Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mission Viejo, CA

De Portola Elementary

Federal NCES profile for De Portola Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063386005295
0/100100/10047/100
👥 S:T ratio
0
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

De Portola Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of California schools.

#1 of 12
elementary schools in Mission Viejo · Resource Index
47
Resource Index · Typical
25.7:1
large classes for California
12.9%
free-lunch eligible

De Portola Elementary has class sizes larger than 84% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, De Portola Elementary ranks #1 of 12 elementary schools in Mission Viejo, CA.

Enrollment

540

California · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

21.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

25.7:1

vs 21.5:1 California avg

+20% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

12.9%

vs 55.5% California avg

-77% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How De Portola Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at De Portola Elementary

De Portola Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Mission Viejo, California, enrolling 540 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25.7:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.9% free-meal eligibility runs 77% below the California average.

With 540 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.

Against 1,045 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #117.

Its student body is led by White (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 62/100).

11.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

Among Mission Viejo's elementary schools, it stands alongside Oxford Preparatory Academy - South Orange County (704 students): De Portola Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (25.7:1 vs 20.1:1).

Saddleback Valley Unified also operates Trabuco Hills High (2,475 students) and El Toro High (1,902 students) alongside De Portola Elementary.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How De Portola Elementary compares

De Portola Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs California California avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 25.7:1 ▲ 20% 21.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 12.9% ▼ 77% 55.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 540 top 40% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

25.7:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
540
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
12.9%
free-lunch eligible - 77% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
25.7:1
students per teacher - 20% above state mean
Top 84% in California - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
11.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,733
per pupil, district-wide - below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

White 56.7%
Hispanic or Latino 16.3%
Two or More 15.6%
Asian 10.9%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Largest group: White at 56.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 61.6/100

Simpson diversity index - at 61.6, De Portola Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saddleback Valley Unified, which includes De Portola Elementary.

$13,733
Per student
-17%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.6%
State 29.5%
Federal 7.9%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How De Portola Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Trabuco Hills High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
El Toro High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Mission Viejo High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Laguna Hills High Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to De Portola Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Saddleback Valley Unified · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Mission Viejo

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on De Portola Elementary's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about De Portola Elementary

How many students attend De Portola Elementary?

De Portola Elementary has 540 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mission Viejo, CA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at De Portola Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at De Portola Elementary is 25.7:1, which is 20% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 64% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at De Portola Elementary?

12.9% of students at De Portola Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of De Portola Elementary?

The largest demographic group at De Portola Elementary is White at 56.7% of enrollment, in Mission Viejo, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.6/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for De Portola Elementary?

De Portola Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does De Portola Elementary rank among elementary schools in Mission Viejo?

By Resource Investment Index, De Portola Elementary ranks #1 of 12 elementary schools in Mission Viejo, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Mission Viejo on the city page.

Is De Portola Elementary a good school?

De Portola Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Saddleback Valley Unified?

Besides De Portola Elementary, Saddleback Valley Unified also operates Trabuco Hills High (2,475 students), El Toro High (1,902 students), and Mission Viejo High (1,566 students). See the Saddleback Valley Unified district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.