Pioneer Middle

Summary:

Pioneer Middle is a public middle school located in Tustin, California, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 881 students. The school is part of the Tustin Unified School District, which is ranked 404 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pioneer Middle consistently ranks among the top 10% of middle schools in California, with a statewide ranking between 173-206 out of over 2,700 middle schools in recent years. The school's students perform significantly better than the district and state averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, as well as in the California Science Test (CAST). For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 73.67% of Pioneer Middle students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 61.39% for the Tustin Unified School District and 47.04% for the state of California.

Pioneer Middle excels in supporting the academic achievement of various student subgroups, including female students, Asian students, Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities. The school's performance is particularly strong in the 7th and 8th grade levels, where proficiency rates in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics exceed 70%. Additionally, Pioneer Middle has maintained relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, which are significantly lower than the state average.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 2700 Pioneer Rd.
       Tustin, CA  92782-3374


(714) 730-7534

District: Tustin Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
194th of 2,777 California Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $10,057 Help


Students who attend Pioneer Middle usually attend:

High:    Arnold O. Beckman High

Feeder schools for Pioneer Middle:

Elementary:    Ladera Elementary
    Myford Elementary
    Peters Canyon Elementary
    Tustin Ranch Elementary

Student/teacher ratio:  26.7 Help
Number of students:  941

Racial breakdown:

Asian:
37.1%
Hispanic:
27.6%
White:
21.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  34.6% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Pioneer Middle ranks better than 93% of middle schools in California. It also ranks first among 4 ranked middle schools in the Tustin Unified School District! (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 93.57. (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 Pioneer Middle has the largest middle school student body size in the Tustin Unified School District. Student population at Pioneer Middle is diverse. Racial makeup is: Asian (37.1%), Hispanic (27.6%), White (21.4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 34.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Tustin Unified School District. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pioneer Middle is 26.7, which is the highest among 4 middle schools in the Tustin Unified School District! (See more...)
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Compare Pioneer Middle employs 35.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pioneer Middle is $10,057, which is the lowest among 4 middle schools in the Tustin Unified School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Pioneer Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Pioneer Middle 194th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Pioneer 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:


Tustin Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Tustin Unified 404th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Pioneer Middle

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Rank History for all students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 92.32 85th 1769 95.2%
2005 88.33 143rd 1777 92.0%
2006 91.42 97th 1804 94.6%
2007 88.58 154th 1999 92.3%
2008 90.18 105th 2005 94.8%
2009 85.67 174th 2063 91.6%
2010 86.34 166th 2179 92.4%
2011 85.18 187th 2236 91.6%
2012 85.36 187th 2259 91.7%
2013 84.38 208th 2379 91.3%
2015 90.15 213th 2477 91.4%
2016 92.24 173rd 2497 93.1%
2017 92.33 183rd 2508 92.7%
2018 91.91 192nd 2480 92.3%
2019 89.79 270th 2715 90.1%
2022 92.68 206th 2740 92.5%
2023 93.29 198th 2802 92.9%
2024 93.57 194th 2777 93.0%
See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 81.51 66th 462 85.7%
2019 75.24 131st 554 76.4%
2022 66.97 210th 665 68.4%
2023 78.86 123rd 678 81.9%
2024 73.83 173rd 699 75.3%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 91.81 66th 1364 95.2%
2019 88.72 71st 1442 95.1%
2022 73.20 158th 1540 89.7%
2023 73.07 153rd 1529 90.0%
2024 76.62 109th 1477 92.6%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 76.00 204th 1538 86.7%
2024 84.20 134th 1550 91.4%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 81.78 254th 2230 88.6%
2019 78.45 338th 2369 85.7%
2022 83.17 240th 2458 90.2%
2023 86.65 224th 2549 91.2%
2024 88.34 210th 2575 91.8%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 90.67 206th 2262 90.9%
2019 88.29 267th 2380 88.8%
2022 92.61 176th 2509 93.0%
2023 92.98 180th 2547 92.9%
2024 93.57 166th 2546 93.5%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 87.48 96th 1369 93.0%
2019 87.45 109th 1491 92.7%
2022 75.20 231st 1531 84.9%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 90.82 206th 2273 90.9%
2019 89.46 254th 2407 89.4%
2022 90.87 224th 2527 91.1%
2023 91.90 201st 2558 92.1%
2024 91.63 213th 2547 91.6%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 79.46 112th 700 84.0%
2019 76.41 167th 745 77.6%
2022 77.47 156th 733 78.7%
2023 78.58 125th 718 82.6%
2024 77.98 139th 741 81.2%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 25.83 495th 643 23.0%
2022 85.78 57th 637 91.1%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 80.11 274th 2072 86.8%
2019 80.23 303rd 2213 86.3%
2022 87.84 167th 2359 92.9%
2023 87.84 178th 2391 92.6%
2024 87.46 181st 2383 92.4%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Pioneer Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 72.92 400th 1496 73.3%
2019 64.34 562nd 1602 64.9%
2022 73.56 353rd 1555 77.3%
2023 67.58 460th 1552 70.4%
2024 73.32 362nd 1535 76.4%
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.

