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Venado Middle

Public Grades 7-8

148^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 95% of California middle schools

Summary

Venado Middle School is a 7th-8th grade school serving 506 students within the highly-regarded Irvine Unified School District, consistently ranking in the top 5% of all California middle schools.

Academically, Venado significantly outperforms state averages, but it ranks lowest among its Irvine peers in math and science proficiency compared to schools like Sierra Vista Middle and Jeffrey Trail Middle. However, it offers advantages, including the lowest student-teacher ratio in the district and the highest per-student spending. The school demonstrates exceptional effectiveness with English Language Learners and Special Education students, ranking in the 94th-98th percentiles statewide for these groups.

When compared to schools in neighboring districts like Santa Ana Unified or Tustin Unified, the performance of all Irvine schools is notably strong. Within Irvine, a correlation exists between lower chronic absenteeism and higher academic performance; Venado's absenteeism rate is middle-of-the-pack, higher than Lakeside Middle but lower than South Lake Middle. Its statewide ranking has gradually declined over the past decade, though it maintains a top-tier 5-star rating.

506

Students ?

20.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,643

Per pupil spending ?

20.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4 Deerfield Ave.
Irvine, CA 92604-3048

(949) 936-6800

District: Irvine Unified

Students who attend Venado Middle usually attend:

High:

Irvine High

Feeder schools for Venado Middle:

Elementary:	College Park Elementary
	Deerfield Elementary
	Greentree Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

52.0%

White:

19.6%

Hispanic:

15.8%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Venado Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 96th percentile in 2013 → 95th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (71% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of California middle schools

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Irvine Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school71%

District avg71%

California avg41%

148^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 5%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th 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	95.2	148 of 2761	94.6%	★★★★★
2024	93.7	194 of 2783	93.0%	★★★★★
2023	92.0	236 of 2781	91.5%	★★★★★
2022	93.7	177 of 2740	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	94.2	163 of 2715	94.0%	★★★★★
2018	91.7	194 of 2480	92.2%	★★★★★
2017	94.6	136 of 2508	94.6%	★★★★★
2016	94.3	115 of 2497	95.4%	★★★★★
2015	95.6	89 of 2477	96.4%	★★★★★
2013	89.8	96 of 2379	96.0%	★★★★★
2012	90.6	69 of 2259	96.9%	★★★★★
2011	87.7	138 of 2236	93.8%	★★★★★
2010	90.2	97 of 2179	95.5%	★★★★★
2009	90.9	89 of 2063	95.7%	★★★★★
2008	91.0	91 of 2005	95.5%	★★★★★
2007	92.3	76 of 1999	96.2%	★★★★★
2006	92.7	74 of 1804	95.9%	★★★★★
2005	92.8	70 of 1777	96.1%	★★★★★
2004	93.8	65 of 1769	96.3%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.7	157 of 739	78.8%	★★★★☆
2024	73.8	197 of 743	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	74.7	169 of 715	76.4%	★★★★☆
2022	73.9	192 of 733	73.8%	★★★★☆
2019	74.8	186 of 745	75.0%	★★★★☆
2018	73.8	191 of 700	72.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	79.4	187 of 1531	87.8%	★★★★☆
2019	86.9	115 of 1491	92.3%	★★★★★
2018	78.8	179 of 1369	86.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	95.6	31 of 1478	97.9%	★★★★★
2023	89.3	59 of 1521	96.1%	★★★★★
2022	95.2	30 of 1540	98.1%	★★★★★
2019	99.2	17 of 1442	98.8%	★★★★★
2018	90.2	73 of 1364	94.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.2	115 of 2533	95.5%	★★★★★
2024	93.9	162 of 2551	93.6%	★★★★★
2023	91.3	225 of 2531	91.1%	★★★★★
2022	95.5	114 of 2509	95.5%	★★★★★
2019	94.5	110 of 2380	95.4%	★★★★★
2018	91.2	197 of 2262	91.3%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.6	419 of 2395	82.5%	★★★★☆
2024	60.3	720 of 2388	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.1	682 of 2374	71.3%	★★★★☆
2022	70.1	491 of 2359	79.2%	★★★★☆
2019	81.7	272 of 2213	87.7%	★★★★☆
2018	76.7	332 of 2072	84.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.0	189 of 2542	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	78.9	368 of 2579	85.7%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	301 of 2531	88.1%	★★★★☆
2022	90.3	141 of 2458	94.3%	★★★★★
2019	79.9	307 of 2369	87.0%	★★★★☆
2018	76.5	354 of 2230	84.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.8	164 of 2534	93.5%	★★★★★
2024	92.1	205 of 2552	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	91.1	217 of 2538	91.4%	★★★★★
2022	89.9	242 of 2527	90.4%	★★★★★
2019	92.8	186 of 2407	92.3%	★★★★★
2018	91.5	195 of 2273	91.4%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	31.1	135 of 197	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.6	78 of 193	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.9	184 of 726	74.7%	★★★★☆
2024	69.1	215 of 701	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.0	234 of 677	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	83.6	78 of 665	88.3%	★★★★☆
2019	64.9	206 of 554	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.0	201 of 462	56.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.0	99 of 1566	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	83.9	141 of 1552	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	84.0	138 of 1531	91.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.1	367 of 1520	75.9%	★★★★☆
2024	58.6	610 of 1537	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.1	630 of 1543	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.7	490 of 1555	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	79.7	269 of 1602	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	77.0	318 of 1496	78.7%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)98th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)95th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)94th percentile~ school

Male (2025)94th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)88th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)83rd percentile-12 vs school

Asian (2025)79th percentile-16 vs school

White (2025)76th percentile-19 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)75th percentile-20 vs school

Military Connected (2023)31st percentile-60 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy77%+28 vs state

Mathematics69%+31 vs state

Science62%+30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Venado Middle

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 (2024)
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
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	$16,643	$863	$15,780
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	$15,142	$789	$14,353
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	$13,657	$405	$13,252
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	$16,577	$1,130	$15,447
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	$13,176	$394	$12,782
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	$14,938	$821	$14,117
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	$17,604	$1,946	$15,658
Pioneer Middle	Public	6-8	2700 Pioneer Rd.	Tustin	92782	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7534	971	37	26.3	39.4%	187 (19.3%)	21 (2.2%)	272 (28.0%)	377 (38.8%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	110 (11.3%)	90.4	268^th of 2761 public middle schools	90.3%		93.6	196^th of 2783 public middle schools	93.0%	72	58.8	58.8	65.1	71.9	74.3	70.6	55.6	62.1	68.3	62.1	$18,621	$1,278	$17,343
Columbus Tustin Middle	Public	6-8	17952 Beneta Way	Tustin	92780	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7352	583	25	23.6	85.6%	34 (5.8%)	14 (2.4%)	472 (81.0%)	44 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	16 (2.7%)	41.9	1433^rd of 2761 public middle schools	48.1%		56.2	985^th of 2783 public middle schools	64.6%	448	27.0	27.0	31.5	48.3	42.9	40.9	24.4	32.0	31.9	29.5	$16,917	$1,892	$15,025
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	$23,520	$827	$22,693

Frequently Asked Questions about Venado Middle

Is Venado Middle a good school?

Yes. Venado Middle ranks in the top 5.4% of California middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Venado Middle?

Students at Venado Middle are 52% Asian, 20% White, 16% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races.

How many students attend Venado Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 506 students attended Venado Middle.

What high school do graduates of Venado Middle attend?

Students who attend Venado Middle usually go on to attend Irvine High

What district is Venado Middle in?

Irvine Unified

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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.