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Columbus Tustin Middle

Q: Is Columbus Tustin Middle a good school?

Columbus Tustin Middle ranks 1262 nd of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1262^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,740 California Middle Schools

Better than 54% of California middle schools

Summary

Columbus Tustin Middle enrolls 583 students in grades 6–8 in Tustin, California, and is part of Tustin Unified. Its 2025–2026 schoolwide results are below state and district averages in English language arts (ELA), math, and science, but that overall picture masks a clear grade-level difference. The most important finding for families is that eighth graders are above the state in ELA and math, while sixth- and seventh-grade results are below it.

Compared with six nearby schools serving the same grades, Columbus is third-highest in all three subjects and above their averages: 47% in ELA versus 42%, 32% in math versus 30%, and 31% in science versus 28%. However, it trails its three same-district, same-grade-span peers by 15 points in ELA, 18 in math, and 13 in science. It is also below the state by 2 points in ELA, 6 in math, and 5 in science, and below district averages by 17, 24, and 19 points, respectively. ELA is its strongest subject against the state and nearby-school average; math is its largest gap against both the state and district.

Results have rebounded from a 2024–2025 dip, but the longer-term picture is mixed: since 2022–2023, ELA is up 1 point and science 5 points, while math is down by less than 1 point. SchoolDigger rates Columbus at 3 stars and the 54th statewide percentile, up 6 points from last year but below its 65th-percentile standing in 2023–2024. Its 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 23.6, and 86% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s statewide measure of how well the school serves Asian students fell to the 17th percentile in 2025–2026, from the 45th percentile in 2023–2024; its measure for Special Education Students rose to the 78th percentile, compared with 54th overall.

583

Students ?

23.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,306

Per pupil spending ?

85.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

17952 Beneta Way
Tustin, CA 92780-2659

(714) 730-7352

District: Tustin Unified

Students who attend Columbus Tustin Middle usually attend:

High:

Foothill High

Feeder schools for Columbus Tustin Middle:

Elementary:	Guin Foss Elementary
	Helen Estock Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.0%

Asian:

7.5%

White:

5.8%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Columbus Tustin Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2015 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the California median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2015

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

!Near the bottom of Tustin Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg58%

California avg42%

1,262^nd of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to top 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Middle Schools in the Tustin Unified

365^th of 1,530Tustin 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
2026	47.4	1262 of 2740	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.9	1433 of 2761	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.2	985 of 2783	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	1060 of 2781	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.3	1103 of 2740	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.4	987 of 2715	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.0	1134 of 2480	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	53.7	1014 of 2508	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.8	897 of 2497	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.9	783 of 2477	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.1	795 of 2379	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.8	954 of 2259	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	50.3	1087 of 2236	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	50.8	1021 of 2179	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	51.2	941 of 2063	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	52.2	877 of 2005	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	51.1	879 of 1999	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	49.2	836 of 1804	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	41.0	979 of 1777	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	47.2	835 of 1769	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	17.3	648 of 777	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.4	487 of 739	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.6	407 of 743	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	74.3	174 of 715	75.7%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	149 of 733	79.7%	★★★★☆
2019	87.5	20 of 745	97.3%	★★★★★
2018	86.3	26 of 700	96.3%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	50.9	551 of 1531	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.9	976 of 1491	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.5	668 of 1369	51.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	54.6	360 of 1478	75.6%	★★★★☆
2023	45.7	555 of 1521	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.0	851 of 1540	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.7	416 of 1442	71.2%	★★★★☆
2018	36.5	722 of 1364	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	42.7	1306 of 2516	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.9	1380 of 2533	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.4	1025 of 2551	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.1	979 of 2531	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.2	1138 of 2509	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.8	914 of 2380	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.4	1135 of 2262	49.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	52.8	939 of 2357	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.3	1327 of 2395	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.1	804 of 2388	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.1	958 of 2374	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.2	1024 of 2359	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.9	889 of 2213	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.4	1174 of 2072	43.3%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	72.7	75 of 442	83.0%	★★★★☆
2022	46.8	159 of 336	52.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	52.5	1010 of 2529	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.9	1446 of 2542	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.3	947 of 2579	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.6	970 of 2531	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.5	969 of 2458	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.8	967 of 2369	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.0	1292 of 2230	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	50.1	1098 of 2514	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.6	1300 of 2534	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.2	835 of 2552	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.3	971 of 2538	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.3	901 of 2527	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.4	928 of 2407	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.1	1015 of 2273	55.3%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.8	144 of 194	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.2	107 of 192	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.6	125 of 197	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.7	168 of 193	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	66.3	349 of 1605	78.3%	★★★★☆
2025	41.9	758 of 1566	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.5	574 of 1552	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.6	862 of 1531	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	74.3	334 of 1490	77.6%	★★★★☆
2025	72.9	371 of 1520	75.6%	★★★★☆
2024	74.1	347 of 1537	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	87.2	124 of 1543	92.0%	★★★★★
2022	86.0	134 of 1555	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	89.9	83 of 1602	94.8%	★★★★★
2018	80.6	252 of 1496	83.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Homeless (2026)83rd percentile+29 vs school

Special Education (2026)78th percentile+24 vs school

White (2026)78th percentile+24 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)76th percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2022)64th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)60th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)56th percentile~ school

Female (2026)48th percentile-6 vs school

Military Connected (2025)26th percentile-22 vs school

Asian (2026)17th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy47%~ state avg

