Is Rio Tierra Junior High a good school?

Rio Tierra Junior High ranks in the bottom 5.5% of California middle schools.

How many students attend Rio Tierra Junior High?

In the 2023-24 school year, 303 students attended Rio Tierra Junior High.

What is the racial makeup of Rio Tierra Junior High?

Students at Rio Tierra Junior High are 58% Hispanic, 16% African American, 11% Asian, 6% White, 5% Two or more races, 4% Pacific Islander.

What high school do graduates of Rio Tierra Junior High attend?

Students who attend Rio Tierra Junior High usually go on to attend Grant Union High

Rio Tierra Junior High

Summary:

Rio Tierra Junior High is a public middle school located in Sacramento, California, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 292 students. The school is part of the Twin Rivers Unified School District, which is ranked 1122 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Rio Tierra Junior High consistently performs below the state and district averages in standardized test scores across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 19.87% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 47.04% statewide and 33.41% in the Twin Rivers Unified district. In Mathematics, the proficiency rate was just 5.59%, compared to 35.54% statewide and 23.53% in the district. The school has also experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 13.2% in 2017-2018 to 43.5% in 2021-2022, which is much higher than the state average.

When comparing Rio Tierra Junior High to other nearby schools in the same district, such as Westside Preparatory Charter and Rio Linda Preparatory Academy, it becomes clear that Rio Tierra is underperforming. These nearby schools have higher academic proficiency rates, lower chronic absenteeism, and serve a less economically disadvantaged student population. Rio Tierra Junior High's statewide ranking has also steadily declined over the past decade, indicating that the school is struggling to improve its academic outcomes and may need to implement comprehensive school improvement strategies.

Detail:

Public 7-8

3201 Northstead Dr.
Sacramento, CA 95833-1216

(916) 566-2730

District: Twin Rivers Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2624^th of 2,777 California Middle Schools

Students who attend Rio Tierra Junior High usually attend:

High:

Grant Union High

Feeder schools for Rio Tierra Junior High:

Elementary:	Garden Valley Elementary
	Hazel Strauch Elementary
	Woodlake Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 18.5

Number of students: 303

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.4%

African American:

15.8%

Asian:

10.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 90.8%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Rio Tierra Junior High to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Rio Tierra Junior High ranks worse than 94.5% of middle schools in California. It also ranks 5^th among 6 ranked middle schools in the Twin Rivers Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11. (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 (58.4%), African American (15.8%), Asian (10.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 90.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Rio Tierra Junior High is 18.5, which is the 2^nd best among 6 middle schools in the Twin Rivers Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Rio Tierra Junior High employs 16.3 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Rio Tierra Junior High:

SchoolDigger ranks Rio Tierra Junior High 2624^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Rio Tierra Junior High in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Twin Rivers Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Twin Rivers Unified 1122^nd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Rio Tierra Junior High?

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Rank History for Rio Tierra Junior High

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Rank History for all students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2010	17.33	1911^th	2179	12.3%
2011	28.92	1672^nd	2236	25.2%
2012	20.95	1892^nd	2259	16.2%
2013	16.66	2090^th	2379	12.1%
2015	18.20	2073^rd	2477	16.3%
2016	16.77	2150^th	2497	13.9%
2017	15.64	2198^th	2508	12.4%
2018	17.49	2088^th	2480	15.8%
2019	15.39	2374^th	2715	12.6%
2022	18.14	2301^st	2740	16.0%
2023	15.70	2482^nd	2802	11.4%
2024	11.00	2624^th	2777	5.5%

See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.99	950^th	1364	30.4%
2019	30.33	1100^th	1442	23.7%
2022	33.51	1051^st	1540	31.8%
2023	41.25	732^nd	1529	52.1%
2024	31.12	1162^nd	1477	21.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	20.73	1431^st	1538	7.0%
2024	22.88	1357^th	1550	12.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.62	1850^th	2230	17.0%
2019	19.47	2042^nd	2369	13.8%
2022	22.97	1990^th	2458	19.0%
2023	18.25	2252^nd	2549	11.7%
2024	13.42	2398^th	2575	6.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.83	1779^th	2262	21.4%
2019	13.99	2148^th	2380	9.7%
2022	19.17	2106^th	2509	16.1%
2023	14.38	2337^th	2547	8.2%
2024	10.90	2430^th	2546	4.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.16	1275^th	1369	6.9%
2019	25.65	1174^th	1491	21.3%
2022	34.07	926^th	1531	39.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	12.87	2110^th	2273	7.2%
2019	16.84	2103^rd	2407	12.6%
2022	19.11	2097^th	2527	17.0%
2023	17.20	2233^rd	2558	12.7%
2024	11.18	2434^th	2547	4.4%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	1.88	727^th	745	2.4%
2024	6.45	682^nd	741	8.0%

