Sierra Middle

Summary:

Sierra Middle is a public middle school located in Riverside, California, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 830 students. It is part of the Riverside Unified School District, which is ranked 774 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sierra Middle's academic performance on standardized tests, such as the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, is consistently below the Riverside Unified and California state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, the percentage of 8th-grade students proficient or better in SBA ELA at Sierra Middle was 37.2%, compared to 43.26% for Riverside Unified and 45.95% for California. The school's performance on the California Science Assessment (CAST) is also lower than the district and state averages. Additionally, Sierra Middle has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 13.4% in 2018-2019 to 27.7% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the district and state averages.

While Sierra Middle's academic performance is generally lower than the nearby middle schools within the Riverside Unified School District, such as Central Middle and Matthew Gage Middle, it is higher than the middle schools in the neighboring Jurupa Unified and Alvord Unified school districts, which have lower overall district rankings. The school's high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 86.75% to 88.51% in recent years, likely contributes to its lower academic performance and higher chronic absenteeism. Addressing these challenges through targeted interventions, data-driven decision-making, and a focus on improving the school's learning environment and support systems could be crucial for Sierra Middle's future success.


Detail:

Public 7-8

 4950 Central Ave.
       Riverside, CA  92504-1819


(951) 788-7501

District: Riverside Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1650th of 2,777 California Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,676 Help


Students who attend Sierra Middle usually attend:

High:    Ramona High
    Riverside STEM Academy

Feeder schools for Sierra Middle:

Elementary:    Adams Elementary
    Jefferson Elementary
    Madison Elementary
    Mountain View Elementary

Student/teacher ratio:  22.9 Help
Number of students:  830

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
84.8%
White:
7.2%
African American:
3.9%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  86.7% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Sierra Middle ranks worse than 59.4% of middle schools in California. It also ranks 4th among 7 ranked middle schools in the Riverside Unified School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 34.35. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a high 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: Hispanic (84.8%), White (7.2%), African American (3.9%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 86.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sierra Middle is 22.9. 4 middle schools in the Riverside Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Sierra Middle employs 36.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sierra Middle is $9,676, which is the 2nd highest among 7 middle schools in the Riverside Unified School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sierra Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Sierra Middle 1650th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Sierra Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Homeless students:
Female students:
Military Connected students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Riverside Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Riverside Unified 774th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Sierra Middle

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 41.89 941st 1769 46.8%
2005 34.82 1108th 1777 37.6%
2006 35.07 1143rd 1804 36.6%
2007 45.99 982nd 1999 50.9%
2008 43.88 1063rd 2005 47.0%
2009 38.89 1232nd 2063 40.3%
2010 36.97 1392nd 2179 36.1%
2011 55.08 964th 2236 56.9%
2012 55.11 945th 2259 58.2%
2013 37.21 1512th 2379 36.4%
2015 36.04 1442nd 2477 41.8%
2016 32.09 1576th 2497 36.9%
2017 24.38 1882nd 2508 25.0%
2018 23.98 1855th 2480 25.2%
2019 31.40 1735th 2715 36.1%
2022 29.22 1814th 2740 33.8%
2023 33.21 1694th 2802 39.5%
2024 34.35 1650th 2777 40.6%
See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 27.91 1107th 1364 18.8%
2019 37.49 772nd 1442 46.5%
2022 36.37 921st 1540 40.2%
2023 34.37 1016th 1529 33.6%
2024 38.44 789th 1477 46.6%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 55.70 450th 1538 70.7%
2024 43.99 682nd 1550 56.0%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 33.18 1482nd 2230 33.5%
2019 39.44 1342nd 2369 43.4%
2022 38.04 1405th 2458 42.8%
2023 39.85 1344th 2549 47.3%
2024 38.60 1432nd 2575 44.4%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 44.78 168th 336 50.0%
2023 36.32 203rd 321 36.8%
2024 70.73 62nd 394 84.3%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 20.80 1815th 2262 19.8%
2019 27.27 1714th 2380 28.0%
2022 34.31 1514th 2509 39.7%
2023 32.45 1569th 2547 38.4%
2024 30.64 1648th 2546 35.3%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 22.51 1234th 1369 9.9%
2019 24.89 1212th 1491 18.7%
2022 43.40 675th 1531 55.9%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 15.50 170th 193 11.9%
2024 50.66 89th 191 53.4%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 26.38 1639th 2273 27.9%
2019 33.59 1506th 2407 37.4%
2022 25.26 1835th 2527 27.4%
2023 33.70 1542nd 2558 39.7%
2024 37.08 1438th 2547 43.5%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 30.25 419th 600 30.2%
2019 68.11 166th 643 74.2%
2022 54.65 235th 637 63.1%
2024 67.31 158th 626 74.8%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 35.09 1329th 2072 35.9%
2019 41.34 1212th 2213 45.2%
2022 37.30 1379th 2359 41.5%
2023 40.64 1257th 2391 47.4%
2024 41.44 1262nd 2383 47.0%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Sierra Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 8.02 1412th 1496 5.6%
2019 14.34 1397th 1602 12.8%
2022 30.91 1085th 1555 30.2%
2023 31.72 1055th 1552 32.0%
2024 42.87 846th 1535 44.9%
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.

