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Moulton Elementary

Q: Is Moulton Elementary a good school?

Moulton Elementary ranks 721 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

721^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 88% of California elementary schools

Summary

Moulton Elementary is a public elementary school located in Laguna Niguel, California, serving 530 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Capistrano Unified School District, which is ranked 194 out of 1,565 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Moulton Elementary consistently performs above the state and district averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. In the 2024-2025 school year, 69.23% of Moulton students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 71.99% for the district and 48.81% for the state. In Mathematics, Moulton had 70.33% proficient or better, compared to 62.67% for the district and 37.3% for the state. The school also has strong performance across various student subgroups, with Hispanic students and students with low socioeconomic status ranking in the top 10% of California elementary schools.

While Moulton Elementary generally outperforms nearby schools in the Capistrano Unified School District, such as John Malcom Elementary, Marian Bergeson Elementary, and Wood Canyon Elementary, the school has seen fluctuations in chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 13.9% in 2023-2024 to 24.9% in 2022-2023. Additionally, nearby high-performing schools, such as Laguna Niguel Elementary and Canyon Vista Elementary, could serve as benchmarks for Moulton Elementary to aspire to.

538

Students ?

24.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,981

Per pupil spending ?

30.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

29851 Highlands Ave.
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677-2008

(949) 234-5980

District: Capistrano Unified

Students who attend Moulton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Niguel Hills Middle
High:	Dana Hills High

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.5%

Hispanic:

15.8%

Two or more races:

15.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Moulton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 84th percentile in 2013 → 88th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (68% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school68%

District avg65%

California avg41%

721^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 12%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th of 35Elementary Schools in the Capistrano Unified

193^rd of 1,543Capistrano 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	88.9	721 of 5857	87.7%	★★★★☆
2024	88.9	758 of 5869	87.1%	★★★★☆
2023	90.7	657 of 5859	88.8%	★★★★☆
2022	92.4	561 of 5883	90.5%	★★★★★
2019	91.9	525 of 5789	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	88.9	694 of 5662	87.7%	★★★★☆
2017	88.7	718 of 5692	87.4%	★★★★☆
2016	89.8	628 of 5614	88.8%	★★★★☆
2015	89.2	657 of 5611	88.3%	★★★★☆
2013	83.3	859 of 5530	84.5%	★★★★☆
2012	87.3	605 of 5390	88.8%	★★★★☆
2011	87.7	581 of 5377	89.2%	★★★★☆
2010	84.8	742 of 5314	86.0%	★★★★☆
2009	81.1	949 of 5193	81.7%	★★★★☆
2008	79.0	1016 of 5113	80.1%	★★★★☆
2007	77.5	1073 of 5113	79.0%	★★★★☆
2006	81.2	913 of 4818	81.1%	★★★★☆
2005	83.3	798 of 4822	83.5%	★★★★☆
2004	82.8	798 of 4809	83.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	44.1	803 of 1190	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	88.4	186 of 2227	91.6%	★★★★★
2019	92.7	132 of 2585	94.9%	★★★★★
2018	84.8	219 of 2128	89.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.3	674 of 5597	88.0%	★★★★☆
2024	87.4	746 of 5612	86.7%	★★★★☆
2023	87.5	760 of 5609	86.5%	★★★★☆
2022	90.5	611 of 5635	89.2%	★★★★☆
2019	90.6	525 of 5492	90.4%	★★★★★
2018	88.9	620 of 5413	88.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.5	248 of 5107	95.1%	★★★★★
2024	81.1	682 of 5107	86.6%	★★★★☆
2023	86.5	490 of 5087	90.4%	★★★★★
2022	93.3	251 of 5084	95.1%	★★★★★
2019	76.0	880 of 4963	82.3%	★★★★☆
2018	78.8	735 of 4830	84.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.4	518 of 5460	90.5%	★★★★★
2024	87.9	519 of 5517	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	95.3	185 of 5363	96.6%	★★★★★
2022	96.6	127 of 5264	97.6%	★★★★★
2019	83.2	578 of 5173	88.8%	★★★★☆
2018	78.0	773 of 5084	84.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.5	764 of 5628	86.4%	★★★★☆
2024	87.4	747 of 5643	86.8%	★★★★☆
2023	91.5	527 of 5638	90.7%	★★★★★
2022	92.5	480 of 5663	91.5%	★★★★★
2019	91.2	500 of 5510	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	86.9	745 of 5431	86.3%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.7	20 of 153	86.9%	★★★★☆
2023	77.0	22 of 140	84.3%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.1	301 of 718	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.6	328 of 669	51.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.7	375 of 2847	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	84.6	273 of 2635	89.6%	★★★★☆
2023	76.7	359 of 2420	85.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.7	887 of 2598	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.8	753 of 2651	71.6%	★★★★☆
2023	76.1	580 of 2661	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	80.0	451 of 2726	83.5%	★★★★☆
2019	79.9	471 of 2834	83.4%	★★★★☆
2018	72.8	723 of 2737	73.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)95th percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2022)92nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)88th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2025)87th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)87th percentile~ school

