Is Mendota Junior High a good school?

Mendota Junior High ranks 1745 th of 2777 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Mendota Junior High?

In the 2023-24 school year, 602 students attended Mendota Junior High.

What is the racial makeup of Mendota Junior High?

Students at Mendota Junior High are 99% Hispanic.

What high school do graduates of Mendota Junior High attend?

Students who attend Mendota Junior High usually go on to attend Mendota High

Mendota Junior High

Summary:

Mendota Junior High is a public middle school in Mendota, California, serving 576 students in grades 7-8. The school is part of the Mendota Unified School District, which is ranked 1201 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Mendota Junior High faces significant academic challenges, consistently performing below the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, and the California Science Test. For example, in 2023-2024, the school's proficiency rates were 41.4% in ELA, 17.15% in Math, and 10.79% in Science, compared to the state averages of 47.04%, 35.54%, and 30.7%, respectively. The school's performance has been relatively stagnant, with only minor fluctuations in proficiency rates. Additionally, Mendota Junior High has experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 12.7% in 2018-2019 to 24.0% in 2022-2023. This high rate of chronic absenteeism is likely impacting the school's academic performance.

Interestingly, the nearby Dairyland Elementary, located approximately 19 miles away, consistently outperforms Mendota Junior High in academic assessments and has a lower chronic absenteeism rate. Dairyland Elementary also has a lower percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 75.93% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to Mendota Junior High's 98.61%. In contrast, Kerman Middle and Firebaugh Middle, which are closer in proximity to Mendota Junior High, also struggle academically and have similar socioeconomic challenges.

Detail:

Public 7-8

1258 East Belmont Ave.
Mendota, CA 93640-2049

(559) 655-4301

District: Mendota Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1745^th of 2,777 California Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,557

Students who attend Mendota Junior High usually attend:

High:

Mendota High

Feeder schools for Mendota Junior High:

Elementary:	McCabe Elementary
	Mendota Elementary
	Washington Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 21.0

Number of students: 602

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

99.2%

White:

0.7%

Asian:

0.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 98.8%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Mendota Junior High to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Mendota Junior High ranks worse than 62.8% of middle schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 31.59. (See more...)

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

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (99.2%), White (0.7%), Asian (0.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 98.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Mendota Junior High is 21. (See more...)

Compare Mendota Junior High employs 28.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Mendota Junior High is $12,557.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Mendota Junior High:

SchoolDigger ranks Mendota Junior High 1745^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Mendota Junior High in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Mendota Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Mendota Unified 1201^st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Mendota Junior High?

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Rank History for Mendota Junior High

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Rank History for all students at Mendota Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	34.05	1107^th	1769	37.4%
2005	36.50	1074^th	1777	39.6%
2006	30.42	1238^th	1804	31.4%
2007	28.98	1417^th	1999	29.1%
2008	29.35	1456^th	2005	27.4%
2009	26.30	1567^th	2063	24.0%
2010	30.32	1562^nd	2179	28.3%
2011	30.40	1630^th	2236	27.1%
2012	25.04	1789^th	2259	20.8%
2013	32.38	1633^rd	2379	31.4%
2015	11.89	2296^th	2477	7.3%
2016	17.60	2118^th	2497	15.2%
2017	17.66	2122^nd	2508	15.4%
2018	24.08	1851^st	2480	25.4%
2019	32.01	1714^th	2715	36.9%
2021	19.31	759^th	894	15.1%
2022	28.76	1837^th	2740	33.0%
2023	27.91	1911^th	2802	31.8%
2024	31.59	1745^th	2777	37.2%

