Aliso Niguel High

Aliso Niguel High operates as a high-enrollment high school in Aliso Viejo, California, one of the schools within Capistrano Unified. Current enrollment sits at 2,563 students spanning grades 9 through 12. That puts it 206% larger than the typical public school in California, which averages around 838 students.

Capistrano Unified comprises 58 schools with combined enrollment of 40,251 students; Aliso Niguel High is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Aliso Niguel High logs that the most-represented group is White (49%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest is composed of 22% Hispanic, 17% Asian, 11% multiracial.

On the resource side, The school currently runs with 109 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 23.5:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 18.2:1 average. About 33% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Orange County runs at roughly 55%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Aliso Niguel High tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 59.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 64.1%.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Orange County put median household income runs about $116,289, roughly 44% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Aliso Niguel High is one of 649 public schools in Orange County (combined enrollment of about 430,458 students).

The closest other public school is Wood Canyon Elementary, roughly 0.4 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Aliso Niguel High at 7th of 8; the average score across the group is 69.6%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 18%: 3,120 students in 2018 compared to 2,563 in 2025. The White share of enrollment shrank from 56% to 49% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 26.2:1 in 2018 to 23.5:1 today.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.