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Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate

Q: Is Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate a good school?

Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate ranks 342 nd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

342^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 88% of California middle schools

Summary

Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate is a well-regarded public middle school serving about 1,150 students in grades 7 and 8 within the Saddleback Valley Unified district, consistently earning high marks for its strong academic performance and exceptional student attendance.

The school stands out for its remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of 10%, which is better than the state and district averages and outperforms most nearby schools like La Paz Intermediate and Carl Hankey Middle. Academically, it scores above its district and state averages, though it faces stiff competition from some higher-performing schools in the neighboring Capistrano Unified district, such as Arroyo Vista Middle. It's important to note that while RSMI is a top performer within its own district, recent data shows a slight dip in its statewide ranking from a 5-star to a 4-star school.

RSMI serves a diverse student population effectively and operates efficiently, achieving strong results with a higher student-teacher ratio and lower per-student spending than many comparison schools. However, performance can vary for different student groups, and the school's trajectory shows some areas for attention. Overall, it remains a solid and valuable community school that has shown resilience, particularly in maintaining excellent attendance through challenging times.

1,153

Students ?

24.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,967

Per pupil spending ?

29.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

21931 Alma Aldea
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-2342

(949) 459-8253

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Students who attend Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate usually attend:

High:

Mission Viejo High

Feeder schools for Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate:

Elementary:	Cielo Vista Elementary
	Melinda Heights Elementary
	Robinson Elementary
	Trabuco Elementary
	More...
	Trabuco Mesa Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.9%

Hispanic:

26.2%

Asian:

15.6%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 94th percentile in 2013 → 88th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (60% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of California middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2013

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg54%

California avg41%

342^nd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 12%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Middle 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	86.6	342 of 2761	87.6%	★★★★☆
2024	89.1	298 of 2783	89.3%	★★★★☆
2023	91.8	239 of 2781	91.4%	★★★★★
2022	90.9	253 of 2740	90.8%	★★★★★
2019	91.2	235 of 2715	91.3%	★★★★★
2018	91.4	207 of 2480	91.7%	★★★★★
2017	88.4	279 of 2508	88.9%	★★★★☆
2016	88.7	259 of 2497	89.6%	★★★★☆
2015	88.6	253 of 2477	89.8%	★★★★☆
2013	87.0	150 of 2379	93.7%	★★★★★
2012	88.3	124 of 2259	94.5%	★★★★★
2011	89.7	94 of 2236	95.8%	★★★★★
2010	83.7	221 of 2179	89.9%	★★★★☆
2009	89.9	106 of 2063	94.9%	★★★★★
2008	90.6	98 of 2005	95.1%	★★★★★
2007	90.8	104 of 1999	94.8%	★★★★★
2006	90.9	106 of 1804	94.1%	★★★★★
2005	91.4	97 of 1777	94.5%	★★★★★
2004	93.2	77 of 1769	95.6%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	90.8	34 of 643	94.7%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.9	243 of 739	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	80.2	114 of 743	84.7%	★★★★☆
2023	79.9	108 of 715	84.9%	★★★★☆
2022	85.6	41 of 733	94.4%	★★★★★
2019	85.3	39 of 745	94.8%	★★★★★
2018	83.7	57 of 700	91.9%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	84.9	131 of 1531	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	86.9	114 of 1491	92.4%	★★★★★
2018	85.7	116 of 1369	91.5%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	44.3	587 of 1478	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.1	222 of 1521	85.4%	★★★★☆
2022	93.8	42 of 1540	97.3%	★★★★★
2019	75.7	164 of 1442	88.6%	★★★★☆
2018	60.8	294 of 1364	78.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.7	327 of 2533	87.1%	★★★★☆
2024	87.5	296 of 2551	88.4%	★★★★☆
2023	91.6	208 of 2531	91.8%	★★★★★
2022	90.6	221 of 2509	91.2%	★★★★★
2019	90.0	221 of 2380	90.7%	★★★★★
2018	91.2	196 of 2262	91.3%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.3	335 of 2395	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	77.2	381 of 2388	84.0%	★★★★☆
2023	79.9	319 of 2374	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	81.3	274 of 2359	88.4%	★★★★☆
2019	82.4	261 of 2213	88.2%	★★★★☆
2018	85.7	187 of 2072	91.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.2	473 of 2542	81.4%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	323 of 2579	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	90.5	159 of 2531	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	79.6	307 of 2458	87.5%	★★★★☆
2019	80.5	294 of 2369	87.6%	★★★★☆
2018	73.4	412 of 2230	81.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.2	342 of 2534	86.5%	★★★★☆
2024	88.6	281 of 2552	89.0%	★★★★☆
2023	90.5	236 of 2538	90.7%	★★★★★
2022	90.0	240 of 2527	90.5%	★★★★★
2019	90.9	218 of 2407	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	90.4	218 of 2273	90.4%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	76.2	46 of 197	76.6%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.6	244 of 726	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	82.9	90 of 701	87.2%	★★★★☆
2023	82.6	91 of 677	86.6%	★★★★☆
2022	84.5	68 of 665	89.8%	★★★★☆
2019	63.8	219 of 554	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.0	131 of 462	71.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	56.8	453 of 1566	71.1%	★★★★☆
2024	44.9	661 of 1552	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	80.9	162 of 1531	89.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	73.9	354 of 1520	76.7%	★★★★☆
2024	75.6	321 of 1537	79.1%	★★★★☆
2023	83.2	182 of 1543	88.2%	★★★★☆
2022	78.5	274 of 1555	82.4%	★★★★☆
2019	81.7	227 of 1602	85.8%	★★★★☆
2018	82.4	203 of 1496	86.4%	★★★★☆

