public middle schools	84.0%	81		55.6	55.6		62.6	63.0	69.7	65.3		61.1	55.8	49.6	55.3	$15,805	$549	$15,256
Calle Mayor Middle	Public	6-8	4800 Calle Mayor	Torrance	90505	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4548	626	28	22.5	35.6%	118 (18.8%)	24 (3.8%)	146 (23.3%)	268 (42.8%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	66 (10.5%)	95.4	135^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.1%		91	258^th of 2783 public middle schools	90.7%	123		58.3	58.3		80.6	84.0	71.4	78.6		78.8	73.0	67.5	73.1	$15,664	$517	$15,147
Bert M. Lynn Middle	Public	6-8	5038 Halison St.	Torrance	90503	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4495	612	25	24.5	33.0%	107 (17.5%)	20 (3.3%)	126 (20.6%)	300 (49.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	56 (9.2%)	93.6	189^th of 2761 public middle schools	93.2%		92.6	216^th of 2783 public middle schools	92.2%	27		58.8	58.8		77.7	75.9	68.7	74.2		72.5	67.5	64.6	68.3	$15,922	$522	$15,400
Parras (Nick G.) Middle	Public	6-8	200 North Lucia	Redondo Beach	90277	Los Angeles County	Redondo Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 798-8616	1,031	41	25.1	13.0%	489 (47.4%)	31 (3.0%)	212 (20.6%)	146 (14.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	149 (14.5%)	90	278^th of 2761 public middle schools	89.9%		94.4	174^th of 2783 public middle schools	93.7%	104		57.2	57.2		72.7	68.5	65.1	68.8		66.7	63.8	57.1	62.6	$14,088	$1,051	$13,037
Edward J. Richardson Middle	Public	6-8	23751 Nancy Lee Ln.	Torrance	90505	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4790	651	24	27.1	18.6%	223 (34.3%)	13 (2.0%)	111 (17.1%)	223 (34.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (12.4%)	95.5	132^nd of 2761 public middle schools	95.2%		96.3	112^th of 2783 public middle schools	96.0%	20		69.5	69.5		71.9	86.4	81.0	79.5		65.8	73.0	66.7	68.3	$16,079	$533	$15,546
Philip Magruder Middle	Public	6-8	4100 West 185th St.	Torrance	90504	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4527	635	23	27.2	50.9%	77 (12.1%)	46 (7.2%)	325 (51.2%)	131 (20.6%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (0.9%)	48 (7.6%)	68	715^th of 2761 public middle schools	74.1%		67.2	736^th of 2783 public middle schools	73.6%	21		40.6	40.6		54.0	50.5	55.5	53.3		47.3	43.4	43.4	44.6	$16,618	$734	$15,884
Adams Middle	Public	6-8	2600 Ripley Ave.	Redondo Beach	90278	Los Angeles County	Redondo Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 798-8636	1,165	49	23.9	17.9%	407 (34.9%)	45 (3.9%)	336 (28.8%)	197 (16.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	177 (15.2%)	92.1	222^nd of 2761 public middle schools	92.0%		92	229^th of 2783 public middle schools	91.8%	7		59.4	59.4		71.1	71.5	67.9	70.2		68.0	68.4	64.7	67.0	$14,343	$1,238	$13,105
J. H. Hull Middle	Public	6-8	2080 West 231st St.	Torrance	90501	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4516	621	22	27.9	50.2%	84 (13.5%)	26 (4.2%)	384 (61.8%)	91 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	34 (5.5%)	64.9	789^th of 2761 public middle schools	71.4%		56.1	990^th of 2783 public middle schools	64.4%	201		44.8	44.8		47.4	50.8	43.4	47.1		42.8	47.5	47.1	45.9	$17,015	$779	$16,236
Hermosa Valley Elementary	Public	5-8	1645 Valley Dr.	Hermosa Beach	90254	Los Angeles County	Hermosa Beach City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 937-5888	589	27	21.7	8.8%	357 (60.6%)	7 (1.2%)	93 (15.8%)	29 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	102 (17.3%)	95.4	138^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.0%		97.4	78^th of 2783 public middle schools	97.2%	60	50.7	72.1	61.9	72.9	71.9	83.8	79.9	77.3	65.7	59.7	76.4	73.4	69.0	$15,698	$925	$14,773

Frequently Asked Questions about Jefferson Middle

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson Middle?

Students at Jefferson Middle are 33% Asian, 27% Hispanic, 19% White, 13% Two or more races, 7% African American.

What high school do graduates of Jefferson Middle attend?

Students who attend Jefferson Middle usually go on to attend West High

How many students attend Jefferson Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 674 students attended Jefferson Middle.

Is Jefferson Middle a good school?

Yes. Jefferson Middle ranks in the top 7.8% of California middle schools.

What district is Jefferson Middle in?

Torrance Unified

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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.