See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Mendota Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	39.26	627^th	1364	54.0%
2019	40.65	670^th	1442	53.5%
2021	31.99	299^th	363	17.6%
2022	43.89	629^th	1540	59.2%
2023	41.40	724^th	1529	52.6%
2024	40.52	715^th	1477	51.6%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Mendota Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	22.28	1384^th	1538	10.0%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Mendota Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.74	1425^th	2230	36.1%
2019	45.53	1167^th	2369	50.7%
2021	28.59	552^nd	721	23.4%
2022	39.68	1346^th	2458	45.2%
2023	38.23	1406^th	2549	44.8%
2024	40.10	1371^st	2575	46.8%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Mendota Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.85	1848^th	2262	18.3%
2019	32.01	1558^th	2380	34.5%
2021	20.28	625^th	738	15.3%
2022	27.15	1759^th	2509	29.9%
2023	24.75	1900^th	2547	25.4%
2024	30.14	1663^rd	2546	34.7%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Mendota Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	34.62	215^th	354	39.3%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Mendota Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.64	1601^st	2273	29.6%
2019	30.60	1581^st	2407	34.3%
2021	19.48	652^nd	763	14.5%
2022	30.34	1634^th	2527	35.3%
2023	31.03	1624^th	2558	36.5%
2024	32.14	1598^th	2547	37.3%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Mendota Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.01	1388^th	2072	33.0%
2019	43.32	1154^th	2213	47.9%
2022	39.94	1294^th	2359	45.1%
2023	38.55	1319^th	2391	44.8%
2024	41.89	1238^th	2383	48.0%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Hispanic 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.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Mendota Junior High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1989	3	2	2	292	0	n/a	n/a	299
1990	9	2	5	302	1	n/a	n/a	319
1991	9	3	7	317	0	n/a	n/a	336
1992	11	3	3	339	0	n/a	n/a	356
1993	6	0	1	332	0	n/a	n/a	339
1994	12	1	0	358	2	n/a	n/a	373
1995	3	0	3	341	0	n/a	n/a	347
1996	3	0	3	341	0	n/a	n/a	347
1997	3	1	1	327	0	n/a	n/a	332
1998	2	7	3	313	0	n/a	n/a	325
1999	1	2	1	330	0	n/a	n/a	334
2000	4	3	0	323	0	n/a	n/a	330
2001	2	2	0	298	0	n/a	n/a	302
2002	0	2	1	323	0	n/a	n/a	326
2003	0	2	1	323	0	n/a	n/a	326
2004	1	0	2	331	0	n/a	n/a	334
2005	2	0	2	313	0	n/a	n/a	317
2006	3	0	2	320	0	n/a	n/a	325
2007	4	1	7	384	0	n/a	n/a	396
2008	2	1	4	412	1	n/a	n/a	420
2009	0	0	2	3	420	2	1	428
2010	2	1	0	385	12	0	9	409
2011	0	0	0	288	0	0	132	420
2012	0	0	0	354	0	0	65	419
2013	4	0	0	410	0	0	3	417
2014	4	0	0	424	0	0	0	428
2015	4	0	0	430	0	0	0	434
2016	8	0	0	411	0	0	1	420
2017	12	1	0	418	0	0	4	435
2018	7	1	0	478	0	0	5	491
2019	10	1	0	506	0	0	3	520
2020	15	1	0	552	0	0	0	568
2021	9	0	2	550	0	0	1	562
2022	8	0	0	551	0	0	1	560
2023	8	0	1	567	0	0	0	576
2024	4	0	1	597	0	0	0	602

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 Mendota Junior High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	299	15.9	18.8	n/a
1990	319	15.7	20.3	n/a
1991	336	15.7	21.4	n/a
1992	356	16.0	22.2	88.2
1993	339	16.0	21.2	95
1994	373	17.0	21.9	76.4
1995	347	16.7	20.8	85
1996	347	16.7	20.8	85
1997	332	15.0	22.1	92.5
1998	325	14.0	23.2	90.8
1999	334	14.0	23.9	87.4
2000	330	14.0	23.6	90
2001	302	13.0	23.2	89.7
2002	326	14.0	23.3	92.3
2003	326	14.0	23.3	92.3
2004	334	15.5	21.5	97.3
2005	317	15.0	21.1	80.8
2006	325	14.0	23.2	78.8
2007	396	6.7	59.1	99.2
2008	420	17.3	24.3	90.2
2009	428	15.9	23.8	94.2
2010	409	19.0	21.5	91.7
2011	420	n/a	n/a	86.4
2012	419	17.0	24.6	n/a
2013	417	20.0	20.8	93.3
2014	428	19.5	21.9	98.1
2015	434	18.0	24.1	99.3
2016	420	21.0	20.0	98.6
2017	435	22.0	19.7	99.3
2018	491	22.8	21.4	98.2
2019	520	24.3	21.3	98.1
2020	568	n/a	n/a	98.1
2021	562	25.8	21.7	97.3
2022	560	25.6	21.8	97.3
2023	576	27.2	21.1	98.6
2024	602	28.6	21.0	98.8

