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Trabuco Mesa Elementary

Public Grades K-6
717th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,817 California Elementary Schools
Better than 88% of California elementary schools
Summary

Trabuco Mesa Elementary serves 640 students in grades K–6 in Rancho Santa Margarita, within the Saddleback Valley Unified district. Its 2025–26 proficiency rates were above both district and California averages in English language arts (ELA), math and science. The most important takeaway is that the school performs strongly against broad benchmarks, although fifth grade is a clear academic concern.

Math is the school’s strongest subject relative to the district and state: 67% of students were proficient, 14 percentage points above the district and 28 above California. ELA was 71% (12 points above the district and 22 above the state), while science was 56% (6 and 20 points above). Compared with nearby schools, Trabuco Mesa ranked fourth of 10 in ELA, fifth in math and seventh in science; six nearby schools scored higher in science. Fifth graders scored 60% in ELA and 55% in math, below the schoolwide rates of 71% and 67%; six of 10 nearby schools with comparable grade-level results scored higher in each subject. In contrast, third-grade results were the highest among those nearby schools in both ELA and math.

Results have eased from earlier highs: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, proficiency fell 6 percentage points in ELA, 2 in math and 5 in science, while the school’s leads over state averages narrowed by 9, 6 and 10 points, respectively. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking moved from the 92nd percentile and 5 stars in 2022–23 to the 88th percentile and 4 stars in 2025–26. In 2024–25, the student-teacher ratio was 25, compared with a nearby-school average of 23.9, and 37% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness ranking for Asian Students was at the 52nd percentile in 2024–25, below the school’s overall 87th percentile that year. For Multi-racial Students, it was at the 60th percentile in 2025–26 versus the school’s overall 88th percentile, a 12-point decline from 2022–23.

640
Students ?
25.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$17,744
Per pupil spending ?
37.2%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
≥ 98%
Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)
 21301 Avenida de los Flores
       Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  92688-5444

(949) 858-3339

District: Saddleback Valley Unified


Students who attend Trabuco Mesa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
High:    Trabuco Hills High
Racial breakdown:

White:
44.5%
Hispanic:
28.8%
Asian:
13.9%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Trabuco Mesa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 92nd percentile in 2015 → 88th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (68% vs 42% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 12% 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 25 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school68%
District avg55%
California avg42%
717th of 5,817
California public elementary schools ?
Top 12%▼ down 5 pts since 2016
From top 7% (2016) to top 12% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
5th of 21Elementary Schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified
395th 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202688.7717 of 581787.7%★★★★☆
202588.1767 of 585786.9%★★★★☆
202490.6658 of 586988.8%★★★★☆
202393.2491 of 585991.6%★★★★★
202292.4570 of 588390.3%★★★★★
201986.4824 of 578985.8%★★★★☆
201890.7587 of 566289.6%★★★★☆
201786.1866 of 569284.8%★★★★☆
201693.7400 of 561492.9%★★★★★
201592.5472 of 561191.6%★★★★★
201388.3567 of 553089.7%★★★★☆
201285.3710 of 539086.8%★★★★☆
201188.8511 of 537790.5%★★★★★
201088.5537 of 531489.9%★★★★☆
200990.4458 of 519391.2%★★★★★
200886.2691 of 511386.5%★★★★☆
200787.8635 of 511387.6%★★★★☆
200681.8883 of 481881.7%★★★★☆
200590.6468 of 482290.3%★★★★★
200491.3434 of 480991.0%★★★★★

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202562.1577 of 120352.0%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202295.1102 of 222795.4%★★★★★
201991.7154 of 258594.0%★★★★★
201893.1120 of 212894.4%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202686.2762 of 558186.3%★★★★☆
202584.8853 of 559784.8%★★★★☆
202487.0769 of 561286.3%★★★★☆
202390.9566 of 560989.9%★★★★☆
202288.5716 of 563587.3%★★★★☆
201980.61043 of 549281.0%★★★★☆
201889.8578 of 541389.3%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202682.9590 of 509488.4%★★★★☆
202586.1493 of 510790.3%★★★★★
202493.0243 of 510795.2%★★★★★
202394.6181 of 508796.4%★★★★★
202286.8477 of 508490.6%★★★★★
201983.4581 of 496388.3%★★★★☆
201892.1224 of 483095.4%★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202683.7608 of 542388.8%★★★★☆
202590.3361 of 546093.4%★★★★★
202491.4392 of 551792.9%★★★★★
202397.398 of 536398.2%★★★★★
202290.5332 of 526493.7%★★★★★
201973.41007 of 517380.5%★★★★☆
201884.2519 of 508489.8%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202688.1653 of 560388.3%★★★★☆
202588.7649 of 562888.5%★★★★☆
202492.0482 of 564391.5%★★★★★
202393.2410 of 563892.7%★★★★★
202293.0444 of 566392.2%★★★★★
201985.8793 of 551085.6%★★★★☆
201888.1672 of 543187.6%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202664.2302 of 75359.9%★★★☆☆
202562.1302 of 71857.9%★★★☆☆
202372.4185 of 66972.3%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202690.2190 of 292793.5%★★★★★
202587.3264 of 284790.7%★★★★★
202492.6153 of 263594.2%★★★★★
202392.7132 of 242094.5%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202674.6598 of 253676.4%★★★★☆
202571.9697 of 259873.2%★★★★☆
202472.6721 of 265172.8%★★★★☆
202381.8360 of 266186.5%★★★★☆
202282.9345 of 272687.3%★★★★☆
201967.2933 of 283467.1%★★★☆☆
201876.1593 of 273778.3%★★★★☆
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)
Disabled (2022)95th percentile+5 vs school
Special Education (2026)94th percentile+6 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)89th percentile~ school
Hispanic (2026)88th percentile~ school
Male (2026)88th percentile~ school
Female (2026)86th percentile~ school
White (2026)76th percentile-11 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)60th percentile-28 vs school
Asian (2025)52nd percentile-35 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy71%+22 vs state
Mathematics67%+28 vs state
Science56%+20 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Trabuco Mesa Elementary

Students at Trabuco Mesa Elementary are 45% White, 29% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 12% Two or more races.

Students who attend Trabuco Mesa Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
High : Trabuco Hills High

In the 2024-25 school year, 640 students attended Trabuco Mesa Elementary.

Trabuco Mesa Elementary ranks 717th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Trabuco Mesa Elementary!



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Latest California data All new data »
2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026
2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026
2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026
2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 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.

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