Summary:
ZIP code 92673 has two public middle schools—Bernice Ayer Middle and Vista del Mar Middle—both serving grades 6–8 in Capistrano Unified. In 2025–2026, both schools were well above state proficiency levels in English, math, and science. Most importantly, the two-school average exceeded the state by 31 percentage points in ELA, 30 points in math, and 25 points in science.
Vista del Mar stands out in all-grades ELA and science, with 83% proficient in ELA and 61% in science, compared with 76% and 60% at Bernice Ayer. Its ELA lead is 7 percentage points; the science results are only 1 point apart. Math is nearly even: Vista has 69% proficiency and Ayer 68%, a difference of less than 1 point. The overall leader changes by grade: Ayer leads eighth-grade ELA, 81% to 78%, and math, 71% to 66%, while Vista leads in both subjects in grades 6 and 7. So families comparing eighth-grade results will see a different strength than the all-grades results suggest.
Both schools improved in ELA from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, by about 3 percentage points each. Math rose by about 2 points at Vista but fell by about 1 point at Ayer; science rose by about 3 points at Ayer and was nearly flat at Vista. SchoolDigger places Vista at the 95th percentile statewide and Ayer at the 94th; Ayer has improved from the 91st percentile in 2023–2024, while Vista was at the 95th percentile in both endpoint years. As context, 2024–2025 student-teacher ratios were similar—22.2 at Vista and 22.4 at Ayer—while free/reduced lunch eligible figures were 16% and 39%, respectively. These figures describe the schools but do not explain their results; the comparison covers only two schools and two years of test results.
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