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Balboa Middle

Q: Is Balboa Middle a good school?

Balboa Middle ranks 1159 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1159^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 58% of California middle schools

Summary

Balboa Middle is a public school serving 845 students in grades 6-8 within the Ventura Unified School District, representing a solid, middle-performing option in the region with a diverse student body.

When compared to nearby schools, Balboa stands out in key areas. It achieves competitive academic results for its student population, outperforming schools like Anacapa Middle and De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts which serve students with greater economic need. Most notably, Balboa has the lowest rate of chronic absenteeism (12.7%) among all local middle schools analyzed, a strong indicator of student engagement. The school also operates efficiently, spending less per student than many peers while maintaining a higher student-teacher ratio, yet still delivering solid outcomes.

Looking at performance trends, Balboa shows a clear pattern of growth, with its 8th graders outperforming both district and state averages in English Language Arts. The school provides particularly strong support for students with special education needs. However, there is room for improvement in closing achievement gaps for some student groups and in providing more consistent support for English Language Learners. While its statewide ranking has gradually declined over the past decade, Balboa remains a stable and effective school within Ventura Unified, which as a district consistently outperforms neighboring districts like Oxnard and Rio Elementary.

845

Students ?

24.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,463

Per pupil spending ?

58.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

247 Hill Rd.
Ventura, CA 93003-4401

(805) 289-1800

District: Ventura Unified

Students who attend Balboa Middle usually attend:

High:

Buena High

Feeder schools for Balboa Middle:

Elementary:	Academy of Technology & Leadership at Saticoy
	Citrus Glen Elementary
	Juanamaria Elementary
	Junipero Serra Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.2%

White:

31.8%

Asian:

4.5%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Balboa Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 72nd percentile in 2015 → 58th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (58th 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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg41%

California avg41%

1,159^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From top 28% (2015) to top 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Middle Schools in the Ventura Unified

670^th of 1,543Ventura 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	50.9	1159 of 2761	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.1	1068 of 2783	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.5	1090 of 2781	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.7	977 of 2740	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.4	390 of 894	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.7	824 of 2715	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.4	703 of 2480	71.7%	★★★★☆
2017	68.7	698 of 2508	72.2%	★★★★☆
2016	68.0	696 of 2497	72.1%	★★★★☆
2015	67.8	691 of 2477	72.1%	★★★★☆
2013	68.4	642 of 2379	73.0%	★★★★☆
2012	69.0	599 of 2259	73.5%	★★★★☆
2011	71.7	500 of 2236	77.6%	★★★★☆
2010	74.8	429 of 2179	80.3%	★★★★☆
2009	79.4	303 of 2063	85.3%	★★★★☆
2008	79.2	310 of 2005	84.5%	★★★★☆
2007	80.6	292 of 1999	85.4%	★★★★☆
2006	79.2	305 of 1804	83.1%	★★★★☆
2005	80.5	275 of 1777	84.5%	★★★★☆
2004	72.7	381 of 1769	78.5%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	65.4	288 of 715	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.8	230 of 745	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.9	133 of 700	81.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	44.1	667 of 1531	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.1	162 of 354	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.9	667 of 1491	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.9	655 of 1369	52.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.8	1188 of 1478	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.3	536 of 1521	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.2	926 of 1540	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.0	200 of 363	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.5	505 of 1442	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.8	206 of 1364	84.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.3	1065 of 2533	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.6	920 of 2551	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.3	1048 of 2531	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.6	981 of 2509	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.1	318 of 738	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.0	681 of 2380	71.4%	★★★★☆
2018	70.1	596 of 2262	73.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.8	1252 of 2395	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.1	1196 of 2388	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.4	1220 of 2374	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.3	1180 of 2359	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.6	898 of 2213	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.1	810 of 2072	60.9%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	53.5	122 of 336	63.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.7	1353 of 2542	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.8	1056 of 2579	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.9	1462 of 2531	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.3	1322 of 2458	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.4	479 of 721	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.9	883 of 2369	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.5	898 of 2230	59.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.1	1118 of 2534	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.9	1112 of 2552	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.0	977 of 2538	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.2	844 of 2527	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.8	338 of 763	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.5	861 of 2407	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.2	728 of 2273	68.0%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	47.4	387 of 701	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.4	377 of 677	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.2	392 of 665	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.0	323 of 554	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.8	252 of 462	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.5	626 of 1566	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.5	619 of 1552	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.0	618 of 1531	59.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.8	754 of 1520	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.5	662 of 1537	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.4	753 of 1543	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.1	604 of 1555	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.3	535 of 1602	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.0	477 of 1496	68.1%	★★★☆☆

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 (2022)64th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)60th percentile~ school

Asian (2023)60th percentile~ school

Female (2025)58th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)56th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2025)56th percentile~ school

White (2025)50th percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)48th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)47th percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)45th percentile-17 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)20th percentile-42 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy46%-3 vs state

