1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Esencia right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
996
Elementary
DISTRICT 480 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CAPISTRANO UNIFIED·NCES 060744014361
Esencia
5 Aprender St., Rancho Mission Viejo, CA 92694 · (949) 234-9200 · Orange County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL996 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 91% of California public elementary schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
26.9:1
37 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.7:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
18%
175 students
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 236 | 24% |
| Grade 1 | 150 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 159 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 150 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 149 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 152 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (236) is 55% larger than its 5th grade class (152).
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
80.1%
CA avg 49.1% . +7.5pp since 2018
Math
75.0%
CA avg 37.7% . +10.5pp since 2018
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 80 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 75 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 8 points since 2018, while math scores are up about 11 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 48.1% | 32.0% | 11.7% | 8.2% |
| Math | 44.1% | 30.9% | 20.0% | 5.0% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 80.1% | 75.0% |
| 2023-24 | 75.2% | 68.7% |
| 2022-23 | 73.7% | 74.0% |
| 2021-22 | 70.1% | 71.2% |
| 2018-19 | 72.6% | 64.5% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
74.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
69.2%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 75% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 69% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Esencia
Esencia's state test result (74.8% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Esencia this school | 996 | 17.6% | 74.8% |
| San Elijo Elementary San Marcos | 834 | 15.9% | 72.5% |
| Double Peak San Marcos | 1,171 | 21.0% | 70.3% |
| Thomas Jefferson Elementary Burbank | 758 | 22.7% | 59.9% |
| Community Montessori Escondido | 795 | 17.6% | N/A |
| Mt. Diablo Elementary Clayton | 739 | 21.0% | 69.5% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Esencia ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Orange County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 74.8% | #437 of 5,151 | #69 of 381 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 75.0% | #416 of 5,172 ▲ 252 | #62 of 382 ▲ 33 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 80.1% | #262 of 5,172 ▲ 199 | #46 of 382 ▲ 26 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +6.9pp | #1,149 of 5,116 | #61 of 381 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 996 | #78 of 5,915 | #9 of 404 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 26.9:1 | #5,100 of 5,352 | #341 of 398 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.0% | #1,623 of 5,354 | #139 of 398 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 17.6% | #5,232 of 5,625 | #376 of 400 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
996
+277 (+39%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
26.9:1
was 27.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 996 | 37 | 26.9:1 | 18% (175) |
| 2023-24 | 904 | 37 | 24.4:1 | 13% (121) |
| 2022-23 | 873 | 35.5 | 24.6:1 | 17% (151) |
| 2020-21 | 719 | 26 | 27.6:1 | 8% (61) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Esencia.
About Esencia
Esencia is a large elementary school in California, located in Rancho Mission Viejo. The student body numbers 996 students, from kindergarten through 5. Average enrollment for elementary schools in California is about 465, so this school runs 114% bigger than that.
Capistrano Unified has 40,251 students spread across 58 schools.
A majority of students at Esencia, 56%, are White. The rest of enrollment is 16% multiracial, 14% Hispanic, and 13% Asian. Among all residents of Orange County, the White share is about 43%. By the diversity index, Esencia comes in at 62%.
Esencia counts 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 26.9 students for each one. The 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California is lower than this school's figure. About 18% of students at the school meet free or reduced-price lunch income limits. On average, public schools in Orange County report 55%.
The allk12 Grade for Esencia is A. Compared with California public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 91% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
On BeatsExpectations, Esencia is 5.6 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of California schools.
Within Orange County, median household income is about $116,289, roughly 44% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and roughly 7% of residents are in poverty. The public schools of Orange County number 649 and enroll about 430,458.
Esencia Middle is located less than a tenth of a mile from Esencia. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. The nearest schools with test data average 77.7%, higher than Esencia's 74.8%.
Under the NCES locale system, Esencia is Suburb: Large.
Federal counts put enrollment at 719 in 2020-21 and 996 in 2024-25, a 39% gain.
Questions about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week can be posted here. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Orange County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
3,165,820
Census ACS
Median income
$116,289
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
44%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
649
430,458 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Capistrano Unified
- San Clemente HighHigh · 2,740 students
- San Juan Hills HighHigh · 2,641 students
- Aliso Niguel HighHigh · 2,563 students
- Tesoro HighHigh · 2,030 students
- Capistrano Valley HighHigh · 1,991 students
- Dana Hills HighHigh · 1,725 students
Other schools in Rancho Mission Viejo
- Esencia MiddleMiddle · 349 students
Nearby schools
- Esencia Middle0.0 mi · 349
- Oso Grande Elementary2.5 mi · 867
- Ladera Ranch Elementary2.6 mi · 580
- Ladera Ranch Middle2.6 mi · 1,064
- San Juan Hills High2.8 mi · 2,641
- Chaparral Elementary2.8 mi · 604
Frequently asked questions
About EsenciaHow many students attend Esencia?
Esencia enrolls approximately 996 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Esencia serve?
Esencia serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Esencia?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Esencia is approximately 26.9:1 (37 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Esencia?
At Esencia, the student body is approximately 56% White, 14% Hispanic, 1% Black, 13% Asian, 16% Two or more.
Is Esencia public or private?
Esencia is a public K-12 school, overseen by Capistrano Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.