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Ladera Elementary

Q: Is Ladera Elementary a good school?

Ladera Elementary ranks 706 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

706^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 88% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ladera Elementary is a consistently strong-performing K-5 public school serving 345 students in the Tustin Unified School District, achieving results that significantly outpace both district and state averages.

Academically, Ladera excels, particularly in mathematics where 74% of students are proficient, a full 20 points above the district average. The school is notably effective in supporting its students, maintaining an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of just 5.7%, which is less than half the district average. While there are several elite schools in the area like Tustin Memorial Elementary and Orchard Hills, Ladera delivers its strong outcomes while serving a student population with greater economic needs than many of its top-performing neighbors, such as Arroyo Elementary.

An interesting finding is that Ladera's science scores, while still above average, are an area for potential growth compared to its own high marks in English and math. The school has shown impressive consistency even as the percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch has increased, and it performs comparably to schools like Peters Canyon Elementary and Red Hill Elementary in mathematics. Overall, Ladera Elementary represents a high-quality educational environment that successfully supports a diverse range of learners.

345

Students ?

26.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,610

Per pupil spending ?

32.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2515 Rawlings Way
Tustin, CA 92782-5111

(714) 730-7505

District: Tustin Unified

Students who attend Ladera Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Pioneer Middle
High:	Arnold O. Beckman High

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

34.2%

Hispanic:

29.3%

White:

23.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ladera Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 93rd percentile in 2013 → 88th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (68% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2013

!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 school68%

District avg56%

California avg41%

706^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 12%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From top 6% (2015) to top 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 18Elementary Schools in the Tustin Unified

420^th of 1,543Tustin 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	89.2	706 of 5857	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	85.6	925 of 5869	84.2%	★★★★☆
2023	87.2	863 of 5859	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	90.2	680 of 5883	88.4%	★★★★☆
2019	84.6	932 of 5789	83.9%	★★★★☆
2018	86.2	840 of 5662	85.2%	★★★★☆
2017	92.4	493 of 5692	91.3%	★★★★★
2016	90.8	568 of 5614	89.9%	★★★★☆
2015	94.8	334 of 5611	94.0%	★★★★★
2013	91.1	395 of 5530	92.9%	★★★★★
2012	92.1	292 of 5390	94.6%	★★★★★
2011	93.3	233 of 5377	95.7%	★★★★★
2010	95.4	116 of 5314	97.8%	★★★★★
2009	95.7	115 of 5193	97.8%	★★★★★
2008	95.7	144 of 5113	97.2%	★★★★★
2007	96.2	159 of 5113	96.9%	★★★★★
2006	95.8	167 of 4818	96.5%	★★★★★
2005	99.0	9 of 4822	99.8%	★★★★★
2004	98.4	52 of 4809	98.9%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.6	351 of 1203	70.8%	★★★★☆
2024	70.4	403 of 1205	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.3	589 of 1190	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.7	440 of 1154	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.9	561 of 1149	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.7	388 of 1071	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.4	371 of 5597	93.4%	★★★★★
2024	82.8	967 of 5612	82.8%	★★★★☆
2023	79.6	1113 of 5609	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	80.6	1085 of 5635	80.7%	★★★★☆
2019	78.7	1145 of 5492	79.2%	★★★★☆
2018	81.9	957 of 5413	82.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.1	816 of 5107	84.0%	★★★★☆
2024	71.8	1107 of 5107	78.3%	★★★★☆
2023	70.6	1156 of 5087	77.3%	★★★★☆
2022	83.7	600 of 5084	88.2%	★★★★☆
2019	69.4	1195 of 4963	75.9%	★★★★☆
2018	71.5	1068 of 4830	77.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.6	505 of 5460	90.8%	★★★★★
2024	79.5	853 of 5517	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	70.0	1233 of 5363	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	88.2	424 of 5264	91.9%	★★★★★
2019	80.1	713 of 5173	86.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.1	1111 of 5628	80.3%	★★★★☆
2024	84.3	906 of 5643	83.9%	★★★★☆
2023	87.5	748 of 5638	86.7%	★★★★☆
2022	93.8	386 of 5663	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	86.5	761 of 5510	86.2%	★★★★☆
2018	86.4	777 of 5431	85.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.2	975 of 2598	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.6	1363 of 2651	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.9	1342 of 2661	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.1	1088 of 2834	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.4	1155 of 2737	57.8%	★★★☆☆

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)

Female (2025)93rd percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)84th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)80th percentile-8 vs school

Asian (2025)71st percentile-17 vs school

White (2025)62nd percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics74%+36 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy68%+19 vs state

Science53%+20 vs state

5.0

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★3

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2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, September 13, 2019

Our kids have been attending Ladera for the last 7 years. Ladera has an excellent staff/teachers! All of the teachers our kids have had over the years are fantastic! Two of our kiddos attending have IEPs, and the therapists have always been supportive and proactive, meeting our kids needs. Homework policy is minimal, following peer reviewed studies and current research. Ladera has a STEAM lab, music program, art program, sports, running club, robotics club, theatre arts, garden, PE program, and much more! We would recommend Ladera to any family looking into the school. Close Quote

by a principal
Monday, August 19, 2019

I just started working at Ladera and I am so impressed with the students, staff, and parent community. Close Quote

by a principal
Friday, July 12, 2019

I just started working at Ladera and I am so impressed with the staff, students, and parents. It is a beautiful school with caring staff, involved parents, and wonderful students. Ladera is one of the smaller elementary schools in the area which helps gives it a more intimate feeling. An overall excellent school! Close Quote

