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Trabuco Mesa Elementary

Q: Is Trabuco Mesa Elementary a good school?

Trabuco Mesa Elementary ranks 767 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

767^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of California elementary schools

Summary

Trabuco Mesa Elementary is a K-6 public school serving about 640 students in Rancho Santa Margarita, part of the Saddleback Valley Unified district, and it consistently ranks among the top public schools in the state, achieving a strong 87th percentile ranking for the 2024-2025 year.

The school's standout strength is its exceptional support for specific student groups, with Hispanic, low-income, and special education students consistently scoring in the state's 90th percentile or higher—a remarkable achievement that often surpasses schools with more advantaged student populations. It also maintains a very low chronic absenteeism rate of 8.0%, which is significantly better than the district and state averages and contributes to its academic success. While the school performs very well overall, a notable pattern shows that student proficiency, particularly in math, tends to decline in the upper elementary grades (4th through 6th) after a very strong showing in 3rd grade.

When compared to nearby schools like Portola Hills Elementary or Oxford Preparatory Academy, Trabuco Mesa achieves its strong results while serving a more economically diverse community and doing so cost-effectively, spending less per student than several neighboring schools. This demonstrates that the school delivers excellent value and effective, targeted programs that help all students thrive.

640

Students ?

25.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,230

Per pupil spending ?

37.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

21301 Avenida de los Flores
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-5444

(949) 858-3339

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Students who attend Trabuco Mesa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
High:	Trabuco Hills High

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.5%

Hispanic:

28.8%

Asian:

13.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Trabuco Mesa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 90th percentile in 2013 → 87th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (67% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of California elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Saddleback Valley Unified

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school67%

District avg54%

California avg41%

767^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From top 8% (2015) to top 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^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	88.1	767 of 5857	86.9%	★★★★☆
2024	90.6	658 of 5869	88.8%	★★★★☆
2023	93.2	491 of 5859	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	92.4	570 of 5883	90.3%	★★★★★
2019	86.4	824 of 5789	85.8%	★★★★☆
2018	90.7	587 of 5662	89.6%	★★★★☆
2017	86.1	866 of 5692	84.8%	★★★★☆
2016	93.7	400 of 5614	92.9%	★★★★★
2015	92.5	472 of 5611	91.6%	★★★★★
2013	88.3	567 of 5530	89.7%	★★★★☆
2012	85.3	710 of 5390	86.8%	★★★★☆
2011	88.8	511 of 5377	90.5%	★★★★★
2010	88.5	537 of 5314	89.9%	★★★★☆
2009	90.4	458 of 5193	91.2%	★★★★★
2008	86.2	691 of 5113	86.5%	★★★★☆
2007	87.8	635 of 5113	87.6%	★★★★☆
2006	81.8	883 of 4818	81.7%	★★★★☆
2005	90.6	468 of 4822	90.3%	★★★★★
2004	91.3	434 of 4809	91.0%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.1	577 of 1203	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	95.1	102 of 2227	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	91.7	154 of 2585	94.0%	★★★★★
2018	93.1	120 of 2128	94.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.8	853 of 5597	84.8%	★★★★☆
2024	87.0	769 of 5612	86.3%	★★★★☆
2023	90.9	566 of 5609	89.9%	★★★★☆
2022	88.5	716 of 5635	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	80.6	1043 of 5492	81.0%	★★★★☆
2018	89.8	578 of 5413	89.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.1	493 of 5107	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	93.0	243 of 5107	95.2%	★★★★★
2023	94.6	181 of 5087	96.4%	★★★★★
2022	86.8	477 of 5084	90.6%	★★★★★
2019	83.4	581 of 4963	88.3%	★★★★☆
2018	92.1	224 of 4830	95.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.3	361 of 5460	93.4%	★★★★★
2024	91.4	392 of 5517	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	97.3	98 of 5363	98.2%	★★★★★
2022	90.5	332 of 5264	93.7%	★★★★★
2019	73.4	1007 of 5173	80.5%	★★★★☆
2018	84.2	519 of 5084	89.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.7	649 of 5628	88.5%	★★★★☆
2024	92.0	482 of 5643	91.5%	★★★★★
2023	93.2	410 of 5638	92.7%	★★★★★
2022	93.0	444 of 5663	92.2%	★★★★★
2019	85.8	793 of 5510	85.6%	★★★★☆
2018	88.1	672 of 5431	87.6%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.1	302 of 718	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.4	185 of 669	72.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.3	264 of 2847	90.7%	★★★★★
2024	92.6	153 of 2635	94.2%	★★★★★
2023	92.7	132 of 2420	94.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.9	697 of 2598	73.2%	★★★★☆
2024	72.6	721 of 2651	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	81.8	360 of 2661	86.5%	★★★★☆
2022	82.9	345 of 2726	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	67.2	933 of 2834	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.1	593 of 2737	78.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Disabled (2022)95th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2025)91st percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)90th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)88th percentile~ school

Female (2025)85th percentile~ school

White (2025)73rd percentile-14 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)58th percentile-29 vs school

Asian (2025)52nd percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy69%+21 vs state

Mathematics67%+30 vs state

Science58%+26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Trabuco Mesa 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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Trabuco Mesa Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Trabuco Mesa Elementary?

Students at Trabuco Mesa Elementary are 45% White, 29% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 12% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Trabuco Mesa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Trabuco Mesa Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
High : Trabuco Hills High

What district is Trabuco Mesa Elementary in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

How many students attend Trabuco Mesa Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 640 students attended Trabuco Mesa Elementary.

Is Trabuco Mesa Elementary a good school?

Trabuco Mesa Elementary ranks 767^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Trabuco Mesa 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.