Mountain Empire Unified School District

3305 Buckman Springs Rd.
Pine Valley, CA 91962-4003
(District boundaries shown in map)
3/
10
Bottom 50%
For the 2026-27 school year, there are 3 public middle schools serving 276 students in Mountain Empire Unified School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 2/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in California.
Public Middle Schools in Mountain Empire Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 13% (versus the California public middle school average of 32%), and reading proficiency score of 24% (versus the 46% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 78% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is equal to the California public middle school average of 78% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
10 Schools
3,459 Schools
# Students
1,738 Students
1,857,843 Students
# Teachers
82 Teachers
88,071 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
21:1
21:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Mountain Empire Unified School District, which is ranked #1542 of all 1,903 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 70% has decreased from 85-89% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (CA)
#1536 out of 1932 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
17%
34%
29%
47%
16%
29%
70%
87%
(2022-23)
52.4%
27.7%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.52
0.64
% American Indian
4%
1%
% Asian
n/a
11%
% Hispanic
65%
55%
% Black
1%
5%
% White
26%
22%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
4%
6%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $19,695 in this school district is less than the state median of $20,106. The school district revenue/student has grown by 11% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $15,502 is less than the state median of $18,517. The school district spending/student has declined by 5% over four school years.
This School District
This State (CA)
Total Revenue
$34 MM
$116,387 MM
Spending
$27 MM
$107,188 MM
Revenue / Student
$19,695
$20,106
Spending / Student
$15,502
$18,517

Best Mountain Empire Unified School District Public Middle Schools (2026-27)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Hillside Junior/senior High School
Alternative School
(Math: ≤20% | Reading: 21-39%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
7454 Pine Blvd.
Pine Valley, CA 91962
(619) 473-8693
Gr: 7-12 | 31 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 74%
Rank: #22.
Mountain Empire Junior High School
(Math: 10-14% | Reading: 20-24%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
3305 Buckman Springs Rd.
Pine Valley, CA 91962
(619) 326-6662
Gr: 7-8 | 245 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 78%
Rank: n/an/a
Cottonwood Community Day
Alternative School
3291 Buckman Springs Rd.
Pine Valley, CA 91962
(619) 473-8693
Gr: 7-12

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Quick Facts (2026-27)

  • District size: 10 schools
  • Grades: K-12
  • Enrollment: 1,738 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 21:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 74%
  • : 70% (Btm 50% in CA)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 17% (Btm 50%)
  • : 29% (Btm 50%)
  • : 16% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), CA Dept. of Education

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