Schools Near Ladera 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 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th 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
Ladera Elementary	Public	K-5	2515 Rawlings Way	Tustin	92782	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7505	345	13	26.5	32.5%	81 (23.5%)	2 (0.6%)	101 (29.3%)	118 (34.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (12.5%)	89.2	706^th of 5857 public elementary schools	87.9%		85.6	925^th of 5869 public elementary schools	84.2%	219	52.7		52.7	70.7	59.3	74.6				68.3	75.9	70.4	74.6				73.7							$16,610	$2,226	$14,384
Peters Canyon Elementary	Public	K-5	26900 Peters Canyon Rd.	Tustin	92782	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7540	399	17	24.1	31.3%	75 (18.8%)	7 (1.8%)	107 (26.8%)	161 (40.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (12.0%)	92.7	497^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.5%		90.5	667^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.6%	170	60.3		60.3	72.1	74.7	78.1				75.1	64.7	81.3	72.6				74.7							$14,928	$1,817	$13,111
Myford Elementary	Public	K-5	3181 Trevino Dr.	Irvine	92602	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 734-1875	542	21	26.4	38.2%	109 (20.1%)	5 (0.9%)	140 (25.8%)	219 (40.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	67 (12.4%)	91.4	588^th of 5857 public elementary schools	90.0%		92.7	523^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	91.1%	65	63.3		63.3	65.5	70.9	75.3				71.4	70.7	72.5	67.0				69.8							$14,914	$1,785	$13,129
Tustin Memorial Elementary	Public	K-5	12712 Browning Ave.	Santa Ana	92705	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7546	613	22	27.8	22.5%	130 (21.2%)	4 (0.7%)	69 (11.3%)	322 (52.5%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	85 (13.9%)	97.7	102^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	98.3%		97.6	109^th of 5869 public elementary schools	98.1%	7	61.8		61.8	83.8	89.1	90.0				87.7	89.9	93.1	83.6				88.7							$14,962	$1,683	$13,279
Tustin Ranch Elementary	Public	K-5	12950 Robinson Dr.	Tustin	92782	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7580	520	20	26.0	61.3%	107 (20.6%)	16 (3.1%)	265 (51.0%)	84 (16.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	45 (8.7%)	67.4	1720^th of 5857 public elementary schools	70.6%		74.8	1372^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	76.6%	348	39.3		39.3	42.4	58.5	64.4				55.3	48.8	58.1	45.6				50.8							$15,479	$1,769	$13,710
Red Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	11911 Red Hill Ave.	Santa Ana	92705	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7543	436	17	25.6	28.9%	222 (50.9%)	2 (0.5%)	132 (30.3%)	36 (8.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (9.9%)	94.4	372^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	93.6%		92.5	532^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	90.9%	160	68.7		68.7	64.8	81.3	83.6				77.6	68.5	85.3	77.6				78.1	93.2	93.2					$15,366	$1,967	$13,399
Orchard Hills	Public	K-8	11555 Culver Dr.	Irvine	92602	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 430-2078	1,373	50	27.5	25.1%	208 (15.1%)	11 (0.8%)	121 (8.8%)	893 (65.0%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	135 (9.8%)	98.3	48^th of 5857 public elementary schools	99.2%		97.7	102^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	98.3%	54	82.5	75.7	78.2	80.0	84.4	89.6	85.2	79.5	86.6	84.1	84.6	88.3	89.1	83.0	79.0	80.3	82.7							$14,581	$1,347	$13,234
Arroyo Elementary	Public	K-5	11112 Coronel Rd.	Santa Ana	92705	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7381	585	21	27.8	14.5%	259 (44.3%)	1 (0.2%)	134 (22.9%)	82 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	109 (18.6%)	96.2	221^st of 5857 public elementary schools	96.2%		94.6	378^th of 5869 public elementary schools	93.6%	157	71.0		71.0	78.8	79.2	81.9				80.0	85.0	80.2	72.0				78.8	97.1	97.1	97.1	97.1	97.1		$14,756	$1,751	$13,005
Hicks Canyon Elementary	Public	K-5	3817 Viewpark	Irvine	92602	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 734-1878	830	31	26.7	37.5%	175 (21.1%)	11 (1.3%)	129 (15.5%)	425 (51.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	88 (10.6%)	93.7	427^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.7%		94.1	426^th of 5869 public elementary schools	92.7%	1	62.1		62.1	73.8	70.1	77.3				73.9	81.6	73.3	76.6				77.1	97.3		98.2	98.2	98.2		$15,123	$1,478	$13,645
Barbara Benson Elementary	Public	K-5	12712 Elizabeth Way	Tustin	92780	Orange County	Tustin Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 730-7531	313	14	22.3	73.2%	43 (13.7%)	4 (1.3%)	222 (70.9%)	26 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	15 (4.8%)	49.6	2617^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.3%		64	1877^th of 5869 public elementary schools	68.0%	740	38.1		38.1	18.4	50.0	45.2				37.7	31.6	55.9	45.2				43.9	96.9					96.9	$16,610	$2,106	$14,504

Frequently Asked Questions about Ladera Elementary

What schools do graduates of Ladera Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ladera Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Pioneer Middle
High : Arnold O. Beckman High

What is the racial makeup of Ladera Elementary?

Students at Ladera Elementary are 34% Asian, 29% Hispanic, 23% White, 12% Two or more races.

Is Ladera Elementary a good school?

Ladera Elementary ranks 706^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Ladera Elementary in?

Tustin Unified

How many students attend Ladera Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 345 students attended Ladera Elementary.

Rate Ladera Elementary!

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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.