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Bernice Ayer Middle

Public Grades 6-8

194^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 93% of California middle schools

Summary

Bernice Ayer Middle is a highly-regarded public school serving about 919 students in grades 6-8 in San Clemente, part of the high-performing Capistrano Unified School District.

The school is a consistent top performer, currently ranking in the 93rd percentile of all California middle schools, with students scoring well above state averages in English and Math. What truly sets Bernice Ayer apart is its exceptional support for specific student groups; it ranks in the 96th percentile statewide for both homeless students and students in special education, demonstrating a strong commitment to helping every child succeed. The school has also shown impressive improvement in student attendance since the pandemic, which correlates with its rising academic rankings.

Compared to other schools in the district, Bernice Ayer achieves its strong results while serving a student population with greater economic need and doing so with relatively efficient spending. For instance, while nearby schools like Ladera Ranch Middle and Las Flores Middle post slightly higher test scores, they serve fewer students qualifying for free lunch. Within San Clemente itself, Bernice Ayer's performance places it solidly between higher-performing Vista del Mar Middle and lower-performing Shorecliffs Middle. An area for potential growth is in science proficiency, where scores, though good, are more modest compared to some neighboring schools.

919

Students ?

22.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,613

Per pupil spending ?

39.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1271 Sarmentoso
San Clemente, CA 92673

(949) 366-9607

District: Capistrano Unified

Students who attend Bernice Ayer Middle usually attend:

High:

San Clemente High

Feeder schools for Bernice Ayer Middle:

Elementary:	Clarence Lobo Elementary
	Las Palmas Elementary
	Truman Benedict Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.9%

Hispanic:

30.1%

Two or more races:

9.1%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Bernice Ayer Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 89th percentile in 2013 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (69% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of California middle schools

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school69%

District avg65%

California avg41%

194^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 13Middle 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	93.5	194 of 2761	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	91.2	251 of 2783	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	92.2	230 of 2781	91.7%	★★★★★
2022	89.5	286 of 2740	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	83.9	389 of 2715	85.7%	★★★★☆
2018	81.6	422 of 2480	83.0%	★★★★☆
2017	89.6	253 of 2508	89.9%	★★★★☆
2016	84.2	347 of 2497	86.1%	★★★★☆
2015	90.1	217 of 2477	91.2%	★★★★★
2013	82.4	257 of 2379	89.2%	★★★★☆
2012	87.7	135 of 2259	94.0%	★★★★★
2011	86.3	160 of 2236	92.8%	★★★★★
2010	88.0	135 of 2179	93.8%	★★★★★
2009	88.9	127 of 2063	93.8%	★★★★★
2008	86.2	173 of 2005	91.4%	★★★★★
2007	79.6	308 of 1999	84.6%	★★★★☆
2006	85.4	199 of 1804	89.0%	★★★★☆
2005	83.1	233 of 1777	86.9%	★★★★☆
2004	84.4	211 of 1769	88.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	92.0	73 of 1531	95.2%	★★★★★
2019	89.5	91 of 1491	93.9%	★★★★★
2018	83.9	133 of 1369	90.3%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	58.3	293 of 1478	80.2%	★★★★☆
2023	57.2	316 of 1521	79.2%	★★★★☆
2022	54.0	382 of 1540	75.2%	★★★★☆
2019	26.8	1298 of 1442	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.9	854 of 1364	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.1	196 of 2533	92.3%	★★★★★
2024	88.4	280 of 2551	89.0%	★★★★☆
2023	91.0	232 of 2531	90.8%	★★★★★
2022	85.8	325 of 2509	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	82.1	388 of 2380	83.7%	★★★★☆
2018	80.0	407 of 2262	82.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.4	195 of 2395	91.9%	★★★★★
2024	81.7	290 of 2388	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	85.7	208 of 2374	91.2%	★★★★★
2022	82.7	243 of 2359	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	57.6	743 of 2213	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.3	804 of 2072	61.2%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.0	19 of 477	96.0%	★★★★★
2024	73.3	55 of 394	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	85.6	23 of 320	92.8%	★★★★★
2022	80.4	34 of 336	89.9%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.6	161 of 2542	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	79.5	356 of 2579	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	90.2	165 of 2531	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	73.5	436 of 2458	82.3%	★★★★☆
2019	54.3	895 of 2369	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.0	1137 of 2230	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.9	186 of 2534	92.7%	★★★★★
2024	91.8	211 of 2552	91.7%	★★★★★
2023	91.3	209 of 2538	91.8%	★★★★★
2022	91.1	218 of 2527	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	83.3	361 of 2407	85.0%	★★★★☆
2018	80.9	397 of 2273	82.5%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	33 of 194	83.0%	★★★★☆
2024	71.1	52 of 192	72.9%	★★★★☆
2023	69.6	59 of 197	70.1%	★★★★☆
2022	63.7	64 of 193	66.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.9	80 of 726	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	80.6	112 of 701	84.0%	★★★★☆
2023	86.5	55 of 677	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	63.3	246 of 665	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	85.3	50 of 554	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	79.8	76 of 462	83.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.7	56 of 1566	96.4%	★★★★★
2024	92.8	76 of 1552	95.1%	★★★★★
2023	95.1	53 of 1531	96.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.1	85 of 1520	94.4%	★★★★★
2024	87.2	121 of 1537	92.1%	★★★★★
2023	87.4	119 of 1543	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	87.6	106 of 1555	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	82.8	208 of 1602	87.0%	★★★★☆
2018	80.9	241 of 1496	83.9%	★★★★☆

