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Rancho San Joaquin Middle

Public Grades 7-8

89^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 97% of California middle schools

Summary

Rancho San Joaquin Middle is a high-performing public school serving about 860 students in grades 7 and 8 within the consistently top-rated Irvine Unified School District.

The school stands out for its exceptional and consistent academic record, ranking in the top 3-4% of all California middle schools for over a decade. It shows particular strength in science, where its 74% proficiency rate leads most other Irvine Unified schools like Sierra Vista Middle and Jeffrey Trail Middle. Notably, the school achieves excellent results for all student groups, historically ranking #1 in the state for English Learners and in the top percentiles for students from low-income households.

While all Irvine Unified middle schools perform well, Rancho San Joaquin does so with moderate resources, spending less per student than nearby schools such as South Lake Middle. The contrast with schools in neighboring districts like Santa Ana Unified and Tustin Unified is stark, highlighting significant differences in educational outcomes across district boundaries. The school's low chronic absenteeism rate of 8.4% supports its stable, high achievement.

860

Students ?

24.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,270

Per pupil spending ?

22.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4861 Michelson Dr.
Irvine, CA 92612-2826

(949) 936-6500

District: Irvine Unified

Students who attend Rancho San Joaquin Middle usually attend:

High:

University High

Feeder schools for Rancho San Joaquin Middle:

Elementary:	Alderwood Elementary
	Bonita Canyon Elementary
	Turtle Rock Elementary
	University Park Elementary
	More...
	Vista Verde

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

49.8%

White:

26.0%

Hispanic:

12.2%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Rancho San Joaquin Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 96th percentile in 2013 → 97th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (76% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% 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 (2024-2025) ?

This school76%

District avg71%

California avg41%

89^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 3%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Middle Schools in the Irvine Unified

114^th of 1,543Irvine 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	96.8	89 of 2761	96.8%	★★★★★
2024	97.6	73 of 2783	97.4%	★★★★★
2023	97.6	72 of 2781	97.4%	★★★★★
2022	97.7	63 of 2740	97.7%	★★★★★
2019	97.8	44 of 2715	98.4%	★★★★★
2018	97.3	44 of 2480	98.2%	★★★★★
2017	97.2	54 of 2508	97.8%	★★★★★
2016	96.7	46 of 2497	98.2%	★★★★★
2015	95.6	88 of 2477	96.4%	★★★★★
2013	90.0	85 of 2379	96.4%	★★★★★
2012	89.3	97 of 2259	95.7%	★★★★★