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

Rank History for African American students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.35	478^th	600	20.3%
2019	26.78	486^th	643	24.4%
2022	21.87	541^st	637	15.1%
2023	33.65	400^th	614	34.9%
2024	15.71	593^rd	626	5.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.23	1646^th	2072	20.6%
2019	20.50	1875^th	2213	15.3%
2022	18.91	2051^st	2359	13.1%
2023	18.82	2074^th	2391	13.3%
2024	12.83	2243^rd	2383	5.9%

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

Rank History for White students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	7.90	1518^th	1602	5.2%
2022	6.54	1487^th	1555	4.4%
2024	2.55	1525^th	1535	0.7%

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.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Rio Tierra Junior High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2009	58	79	38	224	3	11	60	0	473
2010	53	63	51	266	3	8	12	0	456
2011	57	83	67	328	4	9	28	0	576
2012	50	89	60	336	4	9	31	0	579
2013	42	80	70	315	1	6	34	0	548
2014	40	91	60	328	2	7	30	0	558
2015	40	84	44	343	3	11	39	0	564
2016	23	73	39	323	1	8	39	0	506
2017	27	72	39	317	0	6	45	0	506
2018	24	79	36	308	4	10	32	0	493
2019	34	68	32	284	8	7	35	0	468
2020	23	71	35	283	7	7	21	0	447
2021	20	53	33	210	1	8	21	0	346
2022	24	46	22	178	1	8	15	1	295
2023	16	43	29	184	2	7	10	1	292
2024	17	48	32	177	1	11	16	1	303

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 Rio Tierra Junior High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2009	473	27.0	15.8	71
2010	456	25.0	18.2	92.3
2011	576	n/a	n/a	87.3
2012	579	28.0	20.6	n/a
2013	548	27.0	20.2	80.1
2014	558	27.0	20.6	91
2015	564	29.0	19.4	82.3
2016	506	26.0	19.4	77.7
2017	506	26.5	19.0	86
2018	493	25.7	19.1	85.4
2019	468	24.9	18.7	76.5
2020	447	n/a	n/a	91.1
2021	346	17.8	19.3	92.8
2022	295	18.0	16.3	79.7
2023	292	17.2	16.9	89
2024	303	16.3	18.5	90.8

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 Rio Tierra Junior High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2009	473	27.0	15.8	71
2010	456	25.0	18.2	92.3
2011	576	n/a	n/a	87.3
2012	579	28.0	20.6	n/a
2013	548	27.0	20.2	80.1
2014	558	27.0	20.6	91
2015	564	29.0	19.4	82.3
2016	506	26.0	19.4	77.7
2017	506	26.5	19.0	86
2018	493	25.7	19.1	85.4
2019	468	24.9	18.7	76.5
2020	447	n/a	n/a	91.1
2021	346	17.8	19.3	92.8
2022	295	18.0	16.3	79.7
2023	292	17.2	16.9	89
2024	303	16.3	18.5	90.8

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.

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Rio Tierra 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 2374^th of 2715 Middle schools	Ranks 2482^nd of 2802 Middle schools	1.1%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Rio Tierra Junior High)	22.1	25.2	3.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Twin Rivers Unified)	35.5	31.2	4.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	51.4	47.4	3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Rio Tierra Junior High)	11.5	10.4	1.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Twin Rivers Unified)	23.9	18.4	5.4%
7th Grade Mathematics (California)	37.9	33.2	4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Rio Tierra Junior High)	27.6	23.6	4%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Twin Rivers Unified)	35.5	32.1	3.4%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	49.4	45.7	3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Rio Tierra Junior High)	9.7	7.1	2.6%
8th Grade Mathematics (Twin Rivers Unified)	25.1	17.7	7.3%
8th Grade Mathematics (California)	36.6	29.9	6.7%
8th Grade Science (Rio Tierra Junior High)	9.1	9.5	0.3%
8th Grade Science (Twin Rivers Unified)	18.4	15.1	3.3%
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	468	292	37.6%
African American	68	43	36.8%
American Indian	8	2	75%
Asian	32	29	9.4%
Hispanic	284	184	35.2%
Pacific Islander	7	7
White	34	16	52.9%
Two or More Races	35	10	71.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	76.5%	89%	12.5%

