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What do you wish you knew before starting at Rancho Canada Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
633
Elementary
DISTRICT 529 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SADDLEBACK VALLEY UNIFIED·NCES 063386005311
Rancho Canada Elementary
21801 Winding Way, Lake Forest, CA 92630 · (949) 768-5252 · Orange County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL633 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 57% of California public elementary schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats 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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
25.4:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.4:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
36%
230 students
DISTRICT 49% · 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 | 131 | 21% |
| Grade 1 | 70 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 76 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 95 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 95 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 86 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 80 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (131) is 64% larger than its 6th grade class (80).
Student demographics
71%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 68% · 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
53.8%
CA avg 49.1% . -5.2pp since 2014
Math
56.6%
CA avg 37.7% . +3.6pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 54 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 57 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 5 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 4 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 27.6% | 26.2% | 20.0% | 26.2% |
| Math | 31.0% | 25.6% | 24.2% | 19.1% |
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 | 53.8% | 56.6% |
| 2023-24 | 57.0% | 57.6% |
| 2022-23 | 53.2% | 53.0% |
| 2021-22 | 57.1% | 54.6% |
| 2018-19 | 70.8% | 62.7% |
| 2017-18 | 68.4% | 55.9% |
| 2016-17 | 59.8% | 55.0% |
| 2015-16 | 63.0% | 53.0% |
| 2014-15 | 59.0% | 53.0% |
% 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
56.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
58.3%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 57% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 58% 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 Rancho Canada Elementary
Rancho Canada Elementary's state test result (56.6% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rancho Canada Elementary this school | 633 | 36.3% | 56.6% |
| Copper Hills Elementary Fresno | 601 | 32.9% | 73.3% |
| Riverview Elementary Fresno | 700 | 34.7% | 72.0% |
| Trabuco Mesa Elementary Rancho Santa Margarita | 640 | 37.2% | 70.9% |
| Rocklin Elementary Rocklin | 631 | 39.5% | 63.4% |
| La Madera Elementary Lake Forest | 554 | 37.4% | 59.7% |
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 Rancho Canada Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Orange County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 56.6% | #1,305 of 5,151 | #173 of 381 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 56.6% | #1,221 of 5,172 ▼ 103 | #168 of 382 ▼ 12 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 53.8% | #1,768 of 5,172 ▼ 334 | #207 of 382 ▼ 24 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -0.6pp | #1,619 of 5,116 | #124 of 381 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 633 | #1,139 of 5,915 | #81 of 404 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 25.4:1 | #4,605 of 5,352 | #272 of 398 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 70.8% | #539 of 5,354 | #36 of 398 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 36.3% | #4,491 of 5,625 | #269 of 400 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +12.4% | #432 of 1,139 | #25 of 55 |
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
633
+101 (+19%) vs 2020
+15% since 1990-91, when it was 551
Student : Teacher
25.4:1
was 25.3:1
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 | 633 | 25 | 25.4:1 | 36% (230) |
| 2023-24 | 630 | 26 | 24.3:1 | 34% (217) |
| 2022-23 | 632 | 25.4 | 24.9:1 | 34% (217) |
| 2020-21 | 532 | 21 | 25.3:1 | 19% (99) |
| 2017-18 | 563 | 21 | 26.8:1 | 22% (124) |
| 2015-16 | 714 | 26 | 27.5:1 | 24% (170) |
| 2010-11 | 673 | N/A | N/A | 18% (118) |
| 2000-01 | 799 | 35 | 22.8:1 | 6% (50) |
| 1990-91 | 551 | 23 | 24.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Rancho Canada Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 12% (563 to 633); teachers up 19% (21 to 25).
About Rancho Canada Elementary
Located in Lake Forest, California, Rancho Canada Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school. There are 633 students enrolled, covering kindergarten through 6. On average, elementary schools in California enroll around 465, and this school is 36% above that mark.
The Saddleback Valley Unified system has 33 schools and 22,646 students.
No group is above 50% at Rancho Canada Elementary; the largest is White, at 40%. Other reported shares: 30% Hispanic, 19% Asian, and 10% multiracial. Among Orange County residents, the White share is about 43%. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 71%.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 25.4:1. The school has 25 full-time-equivalent teachers. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in California is 22.3:1. In all, 36% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That is 19 points below the 55% average for public schools in Orange County.
On the allk12 Grade, Rancho Canada Elementary lands at B, ahead of 57% of California public elementary schools.
On BeatsExpectations, Rancho Canada Elementary is 1.6 points below its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of California schools.
In Orange County, where the school is located, median household income comes to about $116,289, about 44% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 7%. The county has 649 public schools and about 430,458 students.
Measured in a straight line, La Madera Elementary is about 0.5 miles from Rancho Canada Elementary. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Local comparison: Rancho Canada Elementary ranks 2nd of 7 nearby schools, at 56.6% versus a 49.1% average.
Rancho Canada Elementary falls in the Suburb: Large locale category, used for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
The school's enrollment rose 19% from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
The discussion board for Rancho Canada Elementary is open to topics like pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates 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 Saddleback Valley Unified
- Trabuco Hills HighHigh · 2,475 students
- El Toro HighHigh · 1,902 students
- Mission Viejo HighHigh · 1,566 students
- Laguna Hills HighHigh · 1,317 students
- Rancho Santa Margarita IntermediateMiddle · 1,153 students
- Foothill Ranch ElementaryElementary · 990 students
Other schools in Lake Forest
- El Toro HighHigh · 1,902 students
- Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet ElementaryElementary · 896 students
- Serrano IntermediateMiddle · 868 students
- Lake Forest ElementaryElementary · 640 students
- Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback ValleyElementary · 565 students
- La Madera ElementaryElementary · 554 students
Nearby schools
- La Madera Elementary0.5 mi · 554
- El Toro High0.6 mi · 1,902
- Serrano Intermediate0.9 mi · 868
- Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary0.9 mi · 517
- Lake Forest Elementary1.2 mi · 640
- Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley1.3 mi · 565
Frequently asked questions
About Rancho Canada ElementaryHow many students attend Rancho Canada Elementary?
Rancho Canada Elementary enrolls approximately 633 students in grades KG-06.
What grades does Rancho Canada Elementary serve?
Rancho Canada Elementary serves grades KG-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rancho Canada Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Rancho Canada Elementary is approximately 25.4:1 (25 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Rancho Canada Elementary?
Rancho Canada Elementary reports a student body of 40% White, 30% Hispanic, 1% Black, 19% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Who oversees Rancho Canada Elementary?
Rancho Canada Elementary is overseen by Saddleback Valley Unified in Orange County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.