Herbert C. Green Middle, Placerville CA

Original Research by School Decision on Herbert C. Green Middle

Herbert C. Green Middle is a regular public middle school serving grades five through eight in Placerville, the El Dorado County seat. The school sits in a Gold Rush-era foothill town with a preserved downtown anchored by Main Street, where government, healthcare, retail, and local civic institutions form the economic base. The school itself operates under Mother Lode Union Elementary School District, which recently adopted a district-wide science curriculum (Inspire Science by McGraw-Hill Education), a pedagogical shift that affects how science instruction unfolds across all its schools.

The school enrolls a modest population of students across four grades, with about even distribution across each grade level. Roughly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share identifying as Hispanic or Latino, and smaller populations of other backgrounds. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available.

On state assessments, the school's proficiency results fall below the midpoint for districts in El Dorado County across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, performance ranges from about one-third of students meeting proficiency standards in grade five and six, to approximately four in ten in grades seven and eight. Mathematics proficiency is lower overall; the school reaches roughly one in five students meeting standards in grade five, a quarter in grade six, and slightly lower shares in grades seven and eight. Science proficiency, measured in grades five and eight, sits at roughly one in five for grade five and about one in four for grade eight. A social studies assessment from 2012-13 showed stronger results at that time, though no recent social studies data was available.

Because the school serves only middle grades, no graduation rate applies. State testing data for the full school year 2024-25 is the most recent available; prior-year trend data was not present in the records received, so whether proficiency has shifted in recent years cannot be determined from the data at hand.

The housing market in the Placerville 95667 zip code reflects a mid-sized California foothill community. Home values are substantial but remain below the state median. Rents have risen modestly. The monthly housing affordability calculations suggest that renters spend roughly a quarter of household income on housing, while prospective homebuyers at a typical mortgage rate face higher absolute monthly costs than renters, so rental housing is the more accessible option for most households in the area.

Placerville itself is a working town defined by county government, Marshall Medical Center (the region's largest private employer), and a historic downtown commercial core that serves both tourism and daily civic life. The city emphasizes infill development and affordable housing creation to meet state requirements. The school's location on Forni Road places it in proximity to suburban-style residential development rather than the downtown, though the town's compact scale keeps most destinations within a reasonable distance.

A parent considering this school should weigh that proficiency levels are below the county median across core subjects, meaning students here face stronger academic headwinds on average than their county peers. The school may suit families who value the Placerville community itself, prefer a smaller middle-school setting, or are prepared to provide supplementary academic support. A parent may want to look into the school's specific support offerings, curriculum pacing, and any targeted interventions to understand how the school addresses the proficiency gap.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 21% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 721%

School 21% · District 21%

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

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 23%

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

English language arts

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 39% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 631%

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

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

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 44%

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

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 38%

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

Science

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 22% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 26%

even with state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 876%

School 76% · District 75% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

This schoolMother Lode Union Elementary, 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 5Lower-income38%Higher-income33%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income38%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income52%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income24%Higher-income50%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income18%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income15%Higher-income38%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income9%Higher-income33%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income9%Higher-income34%25 pp gap