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Viejo Elementary

Q: Is Viejo Elementary a good school?

Viejo Elementary ranks 1810 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1810^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of California elementary schools

Summary

Viejo Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 447 students in the Capistrano Unified School District in Mission Viejo, known for its remarkable decade-long improvement from a low-performing to a solidly average school within the state.

The school's story is one of impressive growth, having climbed from the bottom 6% of California schools ten years ago to the top 31% today, a turnaround highlighted by a dramatic reduction in chronic absenteeism. While its test scores in English, math, and science are below the high averages of its district and some nearby schools like Chaparral Elementary and Ladera Ranch Elementary, it's important to note that Viejo performs at or above the state average. The school serves a student population where over half qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate higher than most comparison schools in Capistrano Unified, and its performance is similar to schools with comparable demographics in neighboring districts like Linda Vista Magnet Elementary.

Notably, student achievement at Viejo Elementary appears to strengthen in higher grades, with fifth graders showing the strongest results. The school also spends more per student than several local peers, and its effective strategies are reflected in above-average performance for Spanish Language Arts. In summary, Viejo Elementary is a school on a clear upward trajectory, successfully supporting its community's needs while working to close the performance gap with other schools in its high-achieving district.

447

Students ?

24.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,655

Per pupil spending ?

51.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

26782 Via Grande
Mission Viejo, CA 92691-6133

(949) 582-2424

District: Capistrano Unified

Students who attend Viejo Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Fred Newhart Middle
High:	Capistrano Valley High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

67.8%

White:

20.4%

Two or more races:

10.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Viejo Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 6th percentile in 2013 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 63 percentile points since 2013

✓Above the California median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Capistrano Unified's ranking

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg65%

California avg41%

1,810^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 37 pts since 2015

From bottom 32% (2015) to top 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

29^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	65.7	1810 of 5857	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.9	1778 of 5869	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.7	2773 of 5859	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.4	1802 of 5883	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.9	2653 of 5789	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.9	2904 of 5662	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.4	3019 of 5692	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.1	3470 of 5614	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	28.9	3794 of 5611	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	11.8	5217 of 5530	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	22.2	4503 of 5390	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.2	3965 of 5377	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	44.9	2852 of 5314	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	36.5	3278 of 5193	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	53.9	2167 of 5113	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	47.9	2442 of 5113	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	41.6	2631 of 4818	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	49.7	2212 of 4822	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	52.0	2059 of 4809	57.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	44.7	937 of 2227	57.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	44.1	1549 of 3162	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.4	2212 of 3245	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.0	965 of 3311	70.9%	★★★★☆
2019	39.5	1811 of 3275	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.8	1353 of 3246	58.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.6	1523 of 5597	72.8%	★★★★☆
2024	69.4	1518 of 5612	73.0%	★★★★☆
2023	50.9	2353 of 5609	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.7	1366 of 5635	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	48.8	2560 of 5492	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.1	2654 of 5413	51.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.9	1814 of 5107	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.6	1534 of 5107	70.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.3	2655 of 5087	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	69.2	1192 of 5084	76.6%	★★★★☆
2019	47.1	2481 of 4963	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.4	2521 of 4830	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.0	237 of 429	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.6	118 of 335	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.2	100 of 356	71.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	2818 of 5460	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.8	3083 of 5517	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.7	2934 of 5363	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.0	1921 of 5264	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.6	3971 of 5173	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.2	3839 of 5084	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.9	2025 of 5628	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.9	2169 of 5643	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.5	3230 of 5638	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.6	2363 of 5663	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.7	2571 of 5510	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.7	3070 of 5431	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	17.9	117 of 140	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	40.3	1306 of 2635	50.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.7	460 of 2598	82.3%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	754 of 2651	71.6%	★★★★☆
2023	46.5	1527 of 2661	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.6	1095 of 2726	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.2	693 of 2834	75.5%	★★★★☆
2018	49.4	1549 of 2737	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

White (2025)82nd percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)73rd percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)64th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2025)64th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2022)58th percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)51st percentile-19 vs school

Special Education (2024)50th percentile-19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)48th percentile-21 vs school

Homeless (2025)45th percentile-24 vs school

Military Connected (2023)16th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy52%+3 vs state

