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Walter F. Dexter Middle

Q: Is Walter F. Dexter Middle a good school?

Walter F. Dexter Middle ranks 1515 th of 2703 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1515^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,703 California Middle Schools

Better than 44% of California middle schools

Summary

Walter F. Dexter Middle serves 610 students in grades 6–8 in Whittier, in the Whittier City School District. The clearest concern is mathematics, especially in seventh grade: just 17% of Dexter seventh-graders were proficient in 2025–26, compared with 38% statewide and 33% in the district. That result was the lowest seventh-grade math score among the nearby schools.

Science is Dexter’s strongest subject relative to nearby schools, while math is its largest weakness. Dexter ranked fourth of 11 nearby middle schools in science and was above their average: 32% proficient, compared with 29%. It ranked seventh in ELA and sixth in math, scoring 42% and 26%, respectively, below nearby averages of 46% and 31%. Dexter remained below the state and district in all three subjects: the gaps were 7 points in ELA, 12 in math, and 4 in science versus the state; versus the district, they were 9, 14, and 1 point. Even in science, its closest comparison, Dexter has not yet reached state or district results.

Scores have improved since 2022–23: ELA rose 10 points, math 8, and science 12, though the current ELA and math gaps remain. Attendance is another concern: chronic absenteeism was 26% in 2025–26, the highest among nearby schools, and 8 points above both the state and district rates; it has fallen 6 points since 2021–22. SchoolDigger places Dexter at the 44th percentile with 2 stars, up from the 31st percentile the year before. Its student-teacher ratio was 21.3 in 2024–25, close to the nearby average of 21.5. In 2024–25, 87% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, 3 points above the nearby average. SchoolDigger’s statewide measure suggests the school serves Hispanic students comparatively well, at the 59th percentile in 2025–26 versus 44th overall; its measure for homeless students rose sharply, from the 31st percentile in 2024–25 to the 70th in 2025–26.

610

Students ?

21.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,474

Per pupil spending ?

86.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

11532 East Floral Dr.
Whittier, CA 90601-2832

(562) 789-3090

District: Whittier City

Students who attend Walter F. Dexter Middle usually attend:

High:

Whittier High

Feeder schools for Walter F. Dexter Middle:

Elementary:	Longfellow Elementary
	Lou Henry Hoover School of Fine Arts
	Lydia Jackson College Preparatory Academy
	Mill School and Technology Academy

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

93.1%

White:

3.1%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Walter F. Dexter Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 32nd percentile in 2015 → 44th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (34% vs 42% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (26% vs 18% California)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg43%

California avg42%

1,515^th of 2,703

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Whittier City

343^rd of 968Whittier City 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	38.8	1515 of 2703	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.3	1917 of 2761	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.0	1904 of 2783	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.0	1839 of 2781	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.0	1994 of 2740	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.2	1476 of 2715	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.7	1644 of 2480	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	37.0	1477 of 2508	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.4	1477 of 2497	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	28.5	1678 of 2477	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.4	1336 of 2379	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.7	1152 of 2259	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	39.0	1387 of 2236	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	33.7	1476 of 2179	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	39.9	1212 of 2063	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.8	1044 of 2005	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	38.1	1164 of 1999	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.5	1103 of 1804	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	42.0	956 of 1777	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	40.7	973 of 1769	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	24.2	1292 of 1531	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.9	936 of 1491	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.5	1235 of 1369	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	45.7	551 of 1478	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.3	799 of 1521	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	1035 of 1540	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.7	1188 of 1442	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.2	941 of 1364	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	32.8	1573 of 2483	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.5	1816 of 2533	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	1832 of 2551	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.9	1646 of 2531	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.5	1949 of 2509	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.7	1167 of 2380	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.3	1449 of 2262	35.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	51.7	956 of 2325	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.8	1487 of 2395	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.8	1376 of 2388	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.4	1258 of 2374	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.3	1515 of 2359	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.1	855 of 2213	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.5	1118 of 2072	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	58.5	131 of 442	70.4%	★★★★☆
2025	33.9	328 of 477	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	79.6	36 of 336	89.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.6	1222 of 2493	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	28.1	1843 of 2542	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	1699 of 2579	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.2	1577 of 2531	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.4	1680 of 2458	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.0	1012 of 2369	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.5	1309 of 2230	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	43.4	1239 of 2478	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	27.7	1763 of 2534	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.4	1705 of 2552	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.5	1712 of 2538	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.9	1742 of 2527	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.8	1554 of 2407	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.2	1645 of 2273	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	2.6	673 of 677	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	28.6	1164 of 1586	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.7	1183 of 1566	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	1307 of 1552	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	1347 of 1531	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	26.7	1186 of 1602	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.3	1077 of 1496	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)70th percentile+26 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)63rd percentile+31 vs school

Hispanic (2026)59th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)51st percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)50th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)37th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2026)27th percentile-17 vs school

White (2019)26th percentile-20 vs school

Disabled (2022)16th percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)1st percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Science32%-4 vs state