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 Mendota Junior High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	299	15.9	18.8	n/a
1990	319	15.7	20.3	n/a
1991	336	15.7	21.4	n/a
1992	356	16.0	22.2	88.2
1993	339	16.0	21.2	95
1994	373	17.0	21.9	76.4
1995	347	16.7	20.8	85
1996	347	16.7	20.8	85
1997	332	15.0	22.1	92.5
1998	325	14.0	23.2	90.8
1999	334	14.0	23.9	87.4
2000	330	14.0	23.6	90
2001	302	13.0	23.2	89.7
2002	326	14.0	23.3	92.3
2003	326	14.0	23.3	92.3
2004	334	15.5	21.5	97.3
2005	317	15.0	21.1	80.8
2006	325	14.0	23.2	78.8
2007	396	6.7	59.1	99.2
2008	420	17.3	24.3	90.2
2009	428	15.9	23.8	94.2
2010	409	19.0	21.5	91.7
2011	420	n/a	n/a	86.4
2012	419	17.0	24.6	n/a
2013	417	20.0	20.8	93.3
2014	428	19.5	21.9	98.1
2015	434	18.0	24.1	99.3
2016	420	21.0	20.0	98.6
2017	435	22.0	19.7	99.3
2018	491	22.8	21.4	98.2
2019	520	24.3	21.3	98.1
2020	568	n/a	n/a	98.1
2021	562	25.8	21.7	97.3
2022	560	25.6	21.8	97.3
2023	576	27.2	21.1	98.6
2024	602	28.6	21.0	98.8

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.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Mendota Junior High

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$12,557

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Mendota Junior High

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 1714^th of 2715 Middle schools	Ranks 1911^th of 2802 Middle schools	5.1%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Mendota Junior High)	41.9	37.9	4%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Mendota Unified)	41.6	37.5	4.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	51.4	47.4	3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Mendota Junior High)	18.7	12	6.7%
7th Grade Mathematics (Mendota Unified)	18.6	11.9	6.7%
7th Grade Mathematics (California)	37.9	33.2	4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Mendota Junior High)	38.5	34.9	3.6%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Mendota Unified)	38.3	34.7	3.6%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	49.4	45.7	3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Mendota Junior High)	29.8	17.5	12.3%
8th Grade Mathematics (Mendota Unified)	29.7	17.4	12.3%
8th Grade Mathematics (California)	36.6	29.9	6.7%
8th Grade Science (Mendota Junior High)	19.2	13.8	5.4%
8th Grade Science (Mendota Unified)	19.1	13.8	5.3%
8th Grade Science (California)	30.8	28.8	2.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	520	576	10.8%
African American	1	0	100%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	0	1
Hispanic	506	567	12.1%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	10	8	20%
Two or More Races	3	0	100%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	98.1%	98.6%	0.5%

Schools Near Mendota Junior High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CAST Science (2024)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)						Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)						Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	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 End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Mendota Junior High	Public	7-8	1258 East Belmont Ave.	Mendota	93640	Fresno County	Mendota Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 655-4301	602	29	21.0	98.8%	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	597 (99.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31.6	1745^th of 2777 public middle schools	37.2%		27.9	1911^th of 2802 public middle schools	31.8%	166		10.8	10.8				46.6	35.9	41.4				17.1	17.2	17.2	$12,557
Firebaugh Middle	Public	6-8	1600 16th St.	Firebaugh	93622	Fresno County	Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 659-1481	533	28	18.7	92.9%	11 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	520 (97.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20.8	2220^th of 2777 public middle schools	20.1%		27.1	1952^nd of 2802 public middle schools	30.3%	268		12.6	12.6			18.1	29.4	37.1	28.6			9.7	12.4	14.3	12.2
Kerman Middle	Public	7-8	601 South First St.	Kerman	93630	Fresno County	Kerman Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 843-9600	800	36	22.4	87.0%	52 (6.5%)	5 (0.6%)	697 (87.1%)	36 (4.5%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.8%)	34.7	1637^th of 2777 public middle schools	41.1%		35.8	1606^th of 2802 public middle schools	42.7%	31		20.3	20.3				30.9	38.0	34.5				27.9	20.2	24.0	$8,293
Dairyland Elementary	Public	4-8	12861 Avenue 18 1/2	Chowchilla	93610	Madera County	Alview-Dairyland Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 665-2394	215	10	22.4	68.4%	75 (34.9%)	1 (0.5%)	132 (61.4%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	62.5	825^th of 2777 public middle schools	70.3%		66.4	753^rd of 2802 public middle schools	73.1%	72	27.8	32.6	30.5	46.2	55.6	38.9	56.0	56.5	50.5	46.2	38.9	38.2	32.0	47.8	39.9	$9,578

Mendota Junior High

Mendota Junior High:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Mendota Unified:

What do you think?

Rank History for Mendota Junior High

Rank History for all students at Mendota Junior High

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Mendota Junior High

Rank History for Special Education students at Mendota Junior High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Mendota Junior High

Rank History for Female students at Mendota Junior High

Rank History for Disabled students at Mendota Junior High

Rank History for Male students at Mendota Junior High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Mendota Junior High

Enrollment information for Mendota Junior High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Mendota Junior High

Student/Teacher Ratio Mendota Junior High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Mendota Junior High

Impact of COVID-19 on Mendota Junior High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Mendota Junior High