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





Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Sierra Middle

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 434 75 32 172 0 n/a n/a 0 713
1989 464 87 25 205 2 n/a n/a 0 783
1990 461 85 29 248 3 n/a n/a 0 826
1991 434 78 31 260 3 n/a n/a 0 806
1992 478 86 32 254 3 n/a n/a 0 853
1993 459 79 40 301 2 n/a n/a 0 881
1994 451 86 42 363 4 n/a n/a 0 946
1995 387 93 44 376 4 n/a n/a 0 904
1996 387 93 44 376 4 n/a n/a 0 904
1997 403 103 38 429 3 n/a n/a 0 976
1998 421 101 34 389 7 n/a n/a 0 952
1999 404 83 35 345 8 n/a n/a 0 875
2000 379 87 41 358 3 n/a n/a 0 868
2001 401 91 38 417 6 n/a n/a 0 953
2002 355 88 29 497 6 n/a n/a 0 975
2003 355 88 29 497 6 n/a n/a 0 975
2004 353 89 31 547 5 n/a n/a 0 1025
2005 309 83 28 601 5 n/a n/a 0 1026
2006 262 72 38 642 3 n/a n/a 0 1017
2007 257 76 32 633 8 n/a n/a 1 1007
2008 253 67 33 626 4 n/a n/a 0 983
2009 203 66 29 624 3 8 5 0 938
2010 192 84 22 652 5 3 16 0 974
2011 158 70 31 641 6 3 17 0 926
2012 151 55 20 652 5 4 13 0 900
2013 124 49 23 672 2 4 12 0 886
2014 129 53 21 660 3 1 14 0 881
2015 132 40 21 678 3 3 13 0 890
2016 99 34 17 655 1 7 16 0 829
2017 76 38 11 653 5 7 18 0 808
2018 81 39 20 654 4 3 24 0 825
2019 87 38 26 693 2 1 24 0 871
2020 63 36 10 706 3 2 20 0 840
2021 60 38 14 724 4 4 26 0 870
2022 58 28 13 676 1 5 11 0 792
2023 60 32 20 704 2 4 8 0 830

