Enrollment
80
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mission Viejo, CA
Esperanza Education Center
Federal NCES profile for Esperanza Education Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 063386005297
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Esperanza Education Center earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools.
- #21 of 22
- public schools in Mission Viejo · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.3:1
- small classes for California
- 31.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Esperanza Education Center has class sizes smaller than 92% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Esperanza Education Center ranks #21 of 22 public schools in Mission Viejo, CA.
School address
District: Saddleback Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 063386005297 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Esperanza Education Center compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Esperanza Education Center
Esperanza Education Center is a small combined-grade school in Mission Viejo, California, enrolling 80 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13.3:1, Esperanza Education Center is leaner than roughly 92% of California schools and 38% under the state's 21.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 31.1% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of California schools, with 80 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 118 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #87, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%) (diversity index 61/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 50.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Mission Viejo's public schools, it stands alongside Svusd Virtual Academy (Alternative) (149 students): Esperanza Education Center is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.3:1 vs 11.5:1).
Saddleback Valley Unified also operates Trabuco Hills High (2,475 students) and El Toro High (1,902 students) alongside Esperanza Education Center.
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 Esperanza Education Center compares
Esperanza Education Center on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.3:1 | ▼ 38% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.1% | ▼ 44% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 80 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
80
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 38% below state mean
Top 8% in California - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
50.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 50.0%
Hispanic or Latino 36.3%
Asian 10.0%
Two or More 2.5%
African American 1.3%
Largest group: White at 50.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.7, Esperanza Education Center is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saddleback Valley Unified, which includes Esperanza Education Center.
$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 Esperanza Education Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trabuco Hills High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| El Toro High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mission Viejo High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Laguna Hills High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Esperanza Education Center's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,475
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,902
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,566
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 1,317
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,153
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar other schools in Mission Viejo
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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.
Similar enrollment (~80 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Esperanza Education Center's federal record.
- Compare Esperanza Education Center against another school. Compare schools
- Saddleback Valley Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Esperanza Education Center
How many students attend Esperanza Education Center?
Esperanza Education Center has 80 students enrolled. It is a special-education school in Mission Viejo, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Esperanza Education Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Esperanza Education Center is 13.3:1, which is 38% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Esperanza Education Center?
31.1% of students at Esperanza Education Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Esperanza Education Center?
The largest demographic group at Esperanza Education Center is White at 50.0% of enrollment, in Mission Viejo, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Esperanza Education Center?
Esperanza Education Center has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower 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 Esperanza Education Center rank among public schools in Mission Viejo?
By Resource Investment Index, Esperanza Education Center ranks #21 of 22 public 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 public schools in Mission Viejo on the city page.
Is Esperanza Education Center a good school?
Esperanza Education Center earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 92% 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 Esperanza Education Center, 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.
Related tools
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.