Enrollment
328
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Las Flores Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Las Flores Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 060744007187
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Las Flores Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #5 of 6
- elementary schools in Rancho Santa Margarita · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.4:1
- students per teacher
- 19.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Las Flores Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Las Flores Elementary ranks #5 of 6 elementary schools in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA.
School address
District: Capistrano Unified · California
NCES ID 060744007187 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Las Flores Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Las Flores Elementary
Las Flores Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, enrolling 328 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.4:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.0% free-meal eligibility runs 66% below the California average.
Enrollment of 328 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 640 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #381.
Its student body is led by White (52%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 820 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Rancho Santa Margarita's elementary schools, it stands alongside Melinda Heights Elementary (950 students): Las Flores Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.4:1 vs 25.7:1).
Capistrano Unified also operates San Clemente High (2,740 students) and San Juan Hills High (2,641 students) alongside Las Flores 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 Las Flores Elementary compares
Las Flores 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 | 23.4:1 | ▲ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.0% | ▼ 66% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 328 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.4:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
328
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% 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
23.4:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 66% in California - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
20.1%
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
$14,421
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
Counselors0.4 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 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 51.5%
Hispanic or Latino 18.0%
Asian 18.0%
Two or More 11.6%
African American 0.9%
Largest group: White at 51.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.6, Las Flores Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Capistrano Unified, which includes Las Flores Elementary.
$14,421
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 61.2%
State 31.0%
Federal 7.7%
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 Las Flores Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Clemente High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| San Juan Hills High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Aliso Niguel High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tesoro High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Capistrano Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Las Flores Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,740
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 2,641
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,563
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 2,030
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,991
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar elementary schools in Rancho Santa Margarita
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Melinda Heights Elementary
Standard public school
950 students 25.7:1 students per teacher
Trabuco Mesa Elementary
Standard public school
640 students 22.9:1 students per teacher
Arroyo Vista Elementary
Standard public school
508 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Cielo Vista Elementary
Standard public school
487 students 20.3:1 students per teacher
Tijeras Creek Elementary
Standard public school
315 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
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.
Similar enrollment (~328 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Las Flores Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Las Flores Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Capistrano 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 Las Flores Elementary
How many students attend Las Flores Elementary?
Las Flores Elementary has 328 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Las Flores Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Las Flores Elementary is 23.4:1, which is 9% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 49% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Las Flores Elementary?
19.0% of students at Las Flores Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Las Flores Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Las Flores Elementary is White at 51.5% of enrollment, in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Las Flores Elementary?
Las Flores Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Las Flores Elementary rank among elementary schools in Rancho Santa Margarita?
By Resource Investment Index, Las Flores Elementary ranks #5 of 6 elementary schools in Rancho Santa Margarita, 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 Rancho Santa Margarita on the city page.
Is Las Flores Elementary a good school?
Las Flores Elementary earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Capistrano Unified?
Besides Las Flores Elementary, Capistrano Unified also operates San Clemente High (2,740 students), San Juan Hills High (2,641 students), and Aliso Niguel High (2,563 students). See the Capistrano 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.