Laton Middle

As an one-room-style junior high in Laton, California, Laton Middle works with 154 students from grades 6 through 8, operated by Laton Joint Unified. That puts it 77% leaner than the typical public school in California, which averages around 659 students.

Across the 4 schools in Laton Joint Unified (603 students total), Laton Middle accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Laton Middle records that 87% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority. Beyond that, the school lists 10% White, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Fresno County as a whole is about 55% Hispanic, so the school skews considerably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, The school lists 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 17.1:1. The state averages around 20.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 88% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Fresno County runs at roughly 75%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Laton Middle sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 27.3%; this one delivers 21.6%.

In the area at large, census data for Fresno County shows the typical household earns roughly $74,201 per year, roughly 24% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Laton Middle is one of 368 public schools in Fresno County (combined enrollment of about 206,072 students).

The closest other public school is Laton Elementary, roughly 0.0 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 5 other public schools cluster around Laton Middle. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Laton Middle ranks 7th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 43.5%.

Laton Middle operates from a countryside location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked up 4%: 148 students in 2018 compared to 154 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 24.7:1 in 2018 to 17.1:1 today.

On the community side, the feed for Laton Middle typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.