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Rio Norte Junior High

Public Grades 7-8

184^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,703 California Middle Schools

Better than 93% of California middle schools

Summary

Rio Norte Junior High serves 1,138 students in grades 7–8 in Santa Clarita, in the William S. Hart Union High district. Its strongest headline is consistent achievement across English language arts (ELA), math and science: in 2025–26, proficiency was 77%, 67% and 60%, respectively. The most important finding is that Rio Norte exceeded both state and district results in all three subjects.

Rio Norte is near the top of its nearby district schools in ELA and math, and leads them in science. It ranked second in ELA and math among the six nearby schools, behind Rancho Pico Junior High, which scored 80% and 67% compared with Rio Norte’s 77% and 67%. Rio Norte’s science result of 60% was the highest locally. Statewide, Rio Norte was ahead by 28 points in ELA, 28 in math and 25 in science; it also exceeded district rates by 7, 15 and 9 points, respectively. The closest local competition is particularly tight in math.

Math shows the clearest recent improvement: it rose 12 points from 2022–23 to 2025–26, while science gained 7 points and ELA changed little. SchoolDigger ranks Rio Norte 184th of 2,703 California schools, at the 93rd percentile with 5 stars; the district is at the 76th percentile with 4 stars. Rio Norte’s percentile rose from 90 to 93 over three years. Context for families: the school reported 17% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25, and its student–teacher ratio is 24:1, among the higher ratios in the nearby group. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness percentile for Asian students, a measure of how well the school serves that group, rose from 76 in 2023–24 to 94 in 2025–26. Its percentile for multiracial students rose from 64 to 87 over the same period, while the overall school percentile increased from 90 to 93.

1,138

Students ?

24.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,555

Per pupil spending ?

17.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

28771 Rio Norte Dr.
Santa Clarita, CA 91354-1700

(661) 295-3700

District: William S. Hart Union High

Students who attend Rio Norte Junior High usually attend:

High:	Academy of the Canyons
	Valencia High

Feeder schools for Rio Norte Junior High:

Elementary:	Charles Helmers Elementary
	North Park Elementary
	Tesoro del Valle Elementary
	West Creek Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.3%

Asian:

25.8%

Hispanic:

24.8%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Rio Norte Junior High to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 94th percentile in 2015 → 93rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (70% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of California middle schools

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school70%

District avg59%

California avg42%

184^th of 2,703

California public middle schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Middle Schools in the William S. Hart Union High

235^th of 968William 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
2026	93.3	184 of 2703	93.2%	★★★★★
2025	92.0	227 of 2761	91.8%	★★★★★
2024	90.1	276 of 2783	90.1%	★★★★★
2023	92.3	221 of 2781	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	91.5	235 of 2740	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	93.1	194 of 2715	92.9%	★★★★★
2018	93.7	159 of 2480	93.6%	★★★★★
2017	90.9	228 of 2508	90.9%	★★★★★
2016	91.1	200 of 2497	92.0%	★★★★★
2015	92.6	161 of 2477	93.5%	★★★★★
2013	86.3	158 of 2379	93.4%	★★★★★
2012	87.1	146 of 2259	93.5%	★★★★★
2011	87.0	148 of 2236	93.4%	★★★★★
2010	88.4	128 of 2179	94.1%	★★★★★
2009	87.8	139 of 2063	93.3%	★★★★★
2008	87.8	147 of 2005	92.7%	★★★★★
2007	90.3	116 of 1999	94.2%	★★★★★
2006	90.8	111 of 1804	93.8%	★★★★★
2005	89.1	131 of 1777	92.6%	★★★★★
2004	85.9	182 of 1769	89.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	93.2	21 of 583	96.4%	★★★★★
2025	88.5	33 of 609	94.6%	★★★★★
2024	96.5	19 of 627	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	97.2	10 of 613	98.4%	★★★★★
2022	97.8	7 of 637	98.9%	★★★★★
2019	96.1	17 of 643	97.4%	★★★★★
2018	96.5	16 of 600	97.3%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	85.0	46 of 769	94.0%	★★★★★
2025	80.8	104 of 739	85.9%	★★★★☆
2024	75.8	176 of 743	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	77.2	137 of 715	80.8%	★★★★☆
2022	77.7	153 of 733	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	84.4	46 of 745	93.8%	★★★★★
2018	84.3	51 of 700	92.7%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	82.3	157 of 1531	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	95.6	48 of 1491	96.8%	★★★★★
2018	96.6	31 of 1369	97.7%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	59.0	282 of 1521	81.5%	★★★★☆
2018	88.8	84 of 1364	93.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	92.8	170 of 2483	93.2%	★★★★★
2025	90.4	238 of 2533	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	89.1	269 of 2551	89.5%	★★★★☆
2023	91.8	205 of 2531	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	91.2	208 of 2509	91.7%	★★★★★
2019	89.8	228 of 2380	90.4%	★★★★★
2018	91.5	184 of 2262	91.9%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	95.5	55 of 2325	97.6%	★★★★★
2025	90.6	145 of 2395	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	84.5	225 of 2388	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	91.1	124 of 2374	94.8%	★★★★★
2022	87.6	172 of 2359	92.7%	★★★★★
2019	95.1	63 of 2213	97.2%	★★★★★
2018	93.3	91 of 2072	95.6%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	91.9	121 of 2493	95.1%	★★★★★
2025	92.1	136 of 2542	94.6%	★★★★★
2024	88.2	216 of 2579	91.6%	★★★★★
2023	93.3	110 of 2531	95.7%	★★★★★
2022	84.0	226 of 2458	90.8%	★★★★★
2019	89.8	144 of 2369	93.9%	★★★★★
2018	94.8	61 of 2230	97.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	92.0	189 of 2478	92.4%	★★★★★
2025	91.7	210 of 2534	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	89.2	272 of 2552	89.3%	★★★★☆
2023	91.2	213 of 2538	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	90.8	226 of 2527	91.1%	★★★★★
2019	94.6	138 of 2407	94.3%	★★★★★
2018	94.6	123 of 2273	94.6%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	81.8	98 of 734	86.6%	★★★★☆
2025	81.6	116 of 726	84.0%	★★★★☆
2024	64.2	254 of 701	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.3	270 of 677	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.8	153 of 554	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	79.0	82 of 462	82.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	85.9	134 of 1586	91.6%	★★★★★
2025	77.6	199 of 1566	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	74.7	233 of 1552	85.0%	★★★★☆
2023	90.9	81 of 1531	94.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	71.6	366 of 1482	75.3%	★★★★☆
2025	71.8	391 of 1520	74.3%	★★★★☆
2024	77.4	282 of 1537	81.7%	★★★★☆
2023	78.1	267 of 1543	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	74.7	329 of 1555	78.8%	★★★★☆
2019	77.6	309 of 1602	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	80.4	255 of 1496	83.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)98th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2026)96th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)95th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)94th percentile~ school