Mathematics26%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Walter F. Dexter 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)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)				CSA Spanish Listening (2026)				CSA Spanish Writing (2026)				CSA Spanish Reading (2026)				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	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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
Walter F. Dexter Middle	Public	6-8	11532 East Floral Dr.	Whittier	90601	Los Angeles County	Whittier City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 789-3090	610	29	21.3	86.7%	19 (3.1%)	3 (0.5%)	568 (93.1%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.3%)	38.8	1515^th of 2703 public middle schools	44.0%		27.3	1917^th of 2761 public middle schools	30.6%	402																	32.5	32.5	42.2	37.0	46.4	41.8	32.5	17.4	28.2	25.9	$15,474	$11,742	$3,732
Katherine Edwards Mid School STEAM & Dual Immersion Academy	Public	6-8	6812 South Norwalk Blvd.	Whittier	90606	Los Angeles County	Whittier City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 789-3115	894	43	21.0	77.3%	23 (2.6%)	1 (0.1%)	832 (93.1%)	9 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.0%)	65.2	801^st of 2703 public middle schools	70.4%		62.4	844^th of 2761 public middle schools	69.4%	43		10.0		10.0		38.0		38.0		36.0		36.0		8.0		8.0	32.0	32.0	58.8	63.2	52.5	58.4	40.8	41.7	44.2	42.2	$19,601	$15,834	$3,767
North Park Academy of the Arts	Public	6-8	4450 South Durfee Ave.	Pico Rivera	90660	Los Angeles County	El Rancho Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 801-7570	512	23	22.2	87.5%	6 (1.2%)	3 (0.6%)	492 (96.1%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18.6	2252^nd of 2703 public middle schools	16.7%		19.3	2256^th of 2761 public middle schools	18.3%	4																	18.6	18.6	16.2	26.7	34.3	26.9	8.6	18.8	19.3	16.3	$17,086	$16,194	$892
Los Nietos Middle	Public	6-8	11425 East Rivera Rd.	Los Nietos	90606	Los Angeles County	Los Nietos	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 695-0637	262	15	18.0	89.3%	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	251 (95.8%)	5 (1.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	59.8	927^th of 2703 public middle schools	65.7%		64.1	804^th of 2761 public middle schools	70.9%	123																	37.2	37.2	50.0	48.4	61.0	53.3	34.4	40.3	41.2	38.6	$39,660	$37,354	$2,306
Rivera Middle	Public	6-8	7200 Citronell Ave.	Pico Rivera	90660	Los Angeles County	El Rancho Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 801-7580	544	24	22.2	86.9%	6 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	533 (98.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	30.2	1797^th of 2703 public middle schools	33.5%		26.2	1946^th of 2761 public middle schools	29.5%	149	0.0	14.3	0.0	5.2	16.7	23.8	15.4	19.0	4.2	19.1	0.0	8.6	0.0	9.5	0.0	3.5	22.1	22.1	35.4	40.9	35.5	37.3	23.4	25.0	23.3	23.9	$20,436	$19,246	$1,190
STEAM Academy @ Burke	Public	6-8	8101 Orange Ave.	Pico Rivera	90660	Los Angeles County	El Rancho Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 801-7590	534	23	22.9	82.2%	6 (1.1%)	4 (0.7%)	514 (96.3%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	54.8	1046^th of 2703 public middle schools	61.3%		51.1	1155^th of 2761 public middle schools	58.2%	109																	29.6	29.6	50.0	57.8	52.7	53.4	30.9	39.6	34.9	35.1	$18,110	$17,118	$992
La Merced Intermediate	Public	6-8	215 East Avenida de la Merced	Montebello	90640	Los Angeles County	Montebello Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(323) 722-7262	682	32	21.5	92.4%	13 (1.9%)	6 (0.9%)	650 (95.3%)	12 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23.5	2034^th of 2703 public middle schools	24.8%		25.7	1972^nd of 2761 public middle schools	28.6%	62																	22.8	22.8	27.5	33.5	28.0	29.8	18.8	20.1	25.0	21.2	$15,915	$13,738	$2,177
East Whittier Middle	Public	6-8	14421 East Whittier Blvd.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	East Whittier City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 789-7220	985	44	22.3	69.1%	81 (8.2%)	5 (0.5%)	866 (87.9%)	17 (1.7%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.1%)	69.9	685^th of 2703 public middle schools	74.7%		73.7	613^th of 2761 public middle schools	77.8%	72																	40.0	40.0	57.5	58.5	57.3	57.7	47.5	51.2	39.8	46.1	$2,856	$1,520	$1,336
Richard L. Graves Middle	Public	6-8	13243 East Los Nietos Rd.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	South Whittier Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 944-0135	484	25	19.5	92.4%	7 (1.4%)	4 (0.8%)	461 (95.2%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	28.4	1864^th of 2703 public middle schools	31.0%		26	1954^th of 2761 public middle schools	29.2%	90																	22.3	22.3		27.9	41.3	35.0		21.9	23.3	22.4	$24,297	$23,084	$1,213
Orange Grove Middle	Public	6-8	14505 Orange Grove Ave.	Hacienda Heights	91745	Los Angeles County	Hacienda la Puente Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(626) 933-7000	287	14	21.0	82.9%	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	255 (88.9%)	17 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.8%)	40.1	1478^th of 2703 public middle schools	45.3%		29	1862^nd of 2761 public middle schools	32.6%	384																	26.0	26.0	48.2	42.9	45.7	45.7	25.6	22.2	29.9	26.3	$28,351	$26,368	$1,983

Frequently Asked Questions about Walter F. Dexter Middle

How many students attend Walter F. Dexter Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 610 students attended Walter F. Dexter Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Walter F. Dexter Middle?

Students at Walter F. Dexter Middle are 93% Hispanic, 3% White, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Walter F. Dexter Middle attend?

Students who attend Walter F. Dexter Middle usually go on to attend Whittier High

Is Walter F. Dexter Middle a good school?

Walter F. Dexter Middle ranks 1515^th of 2703 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Walter F. Dexter Middle in?

Whittier City

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Latest California data All new data »

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

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

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 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.