Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Joe Walker Middle

Q: Is Joe Walker Middle a good school?

Joe Walker Middle ranks 1584 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1584^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 43% of California middle schools

Summary

Joe Walker Middle is a public school serving about 780 students in grades 6-8 in Lancaster, CA, as part of the Westside Union Elementary district, and its statewide ranking has declined from a 3-star to a 2-star rating over the past few years.

Academically, the school's test scores in English, math, and science are below the state average, but it performs significantly better than most other middle schools in the neighboring Lancaster Elementary and Palmdale Elementary districts. However, within its own district, it trails its peer, Hillview Middle, across all subjects. A notable and puzzling pattern is that 6th graders score exceptionally high, while scores drop sharply in 7th and 8th grades. Chronic student absenteeism, at 24.5%, is higher than at Hillview and the state average, and this lower attendance correlates with lower performance when compared to nearby schools.

The school operates with less funding per student than all the nearby schools it was compared to, yet it achieves stronger academic results than several of them that spend more, such as Amargosa Creek Middle and New Vista Middle. It shows particular strengths in supporting homeless students and African American students, who perform at or above average levels. Key areas for attention include the performance decline over time, the large gap between grade levels, and supporting groups like English Language Learners and multi-racial students whose performance has been inconsistent or low.

781

Students ?

23.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,593

Per pupil spending ?

59.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5632 West Ave. L-8
Lancaster, CA 93536-3713

(661) 943-3258

District: Westside Union Elementary

Students who attend Joe Walker Middle usually attend:

High:

Quartz Hill High

Feeder schools for Joe Walker Middle:

Elementary:	Quartz Hill Elementary
	Valley View Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.9%

White:

25.7%

African American:

12.2%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Joe Walker Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 57th percentile in 2013 → 43rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (32% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg38%

California avg41%

1,584^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 23 pts since 2015

From top 35% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Westside Union Elementary

782^nd of 1,543Westside Union Elementary 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	37.0	1584 of 2761	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.7	1437 of 2783	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.8	1224 of 2781	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.9	1467 of 2740	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.1	1079 of 2715	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.4	1211 of 2480	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.5	952 of 2508	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.0	778 of 2497	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.1	859 of 2477	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.7	1028 of 2379	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	58.5	864 of 2259	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.7	971 of 2236	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.9	986 of 2179	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	63.1	681 of 2063	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	53.9	837 of 2005	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	48.0	940 of 1999	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	61.0	619 of 1804	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	58.3	642 of 1777	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	58.4	613 of 1769	65.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.3	297 of 609	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.0	301 of 627	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.3	274 of 613	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	24.1	521 of 637	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.5	303 of 643	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	22.1	502 of 600	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	51.5	539 of 1531	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.4	958 of 1491	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.4	754 of 1369	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	28.6	1292 of 1521	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.5	780 of 1540	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.4	1209 of 1442	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	1295 of 1364	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.9	1411 of 2533	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.9	1412 of 2551	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	1169 of 2531	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.9	1350 of 2509	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.3	1080 of 2380	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.2	1057 of 2262	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	1420 of 2395	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.5	1219 of 2388	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.0	981 of 2374	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.7	1172 of 2359	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.8	621 of 2213	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	54.4	801 of 2072	61.3%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.4	239 of 477	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.7	117 of 394	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	58.8	98 of 320	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.1	107 of 336	68.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.3	1635 of 2542	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.4	1593 of 2579	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.3	1391 of 2531	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.0	1816 of 2458	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.8	1110 of 2369	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.8	1392 of 2230	37.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	1562 of 2534	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.1	1275 of 2552	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.0	1092 of 2538	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.1	1373 of 2527	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.3	932 of 2407	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.2	1219 of 2273	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.3	541 of 726	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.7	604 of 701	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	557 of 677	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.4	446 of 665	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	17.2	468 of 554	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.4	345 of 462	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.7	734 of 1566	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.2	924 of 1552	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.7	775 of 1531	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.6	1057 of 1520	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.4	1024 of 1537	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.1	858 of 1543	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.3	1059 of 1555	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.9	936 of 1602	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.1	994 of 1496	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)65th percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2025)53rd percentile+10 vs school

African American (2025)51st percentile+9 vs school

Homeless (2025)50th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)44th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)41st percentile~ school

Male (2025)38th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)36th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)30th percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)25th percentile-17 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)15th percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Mathematics25%-12 vs state

Science24%-8 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Joe Walker Middle and help other families decide.

