2024 Best Public Middle Schools in Riverside County

• Riverside Unified School District, CA•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 4.26 out of 5  57 reviews

Alum: As someone who was a student from 5th through 12th, I had a great experience in the middle school. Great teachers, fun activities and a unique experience that made it very different from any other school I could go to. Going into high school, it was a bit more disorganized and not as innovative with the experience, and rather felt lacking compared to a normal high school. Despite this the smaller environment, and the excellent teachers made the school and overall great experience.... Read 57 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 662

• Student-teacher ratio 26:1

• Hemet Unified School District, CA•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 4.55 out of 5  64 reviews

Junior: As a student, I’ve had so many great experiences especially coming from a school that didn’t really care what happened to the students while on campus. For me the best parts are just being there and knowing that I am surrounded by people who care about me and my future! Now my worst experiences are with some of the teachers because they are either uncooperative with students that they don’t like. In my past 2 years of being at the school, I’ve had two teachers who don’t care about students grades especially the ones who don’t kiss up to them and I’ve also had one teacher who finds comedy in throwing markers at students when they don’t give her the answers she wants. Personally and luckily, I have only had to deal with the two teachers who don’t care too much about putting grades at all! But otherwise, I love being here and I wouldn’t have changed my mind about attending this school no matter what!... Read 64 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 741

• Student-teacher ratio 25:1

• Menifee, CA•

• Public School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.07 out of 5  142 reviews

Alum: I went to a much larger school in a different school district for my freshman and sophmore year and struggled with the students, fitting in and feeling safe, all while trying to grasp what was happening with COVID. Santa Rosa saved me in so many ways and offered me exactly the type of learning environment and support I was looking for and for the first time in a while I started to thrive. The teachers, the staff and the students are all amazing and I am who I am today because of all those at SRA that supported me. GO RANGERS!... Read 142 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,651

• Student-teacher ratio 20:1

• Temecula, CA•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: We had a great Kinder teacher who cared about her students and was exceptional in creating a learning environment that always grasped the children's attention. If you as a parent support the learning at home your child can soar. They have a dedicated French and Spanish teacher and the program flows very well. Is it an immersion program, no, but my daughter is still speaking the French she did learn and it's summer. Parent communication is great. I am very impressed by their weekly emails and monthly news letters!! Their goal is to purchase their own property for the school within the next few years as well. And they let go teachers who are not up to par. Versus full public institutions where they have to keep the bad teachers. I support this school whole heartily and make two 40 minute round trips a day, for pick up and drop off for my daughter to attend. Long story short, you get out of the school what you as a parent are willing to put in and trust.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 280

• Student-teacher ratio 20:1

• Murrieta Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Alum: Dorothy Mcelhinney Middle School was the best school that I have ever attended. Everything from being a cheerleader to being a student was amazing. The teachers here have nothing but love for their students and strive to make sure they go above in beyond in all they do. DMMS really takes pride in school spirit which prepared me for High School.... Read 1 review

• grade A

• Students 1,316

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• Winchester, CA•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.38 out of 5  113 reviews

Senior: Temecula Preparatory School is a Pre-K-12th school with an average size of 80 kids per grade, I personally like that because the grade level always seems to be close with one another. My grade level isn’t as close as the ones before it but that’s because Covid made the school shut down the year our grade would have gotten closer. Another thing I like about TPS is the way we’re taught through Classical Education and that we are able to have a closer connection with our teachers because we’re a smaller school.... Read 113 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,071

• Student-teacher ratio 20:1

• Temecula Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.17 out of 5  6 reviews

Middle School Student: I liked how the teachers were supportive and hard working. The library staff are always willing to help research and find many topics of support for all of my classes when I was in Middle School. The food selection could be better in regards to taste.... Read 6 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,042

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• Temecula Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  6 reviews

Senior: I liked the learning experiences I had at Vail Ranch. For Example, I had classes that involved fun games that made learning easier and understandable to me. I felt that some of the outside of the classroom learning experiences were not engaging and inclusive like school dances.... Read 6 reviews

• grade A

• Students 834

• Student-teacher ratio 23:1

• Murrieta Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: 8th grade student here at wsms. I have been to 2 of the middle schools in the district being wsms and Thompson. Warm springs has way more diversity and better teachers and athletics. Thompson's layout is better and it is closer to the highschool that they attend being Murrieta high school. If you plan on going to thompson its a nicer older school and same with Murrieta high. They fit in well with the old town community.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 847

• Student-teacher ratio 21:1

• Temecula Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Parent: Good school…thanks to teachers. But school management needs to do better work when it comes to bullying handling, dress code. - Heavy makeup and Crop tops in the middle school - Kids are afraid to report bullying because nothing gets done.... Read 1 review

• grade A

• Students 919

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• Corona-Norco Unified School District, CA•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 3.67 out of 5  3 reviews

Middle School Student: A good experience overall. Most teachers were young and engaging, the few who were difficult were downright awful. Many opportunities to explore a variety of technology-related fields.... Read 3 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,166