Male (2025)86th percentile~ school

White (2025)66th percentile-22 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)58th percentile-30 vs school

Asian (2023)33rd percentile-56 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics70%+33 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy69%+20 vs state

Science55%+22 vs state

3.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, May 28, 2010

First of all the student teacher ratio is not 20:1 it is closer to 31:1. At that ratio the teacher needs a full-time Aide. Creativity is lacking when it come to teaching kids that don't learn auditorilly. There are 6'-8' openings between classrooms creating constant distractions and limitations for the teachers. The school is 40 years old, you think they could of designed a partition or put in sliding glass doors by now.

The communication from our teachers has been based on teachers personality. In K I was given constant feedback. In 1st & 2nd it wasn't until after Christmas break that communications were more consistant. It is hard to be supportive of the teacher expectations if you don't know your child isn't meeting them. It would be better for K-3 if every 2 -4 weeks we were given areas that need improving or what we can encourage to help them excel. Otherwise we are not able to correct behaviors before they become habits. Close Quote

Schools Near Moulton Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (2025)
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 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th 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
Moulton Elementary	Public	K-5	29851 Highlands Ave.	Laguna Niguel	92677	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5980	538	22	24.4	30.5%	331 (61.5%)	5 (0.9%)	85 (15.8%)	35 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	81 (15.1%)	88.9	721^st of 5857 public elementary schools	87.7%		88.9	758^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.1%	37	55.0		55.0	75.8	65.9	65.9				69.2	75.8	78.0	57.1				70.3	97.3			97.3			$17,981	$17,194	$787
Orange County Academy of Sciences and Arts	Public, Charter	K-5	29292 Crown Valley Pkwy.	Laguna Niguel	92677	Orange County	Orange County Academy of Sciences and Arts District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 269-3291	249	10	24.9	19.7%	146 (58.6%)	4 (1.6%)	55 (22.1%)	18 (7.2%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	22 (8.8%)	87.1	820^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.0%		92.5	541^st of 5869 public elementary schools	90.8%	279	65.8		65.8	61.4	69.2	73.7				67.8	65.9	59.0	65.8				63.6	91.2	91.2	91.2	91.2	91.2	91.2
Community Roots Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	29292 Crown Valley Pkwy.	Laguna Niguel	92677	Orange County	Community Roots Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 831-4272	780	49	15.8	13.5%	501 (64.2%)	1 (0.1%)	116 (14.9%)	46 (5.9%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	112 (14.4%)	86.7	834^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.8%		85.5	929^th of 5869 public elementary schools	84.2%	95	54.1	57.8	55.8	76.1	74.7	77.4	70.7	58.6	76.1	72.7	75.0	50.6	58.8	50.7	43.7	52.9	55.8	96.7
Wood Canyon Elementary	Public	K-5	23431 Knollwood	Aliso Viejo	92656	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 448-0012	425	19	22.3	56.0%	158 (37.2%)	3 (0.7%)	165 (38.8%)	35 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	63 (14.8%)	70.8	1565^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.3%		62.4	1962^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	66.6%	397	39.4		39.4	65.3	50.7	64.8				60.4	53.3	45.1	53.5				50.7	96.7	97.5	97.5	96.7	97.5	97.5	$20,959	$19,554	$1,405
