Mission Hill Middle

Summary:

Mission Hill Middle is a public middle school located in Santa Cruz, California, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 544 students. The school is part of the Santa Cruz City High District, which is ranked 495 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Mission Hill Middle consistently ranks in the top 20-25% of California middle schools, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's performance on Smarter Balanced Assessments and CAST Science tests is generally higher than the state average and the nearby Branciforte Middle School, which is also part of the Santa Cruz City High District. Mission Hill Middle excels in English Language Arts/Literacy, with 51.94% of students proficient or better, compared to 56.77% for Santa Cruz City High and 47.04% statewide. In Mathematics, the school also outperforms the state average, with 39.27% of students proficient or better, compared to 37.13% for Santa Cruz City High and 35.54% statewide. However, the school faces challenges related to chronic absenteeism, which has increased from 12.3% in 2017-2018 to 25.9% in 2022-2023, higher than the state average.

Compared to schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, such as E.A. Hall Middle and Cesar E. Chavez Middle, Mission Hill Middle significantly outperforms these schools across all academic measures. However, the school lags behind high-performing schools like C.T. English Middle and Scotts Valley Middle in both academic performance and student demographics. The school's higher percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds compared to the state average may contribute to its slightly lower academic performance compared to some of the higher-performing nearby schools.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 425 King St.
       Santa Cruz, CA  95060-3411


(831) 429-3860

District: Santa Cruz City High

SchoolDigger Rank:
728th of 2,777 California Middle Schools


Students who attend Mission Hill Middle usually attend:

High:    Santa Cruz High

Feeder schools for Mission Hill Middle:

Elementary:    Bonny Doon Elementary
    Pacific Elementary

Student/teacher ratio:  19.6 Help
Number of students:  500

Racial breakdown:

White:
54.2%
Hispanic:
32.0%
Two or more races:
9.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  33.2% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Mission Hill Middle ranks better than 73.8% of middle schools in California. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 67.38. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (54.2%), Hispanic (32%), two or more races (9.2%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 33.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Mission Hill Middle is 19.6. (See more...)
Help
Compare Mission Hill Middle employs 25.4 full-time teachers.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Mission Hill Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Mission Hill Middle 728th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Mission Hill Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Santa Cruz City High:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Cruz City High 495th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Mission Hill Middle

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Mission Hill Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 77.12 326th 1769 81.6%
2005 74.14 377th 1777 78.8%
2006 72.84 413th 1804 77.1%
2007 84.06 233rd 1999 88.3%
2008 76.77 337th 2005 83.2%
2009 64.39 645th 2063 68.7%
2010 67.80 605th 2179 72.2%
2011 72.77 467th 2236 79.1%
2012 73.85 478th 2259 78.8%
2013 73.13 509th 2379 78.6%
2015 84.70 341st 2477 86.2%
2016 83.97 352nd 2497 85.9%
2017 80.38 451st 2508 82.0%
2018 78.89 471st 2480 81.0%
2019 77.48 542nd 2715 80.0%
2022 77.24 542nd 2740 80.2%
2023 75.52 571st 2802 79.6%
2024 67.38 728th 2777 73.8%
See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Mission Hill Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 82.43 87th 665 86.9%
2023 70.33 205th 678 69.8%
2024 56.59 308th 699 55.9%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Mission Hill Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 73.85 178th 1442 87.7%
2022 37.58 865th 1540 43.8%
2023 22.07 1523rd 1529 0.4%
2024 54.52 362nd 1477 75.5%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Mission Hill Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 46.02 633rd 1538 58.8%
2024 55.13 477th 1550 69.2%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Mission Hill Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 48.17 1020th 2230 54.3%
2019 51.64 971st 2369 59.0%
2022 50.65 1002nd 2458 59.2%
2023 50.17 1026th 2549 59.7%
2024 45.27 1189th 2575 53.8%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Mission Hill Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 83.70 335th 2262 85.2%
2019 80.06 426th 2380 82.1%
2022 74.87 530th 2509 78.9%
2023 75.92 510th 2547 80.0%
2024 69.26 648th 2546 74.5%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Mission Hill Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 50.30 491st 1369 64.1%
2019 55.12 467th 1491 68.7%
2022 49.27 571st 1531 62.7%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Mission Hill Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 71.56 559th 2273 75.4%
2019 71.77 584th 2407 75.7%
2022 77.74 478th 2527 81.1%
2023 72.67 573rd 2558 77.6%
2024 63.19 757th 2547 70.3%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Mission Hill Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 44.81 1042nd 2072 49.7%
2019 50.51 935th 2213 57.7%
2022 48.16 1054th 2359 55.3%
2023 47.60 1053rd 2391 56.0%
2024 35.10 1460th 2383 38.7%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Mission Hill Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 77.24 314th 1496 79.0%
2019 75.10 352nd 1602 78.0%
2022 72.15 380th 1555 75.6%
2023 71.14 402nd 1552 74.1%
2024 64.70 503rd 1535 67.2%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Mission Hill Middle Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)
0%

