La Joya Middle

Located at 4711 West La Vida, in Visalia, California, La Joya Middle is an average-sized middle school that educates 727 students (grades 7 through 8), run under Visalia Unified.

Within Visalia Unified, which oversees 41 schools and 28,725 students, La Joya Middle is one campus in the system.

Demographically, La Joya Middle shows that 75% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. The remainder breaks down as 17% White, 3% Asian, 2% multiracial. By comparison, Tulare County as a whole is about 67% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, La Joya Middle lists 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 23.2:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 20.7:1, putting La Joya Middle higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 71% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

With demographic context factored in, La Joya Middle tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 37.1% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 33.3%.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Tulare County) reports that median household earnings sit near $71,300, 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 15%. Across Tulare County's 196 public schools (combined enrollment of about 101,494 students), La Joya Middle is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Linwood Elementary, around 0.2 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), La Joya Middle ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 36.4%.

The school occupies an urban site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at La Joya Middle has edged down 18%, going from 885 students in 2018 to 727 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment ticked up from 63% to 75% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 25.5:1 in 2018 to 23.2:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.