Public schools in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Rancho Santa Margarita has 8 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 2 middle, 6 elementary, enrolling 4,710 students. They are run by 2 districts and agencies; Saddleback Valley Unified runs 4 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 2 districts and agencies that run Rancho Santa Margarita's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Rancho Santa Margarita | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saddleback Valley Unified | 4 | 23,711 | $15,515 |
| Capistrano Unified | 4 | 41,855 | $15,820 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
2 middle schools in Rancho Santa Margarita, 1,482 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate | 1,153 | 24.1 | 19.4% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
| Arroyo Vista Middle | 329 | 20.8 | 11.9% | Capistrano Unified |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
6 elementary schools in Rancho Santa Margarita, 3,228 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melinda Heights Elementary | 950 | 28.2 | 17.5% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
| Trabuco Mesa Elementary | 640 | 25.0 | 23.0% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
| Arroyo Vista Elementary | 508 | 24.2 | 16.7% | Capistrano Unified |
| Cielo Vista Elementary | 487 | 23.5 | 52.0% | Saddleback Valley Unified |
| Las Flores Elementary | 328 | 25.2 | 19.2% | Capistrano Unified |
| Tijeras Creek Elementary | 315 | 26.3 | 12.7% | Capistrano Unified |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Rancho Santa Margarita's public schools compare with California's
The median Rancho Santa Margarita school has 24.6 students per full-time teacher, more than the California median of 21.6. Its median school enrolls 498 students (state 471).
| Rancho Santa Margarita | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 24.6 | 21.6 |
| Median school size (students) | 498 | 471 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | not reported | not reported |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 17% | 74% |
| Charter schools | 0% | 13% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 8 Rancho Santa Margarita schools and the 9,918 California schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Rancho Santa Margarita
- Saddleback Valley UnifiedRuns 4 of Rancho Santa Margarita's 8 public schools and spent $15,515 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,515
- Compare Saddleback Valley Unified with Capistrano UnifiedRancho Santa Margarita's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in CaliforniaCalifornia's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Rancho Santa Margarita addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in California
- Los Angeles564 schools
- San Diego283 schools
- San Jose232 schools
- Sacramento197 schools
- Fresno179 schools
- Bakersfield146 schools
- San Francisco123 schools
- Stockton122 schools
Questions about schools in Rancho Santa Margarita
How many public schools are in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA?
8 public schools with an address in Rancho Santa Margarita were open in 2024-25: 2 middle, 6 elementary, enrolling 4,710 students.Which districts run Rancho Santa Margarita's schools?
Saddleback Valley Unified (4 schools), Capistrano Unified (4 schools). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25