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Santiago Hills Elementary

Public Grades K-6

49^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 99% of California elementary schools

Summary

Santiago Hills Elementary is a top-ranked K-6 school serving 548 students in the high-performing Irvine Unified district, consistently placing in the top 1% of all California elementary schools.

The school's academic results are exceptional, with nearly 89% of students proficient in math and over 85% in English, significantly outperforming both district and state averages. A key strength is its consistent excellence across all student groups and grade levels, with mathematics being a particular standout. The school also maintains very low chronic absenteeism, indicating strong student engagement. It achieves these top-tier results efficiently, spending less per student than some nearby schools like Brywood Elementary or Eastwood Elementary while ranking much higher.

When compared to other elite local schools, Santiago Hills holds its own or excels. It outperforms similarly high-ranked neighbors like Stonegate Elementary in core subjects and shows remarkable consistency, maintaining its elite status for over a decade without the ranking fluctuations seen at some other schools. This sustained success, even through recent challenges, points to deeply effective teaching practices and a stable, high-achieving learning environment.

548

Students ?

28.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,419

Per pupil spending ?

12.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

29 Christamon West
Irvine, CA 92620-1836

(949) 936-6000

District: Irvine Unified

Students who attend Santiago Hills Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sierra Vista Middle
High:	Northwood High

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

67.0%

White:

15.3%

Two or more races:

10.0%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Santiago Hills Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2013 → 99th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (86% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of California elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Irvine Unified

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 29 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school86%

District avg71%

California avg41%

49^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 1%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 30Elementary Schools in the Irvine Unified

114^th of 1,543Irvine 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	98.3	49 of 5857	99.2%	★★★★★
2024	98.1	73 of 5869	98.8%	★★★★★
2023	98.2	83 of 5859	98.6%	★★★★★
2022	98.0	104 of 5883	98.2%	★★★★★
2019	97.8	81 of 5789	98.6%	★★★★★
2018	97.6	98 of 5662	98.3%	★★★★★
2017	96.8	191 of 5692	96.6%	★★★★★
2016	96.9	169 of 5614	97.0%	★★★★★
2015	98.4	63 of 5611	98.9%	★★★★★
2013	94.9	118 of 5530	97.9%	★★★★★
2012	95.2	81 of 5390	98.5%	★★★★★
2011	96.1	61 of 5377	98.9%	★★★★★
2010	95.8	93 of 5314	98.2%	★★★★★
2009	93.7	244 of 5193	95.3%	★★★★★
2008	95.0	181 of 5113	96.5%	★★★★★
2007	93.7	309 of 5113	94.0%	★★★★★
2006	95.2	210 of 4818	95.6%	★★★★★
2005	97.0	106 of 4822	97.8%	★★★★★
2004	95.8	187 of 4809	96.1%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.3	102 of 1203	91.5%	★★★★★
2024	83.6	81 of 1205	93.3%	★★★★★
2023	81.9	110 of 1190	90.8%	★★★★★
2022	85.9	40 of 1154	96.5%	★★★★★
2019	83.8	51 of 1149	95.6%	★★★★★
2018	82.2	75 of 1071	93.0%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	95.4	84 of 2128	96.1%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	97.6	31 of 3162	99.0%	★★★★★
2019	100.0	3 of 3275	99.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.8	117 of 5597	97.9%	★★★★★
2024	95.5	252 of 5612	95.5%	★★★★★
2023	97.3	105 of 5609	98.1%	★★★★★
2022	98.0	63 of 5635	98.9%	★★★★★
2019	96.3	142 of 5492	97.4%	★★★★★
2018	96.7	99 of 5413	98.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	93.7	238 of 5084	95.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.7	84 of 5460	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	99.2	41 of 5517	99.3%	★★★★★
2023	98.9	40 of 5363	99.3%	★★★★★
2019	99.0	16 of 5173	99.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.2	40 of 5628	99.3%	★★★★★
2024	98.6	28 of 5643	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	98.1	69 of 5638	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	97.1	146 of 5663	97.4%	★★★★★
2019	97.7	71 of 5510	98.7%	★★★★★
2018	97.5	91 of 5431	98.3%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	87.0	38 of 669	94.3%	★★★★★
2022	79.7	97 of 610	84.1%	★★★★☆
2019	79.3	68 of 445	84.7%	★★★★☆
2018	83.9	31 of 339	90.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.7	834 of 2598	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.1	952 of 2651	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.2	647 of 2661	75.7%	★★★★☆
2022	65.8	960 of 2726	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	79.7	477 of 2834	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	84.0	293 of 2737	89.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2025)99th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)99th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)98th percentile~ school

Female (2025)98th percentile~ school

Disabled (2018)96th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2022)95th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)94th percentile-4 vs school

