Rio Norte Junior High

Rio Norte Junior High is a junior high of high-enrollment scale in Santa Clarita, California, overseen by William S. Hart Union High, serveing 1,138 students in grades 7 through 8. That puts it 73% larger than the typical public school in California, which averages around 659 students.

Across the 16 schools in William S. Hart Union High (20,465 students total), Rio Norte Junior High accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Rio Norte Junior High records that the largest single group is White at 38%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 26% Asian, 25% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 5% Black.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Rio Norte Junior High has 47 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 24.0:1. The state averages around 20.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 17% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is south of Los Angeles County's rate of about 70%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Rio Norte Junior High performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 69.4%, the actual is 64.1%, a residual of -5.3 points.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Los Angeles County) reports that median household income runs about $90,112, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Los Angeles County runs 2244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students), of which Rio Norte Junior High is one.

The closest other public school is West Creek Academy, roughly 0.6 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Rio Norte Junior High. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Rio Norte Junior High at 6th of 8; the average score across the group is 68.5%.

The campus sits in a commuter-belt setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Rio Norte Junior High has shrank 13%, going from 1,309 students in 2018 to 1,138 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 48% to 38% across the same window.

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