Summary:
Four middle schools in ZIP code 92336 serve grades 6–8, and their 2025–2026 results vary considerably. The schools’ average proficiency was 44% in English language arts (ELA), 30% in math and 26% in science, compared with state rates of 49%, 38% and 36%. The gap between the strongest and weakest school was widest in ELA, at 37 percentage points, and the area’s average shortfall from the state was largest in science, at 10 points. The most important takeaway is that ZIP-code averages hide substantial school-to-school differences, with Heritage Intermediate clearly out in front.
Heritage Intermediate led all three subjects, with proficiency of 66% in ELA, 46% in math and 37% in science; its leads over the next-highest school, Wayne Ruble Middle, were 14, 11 and 4 percentage points, respectively. Wayne Ruble Middle ranked second in each subject and was the only other school above the state in ELA, at 52%. At the lower end, Alder Middle had the lowest results—29% in ELA, 20% in math and 17% in science—just 1, 2 and 2 points below Almeria Middle. SchoolDigger’s 2025–2026 rankings place Heritage at the 78th percentile with 4 stars, Wayne at the 61st with 3 stars, Almeria at the 24th with 1 star, and Alder at the 20th with 1 star.
Recent changes distinguish the schools: from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, Almeria Middle improved by 3 points in ELA, 4 in math and 1 in science, while Heritage Intermediate’s science result fell by 3 points despite remaining the area’s highest. SchoolDigger’s percentile ranking rose from 18 to 24 for Almeria, while Alder’s fell from 24 to 20; Heritage remained highest, though its rank edged down from 80 to 78. As context, all four schools reported the same measure, free/reduced lunch eligible, for 2024–2025: Heritage 33%, Wayne 77%, Almeria 82% and Alder 92%. Wayne’s strong results despite its relatively high reported share are one reminder that this measure does not by itself describe a school’s performance.
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