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

Vista del Mar Middle

Public Grades 6-8

154^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 94% of California middle schools

Summary

Vista del Mar Middle is a high-performing public school serving about 500 students in grades 6-8 in San Clemente, part of the Capistrano Unified School District, and consistently ranks among the top 6% of all California middle schools.

The school is distinguished by its remarkable consistency, maintaining top-tier rankings for over a decade, and it shows exceptional effectiveness in supporting all student groups. A standout strength is its performance with Hispanic students, which ranks even higher than the school's already excellent overall rating. While its math scores are strong, they are slightly below those of the highest-performing nearby schools like Ladera Ranch Middle and Esencia Middle. Interestingly, the school's per-student spending is not the highest in the area, suggesting that how resources are used is more important than the amount.

One notable area for attention is a chronic absenteeism rate of 16.9%, which is higher than the district average and significantly higher than peers such as Esencia Middle (7.5%). This is puzzling given the school's strong academic results and relatively affluent student population. Overall, Vista del Mar is a top-choice school in the district, demonstrating that a school's practices can lead to outstanding and equitable outcomes for its diverse student body.

499

Students ?

22.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,684

Per pupil spending ?

16.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1130 Avenue Talega
San Clemente, CA 92673

(949) 234-5955

District: Capistrano Unified

Students who attend Vista del Mar Middle usually attend:

High:

San Clemente High

Feeder schools for Vista del Mar Middle:

Elementary:

Vista del Mar Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.7%

Hispanic:

11.8%

Two or more races:

10.2%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Vista del Mar Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 96th percentile in 2013 → 94th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (72% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of California middle schools

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg65%

California avg41%

154^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 6%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 2% (2015) to top 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^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	95.0	154 of 2761	94.4%	★★★★★
2024	96.1	126 of 2783	95.5%	★★★★★
2023	95.9	119 of 2781	95.7%	★★★★★
2022	95.2	133 of 2740	95.1%	★★★★★
2019	94.2	161 of 2715	94.1%	★★★★★
2018	96.9	58 of 2480	97.7%	★★★★★
2017	96.0	86 of 2508	96.6%	★★★★★
2016	96.7	49 of 2497	98.0%	★★★★★
2015	97.0	49 of 2477	98.0%	★★★★★
2013	89.8	93 of 2379	96.1%	★★★★★
2012	89.6	90 of 2259	96.0%	★★★★★
2011	89.2	105 of 2236	95.3%	★★★★★
2010	87.0	150 of 2179	93.1%	★★★★★
2009	86.2	162 of 2063	92.1%	★★★★★
2008	70.9	472 of 2005	76.5%	★★★★☆
2007	79.4	310 of 1999	84.5%	★★★★☆
2006	77.6	328 of 1804	81.8%	★★★★☆
2005	76.3	349 of 1777	80.4%	★★★★☆
2004	72.2	387 of 1769	78.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	90.2	93 of 1531	93.9%	★★★★★
2019	89.3	93 of 1491	93.8%	★★★★★
2018	89.3	85 of 1369	93.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.3	143 of 2533	94.4%	★★★★★
2024	94.4	147 of 2551	94.2%	★★★★★
2023	94.6	136 of 2531	94.6%	★★★★★
2022	93.3	166 of 2509	93.4%	★★★★★
2019	90.8	202 of 2380	91.5%	★★★★★
2018	96.3	53 of 2262	97.7%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.1	39 of 2395	98.4%	★★★★★
2024	95.6	71 of 2388	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	96.0	56 of 2374	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	95.7	63 of 2359	97.3%	★★★★★
2019	86.3	189 of 2213	91.5%	★★★★★
2018	95.5	60 of 2072	97.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.2	412 of 2542	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	81.6	316 of 2579	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	93.9	98 of 2531	96.1%	★★★★★
2022	79.0	318 of 2458	87.1%	★★★★☆
2019	80.4	298 of 2369	87.4%	★★★★☆
2018	84.7	211 of 2230	90.5%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.4	150 of 2534	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	96.1	105 of 2552	95.9%	★★★★★
2023	95.7	110 of 2538	95.7%	★★★★★
2022	95.6	118 of 2527	95.3%	★★★★★
2019	95.2	123 of 2407	94.9%	★★★★★
2018	96.7	76 of 2273	96.7%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	91.6	13 of 197	93.4%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.3	56 of 726	92.3%	★★★★★
2024	88.6	44 of 701	93.7%	★★★★★
2023	86.3	57 of 677	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	89.8	29 of 665	95.6%	★★★★★
2019	84.7	55 of 554	90.1%	★★★★★
2018	80.0	72 of 462	84.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.3	108 of 1566	93.1%	★★★★★
2024	78.5	190 of 1552	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	89.3	101 of 1531	93.4%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.2	198 of 1520	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	84.7	159 of 1537	89.7%	★★★★☆
2023	86.6	134 of 1543	91.3%	★★★★★
2022	83.7	171 of 1555	89.0%	★★★★☆
2019	85.3	161 of 1602	90.0%	★★★★★
2018	91.0	51 of 1496	96.6%	★★★★★

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)98th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)94th percentile~ school

Male (2025)94th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)94th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2023)93rd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)92nd percentile~ school

White (2025)87th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)84th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy80%+32 vs state

Mathematics67%+30 vs state

Science62%+29 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Vista del Mar Middle and help other families decide.

Rate Vista del Mar Middle

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

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Vista del Mar Middle

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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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 Vista del Mar Middle

How many students attend Vista del Mar Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 499 students attended Vista del Mar Middle.

What district is Vista del Mar Middle in?

Capistrano Unified

Is Vista del Mar Middle a good school?

Yes. Vista del Mar Middle ranks in the top 5.6% of California middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Vista del Mar Middle?

Students at Vista del Mar Middle are 74% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Vista del Mar Middle attend?

Students who attend Vista del Mar Middle usually go on to attend San Clemente High

Rate Vista del Mar Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in San Clemente, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Vista del Mar Middle!

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.