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)

African American (2019)95th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)91st percentile~ school

Female (2025)87th percentile~ school

Male (2025)87th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)86th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)81st percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)77th percentile-11 vs school

Military Connected (2023)77th percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2025)71st percentile-17 vs school

Asian (2025)67th percentile-20 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)66th percentile-21 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)60th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy64%+15 vs state

Mathematics59%+22 vs state

Science56%+23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate

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 (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 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
Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate	Public	7-8	21931 Alma Aldea	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 459-8253	1,153	48	24.0	29.1%	529 (45.9%)	14 (1.2%)	302 (26.2%)	180 (15.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.4%)	123 (10.7%)	86.6	342^nd of 2761 public middle schools	87.6%		89.1	298^th of 2783 public middle schools	89.3%	44	55.8	55.8		67.8	59.4	63.7		59.0	59.2	59.1	$17,967	$1,361	$16,606
Arroyo Vista Middle	Public	6-8	23371 Arroyo Vista	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5951	329	16	20.8	19.8%	196 (59.6%)	1 (0.3%)	41 (12.5%)	48 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (13.1%)	97	82^nd of 2761 public middle schools	97.0%		97.3	83^rd of 2783 public middle schools	97.0%	1	71.6	71.6	83.2	81.1	84.3	82.9	64.4	78.3	79.8	74.4	$20,963	$1,500	$19,463
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	$20,308	$1,388	$18,920
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	$19,113	$1,344	$17,769
La Paz Intermediate	Public	7-8	25151 Pradera Dr.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 830-1720	713	33	21.8	39.7%	310 (43.5%)	7 (1.0%)	223 (31.3%)	89 (12.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (11.5%)	90.2	274^th of 2761 public middle schools	90.1%		90.8	261^st of 2783 public middle schools	90.6%	13	57.1	57.1		75.4	64.1	69.5		70.4	55.7	62.8	$19,045	$1,362	$17,683
Los Alisos Intermediate	Public	7-8	25171 Moor Ave.	Mission Viejo	92691	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 830-9700	595	29	20.5	74.5%	93 (15.6%)	2 (0.3%)	429 (72.1%)	47 (7.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.5%)	52.8	1104^th of 2761 public middle schools	60.0%		53.1	1066^th of 2783 public middle schools	61.7%	38	33.0	33.0		48.4	40.1	44.3		41.5	31.9	36.7	$19,306	$1,735	$17,571
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	$24,837	$1,745	$23,092
Serrano Intermediate	Public	7-8	24642 Jeronimo Rd.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 586-3221	868	39	22.3	48.7%	272 (31.3%)	16 (1.8%)	391 (45.0%)	108 (12.4%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	78 (9.0%)	75.3	578^th of 2761 public middle schools	79.1%		79.1	501^st of 2783 public middle schools	82.0%	77	49.5	49.5		55.0	58.4	56.6		48.8	46.0	47.4	$19,308	$1,376	$17,932
Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	22882 Loumont Dr.	Lake Forest	92630	Orange County	Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 600-9050	495	22	22.6	18.4%	172 (34.7%)	12 (2.4%)	100 (20.2%)	152 (30.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (11.7%)	95.2	150^th of 2761 public middle schools	94.6%		95.2	147^th of 2783 public middle schools	94.7%	3	67.7	67.7	77.0	84.0	79.0	80.0	67.3	65.4	62.9	65.2
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	$19,090	$1,273	$17,817

Frequently Asked Questions about Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate

How many students attend Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,153 students attended Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate.

What is the racial makeup of Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate?

Students at Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate are 46% White, 26% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 11% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What high school do graduates of Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate attend?

Students who attend Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate usually go on to attend Mission Viejo High

What district is Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

Is Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate a good school?

Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate ranks 342^nd of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate!

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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.