Philip J. Reilly Elementary

As a medium-sized elementary campus in Mission Viejo, California, Philip J. Reilly Elementary works with 421 students from grades K through 5, part of Capistrano Unified.

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

Looking at the student body, Philip J. Reilly Elementary logs that the most-represented group is White (51%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Other groups include 21% multiracial, 17% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 2% Black. By comparison, Orange County as a whole is about 43% White, so the school skews considerably more White than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Philip J. Reilly Elementary shows 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 22.2:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 27% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Orange County (around 55%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Philip J. Reilly Elementary ranks in the top 10% of California public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 63.2%; Philip J. Reilly Elementary posts 80.2%, +16.9 points above that line.

In the area at large, Orange County reports that the typical household earns roughly $116,289 per year, roughly 44% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Philip J. Reilly Elementary is one of 649 public schools in Orange County (combined enrollment of about 430,458 students).

Nearest neighbor: Arroyo Vista Middle, around 1.2 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Philip J. Reilly Elementary comes 2nd of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 71.2%.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 13%: 483 students in 2018 compared to 421 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 59% to 51% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 26.8:1 in 2018 to 22.2:1 today.

On allk12, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.