Top Rankings
Pasadena Unified School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in California for:
Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 7 public middle schools serving 5,261 students in Pasadena Unified School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 6/10, which is in the top 50% of public middle schools in California.
Public Middle Schools in Pasadena Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 29% (versus the California public middle school average of 31%), and reading proficiency score of 42% (versus the 46% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 82% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the California public middle school average of 78% (majority Hispanic).
Overview
This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
23 Schools
3,501 Schools
# Students
13,854 Students
1,854,363 Students
# Teachers
645 Teachers
87,821 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
21:1
21:1
Student By Grade
District Rank
Pasadena Unified School District, which is ranked #800 of all 1,925 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 85% has stayed relatively flat over five school years.
Overall District Rank
#791 out of 1941 school districts
(Top 50%)
(Top 50%)
Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
(22-23)34%
34%
Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
45%
47%
Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
30%
29%
Graduation Rate
(22-23)85%
87%
Students by Ethnicity:
Diversity Score
0.62
0.64
% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
8%
11%
% Hispanic
58%
55%
% Black
10%
5%
% White
17%
22%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
7%
6%
All Ethnic Groups
District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $21,785 is higher than the state median of $19,974. The school district revenue/student has grown by 9% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $18,252 is less than the state median of $18,396. The school district spending/student has grown by 9% over four school years.
Total Revenue
$302 MM
$116,387 MM
Spending
$253 MM
$107,188 MM
Revenue / Student
$21,785
$19,974
Spending / Student
$18,252
$18,396
Best Pasadena Unified School District Public Middle Schools (2025)
School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Sierra Madre Middle School
(Math: 59% | Reading: 68%)
Rank:
Rank:
9/
Top 20%10
160 North Canon Ave.
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
(626) 396-5910
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
(626) 396-5910
Grades: 6-8
| 593 students
Rank: #22.
Marshall Fundamental
(Math: 32% | Reading: 48%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
990 North Allen Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91104
(626) 396-5810
Pasadena, CA 91104
(626) 396-5810
Grades: 6-12
| 1,848 students
Rank: #33.
Blair High School
(Math: 28% | Reading: 43%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
1201 South Marengo Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91106
(626) 396-5820
Pasadena, CA 91106
(626) 396-5820
Grades: 6-12
| 1,055 students
Rank: #44.
Cis Academy
Alternative School
(Math: 25-29% | Reading: 35-39%)
Rank:
Rank:
5/
Bottom 50%10
2925 East Siera Madre Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 396-5883
Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 396-5883
Grades: K-12
| 235 students
Rank: #55.
Mckinley
(Math: 20% | Reading: 32%)
Rank:
Rank:
4/
Bottom 50%10
325 South Oak Knoll Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 396-5630
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 396-5630
Grades: K-8
| 616 students
Rank: #66.
Octavia E. Butler Magnet
Magnet School
(Math: 16% | Reading: 24%)
Rank:
Rank:
2/
Bottom 50%10
1505 North Marengo Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 396-5830
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 396-5830
Grades: 6-8
| 519 students
Rank: #77.
Charles W. Eliot Middle School
(Math: 12% | Reading: 26%)
Rank:
Rank:
2/
Bottom 50%10
2184 North Lake Ave.
Altadena, CA 91001
(626) 396-5680
Altadena, CA 91001
(626) 396-5680
Grades: 6-8
| 395 students
Recent Articles

Parents’ Guide to Special Education
Special education law is not easy to decipher, with several regulations that govern special education services for disabled students. In this article, learn about the core components of the laws, rights, and individual education plans that can help create the best public school environment for your child.

Surveillance Cameras: Violation of Rights or Improved Security?
A school district in Virginia has given the green light to schools that want to install surveillance cameras in common areas like cafeterias and hallways. We’ll look at whether this is a violation of student privacy or the best way to keep order in schools.

Teachers in 19 States Allowed to Physically Punish Students
As of 2014, nineteen states still allow corporal punishment – spanking and paddling the most common choices – in their public schools. However, some argue that not only are these punishments physically harmful, they also are disproportionately administered to students of color. As a result, House democrats have taken up the issue in a new bill that would ban all forms of corporal punishment nationwide.