2011	89.9	90 of 2236	96.0%	★★★★★
2010	90.7	90 of 2179	95.9%	★★★★★
2009	91.8	70 of 2063	96.6%	★★★★★
2008	92.2	72 of 2005	96.4%	★★★★★
2007	92.3	75 of 1999	96.2%	★★★★★
2006	93.7	62 of 1804	96.6%	★★★★★
2005	94.5	57 of 1777	96.8%	★★★★★
2004	93.7	68 of 1769	96.2%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.6	251 of 609	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.4	168 of 627	73.2%	★★★★☆
2023	58.9	209 of 613	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.3	84 of 739	88.6%	★★★★☆
2024	82.9	77 of 743	89.6%	★★★★☆
2023	84.4	48 of 715	93.3%	★★★★★
2022	86.2	38 of 733	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	82.7	70 of 745	90.6%	★★★★★
2018	80.5	101 of 700	85.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	98.0	29 of 1531	98.1%	★★★★★
2019	99.0	17 of 1491	98.9%	★★★★★
2018	100.0	1 of 1369	99.9%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	99.1	9 of 1478	99.4%	★★★★★
2023	95.9	30 of 1521	98.0%	★★★★★
2022	100.0	1 of 1540	99.9%	★★★★★
2019	99.3	16 of 1442	98.9%	★★★★★
2018	99.7	12 of 1364	99.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.3	78 of 2533	96.9%	★★★★★
2024	96.7	78 of 2551	96.9%	★★★★★
2023	96.9	75 of 2531	97.0%	★★★★★
2022	96.6	80 of 2509	96.8%	★★★★★
2019	96.7	46 of 2380	98.1%	★★★★★
2018	96.0	63 of 2262	97.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.1	150 of 2395	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	85.9	199 of 2388	91.7%	★★★★★
2023	86.9	191 of 2374	92.0%	★★★★★
2022	94.0	78 of 2359	96.7%	★★★★★
2019	91.6	112 of 2213	94.9%	★★★★★
2018	93.5	87 of 2072	95.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.2	115 of 2542	95.5%	★★★★★
2024	94.7	110 of 2579	95.7%	★★★★★
2023	95.9	73 of 2531	97.1%	★★★★★
2022	95.3	74 of 2458	97.0%	★★★★★
2019	92.1	121 of 2369	94.9%	★★★★★
2018	90.0	130 of 2230	94.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.5	95 of 2534	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	97.5	63 of 2552	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	97.6	65 of 2538	97.4%	★★★★★
2022	97.9	51 of 2527	98.0%	★★★★★
2019	98.3	37 of 2407	98.5%	★★★★★
2018	98.0	34 of 2273	98.5%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	93.2	5 of 193	97.4%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.2	26 of 726	96.4%	★★★★★
2024	92.2	13 of 701	98.1%	★★★★★
2023	89.8	32 of 677	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	91.9	18 of 665	97.3%	★★★★★
2019	91.1	15 of 554	97.3%	★★★★★
2018	91.9	5 of 462	98.9%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.7	217 of 1566	86.1%	★★★★☆
2024	92.4	82 of 1552	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	99.2	16 of 1531	99.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	264 of 1520	82.6%	★★★★☆
2024	85.8	138 of 1537	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	83.6	176 of 1543	88.6%	★★★★☆
2022	81.2	225 of 1555	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	91.5	55 of 1602	96.6%	★★★★★
2018	88.3	100 of 1496	93.3%	★★★★★