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 Sierra Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 713 32.8 21.7 n/a
1989 783 37.1 21.1 n/a
1990 826 36.7 22.5 n/a
1991 806 39.1 20.6 n/a
1992 853 39.7 21.4 37.9
1993 881 38.0 23.2 44.4
1994 946 40.6 23.3 51.8
1995 904 38.6 23.4 52.9
1996 904 38.6 23.4 52.9
1997 976 40.8 23.9 59.9
1998 952 42.7 22.3 56.1
1999 875 37.8 23.1 61.1
2000 868 37.8 23.0 50
2001 953 38.6 24.7 52.7
2002 975 44.4 22.0 55.9
2003 975 44.4 22.0 55.9
2004 1025 46.8 21.9 57.5
2005 1026 46.1 22.3 67.3
2006 1017 48.6 20.9 67.8
2007 1007 45.0 22.4 71.8
2008 983 50.9 19.3 59.5
2009 938 45.5 18.2 79.1
2010 974 43.8 22.2 82.9
2011 926 n/a n/a 74.1
2012 900 41.9 21.4 n/a
2013 886 41.9 21.1 86
2014 881 41.6 21.1 84.1
2015 890 42.0 21.1 84.8
2016 829 40.0 20.7 83.4
2017 808 38.6 20.9 81.8
2018 825 37.9 21.7 86.1
2019 871 40.3 21.6 85.1
2020 840 n/a n/a 84.3
2021 870 39.7 21.8 88.5
2022 792 36.0 22.0 88
2023 830 36.1 22.9 86.7

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 Sierra Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 713 32.8 21.7 n/a
1989 783 37.1 21.1 n/a
1990 826 36.7 22.5 n/a
1991 806 39.1 20.6 n/a
1992 853 39.7 21.4 37.9
1993 881 38.0 23.2 44.4
1994 946 40.6 23.3 51.8
1995 904 38.6 23.4 52.9
1996 904 38.6 23.4 52.9
1997 976 40.8 23.9 59.9
1998 952 42.7 22.3 56.1
1999 875 37.8 23.1 61.1
2000 868 37.8 23.0 50
2001 953 38.6 24.7 52.7
2002 975 44.4 22.0 55.9
2003 975 44.4 22.0 55.9
2004 1025 46.8 21.9 57.5
2005 1026 46.1 22.3 67.3
2006 1017 48.6 20.9 67.8
2007 1007 45.0 22.4 71.8
2008 983 50.9 19.3 59.5
2009 938 45.5 18.2 79.1
2010 974 43.8 22.2 82.9
2011 926 n/a n/a 74.1
2012 900 41.9 21.4 n/a
2013 886 41.9 21.1 86
2014 881 41.6 21.1 84.1
2015 890 42.0 21.1 84.8
2016 829 40.0 20.7 83.4
2017 808 38.6 20.9 81.8
2018 825 37.9 21.7 86.1
2019 871 40.3 21.6 85.1
2020 840 n/a n/a 84.3
2021 870 39.7 21.8 88.5
2022 792 36.0 22.0 88
2023 830 36.1 22.9 86.7

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 Sierra Middle

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $9,676

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sierra 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 1735th of 2715 Middle schoolsRanks 1694th of 2802 Middle schools
 3.4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Sierra Middle)45.335.5
 9.8%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Riverside Unified)50.845
 5.7%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)51.447.4
 3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Sierra Middle)21.421.2
 0.2%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Riverside Unified)32.331.1
 1.2%
   7th Grade Mathematics (California)37.933.2
 4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Sierra Middle)38.333.8
 4.5%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Riverside Unified)51.244.9
 6.4%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)49.445.7
 3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Sierra Middle)23.120.5
 2.6%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Riverside Unified)32.726.8
 5.9%
   8th Grade Mathematics (California)36.629.9
 6.7%
8th Grade Science (Sierra Middle)17.920.8
 2.9%
   8th Grade Science (Riverside Unified)30.725.6
 5.1%
   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 Students871830
 4.7%
African American3832
 15.8%
American Indian22
Asian2620
 23.1%
Hispanic693704
 1.6%
Pacific Islander14
 300%
White8760
 31%
Two or More Races248
 66.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients85.1%86.7%
 1.7%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Sierra Middle

Sierra Middle ranks 1650th of 2777 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Sierra Middle are 85% Hispanic, 7% White, 4% African American, 2% Asian.

Students who attend Sierra Middle usually go on to attend Ramona High

In the 2022-23 school year, 830 students attended Sierra Middle.


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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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