Newton Middle, Hacienda Heights CA

Original Research by School Decision on Newton Middle

Newton Middle is a public middle school in Hacienda Heights serving grades six through eight. It sits in an unincorporated, primarily residential community in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles, built out mostly in the 1960s and 1970s with single-family homes, shopping centers along arterial corridors, and county parks including Peter F. Schabarum Regional County Park. The area is ethnically diverse and car-oriented; most errands require a car. As a largely built-out suburb, new development comes mainly through infill and smaller projects rather than large subdivisions.

The school serves a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is small to moderate for its grade band. The student population reflects the broader demographics and economic profile of the community.

Newton Middle's recent state assessment results show performance that lags the midpoint for proficiency across the county's districts. In English language arts, the school reports proficiency in the range of the high forties to low fifties across grades six, seven, and eight. Mathematics proficiency is notably lower, in the range of the mid-to-high twenties across those same grades. In eighth-grade science, proficiency sits in the mid-twenties. An older social studies assessment from 2012-13 reported higher proficiency, suggesting that more recent performance in that area is not available in current data. The gap between ELA and math performance is substantial and worth noting; a parent may want to look into what instructional supports the school is putting in place to strengthen math outcomes.

The school is part of Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, which covers Hacienda Heights and nearby communities. The district recently underwent significant reconfiguration, closing four schools at the end of the 2023-24 school year due to declining enrollment, and the district's enrollment is projected to continue falling. That shift has already altered which campuses serve which neighborhoods and has created open-enrollment options for families. For Newton Middle specifically, this means families should understand the district context: consolidation is an ongoing reality, and future configuration changes are possible. On curriculum, the district has adopted an Intersectional Ethnic Studies curriculum at all grade levels, with expansion toward making it a graduation requirement and weaving it across disciplines including English, Spanish, and film studies. Board representation also changed beginning in 2022, moving to trustee-area elections rather than at-large, so each neighborhood now has its own dedicated trustee voice.

Housing in the Hacienda Heights area is relatively stable, with median home values in the mid-range for Los Angeles County and rental costs notably above mortgage payments when factored against household income. The community is anchored by county parks, a public library, and transit provided by Foothill Transit bus lines and a county shuttle service.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 35% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 727%

School 27% · District 40% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 35% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 47% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 54% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 52% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 30% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 60% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

This schoolHacienda la Puente Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income63%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income48%Higher-income63%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income46%Higher-income59%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income40%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income21%Higher-income38%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income28%Higher-income32%4 pp gap