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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·TUSTIN UNIFIED·NCES 064015006635

Columbus Tustin Middle

17952 Beneta Way, Tustin, CA 92780 · (714) 730-7352 · Orange County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL583 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 59% of California public middle schools
  • B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • DThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public middle schools

Enrollment
583
Middle
DISTRICT 759 · STATE 659
Student : Teacher
23.6:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 24.4:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
86%
499 students
DISTRICT 56% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 618932%
Grade 719133%
Grade 820335%
Student demographics
33%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 68% · STATE 62% · US 70%
White
346%
DISTRICT 19% · STATE 20% · US 43%
Hispanic
47281%
DISTRICT 46% · STATE 56% · US 30%
Black
142%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 5% · US 15%
Asian
448%
DISTRICT 25% · STATE 12% · US 6%
Two+
163%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 6% · US 5%
Pacific Islander
31%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
32255%
Female
26145%

Discussions

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Test scores

CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standard
English Language Arts
40.9%
CA avg 49.1% . -6.1pp since 2014
Math
29.5%
CA avg 37.7% . -9.5pp since 2014

What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 41 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 29 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 6 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 10 points.

Performance levels, 2024-25

SubjectStandard ExceededStandard MetStandard Nearly MetStandard Not Met
English Language Arts15.4%25.6%26.1%33.0%
Math17.6%11.9%22.0%48.5%
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.

CAASPP results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2540.9%29.5%
2023-2444.9%34.5%
2022-2345.9%32.5%
2021-2243.9%31.9%
2018-1953.4%35.4%
2017-1847.2%33.5%
2016-1748.7%36.3%
2015-1647.0%39.0%
2014-1547.0%39.0%
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
37.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
29.4%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.0pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 29% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like Columbus Tustin Middle

Columbus Tustin Middle's state test result (37.4% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Columbus Tustin Middle this school58385.6%37.4%
Magnolia Junior High
Chino
54183.4%31.6%
C. E. Utt Middle
Tustin
55482.1%35.3%
John Sutter Middle
Fowler
57982.0%37.4%
Cesar Chavez Junior High
Ceres
68586.7%28.3%
Los Tules Middle
Tulare
56984.9%26.8%
Matched among California middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where Columbus Tustin Middle ranks

Among middle schools
MeasureThis schoolIn CaliforniaIn Orange County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
37.4%#579 of 1,224#66 of 85
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
29.5%#607 of 1,227
▼ 144
#66 of 85
▼ 8
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
40.9%#692 of 1,227
▼ 149
#70 of 85
▼ 6
3-year test score change
ranked biggest drop first
-2.7pp#163 of 1,214#9 of 84
Enrollment
ranked largest first
583#797 of 1,377#60 of 88
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
23.6:1#1,038 of 1,279#64 of 87
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
33.4%#905 of 1,278#67 of 87
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
85.6%#406 of 1,329#24 of 88
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-33.4%#80 of 930#12 of 74
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
583
-111 (-16%) vs 2020
-30% since 1990-91, when it was 827
Student : Teacher
23.6:1
was 25.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2558324.723.6:186% (499)
2023-2460424.424.7:183% (501)
2022-2360926.523.0:179% (480)
2020-216942725.7:164% (441)
2017-1887631.427.9:173% (641)
2015-169073426.7:173% (660)
2010-11915N/AN/A72% (656)
2000-017843026.1:150% (391)
1990-918273325.1:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Columbus Tustin Middle.

Since 2017-18: students down 33% (876 to 583); teachers down 21% (31.4 to 24.7).

About Columbus Tustin Middle

Families in Tustin, California, are served by Columbus Tustin Middle, a medium-sized middle-grades school. It covers grades 6 through 8, with a total enrollment of 583 students.

Tustin Unified is made up of 28 schools with 21,220 students in all.

Hispanic students are the large majority at Columbus Tustin Middle, with 81% of enrollment. Enrollment also includes 8% Asian, 6% White, 3% multiracial, and 2% Black. Among people living in Orange County, the Hispanic share is about 34%. The chance that two students picked at random at Columbus Tustin Middle belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 33%.

Teachers at Columbus Tustin Middle total 24.7 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 23.6:1. The 20.7:1 average for middle schools in California is lower than this school's figure. The school counts 499 students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or 86%. The gap from the 55% average for public schools in Orange County is 31 points.

Measured against California public middle schools, Columbus Tustin Middle receives a B. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.

On BeatsExpectations, Columbus Tustin Middle is 8.0 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of California schools.

Federal survey data for Orange County show that median household income is about $116,289, 44% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Columbus Tustin Middle is among the 649 public schools in Orange County.

The shortest distance from Columbus Tustin Middle to another public school is about 0.4 miles, to Helen Estock Elementary. The five-mile area around Columbus Tustin Middle holds at least 8 other public schools. Among 7 nearby schools that report test results, Columbus Tustin Middle ranks 5th on proficiency.

Columbus Tustin Middle falls in the City: Small locale category, used for schools inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.

From 2020-21 to 2024-25, Columbus Tustin Middle went from 694 students to 583. The ratio of students to teachers went from 25.7:1 to 23.6:1 over the same years.

The discussion area below is open to posts about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.

Orange County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
3,165,820
Census ACS
Median income
$116,289
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
44%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
649
430,458 students

Quick facts

School name
Columbus Tustin Middle
District
Tustin Unified
Address
17952 Beneta Way, Tustin, CA 92780
Phone
(714) 730-7352
County
Orange County
Level
Middle
Grade range
06–08
Total enrollment
583
Teachers (FTE)
25
Student–teacher ratio
23.6:1
Free and reduced lunch
499 (86%)
Locale
13-City: Small
NCES ID
064015006635
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Tustin Unified
Other schools in Tustin
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Columbus Tustin Middle
What is the total enrollment at Columbus Tustin Middle?
Columbus Tustin Middle enrolls approximately 583 students in grades 06-08.
Is Columbus Tustin Middle an elementary, middle, or high school?
Columbus Tustin Middle is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many students per teacher at Columbus Tustin Middle?
Approximately 23.6:1 students per teacher at Columbus Tustin Middle.
How diverse is Columbus Tustin Middle?
Columbus Tustin Middle reports a student body of 6% White, 81% Hispanic, 2% Black, 8% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Columbus Tustin Middle public or private?
Columbus Tustin Middle is a public K-12 school, overseen by Tustin Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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