Don Juan Avila Middle

Located at 26278 Wood Canyon Dr., in Aliso Viejo, California, Don Juan Avila Middle is an average-sized junior high that works with 863 students (grades 6 through 8), one of the schools within Capistrano Unified. Compared to the state average of about 659 students per school, that is 31% larger than typical.

Across the 58 schools in Capistrano Unified (40,251 students total), Don Juan Avila Middle accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Don Juan Avila Middle shows that the largest single group is White at 46%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder consists of 23% Hispanic, 20% Asian, 10% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at school resources, The school employs 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 24.2:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 20.7:1 average. An estimated 30% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Orange County (around 55%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Don Juan Avila Middle sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 61.8%; this one delivers 73.0%.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Orange County) records that median household income runs about $116,289, 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 Don Juan Avila Middle is one.

Don Juan Avila Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Don Juan Avila Middle ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 63.3%.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Don Juan Avila Middle has fell 24%, going from 1,143 students in 2018 to 863 in 2025. The White share of enrollment decreased from 51% to 46% over that span.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.