Del Obispo Elementary

Del Obispo Elementary is a low-enrollment primary school in San Juan Capistrano, California, operated by Capistrano Unified. The school caters to 310 students in grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 33% leaner than the state mean of about 465.

Across the 58 schools in Capistrano Unified (40,251 students total), Del Obispo Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, Del Obispo Elementary records that 48% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school lists 37% White, 12% multiracial. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 34%.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 15 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 20.7:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. Around 68% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is above Orange County's rate of about 55%.

After controlling for student poverty, Del Obispo Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 38.8%, the actual is 47.4%, a residual of +8.7 points.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Orange County indicate the typical household earns roughly $116,289 per year, 44% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. In all, Orange County runs 649 public schools (combined enrollment of about 430,458 students), of which Del Obispo Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Marco Forster Middle, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 4 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Del Obispo Elementary ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 43.1%.

The campus sits in a bedroom-community setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Del Obispo Elementary has ticked down 16%, going from 368 students in 2018 to 310 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 26.3:1 in 2018 to 20.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.