Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 90250

This analysis covers four public middle schools (grades 6-8) in zip code 90250, serving the Hawthorne, CA area, which operate across two districts: Wiseburn Unified and Hawthorne.

Wiseburn Middle stands out as the highest-performing school, ranking in the top 21% of California middle schools. It leads in English, math, and science test scores and has the best student attendance, despite having the largest class sizes and the lowest per-student spending. The three schools in the Hawthorne district—Hawthorne Middle, Prairie Vista Middle, and Bud Carson Middle—have more similar academic results, generally below state averages, with higher chronic absenteeism and higher per-student spending than Wiseburn.

Key takeaways for parents include a notable performance gap between the districts, with Wiseburn's model achieving strong results efficiently. Among the Hawthorne district schools, Hawthorne Middle shows the most improvement in its statewide rank. All schools saw their rankings drop over the past few years, and higher rates of chronic absenteeism in the Hawthorne district schools correlate with their lower academic performance, highlighting attendance as a critical area for support.