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Melinda Heights Elementary

Q: Is Melinda Heights Elementary a good school?

Melinda Heights Elementary ranks 926 th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

926^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of California elementary schools

Summary

Melinda Heights Elementary serves 950 students in grades K–6 in Rancho Santa Margarita, within Saddleback Valley Unified. In 2025–26, its proficiency rates were above both district and state averages in English, math, and science. The key qualification for families comparing local options is that Melinda ranked fifth among eight nearby K–6 schools in its district in each subject, so it is strong against broad benchmarks but a middle performer among those peers.

Science is Melinda’s strongest subject against comparison groups, while English is its least strong: 61% of students were proficient in science, 62% in math, and 63% in English. Those rates were about 25, 24, and 14 percentage points above state results, respectively, and 12, 10, and 4 points above district results. Compared with the seven nearby district K–6 schools’ averages, Melinda was ahead by about 7 points in science, 6 in math, and 3 in English. Fifth-grade math stands out as a relative weakness: 56% were proficient, the school’s lowest grade-level math result, and six of the 10 nearby schools serving fifth grade scored higher. Yet it remained above state and district fifth-grade math results by about 19 and 5 points.

Scores ended slightly higher in 2025–26 than four years earlier: English rose about 1 point, math about 2, while science was nearly unchanged. The latest year brought gains in English and math after a weaker 2024–25. SchoolDigger ranks Melinda at the 84th statewide percentile, with four stars; seven of the 10 nearby schools have higher percentiles, and Melinda’s earlier standing reached the 94th percentile. Its 28.1 student-teacher ratio is the highest among those nearby schools, whose ratios range from 18.2 to 26.9. In 2024–25, 28% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. SchoolDigger’s statewide measure of how well Melinda serves Asian students ranked at the 49th percentile, compared with the school’s overall 84th; its measure for multiracial students rose from the 42nd percentile in 2023–24 to the 63rd in 2025–26.

950

Students ?

28.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,020

Per pupil spending ?

27.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

≥ 99%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

21001 Rancho Trabuco
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-3444

(949) 888-7311

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Students who attend Melinda Heights Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
High:	Trabuco Hills High

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.3%

Hispanic:

23.8%

Asian:

13.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Melinda Heights Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 94th percentile in 2015 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (63% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

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

!Large classes — about 28 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

District avg55%

California avg42%

926^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 6% (2016) to top 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 21Elementary Schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified

395^th of 1,530Saddleback 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
2026	84.8	926 of 5817	84.1%	★★★★☆
2025	78.6	1209 of 5857	79.4%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	1139 of 5869	80.6%	★★★★☆
2023	84.4	979 of 5859	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	87.5	829 of 5883	85.9%	★★★★☆
2019	87.6	770 of 5789	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	89.8	645 of 5662	88.6%	★★★★☆
2017	92.5	487 of 5692	91.4%	★★★★★
2016	94.3	352 of 5614	93.7%	★★★★★
2015	94.6	356 of 5611	93.7%	★★★★★
2013	91.3	378 of 5530	93.2%	★★★★★
2012	88.5	518 of 5390	90.4%	★★★★★
2011	89.4	464 of 5377	91.4%	★★★★★
2010	90.9	397 of 5314	92.5%	★★★★★
2009	91.9	357 of 5193	93.1%	★★★★★
2008	92.7	328 of 5113	93.6%	★★★★★
2007	94.4	265 of 5113	94.8%	★★★★★
2006	95.4	200 of 4818	95.8%	★★★★★
2005	94.9	230 of 4822	95.2%	★★★★★
2004	93.7	299 of 4809	93.8%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	59.8	611 of 1210	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.5	670 of 1203	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.8	760 of 1205	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.4	791 of 1190	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.5	721 of 1154	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.6	639 of 1149	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	75.1	256 of 1071	76.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	68.6	435 of 2227	80.5%	★★★★☆
2019	73.0	457 of 2585	82.3%	★★★★☆
2018	75.2	341 of 2128	84.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	36.9	2040 of 3162	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	66.2	605 of 3245	81.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	84.9	822 of 5581	85.3%	★★★★☆
2025	79.9	1086 of 5597	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	81.4	1038 of 5612	81.5%	★★★★☆
2023	85.6	863 of 5609	84.6%	★★★★☆
2022	86.4	800 of 5635	85.8%	★★★★☆
2019	87.9	666 of 5492	87.9%	★★★★☆
2018	89.4	596 of 5413	89.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	73.6	1020 of 5094	80.0%	★★★★☆
2025	64.9	1451 of 5107	71.6%	★★★★☆
2024	75.0	941 of 5107	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	87.3	459 of 5087	91.0%	★★★★★
2022	89.9	364 of 5084	92.8%	★★★★★
2019	81.9	638 of 4963	87.1%	★★★★☆
2018	83.6	545 of 4830	88.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	79.6	782 of 5423	85.6%	★★★★☆
2025	68.5	1358 of 5460	75.1%	★★★★☆
2024	75.5	1040 of 5517	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	76.0	945 of 5363	82.4%	★★★★☆
2022	84.1	593 of 5264	88.7%	★★★★☆
2019	71.0	1134 of 5173	78.1%	★★★★☆
2018	85.7	462 of 5084	90.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	81.7	979 of 5603	82.5%	★★★★☆
2025	73.4	1363 of 5628	75.8%	★★★★☆
2024	76.1	1233 of 5643	78.1%	★★★★☆
2023	80.5	1069 of 5638	81.0%	★★★★☆
2022	85.9	828 of 5663	85.4%	★★★★☆
2019	84.4	846 of 5510	84.6%	★★★★☆
2018	87.8	703 of 5431	87.1%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	66.4	277 of 753	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.3	422 of 718	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.7	387 of 670	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.2	321 of 669	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.5	192 of 610	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.1	185 of 445	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.0	237 of 339	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	80.9	354 of 2927	87.9%	★★★★☆
2025	69.4	552 of 2847	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	68.5	521 of 2635	80.2%	★★★★☆
2023	74.9	390 of 2420	83.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	66.7	874 of 2536	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.0	1152 of 2598	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.9	1216 of 2651	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.0	985 of 2661	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.4	973 of 2726	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.9	828 of 2834	70.8%	★★★★☆
2018	75.6	619 of 2737	77.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2026)88th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)86th percentile~ school