Hidden Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	25142 Hidden Hills Rd.	Laguna Niguel	92677	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 495-0050	330	16	20.6	76.1%	58 (17.6%)	2 (0.6%)	223 (67.6%)	14 (4.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.7%)	44.3	2927^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.0%		48.1	2658^th of 5869 public elementary schools	54.7%	269	24.6		24.6	50.0	43.2	37.0				43.2	37.3	48.9	29.8				37.9							$20,482	$18,224	$2,258
Top of the World Elementary	Public	K-5	21601 Tree Top Ln.	Laguna Beach	92651	Orange County	Laguna Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 497-7790	536	27	19.8	16.4%	373 (69.6%)	3 (0.6%)	67 (12.5%)	33 (6.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (10.8%)	96.4	200^th of 5857 public elementary schools	96.6%		96.8	185^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.8%	15	72.0		72.0	78.3	80.0	81.7				79.9	82.1	80.0	79.6				80.6	96.3						$36,700	$35,728	$972
Laguna Niguel Elementary	Public	K-5	27922 Niguel Heights Blvd.	Laguna Niguel	92677	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5308	456	20	22.8	32.9%	244 (53.5%)	2 (0.4%)	95 (20.8%)	53 (11.6%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	56 (12.3%)	93.4	446^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.4%		95.2	330^th of 5869 public elementary schools	94.4%	116	59.7		59.7	78.7	77.6	72.6				76.4	85.7	77.2	61.3				75.0	94.3	96.2		94.3	94.3		$18,103	$17,316	$787
Canyon Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	27800 Oak View Dr.	Aliso Viejo	92656	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5941	533	22	24.2	19.7%	291 (54.6%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (12.2%)	87 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (16.9%)	98.1	66^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.9%		94.4	392^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	93.3%	326	77.8		77.8	87.2	88.1	90.3				88.5	85.9	89.3	73.6				83.3	96.1			97.4		97.4	$17,825	$17,038	$787
George White Elementary	Public	K-5	25422 Chapparosa Park Rd.	Laguna Niguel	92677	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 249-3875	378	16	23.6	36.2%	211 (55.8%)	0 (0.0%)	96 (25.4%)	9 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (16.4%)	87	825^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.9%		80.7	1128^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.8%	303	53.3		53.3	60.7	72.4	73.3				68.7	63.5	72.4	61.7				65.8	96.8				96.8		$22,081	$20,540	$1,541
John Malcom Elementary	Public	K-5	32261 Charles Ave.	Laguna Niguel	92677	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 248-0542	553	23	24.0	24.6%	357 (64.6%)	4 (0.7%)	72 (13.0%)	14 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	106 (19.2%)	88.9	717^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.8%		86	907^th of 5869 public elementary schools	84.5%	190	53.9		53.9	71.8	67.6	77.5				72.7	69.4	74.7	55.7				66.0	97.1			97.1	97.1	97.1	$18,017	$17,230	$787

Frequently Asked Questions about Moulton Elementary

What district is Moulton Elementary in?

Capistrano Unified

What is the racial makeup of Moulton Elementary?

Students at Moulton Elementary are 62% White, 16% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Moulton Elementary attend?

Students who attend Moulton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Niguel Hills Middle
High : Dana Hills High

Is Moulton Elementary a good school?

Moulton Elementary ranks 721^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Moulton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 538 students attended Moulton Elementary.

Rate Moulton Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.