Pacific Trails Middle

San Diego, CA 92130

Phone: (858) 350-0253
District: San Dieguito Union High

8

GreatSchools Rating

public • Grades 7,8 • 971 students

Pacific Trails Middle, a public school located in San Diego, CA, serves grades 7-8 in the San Dieguito Union High School District.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 8 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.

Pacific Trails Middle is a public school located in San Diego, CA. 971 students attend Pacific Trails Middle.

School Ratings

Category Rating Details
Test Scores 10/10 The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) data from California Department of Education, and using 2025 California Science Test data from California Department of Education.
Student Growth 6/10 The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from California Department of Education.

Posted: February 4, 2026

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Posted: February 4, 2026

Hate this school a kid kept threatening me and attacking me and one time when he flipped me off and we had a no contact and I have 20 witnesses she reviewed the very glitch footage that showed him one place than it like teleported him and the principal doesent believe me and now I’m scared to go to this school

Posted: August 25, 2023

All the staff and teachers are amazing. The principal is wonderful. The students are engaging in all kinds of clubs, academic, social, and athletic. We are lucky to have this school.

Posted: August 25, 2023

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Posted: January 8, 2023

PTMS is an incredible middle school, and any student should feel lucky to go there. The teachers are committed and enthusiastic, and the new principal is awesome. Students are academically oriented but also enjoy team sports and other extracurricular activities. The surrounding neighborhood of Carmel Valley is family oriented and conducive to raising well-rounded kids. I believe we have the best middle school in California.

Posted: January 8, 2023

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Posted: November 30, 2022

As a student who went to both CVMS and PTMS, I strongly suggest going to pacific trails. The teachers help with anything that a student is stuck on, and will patiently wait for them to understand. THere is absolutely no bullying in this school, and the teachers make the classes enjoyable and make it a much better learning experience compared to other schools. Since the classes are enjoyable, it makes it more fun and easy to learn as a student. The food is great as well

Posted: November 30, 2022

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Posted: June 28, 2022

To be completely honest this is the best school I have ever been to. There are 0 cases of bullying, the school cafeteria food is great, and the teachers are fun to learn from. The teachers are terrific at doing their job, educating students on not only academics, but things such as relationship skills, whilst having fun as a class.

Posted: June 28, 2022

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Posted: October 7, 2020

Posted: October 7, 2020

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Posted: October 7, 2020

Posted: October 7, 2020

I have two children at this school now. The school facilities and teachers are terrific. For Fall 2020, the classes are online only due to the pandemic. The teachers are now very organized, unlike earlier in the spring. The online classes are very effective and there are high expectations for the students. It is not as good as in person classes but I am impressed with the quality of the education under the circumstances. I highly recommend this school.

Posted: December 5, 2016

i dont know what the heck that person is talking about, but i personally think its a great school.

Posted: March 13, 2016

Thus far the focus of the school is on construction, murals, and non-instructional activities. Meanwhile students struggle in classrooms with teachers who do not teach and instead assign work and post links to worksheets, word lists, and videos online so students can go home and learn themselves or with their parents. There is a lack of understanding of instructional strategies, differentiation between "regular" and "honors" courses, and appropriate assessments. Teacher gradebooks do not all reflect the myriad of approaches necessary for middle school students to learn, such as discussion of processes and concepts in math. These same gradebooks reflect an over emphasis on tests - 70 percent in math - so that the classes are designed to assign - test - and move on to the next assignment without any reteaching or adjustments based on success or struggles. Overall there is an incredible gap between the written vision and the actual school atmosphere. Parents are talking amongst themselves and they are unhappy and yet it takes the principal up to a week to even return a phone call or schedule a meeting with a parent for a conversation.

Reviews provided by GreatSchools

# Name Type City State Overall Rating Distance
1 Torrey Highlands Neighborhood/Subdivision San Diego CA 1.7 mi
2 Spectrum Center Blvd, Kearny Mesa Neighborhood/Subdivision San Diego CA 9.6 mi
3 La Costa Neighborhood/Subdivision Carlsbad CA 10.9 mi
4 Canyon View Neighborhood/Subdivision San Diego CA 11 mi
5 Rancho Carrillo Neighborhood/Subdivision Carlsbad CA 11.4 mi
6 Windsor at Aviara Apartment Complex Carlsbad CA 11.8 mi
7 Riverfront Condominium Rentals Apartment Complex San Diego CA 13.3 mi
8 Del Cerro Neighborhood/Subdivision San Diego CA 14 mi
9 Mission Hills Neighborhood/Subdivision San Diego CA 14.4 mi
10 Santee Villas Apartment Complex Santee CA 14.5 mi
# Name City State Overall Rating Distance
1 Torrey Highlands San Diego CA 1.7 mi
2 Mira Mesa San Diego CA 4.2 mi
3 University City San Diego CA 7 mi
4 Wine Country area of Scripps Ranch San Diego CA 7.3 mi
5 Encinitas Encinitas CA 8.2 mi
6 La Jolla La Jolla CA 9.2 mi
7 Serra Mesa San Diego CA 11.3 mi
8 Del Cerro San Diego CA 13.7 mi
9 Kensington San Diego CA 14 mi
10 Old Town San Diego CA 14.1 mi
11 Old Town San Diego San Diego CA 14.3 mi
12 Santee Trolley Square Santee CA 14.3 mi
13 Mission Hills San Diego CA 14.4 mi
14 Santee Santee CA 14.8 mi
15 Loma Portal San Diego CA 14.9 mi
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