Female (2026)85th percentile~ school

Male (2026)83rd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)80th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)80th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)66th percentile-19 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)63rd percentile-21 vs school

Asian (2026)50th percentile-35 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)35th percentile-45 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy63%+14 vs state

Mathematics62%+24 vs state

Science61%+25 vs state

4.0

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, April 25, 2021

The school is too large so your just a number. My daughter was doing her work till 9 pm and at lunch. I would find a school with fewer kids. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, March 10, 2017

We've been at Melinda Heights for 5 years now and couldn't be any more impressed with the teachers, the administrators, and the families that are part of this school. Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, October 15, 2016

We are new to Melinda Heights this year. It is a very organized and impressive school. Even with the large size student body, it has a tight knit community feel. The new principal is all smiles and we have 3 amazing teachers from kinder to 5th grade. From the programs the school offers, to the welcoming atmosphere, we are very happy to be here. The teachers all seem to work hard to thrive and be great. The school we came from was complete opposite so this is a nice breath of fresh air. Close Quote

Schools Near Melinda Heights Elementary

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)					Vaccination (2024-25)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	84.8	926^th of 5817 public elementary schools	84.1%		78.6	1209^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.4%	283	61.4	61.4	58.0	60.8	68.9	65.4	63.4	67.2	66.9	56.1	59.6	62.4	≥ 99%		$15,020	$14,092	$928
Trabuco Elementary	Public	K-6	31052 Trabuco Canyon Rd.	Trabuco Canyon	92678	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%)	60.3	2061^st of 5817 public elementary schools	64.6%		65.7	1811^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.1%	250	61.5	61.5	45.5	46.7	53.9	47.4	48.3	45.5	40.0	38.5	47.4	43.1			$25,741	$24,800	$941
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%)	93.9	409^th of 5817 public elementary schools	93.0%		95.9	249^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.7%	160	63.5	63.5	70.9	80.8	74.8	89.5	78.7	77.3	80.8	60.3	81.0	74.2	≥ 99%		$14,815	$13,888	$927
Cielo Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	21811 Avenida De Los Fundadores	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%)	47.3	2766^th of 5817 public elementary schools	52.4%		44.8	2899^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.5%	133	42.0	42.0	45.6	30.5	43.1	45.6	41.5	51.5	37.3	28.0	33.8	38.4	95%	0%	$15,911	$14,816	$1,095
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%)	88.7	717^th of 5817 public elementary schools	87.7%		88.1	767^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.9%	50	56.3	56.3	82.6	73.3	60.0	70.1	71.1	79.4	75.0	55.0	60.4	66.7	≥ 98%		$12,977	$12,050	$927
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%)	94.6	357^th of 5817 public elementary schools	93.9%		88.8	725^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.6%	368	72.3	72.3	75.6	73.6	76.6		75.0	77.8	79.2	72.3		76.8	≥ 98%		$18,489	$17,702	$787
Arroyo Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	23371 Arroyo Vista	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5951	508	21	24.1	28.0%	285 (56.1%)	2 (0.4%)	75 (14.8%)	55 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	91 (17.9%)	87	796^th of 5817 public elementary schools	86.3%		89.7	677^th of 5857 public elementary schools	88.4%	119	50.0	50.0	71.8	62.7	65.6		66.8	75.3	73.1	65.6		70.8	≥ 98%		$17,289	$16,502	$787
Robinson Elementary	Public	K-6	21400 Lindsay Dr.	Trabuco Canyon	92679	Orange County	Saddleback Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 589-2446	486	20	24.1	27.6%	308 (63.4%)	4 (0.8%)	108 (22.2%)	23 (4.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.6%)	85.8	867^th of 5817 public elementary schools	85.1%		77.6	1262^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	78.5%	395	61.8	61.8	58.4	66.1	66.2	67.7	64.3	66.2	62.9	67.7	59.7	64.3	95%	0%	$16,726	$15,790	$936
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%)	45.5	2874^th of 5817 public elementary schools	50.6%		46.4	2805^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.1%	69	36.8	36.8	35.1	29.4	36.8	61.0	41.3	40.5	26.5	26.3	53.7	37.3	≥ 99%		$17,644	$16,618	$1,026
Foothill Ranch Elementary	Public	K-6	1 Torino Dr.	Foothill Ranch	92691	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%)	91.9	547^th of 5817 public elementary schools	90.6%		92.2	533^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	90.9%	14	61.6	61.6	76.3	67.4	77.4	76.4	74.4	69.1	70.3	70.6	65.0	68.8	≥ 98%		$15,121	$14,192	$929

Frequently Asked Questions about Melinda Heights Elementary

Is Melinda Heights Elementary a good school?

Melinda Heights Elementary ranks 926^th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Melinda Heights Elementary in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

How many students attend Melinda Heights Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 950 students attended Melinda Heights Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Melinda Heights Elementary?

Students at Melinda Heights Elementary are 51% White, 24% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 10% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Melinda Heights Elementary attend?

Students who attend Melinda Heights Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
High : Trabuco Hills High

Rate Melinda Heights Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

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.