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Portola Hills Elementary

Public Grades K-6

249^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 96% of California elementary schools

Summary

Portola Hills Elementary is a high-performing K-6 public school serving 809 students in the Saddleback Valley Unified district in Trabuco Canyon, consistently ranking in the top 10% of all California elementary schools.

The school stands out for its exceptional and consistent academic results, with over 76% of students proficient in English, Math, and Science—far exceeding district and state averages. Its science program is particularly strong, with proficiency rates 20-45 points higher than most nearby schools like Trabuco Mesa Elementary and Robinson Elementary. Portola Hills also excels at supporting all student groups, with students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those in special education ranking in the state's 95th percentile or higher, demonstrating that its success is driven by effective teaching and culture, not just community demographics.

Notably, the school achieves this excellence with a lower chronic absenteeism rate (6.9%) than most neighbors and does so cost-effectively, despite having a higher student-teacher ratio. While the nearby charter school Oxford Preparatory Academy - South Orange County matches its academic performance, Portola Hills serves a more diverse socioeconomic population. Its consistent high performance, even through challenges, and its close results with Foothill Ranch Elementary, make it a standout model of public school excellence in the area.

809

Students ?

26.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,858

Per pupil spending ?

19.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

19422 Saddleback Ranch Rd.
Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679-1177

(949) 459-9370

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Students who attend Portola Hills Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Serrano Intermediate
High:	El Toro High

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.8%

Asian:

24.1%

Hispanic:

15.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Portola Hills Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 93rd percentile in 2013 → 96th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (78% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 4% of California elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Saddleback Valley Unified

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school78%

District avg54%

California avg41%

249^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 4%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 22Elementary Schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified

377^th of 1,543Saddleback Valley 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	95.9	249 of 5857	95.7%	★★★★★
2024	92.1	562 of 5869	90.4%	★★★★★
2023	94.0	433 of 5859	92.6%	★★★★★
2022	93.0	517 of 5883	91.2%	★★★★★
2019	88.4	734 of 5789	87.3%	★★★★☆
2018	92.6	473 of 5662	91.6%	★★★★★
2017	92.1	514 of 5692	91.0%	★★★★★
2016	92.8	454 of 5614	91.9%	★★★★★
2015	94.6	352 of 5611	93.7%	★★★★★
2013	91.0	401 of 5530	92.7%	★★★★★
2012	89.9	427 of 5390	92.1%	★★★★★
2011	88.0	562 of 5377	89.5%	★★★★☆
2010	91.1	383 of 5314	92.8%	★★★★★
2009	88.4	561 of 5193	89.2%	★★★★☆
2008	92.9	317 of 5113	93.8%	★★★★★
2007	94.5	255 of 5113	95.0%	★★★★★
2006	93.8	279 of 4818	94.2%	★★★★★
2005	92.9	336 of 4822	93.0%	★★★★★
2004	91.2	439 of 4809	90.9%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.0	242 of 1203	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	270 of 1205	77.6%	★★★★☆
2023	65.6	503 of 1190	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.7	394 of 1154	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.1	574 of 1149	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	80.7	117 of 1071	89.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	87.0	207 of 2227	90.7%	★★★★★
2019	88.2	206 of 2585	92.0%	★★★★★
2018	90.4	146 of 2128	93.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.5	224 of 5597	96.0%	★★★★★
2024	91.7	526 of 5612	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	94.4	338 of 5609	94.0%	★★★★★
2022	92.3	489 of 5635	91.3%	★★★★★
2019	85.7	783 of 5492	85.7%	★★★★☆
2018	92.4	409 of 5413	92.4%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.3	191 of 5107	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	93.7	221 of 5107	95.7%	★★★★★
2023	98.4	52 of 5087	99.0%	★★★★★
2022	90.6	338 of 5084	93.4%	★★★★★
2019	82.9	598 of 4963	88.0%	★★★★☆
2018	83.9	538 of 4830	88.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.9	182 of 5460	96.7%	★★★★★
2024	85.8	595 of 5517	89.2%	★★★★☆
2023	97.0	111 of 5363	97.9%	★★★★★
2022	85.0	541 of 5264	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	74.7	936 of 5173	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	92.8	190 of 5084	96.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.1	319 of 5628	94.3%	★★★★★
2024	90.0	608 of 5643	89.2%	★★★★☆
2023	91.0	551 of 5638	90.2%	★★★★★
2022	90.4	602 of 5663	89.4%	★★★★☆
2019	87.6	702 of 5510	87.3%	★★★★☆
2018	90.4	546 of 5431	89.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.8	93 of 718	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	68.9	225 of 670	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.0	171 of 669	74.4%	★★★★☆
2022	65.4	241 of 610	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.9	178 of 445	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.2	155 of 339	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.3	129 of 2847	95.5%	★★★★★
2024	91.4	170 of 2635	93.5%	★★★★★
2023	86.6	211 of 2420	91.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.9	384 of 2598	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	73.6	683 of 2651	74.2%	★★★★☆
2023	78.7	487 of 2661	81.7%	★★★★☆
2022	78.5	503 of 2726	81.5%	★★★★☆
2019	68.4	887 of 2834	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	80.0	453 of 2737	83.4%	★★★★☆

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)

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

Hispanic (2025)96th percentile~ school

Female (2025)96th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)95th percentile~ school

Male (2025)94th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)91st percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)87th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)85th percentile-11 vs school

Asian (2025)80th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Science80%+48 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy80%+31 vs state

