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Trabuco Elementary

Q: Is Trabuco Elementary a good school?

Trabuco Elementary ranks 1811 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1811^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of California elementary schools

Summary

Trabuco Elementary is a small K-6 public school serving about 90 students in the Trabuco Canyon area, operating within the Saddleback Valley Unified school district.

The school offers a personalized environment with a low student-teacher ratio and the highest per-student spending among nearby schools, which includes a notable strength in science instruction. However, its academic performance in English and math is middle-tier compared to other schools in the area, and it has shown significant year-to-year fluctuations in test scores. A major and recent concern is a dramatic spike in chronic absenteeism, with over a quarter of students missing too much school, a rate much higher than the district average and top-performing neighbors like Portola Hills Elementary and Foothill Ranch Elementary.

When compared to schools with similar student demographics, such as Trabuco Mesa Elementary, Trabuco Elementary's academic results are lower, suggesting its resource advantages aren't fully translating to expected outcomes. The school's statewide ranking has also declined over the past decade from the top tier. Performance varies widely within Saddleback Valley Unified, and nearby schools in the Capistrano Unified district, like Philip J. Reilly Elementary, generally achieve higher proficiency rates.

Students ?

18.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,965

Per pupil spending ?

37.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

31052 Trabuco Canyon Rd.
Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679-0277

(949) 858-0343

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Students who attend Trabuco Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
High:	Trabuco Hills High

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.0%

Hispanic:

28.9%

Two or more races:

17.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Trabuco Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2004 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (53% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Above the California median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2004

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school53%

District avg54%

California avg41%

1,811^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▼ down 24 pts since 2015

From top 7% (2015) to top 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^th of 22Elementary Schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified

377^th of 1,543Saddleback Valley Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.7	1811 of 5857	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.4	1798 of 5869	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.4	1517 of 5859	74.1%	★★★★☆
2016	86.9	800 of 5614	85.7%	★★★★☆
2015	93.5	414 of 5611	92.6%	★★★★★
2013	93.6	209 of 5530	96.2%	★★★★★
2010	52.4	2428 of 5314	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	89.9	480 of 4818	90.0%	★★★★★
2005	91.5	410 of 4822	91.5%	★★★★★
2004	74.5	1137 of 4809	76.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.8	2304 of 5597	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	87.0	789 of 5609	85.9%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2025)59th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Science60%+27 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy53%+4 vs state

