Santiago Middle

Q: Is Santiago Middle a good school?

Santiago Middle ranks 948 th of 2777 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Santiago Middle is a public charter middle school located in Orange, California, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 1,079 students. The school is part of the Santiago Middle District, which is ranked 483 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Overall, Santiago Middle demonstrates solid academic performance, particularly in English Language Arts/Literacy, where 49.33% of students were proficient or better in 2023-2024, compared to the state average of 47.04%. However, the school's performance in Mathematics is slightly below the state average, with only 31.05% of students proficient or better. Santiago Middle performs particularly well for Asian and African American students, ranking in the top 20-30% of California middle schools for these subgroups, but struggles more with Multi-racial students, ranking in the bottom 40%. The school also faces challenges with a high chronic absenteeism rate of 27.1% and a growing population of economically disadvantaged students, with 66.08% receiving free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023.

Compared to nearby schools, El Rancho Charter, a public charter middle school, significantly outperforms Santiago Middle across all academic metrics, with 78.74% of students proficient or better in ELA/Literacy and 61.77% in Mathematics. In contrast, the traditional public middle schools in the surrounding area, such as Raymond A. Villa Fundamental Intermediate and Willard Intermediate, perform significantly worse than Santiago Middle, with proficiency rates in the 20-30% range for ELA/Literacy and 10-20% range for Mathematics.

Detail:

Public, Charter 7-8

515 North Rancho Santiago Blvd
Orange, CA 92869-2724

(714) 997-6366

District: Santiago Middle District

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

Student/teacher ratio: 24.9

Number of students: 1,098

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

71.1%

White:

16.6%

Asian:

5.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 67.9%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Santiago Middle ranks better than 65.9% of middle schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 57.45. (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

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Teachers

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Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Santiago Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Santiago Middle 948^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Santiago 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:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Santiago Middle District:

SchoolDigger ranks Santiago Middle District 483^rd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Santiago Middle

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Rank History for all students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	41.54	1397^th	2715	48.5%
2022	50.67	1155^th	2740	57.8%
2023	63.38	809^th	2802	71.1%
2024	57.45	948^th	2777	65.9%

See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	35.05	438^th	665	34.1%
2023	36.82	428^th	678	36.9%
2024	42.11	412^th	699	41.1%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	34.49	894^th	1442	38.0%
2022	40.37	747^th	1540	51.5%
2023	43.04	652^nd	1529	57.4%
2024	41.11	688^th	1477	53.4%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	57.42	433^rd	1538	71.8%
2024	48.42	601^st	1550	61.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	30.80	1656^th	2369	30.1%
2022	48.84	1059^th	2458	56.9%
2023	60.41	738^th	2549	71.0%
2024	54.47	903^rd	2575	64.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	40.14	1320^th	2380	44.5%
2022	44.53	1206^th	2509	51.9%
2023	59.79	825^th	2547	67.6%
2024	53.09	981^st	2546	61.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	51.25	533^rd	1491	64.3%
2022	41.33	727^th	1531	52.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	40.52	1293^rd	2407	46.3%
2022	55.00	936^th	2527	63.0%
2023	64.51	718^th	2558	71.9%
2024	59.23	828^th	2547	67.5%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	64.60	302^nd	745	59.5%
2022	62.26	321^st	733	56.2%
2023	73.53	190^th	718	73.5%
2024	78.61	130^th	741	82.5%

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

Rank History for African American students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	82.69	73^rd	637	88.5%
2023	70.30	134^th	614	78.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	34.76	1406^th	2213	36.5%
2022	52.32	925^th	2359	60.8%
2023	61.79	689^th	2391	71.2%
2024	57.05	803^rd	2383	66.3%

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

Rank History for White students at Santiago Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	58.79	647^th	1602	59.6%
2022	58.60	617^th	1555	60.3%
2023	83.74	173^rd	1552	88.9%
2024	72.69	375^th	1535	75.6%

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 Santiago Middle

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2019	215	15	51	724	2	2	22	1031
2020	205	16	43	739	2	2	19	1026
2021	215	40	52	799	1	18	38	1163
2022	211	21	53	816	1	12	47	1161
2023	196	17	55	752	4	4	51	1079
2024	182	14	56	781	1	9	55	1098

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 Santiago Middle

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	1031	40.0	25.7	59.7
2020	1026	n/a	n/a	59.6
2021	1163	40.0	29.0	46.9
2022	1161	47.0	24.6	44.7
2023	1079	42.8	25.1	66.1
2024	1098	44.0	24.9	67.9

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 Santiago Middle

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	1031	40.0	25.7	59.7
2020	1026	n/a	n/a	59.6
2021	1163	40.0	29.0	46.9
2022	1161	47.0	24.6	44.7
2023	1079	42.8	25.1	66.1
2024	1098	44.0	24.9	67.9

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 Santiago 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 1397^th of 2715 Middle schools	Ranks 809^th of 2802 Middle schools	22.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santiago Middle)	42.7	53.5	10.7%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	51.4	47.4	3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Santiago Middle)	30.6	33.7	3.2%
7th Grade Mathematics (California)	37.9	33.2	4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santiago Middle)	43.2	51.7	8.4%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	49.4	45.7	3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Santiago Middle)	31.2	30.6	0.6%
8th Grade Mathematics (California)	36.6	29.9	6.7%
8th Grade Science (Santiago Middle)	26	37.9	11.9%
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	1031	1079	4.7%
African American	15	17	13.3%
American Indian	2	4	100%
Asian	51	55	7.8%
Hispanic	724	752	3.9%
Pacific Islander	2	4	100%
White	215	196	8.8%
Two or More Races	22	51	131.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	59.7%	66.1%	6.3%

