Rancho Medanos Junior High, Pittsburg CA

Original Research by School Decision on Rancho Medanos Junior High

Rancho Medanos Junior High serves the middle-grade band (grades six through eight) in Pittsburg, a growing mixed-use city in Contra Costa County where legacy industrial neighborhoods sit alongside newer suburban development. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic demographics of its area. Most of the enrollment is fairly balanced across the three grade levels.

The academic picture here is one of low proficiency across tested subjects. In English language arts, students show modest ground: about one-third of students across the grade band meet proficiency on the state test, with sixth and seventh grades at the higher end of that range. Mathematics performance is considerably weaker, with roughly one in eight students meeting proficiency in any grade. Eighth-grade science proficiency sits at about one in seven students. When measured against other schools tested in Contra Costa County, this school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. The data offered here is from the most recent testing window, so multi-year trend information is not available to show whether performance is moving or stable.

The student composition skews heavily toward Hispanic enrollment, with a meaningful presence of Black and Asian students and smaller populations of other backgrounds. The economic circumstances are substantial: more than four-fifths of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals. The school serves students within a district that recently passed a general obligation bond (Measure P) to repair and modernize facilities, and in May the district refinanced bonds tied to earlier measures, saving on interest costs. New families moving into Pittsburg should expect property tax adjustments tied to the bond levies, but the district is signaling capital investment in its schools.

Pittsburg itself is experiencing population and housing growth, with an expanding suburban footprint and ongoing revitalization in its Old Town waterfront district. Housing values in the 94565 zip code are moderate by Bay Area standards, and the median household income locally is in line with state figures. The city's economy, once anchored by steel and chemical manufacturing, is shifting toward smaller employers and service sectors as legacy plants close. Schools in the district will need to serve students whose families are navigating this transition.

The school's low math and science proficiency deserves direct attention from families considering enrollment. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about intervention strategies, tutoring availability, and whether any specialized math or STEM support is offered to sixth and seventh graders, since early gains in those grades might compound. English language arts performance, while still low in absolute terms, is the relative strength and suggests reading and writing instruction is having some effect. Enrollment data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source material, so a parent should ask the school directly about the breadth and intensity of support services for both populations.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 12% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 714%

School 14% · District 13% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 13% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 34% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 34%

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

Science

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 14% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 42% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

This schoolPittsburg 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-income26%Higher-income47%21 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income51%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income31%Higher-income49%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income10%Higher-income19%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income13%Higher-income22%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income9%Higher-income29%20 pp gap