Mathematics50%+13 vs state

Science45%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Viejo 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
Viejo Elementary	Public	K-5	26782 Via Grande	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 582-2424	447	18	24.8	51.7%	91 (20.4%)	1 (0.2%)	303 (67.8%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.1%)	65.7	1810^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.1%		65.9	1778^th of 5869 public elementary schools	69.7%	32	45.5	45.5	45.3	49.3	61.5		51.7	41.3	58.0	53.0		50.5	96.3						$18,655	$1,915	$16,740
Carl Hankey Elementary	Public	K-5	27252 Nubles St.	Mission Viejo	92692	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5315	284	12	23.6	57.0%	95 (33.5%)	2 (0.7%)	118 (41.5%)	20 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (17.3%)	84	960^th of 5857 public elementary schools	83.6%		81	1113^th of 5869 public elementary schools	81.0%	153	56.4	56.4	52.3	63.6	78.2		65.6	59.1	61.1	69.1		63.4							$19,025	$2,009	$17,016
Bathgate Elementary	Public	K-5	27642 Napoli Way	Mission Viejo	92692	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 348-0451	570	22	25.9	31.8%	283 (49.6%)	5 (0.9%)	94 (16.5%)	62 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	122 (21.4%)	88.2	761^st of 5857 public elementary schools	87.0%		94.3	410^th of 5869 public elementary schools	93.0%	351	49.5	49.5	69.0	79.1	78.9		76.0	64.4	72.7	53.9		64.3	95.6	98.2	98.2	97.4	97.4	96.5	$18,199	$1,265	$16,934
Linda Vista Magnet Elementary	Public	K-6	25222 Pericia Dr.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 830-0970	263	13	20.1	79.1%	53 (20.2%)	2 (0.8%)	183 (69.6%)	10 (3.8%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	12 (4.6%)	48	2702^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	53.9%		45	2860^th of 5869 public elementary schools	51.3%	158	27.9	27.9	32.5	37.8	53.5	58.3	45.5	30.0	37.8	30.2	55.6	37.8	88.4	90.7		90.7	90.7	93.0	$20,107	$1,803	$18,304
Valencia Elementary	Public	K-6	25661 Paseo de Valencia	Laguna Hills	92653	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 830-3650	525	19	27.1	24.2%	293 (55.8%)	6 (1.1%)	89 (17.0%)	61 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (14.5%)	88.3	758^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.1%		90.9	640^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.1%	118	53.3	53.3	74.3	72.3	67.8	86.5	74.9	79.7	63.6	46.7	72.0	64.6	95.8			97.2	97.2	97.2	$18,026	$1,363	$16,663
Chaparral Elementary	Public	K-5	29001 Sienna Pkwy.	Ladera Ranch	92694	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5349	604	26	23.2	18.0%	350 (57.9%)	3 (0.5%)	82 (13.6%)	52 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	114 (18.9%)	97.7	96^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.4%		97.4	125^th of 5869 public elementary schools	97.9%	29	71.7	71.7	84.0	91.8	84.0		86.6	88.2	85.7	77.4		83.5	97.4	98.3		98.3	97.4	98.3	$18,321	$1,266	$17,055
Marian Bergeson Elementary	Public	K-5	25302 Rancho Niguel Rd.	Laguna Niguel	92677	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 643-1540	423	18	23.5	29.8%	84 (19.9%)	3 (0.7%)	67 (15.8%)	145 (34.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	123 (29.1%)	91	606^th of 5857 public elementary schools	89.7%		89.7	720^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.7%	114	68.4	68.4	58.5	68.8	78.5		69.9	81.1	67.1	68.4		71.1	97.1				97.1		$17,947	$1,319	$16,628
De Portola Elementary	Public	K-6	27031 Preciados Dr.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 586-5830	540	20	26.9	18.0%	306 (56.7%)	2 (0.4%)	88 (16.3%)	59 (10.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (15.6%)	92.9	479^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.8%		95	347^th of 5869 public elementary schools	94.1%	132	64.8	64.8	70.8	63.8	75.0	80.0	72.5	71.9	75.0	77.3	83.5	76.9							$18,064	$1,362	$16,702
Ladera Ranch Elementary	Public	K-5	29551 Sienna Pkwy.	Ladera Ranch	92694	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5915	580	24	24.1	24.8%	336 (57.9%)	3 (0.5%)	85 (14.7%)	68 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (15.2%)	95	328^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.4%		96.9	173^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	97.1%	155	62.6	62.6	73.9	82.6	84.1		80.4	78.3	85.9	66.7		76.4	95.8		97.5	98.3	97.5		$17,974	$1,434	$16,540
Lomarena Elementary	Public	K-6	25100 Earhart Rd.	Laguna Hills	92653	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 581-1370	487	22	22.3	69.0%	114 (23.4%)	3 (0.6%)	286 (58.7%)	39 (8.0%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.2%)	38 (7.8%)	55.6	2265^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.3%		62.6	1953^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	66.7%	312	32.5	32.5	42.4	54.4	50.0	47.8	48.8	48.5	49.3	36.4	35.2	42.2							$18,554	$1,638	$16,916

Frequently Asked Questions about Viejo Elementary

What district is Viejo Elementary in?

Capistrano Unified

What schools do graduates of Viejo Elementary attend?

Students who attend Viejo Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Fred Newhart Middle
High : Capistrano Valley High

What is the racial makeup of Viejo Elementary?

Students at Viejo Elementary are 68% Hispanic, 20% White, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Viejo Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 447 students attended Viejo Elementary.

Is Viejo Elementary a good school?

Viejo Elementary ranks 1810^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Viejo 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.