Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

San Juan Elementary

Q: Is San Juan Elementary a good school?

San Juan Elementary ranks 4161 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

4161^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of California elementary schools

Summary

San Juan Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 662 students in the generally high-performing Capistrano Unified district in San Juan Capistrano, but it faces significant academic challenges with a current 1-star state rating and proficiency rates well below the district average.

The school's academic performance, particularly in English, math, and science, is notably lower than most nearby schools, including Harold Ambuehl Elementary just 0.89 miles away, despite similar per-student spending. While the school has made impressive progress in reducing chronic absenteeism, it shows a concerning historical decline in overall performance. Interestingly, the school spends a comparable amount per student to higher-performing schools like John Malcom Elementary, suggesting challenges with how resources are used to support core instruction.

Despite these overall struggles, the school demonstrates some strengths, such as effective support for its Special Education students and a recent strong improvement in student attendance. The school is significantly larger than many neighboring elementary schools, which may impact individual attention. Parents may also consider nearby alternatives like Community Roots Academy, a charter school with a different model. The data indicates that while San Juan Elementary serves a high-needs population, other schools with similar challenges, such as Kinoshita Elementary, achieve better academic results, pointing to a need for strategic changes in the school's instructional approach.

662

Students ?

26.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,826

Per pupil spending ?

73.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

31642 El Camino Real
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675-2616

(949) 493-4533

District: Capistrano Unified

Students who attend San Juan Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Marco Forster Middle
High:	Capistrano Valley High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

84.1%

White:

10.6%

Two or more races:

4.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare San Juan Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 48th percentile in 2013 → 29th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (28% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg65%

California avg41%

4,161^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 30 pts since 2015

From top 41% (2015) to bottom 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

34^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	27.6	4161 of 5857	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	4925 of 5869	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	3870 of 5859	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.8	2862 of 5883	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.1	3380 of 5789	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.6	3045 of 5662	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.7	3057 of 5692	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.0	2606 of 5614	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.5	2322 of 5611	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	46.7	2882 of 5530	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	55.4	2310 of 5390	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	47.5	2750 of 5377	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	23.4	4340 of 5314	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	14.1	4788 of 5193	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.4	4950 of 5113	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	12.3	4806 of 5113	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	8.6	4692 of 4818	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	12.5	4486 of 4822	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	23.2	3691 of 4809	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	54.5	857 of 2585	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.0	372 of 2128	82.5%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	32.2	2403 of 3162	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.7	2478 of 3245	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	51.9	1104 of 3311	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.1	1777 of 3275	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.3	1435 of 3246	55.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.9	3855 of 5597	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.6	4658 of 5612	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.8	3773 of 5609	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.7	2538 of 5635	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.7	3515 of 5492	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.9	3285 of 5413	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.3	4219 of 5107	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	4523 of 5107	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.6	3985 of 5087	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.4	2716 of 5084	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.6	3583 of 4963	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.5	2900 of 4830	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.3	168 of 429	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	27.8	294 of 364	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.2	274 of 335	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	56.4	116 of 356	67.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	4748 of 5460	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	5148 of 5517	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	4179 of 5363	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.1	3087 of 5264	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.8	4047 of 5173	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.9	3630 of 5084	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.1	4178 of 5628	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	4820 of 5643	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.9	3698 of 5638	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.0	3066 of 5663	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.1	3031 of 5510	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.9	2681 of 5431	50.6%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	132 of 153	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.5	130 of 140	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.3	109 of 130	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.2	451 of 2847	84.2%	★★★★☆
2024	43.6	1183 of 2635	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.5	1230 of 2420	49.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.1	1130 of 2598	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.4	1698 of 2651	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.7	1271 of 2661	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.2	947 of 2726	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.0	779 of 2834	72.5%	★★★★☆
2018	66.4	954 of 2737	65.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)84th percentile+55 vs school

Disabled (2019)67th percentile+25 vs school

Homeless (2025)61st percentile+32 vs school

White (2025)57th percentile+28 vs school

Female (2025)31st percentile~ school

Male (2025)26th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)24th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)17th percentile-12 vs school

Military Connected (2025)14th percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)13th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy33%-15 vs state

Mathematics30%-8 vs state

Science12%-20 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate San Juan Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, September 27, 2018