Asian (2025)92nd percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)68th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics88%+51 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy86%+37 vs state

Science80%+47 vs state

3.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, June 9, 2013

Santiago Hills used to be a great school, despite the fact that it has gone through couple principals, good and bad. Current principal is new and first-time being principal, and is condescending to minority parents (perhaps because he was VP @ Rancho Middle School and dealt with lots of fobbish parents), often using big words in the wrong context. School under him let go of good teachers, and received new teachers who are either okay or incompetent. Whereas before, SH usually get very exceptional new teachers. Very few PTA activities now but school nickels and dimes parents by making many events mandatory fundraisers which you need to purchase admission. Many combo classes combining 2 different grades. Hits and misses with teachers but you may get lucky. Going through personnel/teacher changes this summer so don't register until fall 2013. Close Quote

Schools Near Santiago Hills 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
Santiago Hills Elementary	Public	K-6	29 Christamon West	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-6000	548	19	28.8	12.4%	84 (15.3%)	2 (0.4%)	38 (6.9%)	367 (67.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (10.0%)	98.3	49^th of 5857 public elementary schools	99.2%		98.1	73^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	98.8%	24	79.8		79.8	85.0	82.6	85.9	89.9			85.7	85.0	86.3	91.5	90.4			88.5							$13,419	$366	$13,053
Eastwood Elementary	Public	K-6	99 Meander	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-8100	647	25	25.9	15.6%	103 (15.9%)	4 (0.6%)	48 (7.4%)	429 (66.3%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	57 (8.8%)	89.7	682^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	88.4%		90.9	635^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.2%	47	56.0		56.0	57.7	70.4	78.0	72.2			70.1	70.9	71.4	64.2	68.8			68.6							$14,924	$494	$14,430
Canyon View Elementary	Public	K-6	12025 Yale Ct.	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-6900	764	26	28.8	12.3%	118 (15.4%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (7.5%)	535 (70.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	51 (6.7%)	96.2	220^th of 5857 public elementary schools	96.2%		96.8	179^th of 5869 public elementary schools	97.0%	41	71.1		71.1	78.2	80.2	75.9	82.5			79.0	84.0	81.9	75.0	77.2			79.6	95.0						$12,995	$393	$12,602
Irvine Chinese Immersion Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	1 Liberty	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Chinese Immersion Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 559-6868	455	16	27.6	13.2%	17 (3.7%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.3%)	373 (82.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	56 (12.3%)	97.5	113^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.1%					(n/a)				75.0	97.3					85.2	86.4	97.3					91.4							$17,001	$2,749	$14,252
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
Brywood Elementary	Public	K-6	1 Westwood	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-5500	578	21	27.5	17.6%	104 (18.0%)	17 (2.9%)	52 (9.0%)	330 (57.1%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	68 (11.8%)	95.2	315^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.6%		95.9	271^st of 5869 public elementary schools	95.4%	44	68.7		68.7	68.0	84.0	72.2	88.2			78.8	77.2	80.2	70.4	88.2			79.2	92.7	94.6		92.7	96.4	94.6	$15,943	$554	$15,389
Northwood Elementary	Public	K-6	28 Carson	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-5950	508	17	29.8	33.3%	101 (19.9%)	24 (4.7%)	83 (16.3%)	252 (49.6%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	43 (8.5%)	83.9	966^th of 5857 public elementary schools	83.5%		85.5	931^st of 5869 public elementary schools	84.1%	35	59.4		59.4	51.4	58.8	74.6	68.7			63.5	62.0	65.2	52.9	67.7			62.5	96.4						$15,337	$937	$14,400
Stonegate Elementary	Public	K-6	100 Honors	Irvine	92620	Orange County	Irvine Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 936-6450	1,037	33	31.5	13.3%	128 (12.3%)	8 (0.8%)	68 (6.6%)	749 (72.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	83 (8.0%)	97	153^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	97.4%		97.8	90^th of 5869 public elementary schools	98.5%	63	74.9		74.9	83.8	80.0	83.5	81.4			82.2	89.9	83.9	68.1	80.0			80.4	90.8			95.9		95.9	$13,151	$381	$12,770
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Santiago Hills Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Santiago Hills Elementary?

Students at Santiago Hills Elementary are 67% Asian, 15% White, 10% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

How many students attend Santiago Hills Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 548 students attended Santiago Hills Elementary.

What district is Santiago Hills Elementary in?

Irvine Unified

Is Santiago Hills Elementary a good school?

Yes! Santiago Hills Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 49^th of 5857 California elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Santiago Hills Elementary attend?

Students who attend Santiago Hills Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sierra Vista Middle
High : Northwood High

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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.