Mathematics34%-3 vs state

Science32%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Balboa 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)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)		CSA Spanish Listening (2025)		CSA Spanish Writing (2025)		CSA Spanish Reading (2025)		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	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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
Balboa Middle	Public	6-8	247 Hill Rd.	Ventura	93003	Ventura County	Ventura Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 289-1800	845	35	24.2	58.8%	269 (31.8%)	11 (1.3%)	492 (58.2%)	38 (4.5%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.4%)	27 (3.2%)	50.9	1159^th of 2761 public middle schools	58.0%		53.1	1068^th of 2783 public middle schools	61.6%	91										32.0	32.0		42.7	44.6	50.2	45.8		34.8	29.3	37.0	33.9	$17,463	$16,022	$1,441
Anacapa Middle	Public	6-8	100 South Mills Rd.	Ventura	93003	Ventura County	Ventura Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 289-7900	592	25	23.7	68.1%	103 (17.4%)	7 (1.2%)	434 (73.3%)	23 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.1%)	45	1327^th of 2761 public middle schools	51.9%		49.6	1182^nd of 2783 public middle schools	57.5%	145	14.8	14.8	28.4	28.4	27.2	27.2	8.6	8.6		20.4	20.4		47.0	54.0	34.8	45.5		33.5	36.7	22.8	31.1	$20,365	$19,186	$1,179
Rio Vista Middle	Public	6-8	3050 Thames River Dr.	Oxnard	93036	Ventura County	Rio Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 981-1507	637	28	22.3	65.1%	33 (5.2%)	15 (2.4%)	550 (86.3%)	27 (4.2%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.1%)	18.7	2280^th of 2761 public middle schools	17.4%		23.6	2103^rd of 2783 public middle schools	24.4%	177										13.0	13.0		26.5	27.8	30.3	28.4		13.3	14.3	16.5	14.8	$2,486	$1,070	$1,416
Cabrillo Middle	Public	6-8	1426 East Santa Clara St.	Ventura	93001	Ventura County	Ventura Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 641-5155	936	32	29.4	46.7%	465 (49.7%)	10 (1.1%)	370 (39.5%)	33 (3.5%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	52 (5.6%)	70.3	666^th of 2761 public middle schools	75.9%		68.5	711^th of 2783 public middle schools	74.5%	45										35.8	35.8		54.1	58.6	54.6	55.9		50.5	43.2	47.9	47.0	$14,293	$13,522	$771
Rio del Valle Middle	Public	6-8	3100 Rose Ave.	Oxnard	93036	Ventura County	Rio Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 485-3119	569	30	19.0	77.9%	14 (2.5%)	4 (0.7%)	519 (91.2%)	25 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.1%)	27.8	1903^rd of 2761 public middle schools	31.1%		29.1	1856^th of 2783 public middle schools	33.3%	47										19.5	19.5		27.3	41.2	36.3	35.2		19.7	17.9	22.4	19.9	$3,386	$1,784	$1,602
Fremont Academy of Environmental Science & Innovative Design	Public	6-8	1130 North M St.	Oxnard	93030	Ventura County	Oxnard	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 385-1539	617	38	16.3	86.2%	31 (5.0%)	6 (1.0%)	557 (90.3%)	15 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.6%)	17.3	2343^rd of 2761 public middle schools	15.1%		14.6	2490^th of 2783 public middle schools	10.5%	147										12.6	12.6		25.3	23.0	27.9	25.5		17.8	12.8	15.3	15.2	$30,457	$28,154	$2,303
De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts	Public	6-8	2060 Cameron St.	Ventura	93001	Ventura County	Ventura Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 641-5165	577	25	22.7	73.7%	110 (19.1%)	1 (0.2%)	428 (74.2%)	19 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.1%)	48.3	1230^th of 2761 public middle schools	55.5%		50.4	1158^th of 2783 public middle schools	58.4%	72	0.0	0.0	10.3	10.3	3.5	3.5	0.0	0.0		35.1	35.1		45.1	43.5	49.7	46.1		31.3	27.8	29.7	29.5	$20,851	$19,166	$1,685
R.J. Frank Academy of Marine Science & Engineering	Public	6-8	701 North Juanita Ave.	Oxnard	93030	Ventura County	Oxnard	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 385-1536	1,027	54	18.9	89.1%	25 (2.4%)	4 (0.4%)	955 (93.0%)	37 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	31	1800^th of 2761 public middle schools	34.8%		30.3	1798^th of 2783 public middle schools	35.4%	2										18.0	18.0		34.3	46.3	39.1	40.1		22.0	23.1	14.1	19.7	$26,599	$24,918	$1,681
Dr. Manuel M. Lopez Academy of Arts & Sciences	Public	6-8	647 West Hill St.	Oxnard	93033	Ventura County	Oxnard	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 385-1545	696	42	16.4	93.2%	26 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	660 (94.8%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	27.9	1897^th of 2761 public middle schools	31.3%		24.5	2058^th of 2783 public middle schools	26.1%	161										16.5	16.5		26.5	37.5	39.3	34.3		17.4	23.8	24.0	21.7	$27,427	$25,582	$1,845
Briggs Elementary	Public	5-8	14438 West Telegraph Rd.	Santa Paula	93060	Ventura County	Briggs Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 525-7151	221	12	17.6	66.5%	7 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	209 (94.6%)	2 (0.9%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22.7	2125^th of 2761 public middle schools	23.0%		17.2	2386^th of 2783 public middle schools	14.3%	261									39.1	23.0	29.9	52.2	31.4	21.9	24.6	31.1	34.8	27.5	13.9	18.0	22.4	$24,674	$23,844	$830

Frequently Asked Questions about Balboa Middle

What is the racial makeup of Balboa Middle?

Students at Balboa Middle are 58% Hispanic, 32% White, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend Balboa Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 845 students attended Balboa Middle.

Is Balboa Middle a good school?

Balboa Middle ranks 1159^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Balboa Middle attend?

Students who attend Balboa Middle usually go on to attend Buena High

What district is Balboa Middle in?

Ventura Unified

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.