Ladera Elementary

Ladera Elementary is an elementary school of intimate scale in Tustin, California, run under Tustin Unified, serveing 345 students in grades K through 5. That puts it 26% leaner than the typical public school in California, which averages around 465 students.

Within Tustin Unified, which oversees 28 schools and 21,220 students, Ladera Elementary is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Ladera Elementary shows that the largest single group is Asian at 34%, but no single group is in the majority. Beyond that, the school reports 29% Hispanic, 23% White, 12% multiracial. By comparison, Orange County as a whole is about 22% Asian, so the school skews visibly more Asian than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Ladera Elementary shows 13 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 26.5:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 32% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Orange County runs at roughly 55%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Ladera Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 60.2%; this one delivers 65.4%.

In the broader community, census data for Orange County shows median household income runs about $116,289, 44% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Orange County's 649 public schools (combined enrollment of about 430,458 students), Ladera Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Pioneer Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Ladera Elementary at 8th of 9; the average score across the group is 72.9%.

Ladera Elementary operates from an inner-city location.

Five-year trend. Ladera Elementary's enrollment has stayed largely flat since 2018, when it stood at 347 (now 345). The Hispanic share of enrollment increased from 21% to 29% over that span. Class-load math has fell: from 28.9:1 in 2018 to 26.5:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.