100%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Thursday, July 26, 2012

Open Quote Excellent Math and English Departments, and State's top Art Teacher for 2011. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Mission Hill Middle

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 348 32 10 61 5 n/a n/a 0 456
1989 377 16 12 85 2 n/a n/a 0 492
1990 382 16 18 125 5 n/a n/a 0 546
1991 373 20 27 125 3 n/a n/a 0 548
1992 363 28 26 127 1 n/a n/a 0 545
1993 324 28 24 144 1 n/a n/a 0 521
1994 326 23 23 121 1 n/a n/a 0 494
1995 326 29 21 132 2 n/a n/a 0 510
1996 326 29 21 132 2 n/a n/a 0 510
1997 361 24 26 131 3 n/a n/a 0 545
1998 391 20 29 118 5 n/a n/a 0 563
1999 355 22 20 106 4 n/a n/a 0 507
2000 304 19 16 106 4 n/a n/a 0 449
2001 279 15 22 124 6 n/a n/a 0 446
2002 265 7 31 131 3 n/a n/a 10 447
2003 265 7 31 131 3 n/a n/a 10 447
2004 369 10 26 196 4 n/a n/a 68 673
2005 336 12 35 162 1 n/a n/a 13 559
2006 339 17 32 178 2 n/a n/a 23 591
2007 342 18 37 148 2 n/a n/a 30 577
2008 343 11 28 147 1 n/a n/a 0 530
2009 369 5 31 155 4 4 33 0 601
2010 365 14 22 173 9 1 7 0 591
2011 344 8 21 185 10 1 27 0 596
2012 354 8 14 197 8 0 28 0 609
2013 359 9 12 197 6 0 35 0 618
2014 382 7 21 199 8 0 34 0 651
2015 396 12 20 181 4 1 27 0 641
2016 384 12 31 175 4 2 27 0 635
2017 333 8 32 189 1 3 28 0 594
2018 333 14 32 196 4 5 31 0 615
2019 335 17 25 184 1 2 43 0 607
2020 352 13 23 188 1 1 47 0 625
2021 324 11 20 172 0 0 43 0 570
2022 306 11 18 185 0 1 44 0 565
2023 296 7 16 186 0 2 37 0 544
2024 271 4 16 160 0 2 46 1 500