Schools Near Rio Tierra Junior High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts (2024)		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	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts End of Course	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Rio Tierra Junior High	Public	7-8	3201 Northstead Dr.	Sacramento	95833	Sacramento County	Twin Rivers Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 566-2730	303	16	18.5	90.8%	17 (5.6%)	48 (15.8%)	177 (58.4%)	32 (10.6%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.6%)	16 (5.3%)	11	2624^th of 2777 public middle schools	5.5%		15.7	2482^nd of 2802 public middle schools	11.4%	142			4.6	4.6		21.1	18.7	19.9		8.1	3.2	5.6
Martin Luther King Junior Technology Academy	Public	7-8	3051 Fairfield St.	Sacramento	95815	Sacramento County	Twin Rivers Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 566-3490	514	25	20.9	96.7%	41 (8.0%)	92 (17.9%)	215 (41.8%)	116 (22.6%)	3 (0.6%)	9 (1.8%)	35 (6.8%)	7.8	2714^th of 2777 public middle schools	2.3%		8.4	2740^th of 2802 public middle schools	2.2%	26	17.7	11.1	5.2	5.2		7.8	12.3	10.1		3.9	3.0	3.5
Norwood Junior High	Public	7-8	4601 Norwood Ave.	Sacramento	95838	Sacramento County	Twin Rivers Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 566-2710	458	22	21.0	81.4%	25 (5.5%)	62 (13.5%)	190 (41.5%)	130 (28.4%)	3 (0.7%)	17 (3.7%)	30 (6.6%)	34.2	1656^th of 2777 public middle schools	40.4%		33.9	1668^th of 2802 public middle schools	40.5%	12			19.7	19.7		42.2	43.3	42.8		16.8	12.0	14.3
Miwok Middle	Public	7-8	3150 I St.	Sacramento	95816	Sacramento County	Sacramento City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 395-5370	1,184	43	27.2	41.4%	403 (34.0%)	66 (5.6%)	397 (33.5%)	169 (14.3%)	5 (0.4%)	4 (0.3%)	139 (11.7%)	88.2	316^th of 2777 public middle schools	88.6%		88.9	306^th of 2802 public middle schools	89.1%	10			46.7	46.7		72.9	68.0	70.7		59.2	47.3	53.9	$7,330
Natomas Middle	Public	6-8	3200 North Park Dr.	Sacramento	95835	Sacramento County	Natomas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 567-5540	609	36	16.7	78.7%	64 (10.5%)	187 (30.7%)	159 (26.1%)	124 (20.4%)	3 (0.5%)	12 (2.0%)	60 (9.9%)	15.1	2467^th of 2777 public middle schools	11.2%		21.3	2210^th of 2802 public middle schools	21.1%	257			13.8	13.8	19.3	19.6	23.5	20.9	9.6	7.7	11.1	9.5	$7,526
Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	3700 Del Paso Rd.	Sacramento	95834	Sacramento County	Natomas Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 567-5740	512	23	22.2	37.7%	59 (11.5%)	34 (6.6%)	104 (20.3%)	272 (53.1%)	3 (0.6%)	9 (1.8%)	31 (6.1%)	86.2	363^rd of 2777 public middle schools	86.9%		81.5	452^nd of 2802 public middle schools	83.9%	89			50.9	50.9	63.3	68.6	64.7	65.6	47.0	55.6	55.5	52.8	$8,741
Evergreen Middle	Public	7-9	919 Westacre Rd.	West Sacramento	95691	Yolo County	Washington Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 375-7740	0	1	4.4		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Westside Preparatory Charter	Public, Charter	7-8	6537 West Second St.	Rio Linda	95673	Sacramento County	Twin Rivers Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 566-1990	446	21	21.5	78.9%	117 (26.2%)	39 (8.7%)	213 (47.8%)	37 (8.3%)	5 (1.1%)	4 (0.9%)	31 (7.0%)	53.9	1039^th of 2777 public middle schools	62.6%		56.4	1003^rd of 2802 public middle schools	64.2%	36			21.6	21.6		48.9	54.7	51.5		30.3	32.3	31.2
Rio Linda Preparatory Academy	Public	7-8	1101 G St.	Rio Linda	95673	Sacramento County	Twin Rivers Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 566-2720	290	16	17.7	86.2%	100 (34.5%)	6 (2.1%)	116 (40.0%)	39 (13.4%)	2 (0.7%)	4 (1.4%)	22 (7.6%)	27	1947^th of 2777 public middle schools	29.9%		27.7	1922^nd of 2802 public middle schools	31.4%	25			16.4	16.4		31.5	22.3	27.2		19.2	24.6	21.7
Katherine Johnson Middle	Public	6-8	1400 Bell St.	Sacramento	95825	Sacramento County	San Juan Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 971-5500	616	29	21.3	76.1%	110 (17.9%)	107 (17.4%)	170 (27.6%)	186 (30.2%)	6 (1.0%)	7 (1.1%)	29 (4.7%)	6.3	2737^th of 2777 public middle schools	1.4%		7.9	2747^th of 2802 public middle schools	2.0%	10			3.9	3.9	6.2	3.0	9.4	6.4	2.8	2.7	1.5	2.3

Rio Tierra Junior High

Rio Tierra Junior High:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Twin Rivers Unified:

What do you think?

Rank History for Rio Tierra Junior High

Rank History for all students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Rank History for Special Education students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Rank History for Female students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Rank History for Disabled students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Rank History for Male students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Rank History for Asian students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Rank History for African American students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Rank History for White students at Rio Tierra Junior High

Enrollment information for Rio Tierra Junior High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Rio Tierra Junior High

Student/Teacher Ratio Rio Tierra Junior High

Impact of COVID-19 on Rio Tierra Junior High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Rio Tierra Junior High

Frequently Asked Questions about Rio Tierra Junior High

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