8 public K-12 schools in Rancho Santa Margarita from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
8 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Rancho Santa Margarita's 8 public schools is Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate, scoring 34/100, against a city average of 37.4/100. Computed live across every Rancho Santa Margarita campus reporting to NCES.
How the Rancho Santa Margarita Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA enrolls 4,710 students across 8 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 23.6:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 37.4/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Rancho Santa Margarita on this index is Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate, at 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 1,153 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Rancho Santa Margarita spans 2 districts, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate accounts for 24.5% of all Rancho Santa Margarita public-school enrollment
That concentration means Rancho Santa Margarita-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade level: Middle. A dominant campus often anchors a city's program landscape and absorbs a disproportionate share of district capital and staffing decisions. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Rancho Santa Margarita school enrollment varies 3.7× across entities
Rancho Santa Margarita school enrollment ranges from 315 students (lowest) to 1,153 students (highest), a spread of 838 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous school portfolio for a city this size. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Rancho Santa Margarita student-teacher ratio is 23.6:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Rancho Santa Margarita
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
What are the best schools in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA? ▼
The highest-ranked school in Rancho Santa Margarita is Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate with a quality score of 34/100. There are 8 public schools in Rancho Santa Margarita with 4,710 total students.
How many schools are in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA? ▼
Rancho Santa Margarita has 8 public schools with a total enrollment of 4,710 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 23.6:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
