James Monroe Middle

Ridgecrest sits out in the Mojave Desert near China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, which means James Monroe Middle draws a mix of military families and longtime locals — a community that's tight-knit by necessity in a small, remote city. Academics here are a work in progress, with scores that trail state averages, though science shows more promise than English or math. Families who value the slower pace of high desert living and a school where everyone knows each other by name may find it a comfortable fit, especially those connected to the base who are used to making the most of wherever the military sends them.