Schools Near Santiago Middle

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 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
Santiago Middle	Public, Charter	7-8	515 North Rancho Santiago Blvd	Orange	92869	Orange County	Santiago Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6366	1,098	44	24.9	67.9%	182 (16.6%)	14 (1.3%)	781 (71.1%)	56 (5.1%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (0.8%)	55 (5.0%)	57.4	948^th of 2777 public middle schools	65.9%		63.4	809^th of 2802 public middle schools	71.1%	139	34.2	34.2		48.0	50.6	49.3		26.9	35.0	31.1
Hewes Middle	Public	6-8	13232 Hewes Ave.	Santa Ana	92705	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7348	908	36	24.9	41.9%	373 (41.1%)	4 (0.4%)	389 (42.8%)	66 (7.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	74 (8.1%)	76.8	549^th of 2777 public middle schools	80.2%		80	487^th of 2802 public middle schools	82.6%	62	43.6	43.6	54.2	56.5	54.7	55.1	50.3	48.8	47.7	49.0	$10,066
Cerro Villa Middle	Public	7-8	17852 East Serrano Ave.	Villa Park	92861	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6251	731	34	21.7	56.9%	206 (28.2%)	8 (1.1%)	397 (54.3%)	77 (10.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	40 (5.5%)	67	743^rd of 2777 public middle schools	73.2%		67.5	734^th of 2802 public middle schools	73.8%	9	35.9	35.9		52.7	44.9	48.9		48.6	38.9	43.9	$4,786
Yorba Middle	Public	6-8	935 North Cambridge	Orange	92867	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6161	416	24	17.1	88.5%	23 (5.5%)	3 (0.7%)	373 (89.7%)	8 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.4%)	37	1564^th of 2777 public middle schools	43.7%		27	1956^th of 2802 public middle schools	30.2%	392	19.6	19.6		38.1	37.8	38.0		23.4	25.3	24.3	$5,606
Columbus Tustin Middle	Public	6-8	17952 Beneta Way	Tustin	92780	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7352	604	24	24.7	82.9%	39 (6.5%)	11 (1.8%)	475 (78.6%)	47 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	28 (4.6%)	56.2	982^nd of 2777 public middle schools	64.6%		53.8	1064^th of 2802 public middle schools	62.0%	82	35.7	35.7	39.2	41.8	53.0	44.9	33.9	30.3	39.3	34.5	$10,304
Pioneer Middle	Public	6-8	2700 Pioneer Rd.	Tustin	92782	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7534	941	35	26.7	34.6%	201 (21.4%)	17 (1.8%)	260 (27.6%)	349 (37.1%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	110 (11.7%)	93.6	194^th of 2777 public middle schools	93.0%		93.3	198^th of 2802 public middle schools	92.9%	4	59.5	59.5	68.4	76.6	76.7	73.7	60.8	62.9	62.9	62.1	$10,057
Portola Middle	Public	6-8	270 North Palm Dr.	Orange	92868	Orange County	Orange Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6361	577	28	20.6	90.8%	17 (2.9%)	4 (0.7%)	506 (87.7%)	37 (6.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (1.9%)	22.5	2142^nd of 2777 public middle schools	22.9%		23.7	2115^th of 2802 public middle schools	24.5%	27	12.4	12.4	34.6	29.7	24.4	29.0	19.9	17.0	11.2	15.5	$6,138
C. E. Utt Middle	Public	6-8	13601 Browning Ave.	Tustin	92780	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7573	567	26	22.0	76.9%	62 (10.9%)	13 (2.3%)	433 (76.4%)	41 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	15 (2.6%)	47.8	1218^th of 2777 public middle schools	56.1%		41.7	1410^th of 2802 public middle schools	49.7%	192	29.8	29.8	38.7	43.9	45.6	42.8	23.1	24.7	38.0	28.6	$10,100
El Rancho Charter	Public, Charter	7-8	181 South Del Giorgio Rd.	Anaheim	92808	Orange County	Orange Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 997-6238	1,121	39	28.6	29.0%	426 (38.0%)	30 (2.7%)	287 (25.6%)	289 (25.8%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	83 (7.4%)	94.1	179^th of 2777 public middle schools	93.6%		95.7	131^st of 2802 public middle schools	95.3%	48	52.1	52.1		80.5	77.1	78.7		60.3	63.1	61.8	$8,340
Raymond A. Villa Fundamental Intermediate	Public	6-8	1441 East Chestnut Ave.	Santa Ana	92701	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 558-5100	998	50	20.0	81.7%	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	968 (97.0%)	22 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.5%)	18.8	2303^rd of 2777 public middle schools	17.1%		15.7	2479^th of 2802 public middle schools	11.5%	176	8.8	8.8	28.1	25.0	29.3	27.5	11.9	16.3	9.1	12.5	$5,781

Frequently Asked Questions about Santiago Middle

Is Santiago Middle a good school?

Santiago Middle ranks 948^th of 2777 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Santiago Middle?

Students at Santiago Middle are 71% Hispanic, 17% White, 5% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend Santiago Middle?

In the 2023-24 school year, 1,098 students attended Santiago Middle.

What district is Santiago Middle in?

Santiago Middle District

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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.