Rate Joe Walker Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Joe Walker Middle

Load more schools when map is moved

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 (2025)	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 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
Joe Walker Middle	Public	6-8	5632 West Ave. L-8	Lancaster	93536	Los Angeles County	Westside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 943-3258	781	33	23.7	59.2%	201 (25.7%)	95 (12.2%)	405 (51.9%)	21 (2.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (7.2%)	37	1584^th of 2761 public middle schools	42.6%		40.7	1437^th of 2783 public middle schools	48.4%	147	24.5	24.5	97.0	39.9	39.1	42.0	75.8	23.8	21.7	25.1	$19,593	$18,604	$989
Endeavour Middle	Public	6-8	43755 45th St. West	Lancaster	93536	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 943-8270	805	40	20.3	81.7%	94 (11.7%)	225 (28.0%)	410 (50.9%)	27 (3.4%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (5.2%)	9.4	2636^th of 2761 public middle schools	4.5%		11.9	2591^st of 2783 public middle schools	6.9%	45	11.3	11.3	15.5	20.1	16.9	17.4	5.6	8.8	3.1	5.8	$4,064	$1,696	$2,368
Hillview Middle	Public	6-8	40525 Peonza Ln.	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Westside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 722-9993	1,100	45	24.6	53.0%	214 (19.5%)	108 (9.8%)	648 (58.9%)	60 (5.5%)	5 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	62 (5.6%)	55.9	1009^th of 2761 public middle schools	63.5%		53.8	1046^th of 2783 public middle schools	62.4%	37	32.5	32.5	87.5	53.3	43.9	52.4	78.4	32.7	31.7	36.2	$19,669	$18,596	$1,073
Amargosa Creek Middle	Public	6-8	44333 27th St. West	Lancaster	93536	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 729-6064	859	47	18.4	85.9%	78 (9.1%)	219 (25.5%)	484 (56.3%)	26 (3.0%)	4 (0.5%)	7 (0.8%)	39 (4.5%)	19	2269^th of 2761 public middle schools	17.8%		19.1	2294^th of 2783 public middle schools	17.6%	25	15.8	15.8	20.6	36.7	30.3	30.0	6.4	17.6	9.0	11.3	$6,222	$3,732	$2,490
David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	39221 22nd St. West	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 947-3075	952	42	22.7	75.3%	46 (4.8%)	187 (19.6%)	659 (69.2%)	24 (2.5%)	5 (0.5%)	5 (0.5%)	26 (2.7%)	15.4	2417^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.5%		17.1	2390^th of 2783 public middle schools	14.1%	27	12.8	12.8	23.0	25.4	27.2	25.4	12.1	13.7	10.3	11.9	$25,534	$24,300	$1,234
Rise	Public	4-8	44231 Fig Ave.	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 940-4355	16	3	5.3	81.3%	1 (6.3%)	11 (68.8%)	2 (12.5%)	1 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.3%)	4.2				7	2733^rd of 2783 public middle schools	1.8%	(n/a)	0.0	0.0			0.0	0.0			0.0	0.0	$11,036	$8,904	$2,132
New Vista Middle	Public	6-8	753 East Avenue K-2	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 726-4271	835	46	18.1	91.3%	38 (4.6%)	312 (37.4%)	450 (53.9%)	8 (1.0%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	20 (2.4%)	7.6	2690^th of 2761 public middle schools	2.6%		9.1	2692^nd of 2783 public middle schools	3.3%	2	4.4	4.4	14.0	14.4	15.9	14.8	4.1	8.6	3.8	5.6	$8,509	$6,032	$2,477
Fulton and Alsbury Academy of Arts and Engineering	Public	6-8	831 East Ave. K-2	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 899-7836	414	13	31.9	76.6%	42 (10.1%)	71 (17.1%)	272 (65.7%)	9 (2.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.1%)	64.9	790^th of 2761 public middle schools	71.4%		76.6	552^nd of 2783 public middle schools	80.2%	238	38.6	38.6	51.4	60.9	59.9	57.3	25.0	45.1	43.2	37.5	$3,768	$1,422	$2,346
Piute Middle	Public	6-8	425 East Avenue H-11	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Lancaster Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 942-9508	729	42	17.4	94.2%	34 (4.7%)	195 (26.7%)	464 (63.6%)	6 (0.8%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	26 (3.6%)	7.8	2681^st of 2761 public middle schools	2.9%		7.7	2722^nd of 2783 public middle schools	2.2%	41	8.2	8.2	16.0	13.2	17.0	15.3	3.1	3.3	5.2	4.0	$6,800	$4,348	$2,452
Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy	Public	6-8	38060 20th St. East	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 537-6101	747	38	19.4	90.2%	25 (3.3%)	130 (17.4%)	562 (75.2%)	5 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.5%)	18 (2.4%)	15.6	2409^th of 2761 public middle schools	12.7%		10.9	2639^th of 2783 public middle schools	5.2%	230	8.8	8.8	22.1	26.1	31.0	26.5	16.1	8.3	12.3	12.4	$31,172	$29,844	$1,328

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Walker Middle

Is Joe Walker Middle a good school?

Joe Walker Middle ranks 1584^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Joe Walker Middle attend?

Students who attend Joe Walker Middle usually go on to attend Quartz Hill High

What district is Joe Walker Middle in?

Westside Union Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Joe Walker Middle?

Students at Joe Walker Middle are 52% Hispanic, 26% White, 12% African American, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

How many students attend Joe Walker Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 781 students attended Joe Walker Middle.

Rate Joe Walker Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Lancaster, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Joe Walker Middle!

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.