Aliso Viejo Middle

Set in Aliso Viejo, California, Aliso Viejo Middle is a medium-sized middle school, operated by Capistrano Unified. It works with 803 students across grades 6 through 8. That puts it 22% above the typical public school in California, which averages around 659 students.

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

On demographics, Aliso Viejo Middle shows that 54% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school lists 19% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 11% multiracial. That is considerably more White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 43%.

In terms of school funding signals, The school reports having 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 22.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 20.7:1, putting Aliso Viejo Middle higher than the state norm the norm. Around 35% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Orange County (around 55%), the school's rate is south of typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Aliso Viejo Middle tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 58.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 68.1%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Orange County shows median household earnings sit near $116,289, 44% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Aliso Viejo Middle is one of 649 public schools in Orange County (combined enrollment of about 430,458 students).

Nearest neighbor: Journey, around 0.8 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Aliso Viejo Middle ranks 5th on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 63.9%.

Aliso Viejo Middle operates from a bedroom-community location.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Aliso Viejo Middle has contracted 25%, going from 1,070 students in 2018 to 803 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 24.5:1 in 2018 to 22.3:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.