Pomolita Middle

Pomolita Middle is a public school serving 826 students in grades 6-8 within the Ukiah Unified school district in Ukiah, CA, a district that ranks in the bottom 19% statewide, and the school itself consistently receives a 1-star rating placing it in the bottom quarter of California middle schools.

Academically, Pomolita's performance is very similar to its district counterpart, Eagle Peak Middle, with both schools scoring well below state averages in English and Math, suggesting shared district-wide challenges. However, Pomolita shows a relative strength in Science, outperforming several nearby schools like Baechtel Grove Middle and Upper Lake Middle. The school has made notable progress in reducing chronic absenteeism since the pandemic, with a current rate better than Eagle Peak's and far better than Baechtel Grove's, which has the region's highest absenteeism and lowest academic ranking.

Pomolita demonstrates particular effectiveness with some student groups, such as Special Education and Homeless students, performing better with them than with other subgroups. The school's per-student spending is mid-range for the area, and its gradual decline in statewide ranking over the past decade mirrors broader regional trends. Interestingly, while small school size can sometimes correlate with higher performance, this isn't consistent locally, as the very small Potter Valley Junior High ranks higher, but the also-small Upper Lake Middle ranks very low.