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Esencia

Public Grades K-5

305^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 95% of California elementary schools

Summary

Esencia is a large, high-performing K-5 elementary school serving 996 students in the Rancho Mission Viejo community, consistently ranking in the top 10% of all California elementary schools within the Capistrano Unified School District.

The school excels academically, with students significantly outperforming both district and state averages in English, Math, and Science. What truly sets Esencia apart is its exceptional effectiveness with all students, including those from low-income families and those in special education, where it ranks in the 97th percentile statewide. The school also boasts remarkably low chronic absenteeism at 8.2%, which is less than half the state average and indicates a strong, engaged school community. This success is achieved efficiently, with a higher student-teacher ratio and lower per-student spending than many comparable nearby schools like Harold Ambuehl Elementary.

Esencia is part of a notable cluster of top-tier schools in the area, including Chaparral Elementary, Oso Grande Elementary, Wagon Wheel Elementary, and Ladera Ranch Elementary. It has shown a steady, impressive improvement in its statewide ranking over the past five years and made a particularly strong recovery from pandemic-era disruptions, reducing chronic absenteeism to a rate lower than its pre-pandemic level. When compared to a local charter school, California Republic Leadership Academy Capistrano, which serves a similar student population, Esencia's academic results are significantly higher, highlighting its effectiveness as a traditional public school.

996

Students ?

26.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,841

Per pupil spending ?

17.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5 Aprender St.
Rancho Mission Viejo, CA 92694

(949) 234-9200

District: Capistrano Unified

Students who attend Esencia usually attend:

High:

Tesoro High

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.3%

Two or more races:

15.7%

Hispanic:

14.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Esencia to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 85th percentile in 2019 → 95th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (76% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2019

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 27 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school76%

District avg65%

California avg41%

305^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 5%▲ up 10 pts since 2019

From top 15% (2019) to top 5% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^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	95.3	305 of 5857	94.8%	★★★★★
2024	92.0	574 of 5869	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	92.8	516 of 5859	91.2%	★★★★★
2022	89.9	690 of 5883	88.3%	★★★★☆
2019	85.3	892 of 5789	84.6%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.8	222 of 1203	81.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.6	459 of 1205	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.3	513 of 1154	55.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	83.9	242 of 2227	89.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.9	279 of 5597	95.0%	★★★★★
2024	91.5	533 of 5612	90.5%	★★★★★
2023	93.6	392 of 5609	93.0%	★★★★★
2022	90.4	618 of 5635	89.0%	★★★★☆
2019	85.3	804 of 5492	85.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.0	301 of 5107	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	87.9	434 of 5107	91.5%	★★★★★
2023	92.5	260 of 5087	94.9%	★★★★★
2022	88.8	397 of 5084	92.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.1	175 of 5460	96.8%	★★★★★
2024	96.3	186 of 5517	96.6%	★★★★★
2023	94.4	209 of 5363	96.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.7	353 of 5628	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	88.5	687 of 5643	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	88.9	679 of 5638	88.0%	★★★★☆
2022	85.9	829 of 5663	85.4%	★★★★☆
2019	82.2	955 of 5510	82.7%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.4	3 of 153	98.0%	★★★★★
2024	97.0	3 of 118	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	88.3	9 of 140	93.6%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.0	155 of 718	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	57.7	339 of 670	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.9	212 of 669	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.8	345 of 610	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.9	99 of 2847	96.5%	★★★★★
2024	90.2	187 of 2635	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	96.8	78 of 2420	96.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.0	272 of 2598	89.5%	★★★★☆
2024	76.5	571 of 2651	78.5%	★★★★☆
2023	74.1	651 of 2661	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	72.5	713 of 2726	73.8%	★★★★☆
2019	68.8	872 of 2834	69.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Military Connected (2025)98th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)97th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)97th percentile~ school

Female (2025)95th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)94th percentile~ school

Male (2025)94th percentile~ school

White (2025)90th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2022)89th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)82nd percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)78th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy80%+31 vs state

Mathematics75%+38 vs state

Science68%+36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Esencia

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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 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 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
Esencia	Public	K-5	5 Aprender St.	Rancho Mission Viejo	92694	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-9200	996	37	26.9	17.6%	561 (56.3%)	5 (0.5%)	144 (14.5%)	130 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	156 (15.7%)	95.3	305^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.8%		92	574^th of 5869 public elementary schools	90.2%	269	68.4	68.4	81.5	76.8	82.1		80.1	77.0	75.0	73.0		75.0	97.7						$12,841	$12,054	$787
Oso Grande Elementary	Public	K-5	30251 Sienna Pkwy.	Ladera Ranch	92694	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5966	867	32	27.0	13.8%	587 (67.7%)	3 (0.3%)	85 (9.8%)	69 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	123 (14.2%)	95.6	274^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.3%		95.9	272^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	95.4%	2	62.5	62.5	85.7	85.3	79.2		83.2	83.6	86.7	65.5		77.8	98.4			98.4	98.4	98.4	$17,031	$16,244	$787
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		$17,300	$16,350	$950
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	$19,063	$18,276	$787
Wagon Wheel Elementary	Public	K-5	30912 Bridle Path	Coto De Caza	92679	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 589-1953	441	19	23.2	20.0%	261 (59.2%)	2 (0.5%)	49 (11.1%)	60 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (15.6%)	95.3	306^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.8%		96.1	252^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	95.7%	54	68.1	68.1	69.5	76.9	88.6		78.7	74.6	80.0	80.6		78.7							$17,389	$16,602	$787
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
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
Las Flores Elementary	Public	K-5	25862 Antonio Pkwy.	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 589-6935	328	13	25.2	26.5%	169 (51.5%)	3 (0.9%)	59 (18.0%)	59 (18.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (11.6%)	95.1	320^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.5%		93.2	496^th of 5869 public elementary schools	91.5%	176	69.5	69.5	73.8	83.3	79.7		79.5	66.7	86.7	78.0		78.3	95.9	97.3	97.3	97.3	97.3	97.3	$19,005	$18,218	$787
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							$21,067	$19,758	$1,309
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Esencia

How many students attend Esencia?

In the 2024-25 school year, 996 students attended Esencia.

What schools do graduates of Esencia attend?

Students who attend Esencia usually go on to attend:

High : Tesoro High

Is Esencia a good school?

Yes. Esencia ranks in the top 5.2% of California elementary schools.

What district is Esencia in?

Capistrano Unified

What is the racial makeup of Esencia?

Students at Esencia are 56% White, 16% Two or more races, 14% Hispanic, 13% Asian.

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CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Rancho Mission Viejo, CA

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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.