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Placerita Junior High

Q: Is Placerita Junior High a good school?

Placerita Junior High ranks 514 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

514^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 81% of California middle schools

Summary

Placerita Junior High is a well-regarded public middle school serving about 940 students in grades 7 and 8 in Newhall, CA, as part of the William S. Hart Union High district, consistently earning a 4-star rating and performing above state averages.

What makes Placerita stand out is its strong academic results for its student population. The school has a higher percentage of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds than many of its district peers, yet it achieves test scores that significantly beat state averages and often outperform schools with similar demographics, like La Mesa Junior High and Sierra Vista Junior High. The school is particularly effective at supporting vulnerable student groups and maintains a lower chronic absenteeism rate than both the district and state, which is a sign of a healthy, engaging school environment.

While Placerita is a high-performing school within its own district, it's important to note that some other Hart district schools, such as Rancho Pico Junior High and Rio Norte Junior High, post higher overall test scores, though they serve communities with different economic profiles. Compared to middle schools in neighboring districts like Los Angeles Unified, Placerita generally performs very well. Parents can expect a consistently solid and supportive educational experience at Placerita, with the school demonstrating a notable ability to help students succeed.

940

Students ?

21.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,072

Per pupil spending ?

53.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

25015 North Newhall Ave.
Newhall, CA 91321-1098

(661) 259-1551

District: William S. Hart Union High

Students who attend Placerita Junior High usually attend:

High:	Academy of the Canyons
	William S. Hart High

Feeder schools for Placerita Junior High:

Elementary:	Meadows Elementary
	Newhall Elementary
	Old Orchard Elementary
	Peachland Avenue Elementary
	More...
	Valencia Valley Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

64.9%

White:

27.7%

Asian:

3.8%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Placerita Junior High to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 85th percentile in 2013 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (53% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of California middle schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school53%

District avg56%

California avg41%

514^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 19%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 6Middle Schools in the William S. Hart Union High

235^th of 1,543William S. Hart Union High 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	78.1	514 of 2761	81.4%	★★★★☆
2024	80.0	478 of 2783	82.8%	★★★★☆
2023	77.7	534 of 2781	80.8%	★★★★☆
2022	69.9	683 of 2740	75.1%	★★★★☆
2019	83.0	412 of 2715	84.8%	★★★★☆
2018	76.2	507 of 2480	79.6%	★★★★☆
2017	75.8	556 of 2508	77.8%	★★★★☆
2016	77.3	502 of 2497	79.9%	★★★★☆
2015	77.9	473 of 2477	80.9%	★★★★☆
2013	79.0	348 of 2379	85.4%	★★★★☆
2012	83.9	212 of 2259	90.6%	★★★★★
2011	85.1	192 of 2236	91.4%	★★★★★
2010	86.3	167 of 2179	92.3%	★★★★★
2009	85.2	191 of 2063	90.7%	★★★★★
2008	85.1	194 of 2005	90.3%	★★★★★
2007	89.1	143 of 1999	92.8%	★★★★★
2006	81.4	267 of 1804	85.2%	★★★★☆
2005	83.8	221 of 1777	87.6%	★★★★☆
2004	84.1	219 of 1769	87.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	67.2	307 of 1531	79.9%	★★★★☆
2019	98.2	25 of 1491	98.3%	★★★★★
2018	81.6	150 of 1369	89.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	58.7	286 of 1478	80.6%	★★★★☆
2023	45.3	565 of 1521	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.2	245 of 1540	84.1%	★★★★☆
2019	47.8	477 of 1442	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.2	429 of 1364	68.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.9	504 of 2533	80.1%	★★★★☆
2024	76.1	524 of 2551	79.5%	★★★★☆
2023	73.8	541 of 2531	78.6%	★★★★☆
2022	70.5	602 of 2509	76.0%	★★★★☆
2019	82.1	390 of 2380	83.6%	★★★★☆
2018	79.6	417 of 2262	81.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.4	355 of 2395	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	81.6	292 of 2388	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	76.5	370 of 2374	84.4%	★★★★☆
2022	71.0	475 of 2359	79.9%	★★★★☆
2019	82.4	260 of 2213	88.3%	★★★★☆
2018	67.6	499 of 2072	75.9%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.1	46 of 477	90.4%	★★★★★
2024	81.8	29 of 394	92.6%	★★★★★
2023	90.5	18 of 320	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	82.8	27 of 336	92.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.7	485 of 2542	80.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	544 of 2579	78.9%	★★★★☆
2023	66.3	607 of 2531	76.0%	★★★★☆
2022	57.8	788 of 2458	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.5	479 of 2369	79.8%	★★★★☆
2018	59.8	706 of 2230	68.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.6	490 of 2534	80.7%	★★★★☆
2024	81.0	408 of 2552	84.0%	★★★★☆
2023	79.2	456 of 2538	82.0%	★★★★☆
2022	68.0	656 of 2527	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	81.6	394 of 2407	83.6%	★★★★☆
2018	71.4	563 of 2273	75.2%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.4	254 of 726	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.6	287 of 701	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.0	284 of 677	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.9	176 of 554	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.6	148 of 462	68.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.1	637 of 1566	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.8	296 of 1552	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	68.9	278 of 1531	81.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.1	101 of 1520	93.4%	★★★★★
2024	84.9	153 of 1537	90.0%	★★★★★
2023	83.9	169 of 1543	89.0%	★★★★☆
2022	74.3	338 of 1555	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	88.3	113 of 1602	92.9%	★★★★★
2018	84.5	169 of 1496	88.7%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2025)93rd percentile+12 vs school

