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Vaca Pena Middle

Q: Is Vaca Pena Middle a good school?

Vaca Pena Middle ranks 1965 th of 2761 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-12

1965^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California High Schools

Better than 29% of California high schools

Summary

Vaca Pena Middle is a public school serving about 675 students in grades 6-12 within the Vacaville Unified district, which faces significant academic challenges, particularly in mathematics and science proficiency.

The school's academic performance is notably lower than many nearby schools, including Vacaville High and Vanden High, with only about 34% of students proficient in English and 16% in math. A concerning trend shows that student performance, especially in 8th grade, drops significantly compared to 7th grade. While the school spends more per student than several comparison schools, these resources have not yet translated into higher test scores. The student population has seen a rapid increase in economic need, with over 65% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Despite these academic hurdles, Vaca Pena Middle has made impressive progress in one key area: reducing chronic student absences from a post-pandemic high of 37% down to 17.5%. The school exists in a district of extremes, where a school like Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy achieves much higher proficiency rates, highlighting varied outcomes within the same community. Mathematics is a widespread challenge across the region, with no nearby school exceeding 40% proficiency.

675

Students ?

20.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,134

Per pupil spending ?

65%

Free/discounted lunch ?

200 Keith Way
Vacaville, CA 95687-5189

(707) 453-6270

District: Vacaville Unified

Students who attend Vaca Pena Middle usually attend:

High:

Will C. Wood High

Feeder schools for Vaca Pena Middle:

Elementary:	Cooper Elementary
	Eugene Padan Elementary
	Fairmont Charter Elementary
	Jean Callison Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

45.9%

White:

22.1%

Two or more races:

11.9%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Vaca Pena Middle to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2013 → 29th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (24% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 39 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg35%

California avg41%

1,965^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 25 pts since 2015

From top 46% (2015) to bottom 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5High Schools in the Vacaville Unified

805^th of 1,543Vacaville 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	25.8	1965 of 2761	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	2006 of 2783	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	1816 of 2781	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.5	1754 of 2740	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.5	1506 of 2715	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.3	1184 of 2480	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	47.5	1177 of 2508	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.0	1137 of 2497	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	48.3	1144 of 2477	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	64.2	771 of 2379	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.5	787 of 2259	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	55.3	957 of 2236	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	55.9	885 of 2179	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	53.9	883 of 2063	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	54.0	835 of 2005	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	59.1	698 of 1999	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	48.3	849 of 1804	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	64.6	536 of 1777	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	61.8	566 of 1769	68.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.9	384 of 609	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.9	379 of 627	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.9	294 of 613	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.4	369 of 637	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.4	342 of 643	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.8	231 of 600	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	23.8	564 of 715	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	30.2	1049 of 1531	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.5	850 of 1491	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.8	682 of 1369	50.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	27.0	1399 of 1521	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	31.8	1152 of 1540	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	58.1	319 of 1364	76.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	1843 of 2533	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.2	1793 of 2551	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.1	1541 of 2531	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.4	1622 of 2509	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.3	1387 of 2380	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.4	1172 of 2262	48.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.4	1892 of 2395	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.6	1816 of 2388	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	1859 of 2374	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.1	1782 of 2359	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.8	1137 of 2213	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.9	1020 of 2072	50.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.5	1942 of 2542	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	2054 of 2579	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	2006 of 2531	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.6	1675 of 2458	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.7	1616 of 2369	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.9	1085 of 2230	51.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.0	1872 of 2534	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	1918 of 2552	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	1788 of 2538	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.8	1656 of 2527	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.0	1407 of 2407	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.0	1095 of 2273	51.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.0	650 of 726	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.3	659 of 701	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.0	587 of 677	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.9	604 of 665	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	496 of 554	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	400 of 462	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	1359 of 1566	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	1322 of 1552	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.2	1034 of 1531	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.2	1207 of 1520	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.2	1214 of 1537	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.1	1210 of 1543	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.6	1317 of 1555	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.3	1245 of 1602	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.8	1034 of 1496	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)37th percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2022)31st percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)27th percentile~ school

Male (2025)26th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2023)21st percentile-14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)21st percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)21st percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2025)13th percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)10th percentile-18 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)8th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy35%-14 vs state