My daughter is in 3rd grade and I am so impressed with her academics. This is an immersion school and they learn both English and Spanish. The dedication of the teachers and staff is amazing. Thank you! Close Quote

Schools Near San Juan Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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
San Juan Elementary	Public	K-5	31642 El Camino Real	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 493-4533	662	25	26.4	73.4%	70 (10.6%)	5 (0.8%)	557 (84.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.2%)	27.6	4161^st of 5857 public elementary schools	29.0%		19.2	4925^th of 5869 public elementary schools	16.1%	764	12.3		12.3	28.6	37.5	34.5				33.3	27.3	33.3	29.0				29.6	95.7	97.4		96.6	97.4	97.4	$17,826	$16,994	$832
Harold Ambuehl Elementary	Public	K-5	28001 San Juan Creek Rd.	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 661-0400	324	14	23.1	35.2%	181 (55.9%)	3 (0.9%)	88 (27.2%)	6 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (13.6%)	75.8	1340^th of 5857 public elementary schools	77.1%		70.7	1568^th of 5869 public elementary schools	73.3%	228	51.8		51.8	46.9	51.3	62.5				54.2	65.3	53.9	60.7				60.4	92.0			94.0	96.0	94.0	$18,397	$17,294	$1,103
California Republic Leadership Academy Capistrano	Public, Charter	K-8	31711 San Juan Creek Rd.	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	California Republic Leadership Academy Capistrano District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 298-6040	260	10	25.8	17.7%	190 (73.1%)	2 (0.8%)	40 (15.4%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	22 (8.5%)	72.3	1505^th of 5857 public elementary schools	74.3%		95.1	338^th of 5869 public elementary schools	94.2%	1167	39.3		39.3	50.0	46.4	60.7	59.3			54.1	60.7	75.0	50.0	48.2			58.6							$24,514	$23,434	$1,080
Kinoshita Elementary	Public	K-5	2 Via Positiva	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 489-2131	302	14	22.3	91.4%	6 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	291 (96.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	19.2	4903^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	16.3%		19.7	4902^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	16.5%	1	10.7		10.7	17.8	32.7	33.9				28.9	22.2	22.0	17.9				20.6	96.1	97.4		97.4	97.4		$26,719	$25,714	$1,005
Capistrano Home/Virtual	Public, Virtual	K-8	32972 Calle Perfecto	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(949) 234-9374	82	5	17.3	31.7%	49 (59.8%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (19.5%)	5 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (13.4%)								(n/a)		47.5	47.8				76.2	90.9	65.9	72.0				61.9	72.7	43.9	54.0							$27,463	$26,676	$787
Del Obispo Elementary	Public	K-5	25591 Camino del Avion	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5905	310	15	20.6	68.4%	116 (37.4%)	0 (0.0%)	150 (48.4%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	38 (12.3%)	60.2	2063^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	64.8%		60.1	2062^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	64.9%	1	40.3		40.3	45.1	42.9	64.7				52.8	49.0	40.5	38.8				42.5	96.3			96.3		96.3	$23,977	$22,504	$1,473
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
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
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
Palisades Elementary	Public	K-5	26462 Via Sacramento	Capistrano Beach	92624	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 496-5942	332	15	22.1	47.9%	181 (54.5%)	0 (0.0%)	89 (26.8%)	4 (1.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (16.6%)	80.6	1134^th of 5857 public elementary schools	80.6%		81.3	1096^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.3%	38	53.7		53.7	65.1	52.3	69.1				62.0	53.5	70.5	58.5				60.9	93.3	96.2	98.1	93.3	94.2	94.2	$21,347	$20,104	$1,243

Frequently Asked Questions about San Juan Elementary

How many students attend San Juan Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 662 students attended San Juan Elementary.

Is San Juan Elementary a good school?

San Juan Elementary ranks 4161^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of San Juan Elementary?

Students at San Juan Elementary are 84% Hispanic, 11% White, 4% Two or more races.

What district is San Juan Elementary in?

Capistrano Unified

What schools do graduates of San Juan Elementary attend?

Students who attend San Juan Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Marco Forster Middle
High : Capistrano Valley High

Rate San Juan Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in San Juan Capistrano, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for San Juan Elementary!

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.