Pioneer 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 Pioneer Middle

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2000 189 8 96 39 2 n/a n/a 0 334
2001 294 9 155 56 4 n/a n/a 0 518
2002 450 18 279 88 4 n/a n/a 11 850
2003 450 18 279 88 4 n/a n/a 11 850
2004 504 23 333 91 7 n/a n/a 11 969
2005 530 28 385 103 8 n/a n/a 14 1068
2006 525 26 452 99 5 n/a n/a 49 1156
2007 512 32 498 102 3 n/a n/a 62 1209
2008 492 24 566 134 3 n/a n/a 0 1219
2009 540 28 575 167 4 4 67 0 1385
2010 597 28 634 204 4 5 42 0 1514
2011 522 28 548 183 1 6 41 0 1329
2012 502 31 554 191 2 6 46 0 1332
2013 466 26 485 180 2 3 50 0 1212
2014 514 30 486 178 3 1 49 0 1261
2015 517 25 471 179 1 4 51 0 1248
2016 513 24 459 215 3 4 68 0 1286
2017 481 21 455 201 3 3 69 0 1233
2018 491 26 430 252 4 2 77 0 1282
2019 433 32 420 265 2 1 76 0 1229
2020 365 43 411 290 1 3 77 0 1190
2021 270 35 342 275 0 1 74 0 997
2022 226 23 311 242 0 1 81 1 885
2023 207 19 327 236 0 3 89 0 881
2024 201 17 349 260 1 3 110 0 941

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 Pioneer Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2000 334 11.8 28.3 3.3
2001 518 17.3 29.9 1.9
2002 850 31.5 27.0 4.5
2003 850 31.5 27.0 4.5
2004 969 35.1 27.6 4.6
2005 1068 39.7 26.9 4.7
2006 1156 41.2 28.1 4.6
2007 1209 42.3 28.6 5.4
2008 1219 48.4 25.2 5.3
2009 1385 46.3 27.2 8.4
2010 1514 51.5 29.3 8.9
2011 1329 n/a n/a 9.9
2012 1332 46.1 28.8 n/a
2013 1212 42.8 28.3 13
2014 1261 42.5 29.6 10.9
2015 1248 44.0 28.3 11.8
2016 1286 44.0 29.2 13.3
2017 1233 43.0 28.6 13.4
2018 1282 43.5 29.4 18.5
2019 1229 42.1 29.1 19
2020 1190 n/a n/a 21.7
2021 997 37.7 26.3 21.2
2022 885 34.1 25.9 20
2023 881 32.2 27.3 23.7
2024 941 35.1 26.7 34.6

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 Pioneer Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2000 334 11.8 28.3 3.3
2001 518 17.3 29.9 1.9
2002 850 31.5 27.0 4.5
2003 850 31.5 27.0 4.5
2004 969 35.1 27.6 4.6
2005 1068 39.7 26.9 4.7
2006 1156 41.2 28.1 4.6
2007 1209 42.3 28.6 5.4
2008 1219 48.4 25.2 5.3
2009 1385 46.3 27.2 8.4
2010 1514 51.5 29.3 8.9
2011 1329 n/a n/a 9.9
2012 1332 46.1 28.8 n/a
2013 1212 42.8 28.3 13
2014 1261 42.5 29.6 10.9
2015 1248 44.0 28.3 11.8
2016 1286 44.0 29.2 13.3
2017 1233 43.0 28.6 13.4
2018 1282 43.5 29.4 18.5
2019 1229 42.1 29.1 19
2020 1190 n/a n/a 21.7
2021 997 37.7 26.3 21.2
2022 885 34.1 25.9 20
2023 881 32.2 27.3 23.7
2024 941 35.1 26.7 34.6

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 Pioneer Middle

Help

YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $10,057

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Pioneer 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 270th of 2715 Middle schoolsRanks 198th of 2802 Middle schools
 2.9%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Pioneer Middle)67.870
 2.3%
   6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Tustin Unified)60.458.1
 2.3%
   6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)48.544.2
 4.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Pioneer Middle)63.760.6
 3.1%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Tustin Unified)52.150
 2.1%
   6th Grade Mathematics (California)38.533.2
 5.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Pioneer Middle)75.175.2
 0.1%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Tustin Unified)6561.6
 3.4%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)51.447.4
 3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Pioneer Middle)68.159.8
 8.3%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Tustin Unified)53.150.6
 2.5%
   7th Grade Mathematics (California)37.933.2
 4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Pioneer Middle)67.372.1
 4.8%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Tustin Unified)62.260.7
 1.6%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)49.445.7
 3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Pioneer Middle)65.863.2
 2.5%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Tustin Unified)53.946.5
 7.5%
   8th Grade Mathematics (California)36.629.9
 6.7%
8th Grade Science (Pioneer Middle)5355.5
 2.5%
   8th Grade Science (Tustin Unified)45.342.3
 3%
   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 Students1229881
 28.3%
African American3219
 40.6%
American Indian20
 100%
Asian420327
 22.1%
Hispanic265236
 10.9%
Pacific Islander13
 200%
White433207
 52.2%
Two or More Races7689
 17.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients19%23.7%
 4.7%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer Middle

Students who attend Pioneer Middle usually go on to attend Arnold O. Beckman High

Yes. Pioneer Middle ranks in the top 7.0% of California middle schools.

Students at Pioneer Middle are 37% Asian, 28% Hispanic, 21% White, 12% Two or more races, 2% African American.

In the 2023-24 school year, 941 students attended Pioneer 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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