• Student-teacher ratio 25:1

• Murrieta Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Niche User: Shivela Middle School was a place where there are so many students trying to find themselves. Middle schoolers are trying to find who they are in that stage of life, and are wild at the same time. I think that this school is a safe place to learn who you are. I do have to say that once in this school, students really have to fend for themselves and work to get what they want. The students at this school mesh well with MOST of the teachers. There was a lot of drama at the school when I went, I cannot say how it is now, but I know that the drama was too much at times. The drama did not seem to be in the way of learning in my experience, so Shivela did its job well.... Read 1 review

• grade A

• Students 1,309

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• Temecula Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Middle School Student: I work here. I go here daily an 8 to 3. they give me free food and I'm on a minimum wage which is nothing. this school is excellent though. My job is as a student and I hate science. I have an amazing teacher but yeah... Read 1 review

• grade A minus

• Students 974

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• Corona-Norco Unified School District, CA•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 4.17 out of 5  6 reviews

Middle School Student: I've been here since kindergarten, and am sad to say I'm moving on to high school in a month. I could not have asked for a better school to learn in! With a beautiful campus and wonderful staff, I've had many amazing years and memories here!... Read 6 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 1,291

• Student-teacher ratio 27:1

• Temecula Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.33 out of 5  3 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 1,365

• Student-teacher ratio 27:1

• Corona-Norco Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.67 out of 5  9 reviews

Niche User: The 6th grade accelerated program is challenging, however it really prepares students for the work they will do in the next few years and in high school. Takes a little adjusting the first month to the new middle school culture, but it's worth it.... Read 9 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 930

• Student-teacher ratio 26:1

• Riverside Unified School District, CA•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  4 reviews

Middle School Student: I enjoyed Amelia Earhart Middle School greatly. They always did their best to recognize every student for whatever accomplishments they had. I received the Young Historian Award, 3.7-3.99 Higher Honers, and Student of the Month for helpfulness. They also constantly have fun events occuring every week. The only thing I would change about such a wonderful school is how strict they are regarding the vending machines. They do not allow us to purchase snacks during lunch, due to some horseplay around it. This was very understandable, however they began extending it to far. Due to students being allowed to purchase snacks only before and after school hours, there was constantly a long line. Then, one of the PrimeTime administrators began patrolling students after school, and soon no one was allowed to purchase snacks after 15 min at the end of class hours. This became somewhat of an issue with those who had certain programs that they did after school, because they grew hungry.... Read 4 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 821

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• Temecula, CA•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.69 out of 5  150 reviews

Other: My experience at River Springs Charter Schools was awesome! It started in my junior high years, and I continued my schooling with River Springs all through my high school years. The best part of River Springs was that they allowed students to complete Dual Enrollment time with local community colleges; in my case, MiraCosta College. Also, the teachers at River Springs are fabulous; I enjoyed being taught by them and I still am in contact with a few of my teachers, even though I've graduated already. There's really nothing that I would change about the school, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for quality education for their children.... Read 150 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 6,444

• Student-teacher ratio 25:1

• Riverside Unified School District, CA•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 4.75 out of 5  4 reviews

Parent: My daughter loves everything about this school. The teachers are really invested in the students as a whole. The staff is top notch!... Read 4 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 900

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• Murrieta Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  5 reviews

Middle School Student: I think that this school is terrific in just about everything, I went to school here as a child and I thought that this was a great learning environment. This school makes me feel welcome and everyone is super great. The teachers are amazing and have prepared me throughout my life. Not to mention that the school has great athletes and great students. They thrive in test taking and overall a great school. The teachers are all very understanding and they feel like it is their job to lead you towards success. Most of my teachers love and enjoy teaching which makes it even better. They also have many options for electives that do not offer to other schools. I hope that this review helps you and that this is a great choice to go to school.... Read 5 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 1,533

• Student-teacher ratio 26:1

• Temecula Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• grade A minus

• Students 779

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1

• Corona-Norco Unified School District, CA•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 2.92 out of 5  13 reviews

Alum: River Heights wasn't exactly the best middle school ever, but it also wasn't the worst. Not much is very memorable, it was actually kind of bland. However, the staff and faculty at River Heights are great and they taught me many life lessons that I continue to use even today as a high school senior.... Read 13 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 1,148

• Student-teacher ratio 27:1

• Desert Sands Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 2 out of 5  2 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 1,298

• Student-teacher ratio 25:1

• Corona-Norco Unified School District, CA•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  3 reviews

Middle School Student: I love this school. I feel very secure there. There administration is very kind and sweet. For the most part the teachers are very warm welcoming and helpful. I love this place because most of the student are kind. Most are hardworking and the teachers make the atmosphere amazing.... Read 3 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 718

• Student-teacher ratio 26:1

• Corona-Norco Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.67 out of 5  3 reviews

Middle School Student: I personally went to this school myself, and I actually enjoyed going there. The teachers are amazing, and the friends I made there were really cool. I am still friends with them to this day. Everything about this school was perfect, except the part where we have to keep our shirts tucked in, and we have to wear a belt.... Read 3 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 748

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1