Homeless (2025)90th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)85th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)81st percentile~ school

Male (2025)81st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)81st percentile~ school

Female (2025)80th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)80th percentile+5 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)65th percentile-16 vs school

Special Education (2025)59th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy62%+13 vs state

Mathematics47%+10 vs state

Science47%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Placerita Junior High

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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 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
Placerita Junior High	Public	7-8	25015 North Newhall Ave.	Newhall	91321	Los Angeles County	William S. Hart Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 259-1551	940	44	21.3	53.6%	260 (27.7%)	10 (1.1%)	610 (64.9%)	36 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (2.6%)	78.1	514^th of 2761 public middle schools	81.4%		80	478^th of 2783 public middle schools	82.8%	36	46.6	46.6		64.1	60.0	62.0		52.0	43.0	47.4	$21,072	$20,170	$902
Rancho Pico Junior High	Public	7-8	26250 West Valencia Blvd.	Stevenson Ranch	91381	Los Angeles County	William S. Hart Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 284-3260	842	36	23.5	13.4%	289 (34.3%)	37 (4.4%)	194 (23.0%)	252 (29.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	68 (8.1%)	95.5	134^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.1%		95	154^th of 2783 public middle schools	94.5%	20	61.5	61.5		82.1	80.8	81.4		70.7	62.4	66.4	$20,594	$19,416	$1,178
La Mesa Junior High	Public	7-8	26623 May Way	Santa Clarita	91351	Los Angeles County	William S. Hart Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 250-0022	1,017	50	20.2	47.8%	180 (17.7%)	79 (7.8%)	578 (56.8%)	133 (13.1%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	42 (4.1%)	67.3	735^th of 2761 public middle schools	73.4%		56.8	965^th of 2783 public middle schools	65.3%	230	31.2	31.2		63.6	55.4	59.3		50.8	35.6	42.9	$20,723	$18,744	$1,979
Arroyo Seco Junior High	Public	7-8	27171 North Vista Delgado Dr.	Valencia	91354	Los Angeles County	William S. Hart Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 296-0991	1,239	51	24.3	17.2%	472 (38.1%)	37 (3.0%)	473 (38.2%)	164 (13.2%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	89 (7.2%)	86.9	337^th of 2761 public middle schools	87.8%		85.4	378^th of 2783 public middle schools	86.4%	41	52.4	52.4		68.7	68.5	68.6		52.7	57.7	55.1	$18,483	$17,682	$801
Sierra Vista Junior High	Public	7-8	19425 West Stillmore St.	Canyon Country	91351	Los Angeles County	William S. Hart Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 252-3113	946	46	20.4	43.4%	211 (22.3%)	23 (2.4%)	651 (68.8%)	35 (3.7%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	23 (2.4%)	59	930^th of 2761 public middle schools	66.3%		59.7	896^th of 2783 public middle schools	67.8%	34	36.1	36.1		51.0	55.2	53.0		34.3	34.6	34.4	$22,262	$21,068	$1,194