Mathematics76%+39 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Ms Morrow was wonderful I am hoping that my daughter has her again for 6th grade Close Quote

Schools Near Portola Hills 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
Portola Hills Elementary	Public	K-6	19422 Saddleback Ranch Rd.	Trabuco Canyon	92679	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 459-9370	809	31	26.3	19.9%	354 (43.8%)	8 (1.0%)	126 (15.6%)	195 (24.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	125 (15.5%)	95.9	249^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.7%		92.1	562^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	90.4%	313	80.4	80.4	74.3	74.4	87.7	85.9	80.2	76.2	76.8	77.6	73.7	76.2							$17,858	$1,362	$16,496
Foothill Ranch Elementary	Public	K-6	1 Torino Dr.	Foothill Ranch	92610	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 470-4885	990	37	26.9	28.4%	306 (30.9%)	9 (0.9%)	197 (19.9%)	324 (32.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	150 (15.2%)	92.2	533^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	90.9%		89.2	735^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.5%	202	58.9	58.9	75.4	72.2	83.3	76.0	76.7	72.6	64.7	72.6	62.7	68.0							$18,485	$1,363	$17,122
Melinda Heights Elementary	Public	K-6	21001 Rancho Trabuco	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 888-7311	950	34	28.1	27.8%	487 (51.3%)	7 (0.7%)	226 (23.8%)	130 (13.7%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	96 (10.1%)	78.6	1209^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.4%		80.3	1139^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.6%	70	51.4	51.4	54.2	48.6	65.5	63.6	58.0	62.6	57.6	58.4	60.5	59.9	97.3	98.0		97.3	98.0	98.0	$17,918	$1,361	$16,557
Del Lago Elementary	Public	K-6	27181 Entidad St.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 855-1125	362	18	20.0	49.2%	118 (32.6%)	7 (1.9%)	151 (41.7%)	46 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (11.0%)	46.4	2805^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.1%		39.3	3218^th of 5869 public elementary schools	45.2%	413	40.4	40.4	46.3	38.5	48.9	36.1	42.9	39.0	35.9	31.9	30.6	34.4							$18,945	$1,361	$17,584
Trabuco Elementary	Public	K-6	31052 Trabuco Canyon Rd.	Trabuco Canyon	92679	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 858-0343	90	5	18.2	37.8%	45 (50.0%)	1 (1.1%)	26 (28.9%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (17.8%)	65.7	1811^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.1%		65.4	1798^th of 5869 public elementary schools	69.4%	13	60.0	60.0	42.9	53.3	50.0		52.7	50.0	33.3	60.0		50.9							$21,965	$1,406	$20,559
Lake Forest Elementary	Public	K-6	21801 Pittsford Dr.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 830-9945	640	28	22.7	55.3%	142 (22.2%)	15 (2.3%)	319 (49.8%)	87 (13.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	74 (11.6%)	60.2	2057^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.9%		66.5	1754^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.1%	303	35.4	35.4	49.4	44.4	51.9	57.3	51.0	45.6	43.2	45.1	43.8	44.4	97.5				97.5		$18,723	$1,585	$17,138
Cielo Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	21811 Avenida De Los Fundadore	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 589-7456	487	21	23.4	65.3%	114 (23.4%)	2 (0.4%)	289 (59.3%)	51 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.4%)	44.8	2899^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.5%		53.8	2356^th of 5869 public elementary schools	59.9%	543	36.8	36.8	38.1	40.0	45.6	45.0	42.3	39.7	30.0	33.8	31.7	34.0	87.8	90.5		89.8	90.5	90.5	$19,174	$1,680	$17,494
Trabuco Mesa Elementary	Public	K-6	21301 Avenida de los Flores	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 858-3339	640	26	25.0	37.2%	285 (44.5%)	5 (0.8%)	184 (28.8%)	89 (13.9%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	74 (11.6%)	88.1	767^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.9%		90.6	658^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.8%	109	58.5	58.5	85.3	67.1	64.2	61.9	69.5	84.2	72.0	58.5	56.7	67.4	94.0	95.0	98.0	95.0	94.0	95.0	$17,230	$1,361	$15,869
Oxford Preparatory Academy - South Orange County	Public, Charter	K-5	23000 Via Santa Maria	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Oxford Preparatory Academy - South Orange County District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 305-6111	704	27	26.0	12.6%	251 (35.7%)	4 (0.6%)	110 (15.6%)	229 (32.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	110 (15.6%)	95.5	287^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.1%		97.8	93^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	98.4%	194	83.0	83.0	73.0	76.5	89.6		79.7	75.4	71.8	85.9		78.0	96.3			96.3		96.3
Tijeras Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	23072 Avenida Empresa	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5300	315	12	26.2	21.6%	159 (50.5%)	2 (0.6%)	59 (18.7%)	40 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (17.1%)	88.8	725^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.6%		88.6	777^th of 5869 public elementary schools	86.8%	52	50.9	50.9	71.6	77.1	70.7		72.8	77.0	77.1	50.9		68.5	96.0			97.3			$18,156	$1,489	$16,667

Frequently Asked Questions about Portola Hills Elementary

What schools do graduates of Portola Hills Elementary attend?

Students who attend Portola Hills Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Serrano Intermediate
High : El Toro High

How many students attend Portola Hills Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 809 students attended Portola Hills Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Portola Hills Elementary?

Students at Portola Hills Elementary are 44% White, 24% Asian, 16% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races.

Is Portola Hills Elementary a good school?

Yes! Portola Hills Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 249^th of 5857 California elementary schools.

What district is Portola Hills Elementary in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

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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.