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)96th percentile+3 vs school

Homeless (2025)96th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)95th percentile+6 vs school

White (2025)94th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)94th percentile~ school

Male (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)89th percentile-4 vs school

Military Connected (2025)83rd percentile-10 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)80th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy74%+25 vs state

Mathematics69%+32 vs state

Science57%+24 vs state

3.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Teachers are awesome sauce, but not a fan of the administration. Policies are questionable in a number of cases, and conversations with them feel patronizing. There seems to be more of a passion for test scores than the kids, which is a scary slippery slope. Close Quote

Schools Near Bernice Ayer 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				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 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
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%)	93.5	194^th of 2761 public middle schools	93.0%		91.2	251^st of 2783 public middle schools	91.0%	57	57.0	57.0	73.3	75.1	73.1	73.8	65.9	67.0	74.2	69.0	$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	154^th of 2761 public middle schools	94.4%		96.1	126^th of 2783 public middle schools	95.5%	28	61.7	61.7	85.3	80.0	76.5	80.5	75.0	60.0	66.4	66.9	$20,684	$19,556	$1,128
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%)	77.8	525^th of 2761 public middle schools	81.0%		71	668^th of 2783 public middle schools	76.0%	143	52.9	52.9	60.2	65.0	63.8	63.1	42.0	46.7	45.8	44.9	$24,018	$22,576	$1,442
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%)	57.3	971^st of 2761 public middle schools	64.8%		59.3	902^nd of 2783 public middle schools	67.6%	69	36.3	36.3	44.4	48.7	53.2	48.8	32.0	36.6	43.2	37.3	$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%)	94.4	174^th of 2761 public middle schools	93.7%		96.9	94^th of 2783 public middle schools	96.6%	80	47.6	47.6	78.1	82.6	76.5	79.2	70.8	81.2	68.0	73.5	$23,722	$22,438	$1,284
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%)	97.3	69^th of 2761 public middle schools	97.5%		98.1	42^nd of 2783 public middle schools	98.5%	27	65.2	65.2	84.1	80.6	82.2	82.3	75.2	74.9	79.2	76.5	$18,671	$17,582	$1,089
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%)	87.6	318^th of 2761 public middle schools	88.5%		92.4	219^th of 2783 public middle schools	92.1%	99	50.3	50.3	72.3	65.5	71.8	69.6	61.3	52.2	61.1	57.9	$21,881	$20,392	$1,489
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%)	86.9	338^th of 2761 public middle schools	87.8%		79.1	499^th of 2783 public middle schools	82.1%	161	51.7	51.7	69.1	73.7	65.5	69.4	73.2	44.8	57.9	58.5	$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%)	95.4	137^th of 2761 public middle schools	95.0%		96.3	113^th of 2783 public middle schools	95.9%	24	69.1	69.1	78.4	79.0	77.9	78.4	65.3	66.7	71.7	67.9	$19,439	$18,290	$1,149
Fred Newhart Middle	Public	6-8	25001 Veterans Way	Mission Viejo	92692	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 855-0162	1,105	51	21.6	33.6%	466 (42.2%)	16 (1.4%)	295 (26.7%)	150 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	174 (15.7%)	94.5	168^th of 2761 public middle schools	93.9%		94.6	167^th of 2783 public middle schools	94.0%	1	59.3	59.3	75.0	78.0	78.8	77.2	69.4	63.9	70.8	67.9	$18,906	$17,846	$1,060

Frequently Asked Questions about Bernice Ayer Middle

What district is Bernice Ayer Middle in?

Capistrano Unified

How many students attend Bernice Ayer Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 919 students attended Bernice Ayer Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Bernice Ayer Middle?

Students at Bernice Ayer Middle are 59% White, 30% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Bernice Ayer Middle attend?

Students who attend Bernice Ayer Middle usually go on to attend San Clemente High

Is Bernice Ayer Middle a good school?

Yes. Bernice Ayer Middle ranks in the top 7.0% of California middle schools.

Rate Bernice Ayer Middle!

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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.