Summary:
Zip code 92604 has two Irvine Unified middle schools, Lakeside Middle and Venado Middle, both serving grades 7–8. In 2025–26, both were well above California proficiency rates in English language arts (ELA), math, and science. Their scores ranged from 61% to 81%, compared with state rates of 36% to 49%. The clearest overall distinction is that Lakeside leads in all three subjects, with its widest advantage in science.
Lakeside is the stronger performer overall: its ELA, math, and science results were 81%, 76%, and 75%, compared with Venado’s 76%, 65%, and 61%. Lakeside’s leads were 6 percentage points in ELA, 10 in math, and 14 in science. The biggest grade-specific gap is in grade 8 math, where Lakeside scored 79% and Venado 64%, a 15-point difference. Venado’s relative bright spot is ELA: its rate was 2 points above the district all-grades rate, while its math and science results were below district rates.
Recent trends also favor Lakeside, especially in science: from 2024–25 to 2025–26, its science proficiency rose 12 points and ELA rose 3, while math was nearly unchanged. Venado’s results fell in all three subjects: 1 point in ELA, 4 in math, and 1 in science. SchoolDigger rated both schools five stars in each of the three reported years; in 2025–26, Lakeside ranked 76th of 2,703 schools and Venado 190th. Context measures do not explain the score differences: in 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligible students were 23% at Lakeside and 21% at Venado, while student-teacher ratios were 24.8 and 20.9, respectively.
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