Rancho Santa Margarita · Orange County

Schools in Rancho Santa Margarita

Rancho Santa Margarita’s 6 public elementary schools run from the 51st to the 97th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Elementary · 6 schools

from 51st to 97th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Las Flores Elementary: 97th percentile, Strong
  • Tijeras Creek Elementary: 92nd percentile, Strong
  • Melinda Heights Elementary: 89th percentile, Strong
  • Arroyo Vista Elementary: 83rd percentile, Strong
  • Trabuco Mesa Elementary: 80th percentile, Strong
  • Cielo Vista Elementary: 51st percentile, Solid
0Needs Support
0Developing
1Solid
5Strong

One dot per school.

Middle school picture

Middle · 2 schools

from 86th to 94th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Arroyo Vista Middle: 94th percentile, Strong
  • Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate: 86th percentile, Strong
0Needs Support
0Developing
0Solid
2Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level.

Schools around Rancho Santa Margarita

8 listed public schools with mapped locations.

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Percentile among California schools at the same level

  • Strong75th+
  • Solid50–74th
  • Developing25–49th
  • Needs Supportbelow 25th
  • Not scored

The school lists on this page are also available without the map.

Elementary schools

Which elementary schools in Rancho Santa Margarita score highest?

Las Flores Elementary is highest, at the 97th percentile.

That’s higher than 97 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Rancho Santa Margarita

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

Show the other 3 elementary schools
Context

The average Rancho Santa Margarita elementary school had 10 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.

Middle schools

Which middle schools in Rancho Santa Margarita score highest?

Arroyo Vista Middle is highest, at the 94th percentile.

That’s higher than 94 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Rancho Santa Margarita

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean

9 private schools have a Rancho Santa Margarita address. They don’t take California’s state tests, so we don’t score them. See them in the private-school directory →

Which places nearby can you look at next?

School districts

More places (2)

ZIP codes

Before kindergarten

Common questions

Which public schools in Rancho Santa Margarita rank highest?

Elementary: Las Flores Elementary, 97th percentile (Strong). Middle: Arroyo Vista Middle, 94th percentile (Strong). Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.

Does living in Rancho Santa Margarita decide which school my child attends?

No. A city can hold schools from more than one district, and attendance boundaries decide which school serves an address. Confirm the school for your address with the district.
More questions (3)

Are the public schools in Rancho Santa Margarita good?

Rancho Santa Margarita’s 6 public elementary schools run from the 51st to the 97th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 5 Strong and 1 Solid. Rancho Santa Margarita’s 2 public middle schools run from the 86th to the 94th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 2 Strong. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.

How does chronic absence in Rancho Santa Margarita compare with California?

The average Rancho Santa Margarita elementary school had 10 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

Where do these results come from?

California’s state tests (CAASPP) from spring 2026 and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.

Sources and methodology

This page lists the public schools with a Rancho Santa Margarita address, which can belong to more than one school district.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26

Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.