Enrollment
525
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Laguna Hills, CA
Valencia Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Valencia Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063386005317
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Valencia Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of California schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Laguna Hills · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 25:1
- large classes for California
- 17.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Valencia Elementary has class sizes larger than 79% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Valencia Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Laguna Hills, CA.
School address
District: Saddleback Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 063386005317 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-68% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valencia Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Valencia Elementary
Valencia Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Laguna Hills, California, enrolling 525 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 25:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.5% free-meal eligibility runs 68% below the California average.
With 525 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 1,221 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #152.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 63/100).
13.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Laguna Hills's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lomarena Elementary (487 students): Valencia Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (25:1 vs 23.2:1).
Saddleback Valley Unified also operates Trabuco Hills High (2,475 students) and El Toro High (1,902 students) alongside Valencia 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 Valencia Elementary compares
Valencia 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 | 25:1 | ▲ 16% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.5% | ▼ 68% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 525 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25:1
Leaner classes than 5% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
525
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 68% 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
25:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 79% in California - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
13.0%
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
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 55.8%
Hispanic or Latino 17.0%
Two or More 14.5%
Asian 11.6%
African American 1.1%
Largest group: White at 55.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.5, Valencia 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 Valencia 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 Valencia Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trabuco Hills High | Larger | Similar 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 | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Valencia Elementary'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 elementary schools in Laguna Hills
2 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.
Similar enrollment (~525 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~25:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Valencia Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Valencia Elementary 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 Valencia Elementary
How many students attend Valencia Elementary?
Valencia Elementary has 525 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Laguna Hills, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valencia Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Valencia Elementary is 25:1, which is 16% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 59% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valencia Elementary?
17.5% of students at Valencia Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valencia Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Valencia Elementary is White at 55.8% of enrollment, in Laguna Hills, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valencia Elementary?
Valencia Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Valencia Elementary rank among elementary schools in Laguna Hills?
By Resource Investment Index, Valencia Elementary ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Laguna Hills, 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 Laguna Hills on the city page.
Is Valencia Elementary a good school?
Valencia Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% 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 Valencia 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.
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.