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What's the best and worst thing about the food at Niguel Hills Middle?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
693
Middle
DISTRICT 689 · STATE 659
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CAPISTRANO UNIFIED·NCES 060744000696
Niguel Hills Middle
29070 Shark Bay, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 · (949) 234-5360 · Orange County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL693 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 86% of California public middle schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- CThree-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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
19.6:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.2:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
45%
309 students
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 215 | 31% |
| Grade 7 | 251 | 36% |
| Grade 8 | 227 | 33% |
Student demographics
59%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
69.6%
CA avg 49.1% . -0.4pp since 2014
Math
57.9%
CA avg 37.7% . +2.9pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 70 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 58 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2014, while math scores are up about 3 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 36.2% | 33.4% | 15.2% | 15.2% |
| Math | 34.9% | 23.0% | 20.5% | 21.6% |
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 | 69.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023-24 | 71.4% | 61.5% |
| 2022-23 | 71.0% | 58.9% |
| 2021-22 | 72.3% | 55.9% |
| 2018-19 | 63.6% | 61.7% |
| 2017-18 | 66.5% | 56.3% |
| 2016-17 | 64.9% | 52.0% |
| 2015-16 | 65.0% | 53.0% |
| 2014-15 | 70.0% | 55.0% |
% 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
65.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
53.4%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 65% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% 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 Niguel Hills Middle
Niguel Hills Middle's state test result (65.2% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niguel Hills Middle this school | 693 | 44.6% | 65.2% |
| Laguna Middle San Luis Obispo | 780 | 43.3% | 64.3% |
| Marine View Middle Huntington Beach | 736 | 46.2% | 56.1% |
| Andrew Carnegie Middle Orangevale | 687 | 45.9% | 44.2% |
| Shorecliffs Middle San Clemente | 634 | 43.8% | 50.3% |
| Sinaloa Middle Novato | 693 | 42.1% | 53.1% |
Matched among California middle 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 Niguel Hills Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Orange County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 65.2% | #167 of 1,224 | #29 of 85 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 57.9% | #199 of 1,227 ▼ 50 | #36 of 85 ▼ 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 69.6% | #187 of 1,227 ▼ 37 | #30 of 85 ▼ 3 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -0.3pp | #344 of 1,214 | #21 of 84 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 693 | #611 of 1,377 | #48 of 88 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.6:1 | #410 of 1,279 | #10 of 87 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.1% | #460 of 1,278 | #40 of 87 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 44.6% | #999 of 1,329 | #54 of 88 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -35.4% | #56 of 930 | #8 of 74 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
693
-125 (-15%) vs 2020
-35% since 1990-91, when it was 1,059
Student : Teacher
19.6:1
was 22.1:1
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 | 693 | 35.4 | 19.6:1 | 45% (309) |
| 2023-24 | 733 | 38.3 | 19.2:1 | 40% (296) |
| 2022-23 | 721 | 37.2 | 19.4:1 | 43% (312) |
| 2020-21 | 818 | 37 | 22.1:1 | 29% (240) |
| 2017-18 | 1,072 | 46.9 | 22.9:1 | 29% (307) |
| 2015-16 | 1,184 | 47 | 25.2:1 | 24% (290) |
| 2010-11 | 1,285 | N/A | N/A | 21% (267) |
| 2000-01 | 1,583 | 71 | 22.3:1 | 9% (142) |
| 1990-91 | 1,059 | 45 | 23.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Niguel Hills Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 35% (1,072 to 693); teachers down 25% (46.9 to 35.4).
About Niguel Hills Middle
Niguel Hills Middle is a middle school with a street address in Laguna Niguel, California. The school's 693 students are in grades 6 through 8.
Niguel Hills Middle belongs to Capistrano Unified, a district of 58 schools and 40,251 students.
By race and ethnicity, Niguel Hills Middle is 55% White. It is also 31% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, and 5% Asian. For comparison, the population of Orange County is roughly 43% White. Niguel Hills Middle has a diversity index of 59%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
At Niguel Hills Middle, 35.4 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 19.6:1. That ratio is under the 20.7:1 average for middle schools in California. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 45% of enrollment. That is 10 points below the 55% average for public schools in Orange County.
The allk12 Grade for Niguel Hills Middle is A. Compared with California public middle schools, the school scored higher than 86% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Compared with California schools that have similar shares of low-income students, Niguel Hills Middle's results are 11.8 points above predicted: 65.2% against 53.4%.
Census Bureau estimates for Orange County show that median household income is about $116,289, 44% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. A total of 649 public schools operate in Orange County, serving about 430,458 students.
The nearest public school is Orange County Academy of Sciences and Arts, at about 0.7 miles. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Of the 7 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Niguel Hills Middle is 3rd on average proficiency.
Its NCES locale code is Suburb: Large: the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count dropped from 818 to 693. Students per teacher fell from 22.1 in 2020-21 to 19.6 in 2024-25.
If you have questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes at Niguel Hills Middle, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
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 Laguna Niguel
- Community Roots AcademyElementary · 780 students
- John Malcom ElementaryElementary · 553 students
- Moulton ElementaryElementary · 538 students
- Laguna Niguel ElementaryElementary · 456 students
- Marian Bergeson ElementaryElementary · 423 students
- George White ElementaryElementary · 378 students
Nearby schools
- Orange County Academy of Sciences and Arts0.7 mi · 249
- Community Roots Academy0.7 mi · 780
- Marian Bergeson Elementary0.8 mi · 423
- Capistrano Valley High1.0 mi · 1,991
- Hidden Hills Elementary1.0 mi · 330
- Laguna Niguel Elementary1.5 mi · 456
Frequently asked questions
About Niguel Hills MiddleHow many students attend Niguel Hills Middle?
Niguel Hills Middle enrolls approximately 693 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Niguel Hills Middle serve?
Niguel Hills Middle serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Niguel Hills Middle?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Niguel Hills Middle is approximately 19.6:1 (35 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Niguel Hills Middle?
Niguel Hills Middle reports a student body of 55% White, 31% Hispanic, 1% Black, 5% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is Niguel Hills Middle public or private?
Niguel Hills Middle 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.