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Shorecliffs Middle

Q: Is Shorecliffs Middle a good school?

Shorecliffs Middle ranks 398 th of 2703 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

398^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,703 California Middle Schools

Better than 85% of California middle schools

Summary

Shorecliffs Middle serves 634 students in grades 6–8 in San Clemente, a coastal community in Orange County, and is part of Capistrano Unified. The most urgent concern is attendance: in 2025–26, 24% of students were chronically absent, the highest reported rate among the nearby schools, compared with 14% in the district, 18% statewide, and a nearby-school average of 13%; the school’s rate has risen by 4 percentage points since 2023–24.

Science is Shorecliffs Middle’s clearest academic strength, while ELA and especially math are weaker in local comparisons. In 2025–26, 64% of students were proficient in science—about 29 percentage points above the state, 6 above the district, and 4 above the nearby average. ELA proficiency was 66%, 17 points above the state but 4 below the district and 6 below nearby schools on average. Math proficiency was 52%, 14 points above the state but 10 below the district and 11 below the nearby average. The grade-level results also point to areas to watch: ELA proficiency was 54% in grade 6, and math proficiency was 48% in grade 7.

Results have improved since 2022–23: ELA rose about 4 percentage points, math 2, and science 4, with especially strong gains in science and math in the latest year. Still, the improvement has not consistently narrowed the school’s gap with the state in every subject. SchoolDigger gives Shorecliffs Middle 4 stars and ranks it 398th of 2,703 California schools, at the 85th percentile. Its student–teacher ratio was 19.8 in 2024–25, below the nearby-school median of 21.5; 44% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year, the fourth-highest share among the 11 schools. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness ranking for Multi-racial Students was at the 57th percentile, compared with the school’s overall 85th. For English Language Learner Students, its ranking fell from the 83rd percentile in 2022–23 to the 23rd in 2023–24, a sharp drop in its relative standing for serving that group.

634

Students ?

19.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,018

Per pupil spending ?

43.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

240 Via Socorro
San Clemente, CA 92672-3714

(949) 498-1660

District: Capistrano Unified

Students who attend Shorecliffs Middle usually attend:

High:

San Clemente High

Feeder schools for Shorecliffs Middle:

Elementary:	Concordia Elementary
	Marblehead Flex Academy
	Palisades Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.4%

Hispanic:

29.8%

Two or more races:

9.8%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Shorecliffs Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 81st percentile in 2015 → 85th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (60% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 15% of California middle schools

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Capistrano Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg65%

California avg42%

398^th of 2,703

California public middle schools ?

Top 15%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to top 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 13Middle Schools in the Capistrano Unified