Science20%-13 vs state

Mathematics16%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Vaca Pena 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				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/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 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Vaca Pena Middle	Public	6-12	200 Keith Way	Vacaville	95687	Solano County	Vacaville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 453-6270	675	33	20.4	65.0%	149 (22.1%)	64 (9.5%)	310 (45.9%)	53 (7.9%)	4 (0.6%)	14 (2.1%)	80 (11.9%)								(n/a)	19.6			19.6	41.4	28.1		34.9	20.6	11.8		16.3	$24,134	$22,632	$1,502
Will C. Wood High	Public	9-12	998 Marshall Rd.	Vacaville	95687	Solano County	Vacaville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 453-6900	1,671	81	20.5	57.8%	403 (24.1%)	139 (8.3%)	756 (45.2%)	150 (9.0%)	6 (0.4%)	18 (1.1%)	194 (11.6%)	38.5	1300^th of 2162 public high schools	39.9%		50.5	987^th of 2159 public high schools	54.3%	313		18.2	7.1	17.8			48.6	48.6			15.6	15.6	$19,875	$18,574	$1,301
Shereene Wilkerson Academy of Excellence	Public	7-12	343 Brown St.	Vacaville	95688	Solano County	Vacaville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 469-2306	6	1	5.0		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (33.3%)								(n/a)													$96,752	$94,258	$2,494
Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	100 McClellan St.	Vacaville	95688	Solano County	Vacaville Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 453-7300	474	24	19.4	34.2%	188 (39.7%)	33 (7.0%)	137 (28.9%)	43 (9.1%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	65 (13.7%)	86.1	282^nd of 2162 public high schools	87.0%		83.9	346^th of 2159 public high schools	84.0%	64		48.3		47.9			84.8	84.8			39.3	39.3	$22,902	$21,918	$984
Ernest Kimme Charter Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	194 Bella Vista Rd	Vacaville	95687	Solano County	Vacaville Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 469-2305	194	11	17.8	63.4%	47 (24.2%)	14 (7.2%)	107 (55.2%)	8 (4.1%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.8%)	11.9	1921^st of 2162 public high schools	11.1%		19	1720^th of 2159 public high schools	20.3%	201		8.7	9.1	8.8			10.1	10.1			0.0	0.0	$27,735	$25,574	$2,161
Vacaville High	Public	9-12	100 Monte Vista Ave.	Vacaville	95688	Solano County	Vacaville Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 453-6011	2,044	96	21.2	45.4%	813 (39.8%)	78 (3.8%)	849 (41.5%)	94 (4.6%)	4 (0.2%)	9 (0.4%)	192 (9.4%)	58.6	860^th of 2162 public high schools	60.2%		56.7	844^th of 2159 public high schools	60.9%	16		29.6	16.7	29.2			61.0	61.0			24.5	24.5	$18,363	$17,188	$1,175
Vanden High	Public	9-12	2951 Markeley Ln.	Fairfield	94533	Solano County	Travis Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 437-7333	1,631	66	24.7	41.1%	309 (18.9%)	273 (16.7%)	446 (27.3%)	314 (19.3%)	6 (0.4%)	14 (0.9%)	260 (15.9%)	68	636^th of 2162 public high schools	70.6%		67.4	605^th of 2159 public high schools	72.0%	31		38.6	25.0	38.2			63.4	63.4			28.0	28.0	$19,975	$19,662	$313
Travis Community Day	Public	7-12	2785 De Ronde Dr.	Fairfield	94533	Solano County	Travis Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 437-8265	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Travis Education Center	Public	9-12	2775 DeRonde Dr.	Fairfield	94533	Solano County	Travis Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 437-8265	67	5	13.5	59.7%	12 (17.9%)	10 (14.9%)	31 (46.3%)	4 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.0%)	7 (10.4%)	24.4	1607^th of 2162 public high schools	25.7%		15.6	1802^nd of 2159 public high schools	16.5%	195		18.4		20.5			24.3	24.3			10.5	10.5	$42,330	$42,068	$262
Solano County Community	Public	7-12	Golden Hills Education Ctr.	Fairfield	94533	Solano County	Solano County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 399-4840	79	5	16.3	48.1%	14 (17.7%)	16 (20.3%)	38 (48.1%)	3 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (10.1%)	8.1	2114^th of 2162 public high schools	2.2%					(n/a)				13.3			6.3	3.6			0.0	3.5	$73,666	$66,146	$7,520

Frequently Asked Questions about Vaca Pena Middle

What schools feed into Vaca Pena Middle?

Vaca Pena Middle is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cooper Elementary
Elementary : Eugene Padan Elementary
Elementary : Fairmont Charter Elementary
Elementary : Jean Callison Elementary

Is Vaca Pena Middle a good school?

Vaca Pena Middle ranks 1965^th of 2761 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Vaca Pena Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 675 students attended Vaca Pena Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Vaca Pena Middle?

Students at Vaca Pena Middle are 46% Hispanic, 22% White, 12% Two or more races, 9% African American, 8% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander.

What district is Vaca Pena Middle in?

Vacaville 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.