Female (2026)93rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)92nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)92nd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)90th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)87th percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)81st percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)75th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy77%+28 vs state

Mathematics67%+28 vs state

Science60%+24 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Rio Norte 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				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	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
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%)	93.3	184^th of 2703 public middle schools	93.2%		92	227^th of 2761 public middle schools	91.8%	43	60.5	60.5		83.3	71.8	77.5		72.4	61.1	66.7	$20,555	$18,900	$1,655
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%)	84	383^rd of 2703 public middle schools	85.8%		86.9	337^th of 2761 public middle schools	87.8%	46	49.3	49.3		67.6	67.3	67.5		53.9	58.0	55.9	$18,483	$17,682	$801
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%)	94	164^th of 2703 public middle schools	93.9%		95.5	134^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.1%	30	58.1	58.1		82.2	77.9	80.1		71.7	63.0	67.4	$20,594	$19,416	$1,178
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%)	69	704^th of 2703 public middle schools	74.0%		71.2	645^th of 2761 public middle schools	76.6%	59	46.0	46.0		66.8	59.2	62.9		39.2	36.6	37.9	$20,457	$20,140	$317
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%)	72.9	606^th of 2703 public middle schools	77.6%		78.1	514^th of 2761 public middle schools	81.4%	92	40.4	40.4		65.6	61.6	63.7		50.9	40.0	45.7	$21,072	$20,170	$902
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%)	55.6	1028^th of 2703 public middle schools	62.0%		59	930^th of 2761 public middle schools	66.3%	98	33.9	33.9		55.9	46.1	50.7		38.7	37.5	38.0	$22,262	$21,068	$1,194
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%)	70.8	659^th of 2703 public middle schools	75.6%		67.3	735^th of 2761 public middle schools	73.4%	76	36.6	36.6		60.2	62.5	61.4		48.5	45.4	46.8	$20,723	$18,744	$1,979
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%)	91.8	218^th of 2703 public middle schools	91.9%		91.7	232^nd of 2761 public middle schools	91.6%	14	60.6	60.6	71.7	77.0	72.1	73.6	63.0	66.0	61.0	63.4	$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%)	39.1	1510^th of 2703 public middle schools	44.1%		39.5	1501^st of 2761 public middle schools	45.6%	9	29.5	29.5	35.5	39.8	46.1	40.3	26.2	25.8	35.6	29.2	$39,538	$37,054	$2,484
PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	1218 North Fourth St.	San Fernando	91504	Los Angeles County	PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 256-1951	351	16	21.9	90.0%	6 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	340 (96.9%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Rio Norte Junior High

Is Rio Norte Junior High a good school?

Yes. Rio Norte Junior High ranks in the top 6.8% of California middle schools.

What district is Rio Norte Junior High in?

William S. Hart Union High

What is the racial makeup of Rio Norte Junior High?

Students at Rio Norte Junior High are 38% White, 26% Asian, 25% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 5% African American.

What high school do graduates of Rio Norte Junior High attend?

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

How many students attend Rio Norte Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,138 students attended Rio Norte Junior High.

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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.