130^th of 968Capistrano 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
2026	83.5	398 of 2703	85.3%	★★★★☆
2025	77.8	525 of 2761	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	71.0	668 of 2783	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	83.5	399 of 2781	85.7%	★★★★☆
2022	73.1	612 of 2740	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	82.2	431 of 2715	84.1%	★★★★☆
2018	82.1	410 of 2480	83.5%	★★★★☆
2017	81.4	428 of 2508	82.9%	★★★★☆
2016	73.4	586 of 2497	76.5%	★★★★☆
2015	78.6	459 of 2477	81.5%	★★★★☆
2013	77.7	380 of 2379	84.0%	★★★★☆
2012	75.7	412 of 2259	81.8%	★★★★☆
2011	79.9	298 of 2236	86.7%	★★★★☆
2010	72.3	498 of 2179	77.1%	★★★★☆
2009	74.9	399 of 2063	80.7%	★★★★☆
2008	75.3	379 of 2005	81.1%	★★★★☆
2007	73.3	415 of 1999	79.2%	★★★★☆
2006	73.2	409 of 1804	77.3%	★★★★☆
2005	70.4	435 of 1777	75.5%	★★★★☆
2004	78.2	314 of 1769	82.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	79.4	186 of 1531	87.9%	★★★★☆
2019	77.9	206 of 1491	86.2%	★★★★☆
2018	78.2	184 of 1369	86.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	31.7	1135 of 1478	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	61.3	256 of 1521	83.2%	★★★★☆
2022	44.7	608 of 1540	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.9	383 of 1442	73.4%	★★★★☆
2018	46.3	485 of 1364	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	86.2	300 of 2483	87.9%	★★★★☆
2025	76.4	516 of 2533	79.6%	★★★★☆
2024	70.0	633 of 2551	75.2%	★★★★☆
2023	85.1	341 of 2531	86.5%	★★★★☆
2022	74.0	543 of 2509	78.4%	★★★★☆
2019	82.5	373 of 2380	84.3%	★★★★☆
2018	80.9	387 of 2262	82.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	71.1	504 of 2325	78.3%	★★★★☆
2025	60.6	750 of 2395	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.4	988 of 2388	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.2	580 of 2374	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	52.0	938 of 2359	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.8	549 of 2213	75.2%	★★★★☆
2018	65.1	560 of 2072	73.0%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	53.5	170 of 442	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.4	230 of 477	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.3	106 of 394	73.1%	★★★★☆
2023	63.6	84 of 320	73.8%	★★★★☆
2022	55.7	116 of 336	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	79.6	322 of 2493	87.1%	★★★★☆
2025	68.4	577 of 2542	77.3%	★★★★☆
2024	57.0	827 of 2579	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.9	344 of 2531	86.4%	★★★★☆
2022	50.0	1021 of 2458	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.9	415 of 2369	82.5%	★★★★☆
2018	70.7	461 of 2230	79.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	78.4	461 of 2478	81.4%	★★★★☆
2025	76.2	498 of 2534	80.3%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	643 of 2552	74.8%	★★★★☆
2023	80.2	434 of 2538	82.9%	★★★★☆
2022	71.3	593 of 2527	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	80.3	415 of 2407	82.8%	★★★★☆
2018	82.0	371 of 2273	83.7%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	77.1	34 of 179	81.0%	★★★★☆
2025	71.3	51 of 194	73.7%	★★★★☆
2024	70.3	54 of 192	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	79.8	33 of 197	83.2%	★★★★☆
2022	61.9	65 of 193	66.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	58.9	319 of 734	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.3	353 of 726	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.5	222 of 701	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.2	186 of 677	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	65.1	227 of 665	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.5	197 of 554	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	72.2	271 of 1586	82.9%	★★★★☆
2025	67.5	302 of 1566	80.7%	★★★★☆
2024	60.4	398 of 1552	74.4%	★★★★☆
2023	64.8	339 of 1531	77.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	76.8	290 of 1482	80.4%	★★★★☆
2025	71.6	393 of 1520	74.1%	★★★★☆
2024	64.5	508 of 1537	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.8	258 of 1543	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	65.0	501 of 1555	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.8	361 of 1602	77.5%	★★★★☆
2018	74.9	357 of 1496	76.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2026)88th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)88th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)87th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)83rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)81st percentile-4 vs school

Military Connected (2026)81st percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)80th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)78th percentile-7 vs school

Homeless (2026)62nd percentile-24 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)57th percentile-29 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)23rd percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy66%+17 vs state

Science65%+29 vs state

Mathematics52%+14 vs state

4.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, August 4, 2017

Great location with an ocean view. The class sizes are a little too big, but the teachers work hard to give the students individual attention. We moved from the suburbs of Des Moines, and our 8th grader liked the school almost from the start. He told us the courses were harder here than in Waukee, and he felt he learned more. The biggest challenge he faced was meeting new friends and the National History Day project. He received very little instruction or help in the advanced class. It was the third or fourth year for the other students, which was unfair for a student tackling such a big project for the first time. Close Quote

