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Cielo Vista Elementary

Q: Is Cielo Vista Elementary a good school?

Cielo Vista Elementary ranks 2766 th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2766^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 52% of California elementary schools

Summary

Cielo Vista Elementary serves 487 students in grades K–6 in Rancho Santa Margarita, where it is one of 10 nearby schools in the comparison. Its 2025–26 results are near the state level in math and above it in science, but the clearest concern for families comparing local options is that it trails most nearby K–6 schools by a wide margin.

Science is Cielo Vista’s strongest subject against the state, at 42%, or 6 points above the state rate; math is essentially even at 38%, while ELA is 41%, or 8 points below. The gap with its district is wider: Cielo Vista is 18 points lower in ELA, 14 lower in math, and 8 lower in science than Saddleback Valley Unified. Among the six nearby K–6 schools in the same district, Cielo Vista is second-lowest in all three subjects, with results 20 points below the group average in both ELA and math and 15 points below in science. There are grade-level bright spots and concerns: third-grade math is 5 points above the state, while fourth-grade ELA is 15 points below it and sixth-grade ELA and math are the lowest among those six peers. Chronic absenteeism is another concern: Cielo Vista’s 17% rate is below the state’s 18%, but above the district’s 13% and every nearby school reporting a rate.

Results have improved modestly since 2022–23: ELA is up 2 points, math 2 points, and science 3 points, though each subject’s statewide advantage has narrowed or, in ELA, become a wider deficit. SchoolDigger places Cielo Vista at the 52nd percentile with 3 stars for 2025–26; only Del Lago Elementary ranks lower among nearby schools with reported percentiles. The 2024–25 student–teacher ratio is 23.4, close to the nearby average of 24.0, and 65% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible; this was the highest reported share among nearby schools using that same measure and year. SchoolDigger’s older measure of how well Cielo Vista served Disabled Students was at the 32nd percentile in 2021–22, versus the school’s overall 53rd percentile that year; its measure for White Students fell from the 63rd percentile in 2023–24 to the 46th in 2025–26. All-grades nearby comparisons use the six same-district K–6 schools, since four other nearby schools serve K–5.

487

Students ?

23.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,295

Per pupil spending ?

65.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

95%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

21811 Avenida De Los Fundadores
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-5444

(949) 589-7456

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

Students who attend Cielo Vista Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
High:	Trabuco Hills High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

59.3%

White:

23.4%

Asian:

10.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Cielo Vista Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 70th percentile in 2015 → 52nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the California median (52nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2015

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

!Near the bottom of Saddleback Valley Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg55%

California avg42%

2,766^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Top 48%▼ down 14 pts since 2016

From top 34% (2016) to top 48% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^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	47.3	2766 of 5817	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.8	2899 of 5857	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.8	2356 of 5869	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.4	2614 of 5859	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.1	2787 of 5883	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.3	2195 of 5789	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.7	2153 of 5662	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.1	2111 of 5692	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	62.3	1891 of 5614	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	65.8	1667 of 5611	70.3%	★★★★☆
2013	66.5	1748 of 5530	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.4	1822 of 5390	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.1	1740 of 5377	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	59.2	2030 of 5314	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	60.0	1917 of 5193	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.8	1461 of 5113	71.4%	★★★★☆
2007	75.8	1144 of 5113	77.6%	★★★★☆
2006	73.5	1192 of 4818	75.3%	★★★★☆
2005	72.0	1252 of 4822	74.0%	★★★★☆
2004	73.1	1189 of 4809	75.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	29.5	1519 of 2227	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.7	777 of 2585	69.9%	★★★★☆
2018	55.9	662 of 2128	68.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	48.8	1254 of 3162	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.1	772 of 3245	76.2%	★★★★☆
2022	53.6	1017 of 3311	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.3	475 of 3275	85.5%	★★★★☆
2018	69.7	555 of 3246	82.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	2650 of 5581	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.0	2691 of 5597	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.8	2091 of 5612	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.1	2457 of 5609	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.9	2640 of 5635	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.3	2477 of 5492	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.0	2497 of 5413	53.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	42.0	2878 of 5094	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.3	3075 of 5107	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.1	2953 of 5107	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.1	2821 of 5087	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.3	2951 of 5084	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.2	2339 of 4963	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.0	2407 of 4830	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	2390 of 5423	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.7	2823 of 5460	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.3	2100 of 5517	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.2	1925 of 5363	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.7	1939 of 5264	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.2	2461 of 5173	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.9	2621 of 5084	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	46.5	2695 of 5603	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.4	2916 of 5628	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.3	2452 of 5643	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.3	2604 of 5638	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.3	2752 of 5663	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.5	1851 of 5510	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.0	1808 of 5431	66.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	50.4	1381 of 2536	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.1	1533 of 2598	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	64.1	991 of 2651	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.3	1417 of 2661	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.8	1636 of 2726	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.1	1369 of 2834	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.7	1271 of 2737	53.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)60th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)53rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)52nd percentile~ school

White (2026)46th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)44th percentile-9 vs school

Disabled (2022)32nd percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Science42%+6 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy41%-8 vs state

Mathematics38%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, January 20, 2010

My second grader child has improved so much thank to the great teachers. Close Quote

Schools Near Cielo Vista 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
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%	$19,295	$1,095	$18,200
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%		$17,744	$927	$16,817
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%	$19,623	$936	$18,687
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			$24,133	$941	$23,192
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%		$18,376	$787	$17,589
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%		$18,766	$928	$17,838
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%		$17,776	$787	$16,989
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%		$18,663	$927	$17,736
Philip J. Reilly Elementary	Public	K-5	24171 Pavion	Mission Viejo	92692	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 454-1590	421	19	22.1	27.3%	215 (51.1%)	10 (2.4%)	71 (16.9%)	32 (7.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (21.4%)	95.7	262^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	95.5%		96.3	209^th of 5857 public elementary schools	96.4%	53	76.5	76.5	66.7	81.4	88.2		79.8	74.5	78.0	88.2		80.9	≥ 98%		$18,960	$787	$18,173
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%		$20,127	$1,026	$19,101

Frequently Asked Questions about Cielo Vista Elementary

How many students attend Cielo Vista Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 487 students attended Cielo Vista Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Cielo Vista Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cielo Vista Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
High : Trabuco Hills High

What district is Cielo Vista Elementary in?

Saddleback Valley Unified

What is the racial makeup of Cielo Vista Elementary?

Students at Cielo Vista Elementary are 59% Hispanic, 23% White, 10% Asian, 6% Two or more races.

Is Cielo Vista Elementary a good school?

Cielo Vista Elementary ranks 2766^th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Cielo Vista 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.