Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Middle Schools

Best Middle Schools
in Garden Grove Unified

This page covers 10 middle schools in Garden Grove Unified. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

10
Schools Ranked
California
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Middle Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 10
1
rank
Hilton D. Bell Intermediate
Grades 07–08629 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,615/student)
47
/100
Student:Teacher
23.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,615
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
41%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
James Irvine Intermediate
Grades 07–08641 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,615/student)
43
/100
Student:Teacher
21.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
50/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,615
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
88%
High economic need
3
rank
Izaak Walton Intermediate
Grades 07–08506 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,615/student)
41
/100
Student:Teacher
22.3:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
50/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,615
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
89%
High economic need
4
rank
Leroy L. Doig Intermediate
Grades 07–08558 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,615/student)
40
/100
Student:Teacher
23.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
50/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,615
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
95%
High economic need
5
rank
Dr. Walter C. Ralston Intermediate
Grades 07–08552 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,615/student)
40
/100
Student:Teacher
24.3:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
50/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,615
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
82%
High economic need
6
rank
Donald S. Jordan Intermediate
Grades 07–08602 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,615/student)
39
/100
Student:Teacher
25.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
52/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,615
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
86%
High economic need
7
rank
Sarah McGarvin Intermediate
Grades 07–08694 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,615/student)
39
/100
Student:Teacher
26.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
49/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,615
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
74%
High economic need
8
rank
Louis Lake Intermediate
Grades 07–08461 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,615/student)
39
/100
Student:Teacher
25.6:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
50/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,615
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
82%
High economic need
9
rank
Stephen R. Fitz Intermediate
Grades 07–08507 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,615/student)
38
/100
Student:Teacher
22.6:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
43/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,615
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
91%
High economic need
10
rank
Alamitos Intermediate
Grades 07–08628 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,615/student)
37
/100
Student:Teacher
25.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
45/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,615
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
87%
High economic need
How We Rank Middle Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the middle school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
35%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Reflects long-run economic outcomes for children raised in this area.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes. Particularly important during the middle years when academic and social needs are at their most complex.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
15%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Reflects the economic profile of the community the school serves.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
10
Middle Schools
64
Total Schools
47
#1 Score
40
Avg Score
Top Ranked Middle School
Compare Garden Grove Unified with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.