Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Middle Schools

Best Middle Schools
in Fresno Unified

This page covers 14 middle schools in Fresno 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.

14
Schools Ranked
California
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Middle Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 14
1
rank
Baird Middle
Grades 05–08598 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,803/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
20.6:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
45/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,803
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
44%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
Tenaya Middle
Grades 07–08816 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,803/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
20.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
54/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,803
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
66%
Near nat'l 52.2%
3
rank
Fort Miller Middle
Grades 07–08623 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,803/student)
47
/100
Student:Teacher
15.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
45/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,803
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
98%
High economic need
4
rank
Ahwahnee Middle
Grades 07–08639 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,803/student)
47
/100
Student:Teacher
17.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,803
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
86%
High economic need
5
rank
Cooper Middle
Grades 06–08538 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,803/student)
46
/100
Student:Teacher
19.0:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
48/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,803
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
86%
High economic need
6
rank
Elizabeth Terronez Middle
Grades 06–08638 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,803/student)
45
/100
Student:Teacher
16.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
40/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,803
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
89%
High economic need
7
rank
Kings Canyon Middle
Grades 07–08932 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,803/student)
43
/100
Student:Teacher
19.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,803
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
96%
High economic need
8
rank
Scandinavian Middle
Grades 07–08764 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,803/student)
42
/100
Student:Teacher
18.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
39/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,803
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
95%
High economic need
9
rank
Rutherford B. Gaston Sr. Middle
Grades 07–08821 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,803/student)
42
/100
Student:Teacher
16.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
36/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,803
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
98%
High economic need
10
rank
Tioga Middle
Grades 07–08670 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,803/student)
41
/100
Student:Teacher
20.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
39/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,803
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
91%
High economic need
4 more middle schools in Fresno Unified not shown here.
View all schools in Fresno Unified
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
14
Middle Schools
99
Total Schools
50
#1 Score
44
Avg Score
Top Ranked Middle School
1
Baird Middle
Score: 50/100
Compare Fresno 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.