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)

English Language Learner (2024)99th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)98th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2022)97th percentile~ school

Female (2025)97th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)96th percentile~ school

Male (2025)96th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)94th percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2025)89th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2025)86th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)83rd percentile-14 vs school

African American (2025)59th percentile-38 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy78%+29 vs state

Mathematics75%+37 vs state

Science74%+41 vs state

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Schools Near Rancho San Joaquin 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)				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
Rancho San Joaquin Middle	Public	7-8	4861 Michelson Dr.	Irvine	92612	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-6500	860	35	24.3	22.3%	224 (26.0%)	23 (2.7%)	105 (12.2%)	428 (49.8%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	77 (9.0%)	96.8	89^th of 2761 public middle schools	96.8%		97.6	73^rd of 2783 public middle schools	97.4%	16	73.9	73.9		78.2	78.4	78.3		72.5	76.8	74.7	$15,270	$14,532	$738
South Lake Middle	Public	7-8	655 West Yale Loop	Irvine	92614	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-6700	652	29	22.2	34.2%	205 (31.4%)	25 (3.8%)	108 (16.6%)	239 (36.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	72 (11.0%)	91.2	247^th of 2761 public middle schools	91.1%		92.8	211^th of 2783 public middle schools	92.4%	36	58.5	58.5		69.3	75.8	72.7		59.3	60.2	59.8	$16,546	$15,672	$874
Lakeside Middle	Public	7-8	3 Lemongrass	Irvine	92604	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 559-1601	629	25	24.8	23.4%	195 (31.0%)	12 (1.9%)	69 (11.0%)	289 (45.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (10.2%)	96.4	107^th of 2761 public middle schools	96.1%		97	90^th of 2783 public middle schools	96.8%	17	63.1	63.1		81.3	75.7	78.5		75.7	75.9	75.8	$16,923	$16,202	$721
Venado Middle	Public	7-8	4 Deerfield Ave.	Irvine	92604	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-6800	506	24	20.9	20.8%	99 (19.6%)	4 (0.8%)	80 (15.8%)	263 (52.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (11.5%)	95.2	148^th of 2761 public middle schools	94.6%		93.7	194^th of 2783 public middle schools	93.0%	46	62.3	62.3		77.1	77.4	77.3		70.5	67.1	68.8	$18,280	$17,478	$802
Jeffrey Trail Middle	Public	7-8	155 Visions	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-5000	1,049	42	24.7	18.3%	164 (15.6%)	21 (2.0%)	94 (9.0%)	681 (64.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	85 (8.1%)	96	117^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.8%		96.6	104^th of 2783 public middle schools	96.3%	13	65.4	65.4		78.1	74.7	76.4		76.6	73.4	75.0	$14,890	$14,654	$236
Sierra Vista Middle	Public	7-8	2 Liberty	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-6600	1,282	49	26.1	14.7%	188 (14.7%)	16 (1.2%)	103 (8.0%)	859 (67.0%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	109 (8.5%)	97.8	55^th of 2761 public middle schools	98.0%		97.8	64^th of 2783 public middle schools	97.7%	9	71.1	71.1		82.7	81.2	82.0		81.5	78.7	80.1	$14,529	$14,288	$241
Douglas MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate	Public	6-8	600 West Alton Ave.	Santa Ana	92707	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 513-9800	1,005	45	22.4	82.0%	17 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	908 (90.3%)	52 (5.2%)	5 (0.5%)	5 (0.5%)	17 (1.7%)	53.1	1096^th of 2761 public middle schools	60.3%		48.9	1200^th of 2783 public middle schools	56.9%	104	27.7	27.7	50.3	47.8	52.2	50.2	34.9	30.5	36.0	33.9	$25,204	$24,376	$828
C. E. Utt Middle	Public	6-8	13601 Browning Ave.	Tustin	92780	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7573	554	25	22.4	82.1%	40 (7.2%)	8 (1.4%)	437 (78.9%)	51 (9.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	15 (2.7%)	41.8	1441^st of 2761 public middle schools	47.8%		47.8	1221^st of 2783 public middle schools	56.1%	220	27.4	27.4	41.8	41.7	45.0	42.9	24.4	22.5	34.4	27.3	$20,242	$19,084	$1,158
Julia C. Lathrop Intermediate	Public	6-8	1111 South Broadway	Santa Ana	92707	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 567-3300	584	33	17.5	96.7%	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	568 (97.3%)	7 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	14.5	2462^nd of 2761 public middle schools	10.8%		13.3	2541^st of 2783 public middle schools	8.7%	79	15.1	15.1	15.7	23.0	24.4	22.0	6.5	12.4	12.0	10.9	$36,935	$35,678	$1,257
Raymond A. Villa Fundamental Intermediate	Public	6-8	1441 East Chestnut Ave.	Santa Ana	92701	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 558-5100	936	46	20.4	95.3%	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	914 (97.6%)	15 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	20	2222^nd of 2761 public middle schools	19.5%		18.8	2308^th of 2783 public middle schools	17.1%	86	16.1	16.1	34.3	35.1	28.2	32.5	12.2	10.9	11.2	11.4	$25,000	$24,308	$692

Frequently Asked Questions about Rancho San Joaquin Middle

What district is Rancho San Joaquin Middle in?

Irvine Unified

What high school do graduates of Rancho San Joaquin Middle attend?

Students who attend Rancho San Joaquin Middle usually go on to attend University High

Is Rancho San Joaquin Middle a good school?

Yes! Rancho San Joaquin Middle is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 89^th of 2761 California middle schools.

How many students attend Rancho San Joaquin Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 860 students attended Rancho San Joaquin Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Rancho San Joaquin Middle?

Students at Rancho San Joaquin Middle are 50% Asian, 26% White, 12% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 3% African American.

Rate Rancho San Joaquin Middle!

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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.