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Mission Hill Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 456 24.2 18.8 n/a
1989 492 26.4 18.6 n/a
1990 546 29.3 18.6 n/a
1991 548 24.5 22.3 n/a
1992 545 24.9 21.8 24.6
1993 521 24.9 20.9 26.1
1994 494 24.2 20.4 22.7
1995 510 21.4 23.8 28.2
1996 510 21.4 23.8 28.2
1997 545 25.4 21.5 25
1998 563 25.4 22.2 23.1
1999 507 22.2 22.8 21.9
2000 449 21.4 21.0 25.8
2001 446 20.2 22.1 23.1
2002 447 19.6 22.8 31.1
2003 447 19.6 22.8 31.1
2004 673 27.4 24.6 34
2005 559 26.0 21.5 33
2006 591 25.4 23.3 26.9
2007 577 29.2 19.8 32.2
2008 530 32.4 16.4 33
2009 601 28.5 17.2 32.3
2010 591 25.4 23.2 35
2011 596 n/a n/a 39.1
2012 609 26.2 23.1 n/a
2013 618 27.2 22.6 30.7
2014 651 28.1 23.0 33
2015 641 27.0 23.7 36.3
2016 635 26.0 24.4 34.5
2017 594 23.1 25.6 34
2018 615 24.8 24.7 37.7
2019 607 25.8 23.4 35.7
2020 625 n/a n/a 33.1
2021 570 28.1 20.2 38.1
2022 565 30.4 18.5 30.8
2023 544 27.8 19.5 32.7
2024 500 25.4 19.6 33.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Mission Hill Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 456 24.2 18.8 n/a
1989 492 26.4 18.6 n/a
1990 546 29.3 18.6 n/a
1991 548 24.5 22.3 n/a
1992 545 24.9 21.8 24.6
1993 521 24.9 20.9 26.1
1994 494 24.2 20.4 22.7
1995 510 21.4 23.8 28.2
1996 510 21.4 23.8 28.2
1997 545 25.4 21.5 25
1998 563 25.4 22.2 23.1
1999 507 22.2 22.8 21.9
2000 449 21.4 21.0 25.8
2001 446 20.2 22.1 23.1
2002 447 19.6 22.8 31.1
2003 447 19.6 22.8 31.1
2004 673 27.4 24.6 34
2005 559 26.0 21.5 33
2006 591 25.4 23.3 26.9
2007 577 29.2 19.8 32.2
2008 530 32.4 16.4 33
2009 601 28.5 17.2 32.3
2010 591 25.4 23.2 35
2011 596 n/a n/a 39.1
2012 609 26.2 23.1 n/a
2013 618 27.2 22.6 30.7
2014 651 28.1 23.0 33
2015 641 27.0 23.7 36.3
2016 635 26.0 24.4 34.5
2017 594 23.1 25.6 34
2018 615 24.8 24.7 37.7
2019 607 25.8 23.4 35.7
2020 625 n/a n/a 33.1
2021 570 28.1 20.2 38.1
2022 565 30.4 18.5 30.8
2023 544 27.8 19.5 32.7
2024 500 25.4 19.6 33.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Mission Hill Middle

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 542nd of 2715 Middle schoolsRanks 571st of 2802 Middle schools
 0.4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Mission Hill Middle)62.650
 12.6%
   6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Cruz City High)58.152.8
 5.3%
   6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)48.544.2
 4.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Mission Hill Middle)38.332.7
 5.6%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Santa Cruz City High)33.935.6
 1.6%
   6th Grade Mathematics (California)38.533.2
 5.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Mission Hill Middle)64.955.9
 9%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Cruz City High)64.254.9
 9.3%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)51.447.4
 3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Mission Hill Middle)53.542.1
 11.3%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Santa Cruz City High)50.135.6
 14.5%
   7th Grade Mathematics (California)37.933.2
 4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Mission Hill Middle)68.864.6
 4.1%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Cruz City High)65.755.3
 10.4%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)49.445.7
 3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Mission Hill Middle)57.145
 12.1%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Santa Cruz City High)54.240.4
 13.8%
   8th Grade Mathematics (California)36.629.9
 6.7%
8th Grade Science (Mission Hill Middle)4451.7
 7.7%
   8th Grade Science (Santa Cruz City High)45.146.6
 1.5%
   8th Grade Science (California)30.828.8
 2.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students607544
 10.4%
African American177
 58.8%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian2516
 36%
Hispanic184186
 1.1%
Pacific Islander22
White335296
 11.6%
Two or More Races4337
 14%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients35.7%32.7%
 3%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Mission Hill Middle

In the 2023-24 school year, 500 students attended Mission Hill Middle.

Mission Hill Middle ranks 728th of 2777 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Mission Hill Middle usually go on to attend Santa Cruz High

Students at Mission Hill Middle are 54% White, 32% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 3% Asian.


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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.





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