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Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 92656

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

Schools

2,161

Students

Districts

5-star schools

Top rankedOxford Preparatory Academy - Middle150^th of 2,761 California middle schools

See the top-ranked California schools →

Summary:

This analysis covers two high-performing public middle schools (grades 6-8) in Aliso Viejo, California (zip code 92656), both part of the Capistrano Unified school district, which ranks in the top 15% statewide.

Both Don Juan Avila Middle and Aliso Viejo Middle are excellent choices, consistently ranking in the 92nd to 96th percentile among all California schools. Don Juan Avila Middle holds a slight edge in overall academic proficiency, particularly in science where it outperforms the district average by a significant margin, and it also reports a lower rate of chronic student absenteeism.

While Don Juan Avila Middle leads in test scores, Aliso Viejo Middle operates with a lower student-teacher ratio and higher per-student spending. The performance gap is most notable in science, suggesting potential differences in curriculum focus or instruction. Both schools significantly exceed state averages across all subjects, confirming that families in this area have access to two of the state's top-tier middle schools within a strong district.

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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 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)				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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Aliso Viejo Middle	Public	6-8	111 Park Ave.	Aliso Viejo	92656	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 831-2622	803	36	22.3	35.4%	433 (53.9%)	16 (2.0%)	154 (19.2%)	109 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	87 (10.8%)	91.6	233^rd of 2761 public middle schools	91.6%		93.1	208^th of 2783 public middle schools	92.5%	25	55.2	55.2	70.5	70.7	72.9	71.4	62.7	65.2	66.8	65.0	$19,053	$17,946	$1,107
Don Juan Avila Middle	Public	6-8	26278 Wood Canyon Dr.	Aliso Viejo	92656	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 362-0348	863	36	24.1	29.7%	394 (45.7%)	14 (1.6%)	195 (22.6%)	171 (19.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	88 (10.2%)	93.1	197^th of 2761 public middle schools	92.9%		96.4	109^th of 2783 public middle schools	96.1%	88	69.2	69.2	67.6	71.9	78.9	73.1	60.8	65.5	71.4	66.1	$17,355	$16,176	$1,179
Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	22182 Barbera	Laguna Hills	92656	Orange County	Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 600-9050	495	22	22.6	18.4%	172 (34.7%)	12 (2.4%)	100 (20.2%)	152 (30.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (11.7%)	95.2	150^th of 2761 public middle schools	94.6%		95.2	147^th of 2783 public middle schools	94.7%	3	67.7	67.7	77.0	84.0	79.0	80.0	67.3	65.4	62.9	65.2	$21,009	$20,208	$801

Cities Near Zip Code 92656

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Aliso Viejo	0.1 mi	10	90^th
Laguna Hills	2.23 mi	4	232^nd
Laguna Beach	2.26 mi	4	39^th
Laguna Niguel	2.28 mi	12	105^th
Lake Forest	3.52 mi	10	203^rd

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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.