Mathematics51%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Trabuco Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Trabuco Elementary	Public	K-6	31052 Trabuco Canyon Rd.	Trabuco Canyon	92679	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 858-0343	90	5	18.2	37.8%	45 (50.0%)	1 (1.1%)	26 (28.9%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (17.8%)	65.7	1811^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.1%		65.4	1798^th of 5869 public elementary schools	69.4%	13	60.0	60.0	42.9	53.3	50.0		52.7	50.0	33.3	60.0		50.9							$21,965	$1,406	$20,559
Trabuco Mesa Elementary	Public	K-6	21301 Avenida de los Flores	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 858-3339	640	26	25.0	37.2%	285 (44.5%)	5 (0.8%)	184 (28.8%)	89 (13.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	74 (11.6%)	88.1	767^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.9%		90.6	658^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.8%	109	58.5	58.5	85.3	67.1	64.2	61.9	69.5	84.2	72.0	58.5	56.7	67.4	94.0	95.0	98.0	95.0	94.0	95.0	$17,230	$1,361	$15,869
Cielo Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	21811 Avenida De Los Fundadore	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 589-7456	487	21	23.4	65.3%	114 (23.4%)	2 (0.4%)	289 (59.3%)	51 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.4%)	44.8	2899^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.5%		53.8	2356^th of 5869 public elementary schools	59.9%	543	36.8	36.8	38.1	40.0	45.6	45.0	42.3	39.7	30.0	33.8	31.7	34.0	87.8	90.5		89.8	90.5	90.5	$19,174	$1,680	$17,494
Robinson Elementary	Public	K-6	21400 Lindsay Dr.	Trabuco Canyon	92679	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 589-2446	486	20	24.1	27.6%	308 (63.4%)	4 (0.8%)	108 (22.2%)	23 (4.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.6%)	77.6	1262^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	78.5%		75.8	1342^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	77.1%	80	51.6	51.6	60.3	63.6	50.0	66.1	59.8	65.1	63.6	56.3	39.3	56.6	93.3	96.7		95.0	93.3		$20,050	$1,369	$18,681
Melinda Heights Elementary	Public	K-6	21001 Rancho Trabuco	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 888-7311	950	34	28.1	27.8%	487 (51.3%)	7 (0.7%)	226 (23.8%)	130 (13.7%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	96 (10.1%)	78.6	1209^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.4%		80.3	1139^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.6%	70	51.4	51.4	54.2	48.6	65.5	63.6	58.0	62.6	57.6	58.4	60.5	59.9	97.3	98.0		97.3	98.0	98.0	$17,918	$1,361	$16,557
Tijeras Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	23072 Avenida Empresa	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5300	315	12	26.2	21.6%	159 (50.5%)	2 (0.6%)	59 (18.7%)	40 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (17.1%)	88.8	725^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.6%		88.6	777^th of 5869 public elementary schools	86.8%	52	50.9	50.9	71.6	77.1	70.7		72.8	77.0	77.1	50.9		68.5	96.0			97.3			$18,156	$1,489	$16,667
Portola Hills Elementary	Public	K-6	19422 Saddleback Ranch Rd.	Trabuco Canyon	92679	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 459-9370	809	31	26.3	19.9%	354 (43.8%)	8 (1.0%)	126 (15.6%)	195 (24.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	125 (15.5%)	95.9	249^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.7%		92.1	562^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	90.4%	313	80.4	80.4	74.3	74.4	87.7	85.9	80.2	76.2	76.8	77.6	73.7	76.2							$17,858	$1,362	$16,496
Arroyo Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	23371 Arroyo Vista	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5951	508	21	24.1	28.0%	285 (56.1%)	2 (0.4%)	75 (14.8%)	55 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	91 (17.9%)	89.7	677^th of 5857 public elementary schools	88.4%		88.7	771^st of 5869 public elementary schools	86.9%	94	55.8	55.8	67.2	70.3	77.9		72.5	76.1	63.7	63.5		66.8	94.3				96.2		$17,781	$1,165	$16,616
Del Lago Elementary	Public	K-6	27181 Entidad St.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 855-1125	362	18	20.0	49.2%	118 (32.6%)	7 (1.9%)	151 (41.7%)	46 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (11.0%)	46.4	2805^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.1%		39.3	3218^th of 5869 public elementary schools	45.2%	413	40.4	40.4	46.3	38.5	48.9	36.1	42.9	39.0	35.9	31.9	30.6	34.4							$18,945	$1,361	$17,584
Philip J. Reilly Elementary	Public	K-5	24171 Pavion	Mission Viejo	92692	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 454-1590	421	19	22.1	27.3%	215 (51.1%)	10 (2.4%)	71 (16.9%)	32 (7.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (21.4%)	96.3	209^th of 5857 public elementary schools	96.4%		96.3	236^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.0%	27	64.6	64.6	84.2	87.3	76.9		82.9	82.5	85.9	73.9		80.8							$19,358	$1,257	$18,101

Frequently Asked Questions about Trabuco Elementary

What district is Trabuco Elementary in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

What schools do graduates of Trabuco Elementary attend?

Students who attend Trabuco Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
High : Trabuco Hills High

Is Trabuco Elementary a good school?

Trabuco Elementary ranks 1811^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Trabuco Elementary?

Students at Trabuco Elementary are 50% White, 29% Hispanic, 18% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% African American.

How many students attend Trabuco Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 90 students attended Trabuco Elementary.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.