La Contenta Middle

La Contenta Middle is a moderately sized junior high in Yucca Valley, California, run under Morongo Unified. The school instructs 647 students in grades 7 through 8.

Across the 16 schools in Morongo Unified (7,225 students total), La Contenta Middle accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, La Contenta Middle reports that the most-represented group is White (54%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school lists 36% Hispanic, 5% Black, 2% multiracial. By comparison, San Bernardino County as a whole is about 33% White, so the school skews considerably more White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 19.6:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 20.7:1, putting La Contenta Middle tighter than the state norm the norm. About 70% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), La Contenta Middle tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 37.7% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 25.4%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for San Bernardino County put the typical household earns roughly $85,478 per year, about 23% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Across San Bernardino County's 583 public schools (combined enrollment of about 393,648 students), La Contenta Middle is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Black Rock Alternative/Continuation, roughly 0.3 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 7 other public schools cluster around La Contenta Middle. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts La Contenta Middle at 6th of 8; the average score across the group is 32.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Trend over the last 7 years. La Contenta Middle's enrollment has edged down 12% since 2018, when it stood at 734 (now 647). Class-load math has narrowed: from 23.0:1 in 2018 to 19.6:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.