Rio Norte Junior High	Public	7-8	28771 Rio Norte Dr.	Santa Clarita	91354	Los Angeles County	William S. Hart Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 295-3700	1,138	47	24.0	17.0%	436 (38.3%)	54 (4.7%)	282 (24.8%)	294 (25.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	70 (6.2%)	92	227^th of 2761 public middle schools	91.8%		90.1	276^th of 2783 public middle schools	90.1%	49	52.7	52.7		76.7	72.1	74.5		64.6	61.6	63.2	$20,555	$18,900	$1,655
Robert Frost Middle	Public	6-8	12314 Bradford Pl.	Granada Hills	91344	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 832-6900	1,505	63	23.8	54.1%	498 (33.1%)	49 (3.3%)	749 (49.8%)	138 (9.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (4.7%)	91.7	232^nd of 2761 public middle schools	91.6%		91	257^th of 2783 public middle schools	90.8%	25	55.0	55.0	74.6	78.2	69.5	74.2	65.4	60.7	58.9	61.8	$28,840	$27,056	$1,784
Olive Vista Middle	Public	6-8	14600 Tyler St.	Sylmar	91342	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 833-3900	897	49	18.2	88.7%	15 (1.7%)	11 (1.2%)	856 (95.4%)	8 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.8%)	39.5	1501^st of 2761 public middle schools	45.6%		32.6	1721^st of 2783 public middle schools	38.2%	220	24.4	24.4	39.3	43.2	39.7	40.8	21.6	32.9	28.3	27.9	$39,538	$37,054	$2,484
Castaic Middle	Public	7-8	28900 Hillcrest Pkwy.	Castaic	91384	Los Angeles County	Castaic Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 257-4550	451	20	22.7	50.8%	157 (34.8%)	12 (2.7%)	216 (47.9%)	29 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (8.0%)	71.2	645^th of 2761 public middle schools	76.6%		64.3	797^th of 2783 public middle schools	71.4%	152	42.7	42.7		59.4	62.3	60.8		40.6	39.3	40.0	$20,457	$20,140	$317
Patrick Henry Middle	Public	6-8	17340 San Jose St.	Granada Hills	91344	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 832-3870	1,053	59	17.9	76.2%	124 (11.8%)	43 (4.1%)	765 (72.6%)	75 (7.1%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	42 (4.0%)	59.8	911^th of 2761 public middle schools	67.0%		50	1173^rd of 2783 public middle schools	57.9%	262	31.6	31.6	55.1	49.7	52.8	52.5	50.0	32.1	34.8	38.7	$36,295	$33,912	$2,383

Frequently Asked Questions about Placerita Junior High

Is Placerita Junior High a good school?

Placerita Junior High ranks 514^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Placerita Junior High?

Students at Placerita Junior High are 65% Hispanic, 28% White, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend Placerita Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 940 students attended Placerita Junior High.

What district is Placerita Junior High in?

William S. Hart Union High

What high school do graduates of Placerita Junior High attend?

Students who attend Placerita Junior High usually go on to attend Academy of the Canyons

Rate Placerita Junior High!

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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.