Diamond Valley Middle, Hemet CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Diamond Valley Middle

Diamond Valley Middle is a regular public school serving grades six through eight in Hemet, a working-class, car-dependent city in western Riverside County that has grown as a bedroom community for workers commuting to larger job centers elsewhere in the Inland Empire. The school sits in a city with median household income well below the state average, where retail trade, health care, and education are the main employment sectors, and where a strong outdoor-recreation network centered on Diamond Valley Lake and six large parks anchors community life.

The school's academic performance on California state assessments is substantially below proficiency. In English language arts across all middle grades, just over a quarter of students scored at or above the proficiency standard. In mathematics, proficiency dropped to about one in eight students across the grade span. Science performance at the eighth-grade level—the only grade assessed—was comparably low. When measured against other districts in Riverside County on an overall proficiency index spanning tested subjects and grades, Diamond Valley Middle falls in the bottom quartile of the comparison group. State testing data for earlier years or multi-year trends were not available; the results shown are from the most recent assessment cycle.

The school's enrollment is solid for a middle school of its grade band, with roughly balanced numbers across sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black student population and smaller shares of white, Asian, and multiracial students. A very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the families the school serves. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner status were not reported.

Hemet Unified, the school's parent district, has maintained a voter-approved general obligation bond that has funded facility upgrades across its schools in recent years, including improvements to safety and security, modernization of academic and technical classrooms, and repairs to aging building systems. This sustained investment in physical plant infrastructure is a tangible sign of district commitment that relocating families often weigh when considering a school.

The city of Hemet itself is largely car-dependent outside its small downtown core, with wide arterials and minimal transit infrastructure in most residential areas. Growth has accelerated in recent years, with new master-planned residential developments near Highway 79 and Interstate 215, alongside ongoing manufactured-home construction. The city council has signaled intent to revitalize downtown as a shopping and dining destination by 2030. Housing in the Hemet area is more affordable than the California statewide median, a factor that has drawn families priced out of other parts of Southern California; rent-to-income ratios are manageable for households with stable work.

Diamond Valley Middle's low proficiency rates in core academic subjects point to a school where students are struggling to meet grade-level standards. A parent or guardian considering this school would want to investigate further with the school and district about current interventions in place, the availability of tutoring or academic support, and any plans to address these gaps. The school's setting and peer composition are straightforward facts of its location and community; what families should focus on is understanding what academic support exists and how the school is working to move students toward proficiency.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 612%

School 12% · District 15% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 712%

School 12% · District 18% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 16% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 27% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 36% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 33% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Science

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 19% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 39% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

This schoolHemet 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-income20%Higher-income20%0 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income27%Higher-income46%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income40%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income11%Higher-income20%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income10%Higher-income28%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income13%Higher-income15%2 pp gap