Schools Near Shorecliffs Middle

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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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Shorecliffs Middle	Public	6-8	240 Via Socorro	San Clemente	92672	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 498-1660	634	32	19.8	43.8%	370 (58.4%)	3 (0.5%)	189 (29.8%)	8 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (9.8%)	83.5	398^th of 2703 public middle schools	85.3%		77.8	525^th of 2761 public middle schools	81.0%	127	64.5	64.5	54.4	66.1	75.3	66.5	52.6	47.8	56.3	52.3	$24,018	$22,576	$1,442
Bernice Ayer Middle	Public	6-8	1271 Sarmentoso	San Clemente	92673	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 366-9607	919	41	22.4	39.4%	541 (58.9%)	0 (0.0%)	277 (30.1%)	16 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	84 (9.1%)	93.8	172^nd of 2703 public middle schools	93.6%		93.5	194^th of 2761 public middle schools	93.0%	22	60.1	60.1	70.7	78.0	80.8	76.5	64.8	69.5	71.1	68.5	$17,613	$16,526	$1,087
Vista del Mar Middle	Public	6-8	1130 Avenue Talega	San Clemente	92673	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5955	499	22	22.2	16.2%	368 (73.7%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (11.8%)	20 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (10.2%)	95.5	125^th of 2703 public middle schools	95.4%		95	154^th of 2761 public middle schools	94.4%	29	61.5	61.5	85.5	87.9	77.9	83.4	69.5	71.0	66.2	68.8	$20,684	$19,556	$1,128
Marco Forster Middle	Public	6-8	25601 Camino del Avion	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5907	930	46	20.4	75.1%	216 (23.2%)	0 (0.0%)	651 (70.0%)	10 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	49 (5.3%)	59.2	939^th of 2703 public middle schools	65.3%		57.3	971^st of 2761 public middle schools	64.8%	32	39.4	39.4	45.3	53.0	59.7	52.4	36.5	36.8	40.7	38.0	$21,151	$19,228	$1,923
Esencia Middle	Public	6-8	5 Aprender St.	Rancho Mission Viejo	92694	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-9900	349	16	21.6	22.3%	192 (55.0%)	5 (1.4%)	56 (16.0%)	56 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	37 (10.6%)	96.6	83^rd of 2703 public middle schools	96.9%		94.4	174^th of 2761 public middle schools	93.7%	91	69.5	69.5	79.5	84.6	78.5	80.9	74.8	75.0	72.5	74.2	$23,722	$22,438	$1,284
Niguel Hills Middle	Public	6-8	29070 Shark Bay	Laguna Niguel	92677	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5360	693	35	19.5	44.6%	384 (55.4%)	8 (1.2%)	212 (30.6%)	36 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (7.6%)	82.6	413^th of 2703 public middle schools	84.7%		87.6	318^th of 2761 public middle schools	88.5%	95	55.8	55.8	62.2	70.4	67.3	66.4	50.0	58.5	47.5	51.8	$21,881	$20,392	$1,489
Ladera Ranch Middle	Public	6-8	29551 Sienna Pkwy.	Ladera Ranch	92694	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5922	1,064	46	23.0	19.0%	680 (63.9%)	10 (0.9%)	121 (11.4%)	134 (12.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	115 (10.8%)	97	78^th of 2703 public middle schools	97.1%		97.3	69^th of 2761 public middle schools	97.5%	9	69.7	69.7	84.8	81.6	78.9	81.9	74.7	77.0	76.2	75.9	$18,671	$17,582	$1,089
Carl Hankey Middle	Public	6-8	27252 Nubles	Mission Viejo	92692	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5315	181	12	15.6	49.7%	69 (38.1%)	3 (1.7%)	75 (41.4%)	18 (9.9%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.7%)	82	426^th of 2703 public middle schools	84.2%		86.9	338^th of 2761 public middle schools	87.8%	88	60.4	60.4	49.0	78.4	81.1	69.7	49.0	58.8	45.3	51.0	$29,389	$27,268	$2,121
Las Flores Middle	Public	6-8	25862 Antonio Pkwy.	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 589-6543	593	28	21.4	22.3%	332 (56.0%)	7 (1.2%)	92 (15.5%)	91 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	70 (11.8%)	93.3	183^rd of 2703 public middle schools	93.2%		95.4	137^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.0%	46	67.8	67.8	69.1	83.3	68.0	73.7	71.6	68.2	66.1	68.6	$19,439	$18,290	$1,149
Aliso Viejo Middle	Public	6-8	111 Park Ave.	Aliso Viejo	92656	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 831-2622	803	36	22.3	35.4%	433 (53.9%)	16 (2.0%)	154 (19.2%)	109 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	87 (10.8%)	87.2	304^th of 2703 public middle schools	88.8%		91.6	233^rd of 2761 public middle schools	91.6%	71	52.2	52.2	64.4	69.9	66.8	67.1	59.9	62.5	63.1	61.9	$19,053	$17,946	$1,107

Frequently Asked Questions about Shorecliffs Middle

What high school do graduates of Shorecliffs Middle attend?

Students who attend Shorecliffs Middle usually go on to attend San Clemente High

Is Shorecliffs Middle a good school?

Shorecliffs Middle ranks 398^th of 2703 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Shorecliffs Middle?

Students at Shorecliffs Middle are 58% White, 30% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Shorecliffs Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 634 students attended Shorecliffs Middle.

What district is Shorecliffs Middle in?

Capistrano Unified

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Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

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.