Mathematics32%-6 vs state

Science31%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbus Tustin 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)				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
Columbus Tustin Middle	Public	6-8	17952 Beneta Way	Tustin	92780	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7352	583	25	23.6	85.6%	34 (5.8%)	14 (2.4%)	472 (81.0%)	44 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	16 (2.7%)	47.4	1262^nd of 2740 public middle schools	53.9%		41.9	1433^rd of 2761 public middle schools	48.1%	171	31.2	31.2	42.2	42.1	56.7	46.9	22.5	33.1	40.7	32.0	$20,306	$18,042	$2,264
C. E. Utt Middle	Public	6-8	13601 Browning Ave.	Tustin	92780	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7573	554	25	22.4	82.1%	40 (7.2%)	8 (1.4%)	437 (78.9%)	51 (9.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	15 (2.7%)	44.4	1349^th of 2740 public middle schools	50.8%		41.8	1441^st of 2761 public middle schools	47.8%	92	33.3	33.3	36.8	52.4	48.0	46.2	24.8	22.6	36.2	28.2	$20,242	$19,084	$1,158
Hewes Middle	Public	6-8	13232 Hewes Ave.	Santa Ana	92780	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7348	929	37	25.2	40.4%	371 (39.9%)	10 (1.1%)	384 (41.3%)	74 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (9.7%)	78.5	501^st of 2740 public middle schools	81.7%		78.7	502^nd of 2761 public middle schools	81.8%	1	41.3	41.3	71.7	66.9	50.9	63.5	67.1	55.9	44.0	56.0	$15,262	$14,156	$1,106
Raymond A. Villa Fundamental Intermediate	Public	6-8	1441 East Chestnut Ave.	Santa Ana	92701	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 558-5100	936	46	20.4	95.3%	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	914 (97.6%)	15 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	18.7	2274^th of 2740 public middle schools	17.0%		20	2222^nd of 2761 public middle schools	19.5%	52	18.0	18.0	30.1	36.6	31.2	32.6	11.0	13.9	10.2	11.6	$25,000	$24,308	$692
Pioneer Middle	Public	6-8	2700 Pioneer Rd.	Tustin	92780	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7534	971	37	26.3	39.4%	187 (19.3%)	21 (2.2%)	272 (28.0%)	377 (38.8%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	110 (11.3%)	92.3	211^th of 2740 public middle schools	92.3%		90.4	268^th of 2761 public middle schools	90.3%	57	57.1	57.1	76.4	72.8	76.7	75.3	62.5	63.5	68.7	65.0	$20,349	$14,710	$5,639
Julia C. Lathrop Intermediate	Public	6-8	1111 South Broadway	Santa Ana	92707	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 567-3300	584	33	17.5	96.7%	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	568 (97.3%)	7 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	11.5	2551^st of 2740 public middle schools	6.9%		14.5	2462^nd of 2761 public middle schools	10.8%	89	10.1	10.1	19.2	23.3	18.8	20.4	15.0	12.6	11.2	12.7	$36,935	$35,678	$1,257
Willard Intermediate	Public	6-8	1342 North Ross	Santa Ana	92706	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 480-4800	390	27	14.3	97.2%	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	383 (98.2%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.2	2648^th of 2740 public middle schools	3.4%		8.2	2672^nd of 2761 public middle schools	3.2%	24	10.6	10.6	21.9	7.5	15.2	14.9	8.3	4.2	8.1	7.0	$41,096	$39,954	$1,142
Santiago Charter Middle	Public, Charter	7-8	515 North Rancho Santiago Blvd.	Orange	92869	Orange County	Santiago Charter Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6366	1,137	46	24.7	65.9%	216 (19.0%)	32 (2.8%)	745 (65.5%)	63 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (0.9%)	71 (6.2%)	58.1	975^th of 2740 public middle schools	64.4%		57.4	967^th of 2761 public middle schools	65.0%	8	38.7	38.7		53.4	53.9	53.6		35.5	35.6	35.5
Sierra Vista Middle	Public	7-8	2 Liberty	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-6600	1,282	49	26.1	14.7%	188 (14.7%)	16 (1.2%)	103 (8.0%)	859 (67.0%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	109 (8.5%)	96.4	94^th of 2740 public middle schools	96.6%		97.8	55^th of 2761 public middle schools	98.0%	39	67.7	67.7		78.5	79.1	78.8		76.6	79.2	77.9	$14,529	$14,288	$241
Portola Middle	Public	7-8	270 North Palm Dr.	Orange	92868	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6361	422	20	20.9	91.5%	16 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	371 (87.9%)	25 (5.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	34.3	1674^th of 2740 public middle schools	38.9%		36.6	1597^th of 2761 public middle schools	42.2%	77	27.0	27.0		32.8	39.4	36.3		26.7	29.4	28.1	$20,152	$18,606	$1,546

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbus Tustin Middle

What high school do graduates of Columbus Tustin Middle attend?

Students who attend Columbus Tustin Middle usually go on to attend Foothill High

How many students attend Columbus Tustin Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 583 students attended Columbus Tustin Middle.

Is Columbus Tustin Middle a good school?

Columbus Tustin Middle ranks 1262^nd of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Columbus Tustin Middle?

Students at Columbus Tustin Middle are 81% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 6% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is Columbus Tustin Middle in?

Tustin Unified

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Latest California data All new data »

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

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

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

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 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.