Best traditional public schools in Saddleback Valley Unified (2025)

District-run public schools. Ranked by the Success Index (US) from official American data; 30 schools in Saddleback Valley Unified, California. Rank positions shown on each profile are within United States and California.

1
78
De Portola ElementaryMission Viejo · Public Elementary75% Math proficiency · 540 students
2
75
Portola Hills ElementaryTrabuco Canyon · Public Elementary73% Math proficiency · 809 students
3
73
Valencia ElementaryLaguna Hills · Public Elementary74% Math proficiency · 525 students
4
72
Foothill Ranch ElementaryFoothill Ranch · Public Elementary68% Math proficiency · 990 students
5
72
Rancho Santa Margarita IntermediateRancho Santa Margarita · Public Middle63% Math proficiency · 1,153 students
6
70
Melinda Heights ElementaryRancho Santa Margarita · Public Elementary66% Math proficiency · 950 students
7
69
La Paz IntermediateMission Viejo · Public Middle60% Math proficiency · 713 students
8
67
Rancho Canada ElementaryLake Forest · Public Elementary63% Math proficiency · 633 students
9
67
La Madera ElementaryLake Forest · Public Elementary64% Math proficiency · 554 students
10
66
Trabuco Mesa ElementaryRancho Santa Margarita · Public Elementary63% Math proficiency · 640 students
11
66
Robinson ElementaryTrabuco Canyon · Public Elementary57% Math proficiency · 486 students
12
66
Trabuco ElementaryTrabuco Canyon · Public Elementary54.5% Math proficiency · 90 students
13
62
Trabuco Hills HighMission Viejo · Public High52% Math proficiency · 2,475 students
14
60
Montevideo ElementaryMission Viejo · Public Elementary57% Math proficiency · 444 students
15
58
El Toro HighLake Forest · Public High52% Math proficiency · 1,902 students
16
57
Serrano IntermediateLake Forest · Public Middle50% Math proficiency · 868 students
17
57
Del Cerro ElementaryMission Viejo · Public Elementary57% Math proficiency · 390 students
18
57
Mission Viejo HighMission Viejo · Public High44% Math proficiency · 1,566 students
19
51
Lake Forest ElementaryLake Forest · Public Elementary48% Math proficiency · 640 students
20
51
Lomarena ElementaryLaguna Hills · Public Elementary55% Math proficiency · 487 students
21
49
Laguna Hills HighLaguna Hills · Public High40% Math proficiency · 1,317 students
22
48
Del Lago ElementaryMission Viejo · Public Elementary43% Math proficiency · 362 students
23
42
Cielo Vista ElementaryRancho Santa Margarita · Public Elementary43% Math proficiency · 487 students
24
41
Los Alisos IntermediateMission Viejo · Public Middle38% Math proficiency · 595 students
25
38
Glen Yermo ElementaryMission Viejo · Public Elementary37% Math proficiency · 308 students
26
35
Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet ElementaryLake Forest · Public Elementary41% Math proficiency · 896 students
27
35
Santiago STEAM Magnet ElementaryLake Forest · Public Elementary26% Math proficiency · 517 students
28
29
San Joaquin ElementaryLaguna Hills · Public Elementary32% Math proficiency · 221 students
29
24
Linda Vista Magnet ElementaryMission Viejo · Public Elementary27% Math proficiency · 263 students
30
20
Olivewood ElementaryLake Forest · Public Elementary28% Math proficiency · 396 students

#	School	Sector	Success Index (US)	Key result	Students
1	De Portola Elementary Mission Viejo · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	78.0 Top 25%	75% Math proficiency	540
2	Portola Hills Elementary Trabuco Canyon · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	74.6 Top 25%	73% Math proficiency	809
3	Valencia Elementary Laguna Hills · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	73.2 Top 25%	74% Math proficiency	525
4	Foothill Ranch Elementary Foothill Ranch · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	72.0 Top 25%	68% Math proficiency	990
5	Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate Rancho Santa Margarita · Middle · Grades 7–8	Public	71.5 Top 25%	63% Math proficiency	1,153
6	Melinda Heights Elementary Rancho Santa Margarita · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	70.3 Top 25%	66% Math proficiency	950
7	La Paz Intermediate Mission Viejo · Middle · Grades 7–8	Public	68.6 Top 25%	60% Math proficiency	713
8	Rancho Canada Elementary Lake Forest · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	67.1 Top 50%	63% Math proficiency	633
9	La Madera Elementary Lake Forest · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	66.7 Top 50%	64% Math proficiency	554
10	Trabuco Mesa Elementary Rancho Santa Margarita · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	66.4 Top 50%	63% Math proficiency	640
11	Robinson Elementary Trabuco Canyon · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	66.1 Top 50%	57% Math proficiency	486
12	Trabuco Elementary Trabuco Canyon · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	65.6 Top 50%	54.5% Math proficiency	90
13	Trabuco Hills High Mission Viejo · High · Grades 9–12	Public	61.8 Top 50%	52% Math proficiency	2,475
14	Montevideo Elementary Mission Viejo · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	59.7 Top 50%	57% Math proficiency	444
15	El Toro High Lake Forest · High · Grades 9–12	Public	57.6 Top 50%	52% Math proficiency	1,902
16	Serrano Intermediate Lake Forest · Middle · Grades 7–8	Public	57.0 Top 50%	50% Math proficiency	868
17	Del Cerro Elementary Mission Viejo · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	56.9 Top 50%	57% Math proficiency	390
18	Mission Viejo High Mission Viejo · High · Grades 9–12	Public	56.6 Top 50%	44% Math proficiency	1,566
19	Lake Forest Elementary Lake Forest · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	50.6 Top 50%	48% Math proficiency	640
20	Lomarena Elementary Laguna Hills · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	50.5 Top 50%	55% Math proficiency	487
21	Laguna Hills High Laguna Hills · High · Grades 9–12	Public	48.5 Lower 50%	40% Math proficiency	1,317
22	Del Lago Elementary Mission Viejo · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	48.3 Lower 50%	43% Math proficiency	362
23	Cielo Vista Elementary Rancho Santa Margarita · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	42.3 Lower 50%	43% Math proficiency	487
24	Los Alisos Intermediate Mission Viejo · Middle · Grades 7–8	Public	40.7 Lower 50%	38% Math proficiency	595
25	Glen Yermo Elementary Mission Viejo · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	38.2 Lower 50%	37% Math proficiency	308
26	Ralph A. Gates DLI Magnet Elementary Lake Forest · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	34.7 Lower 50%	41% Math proficiency	896
27	Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary Lake Forest · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	34.5 Lower 50%	26% Math proficiency	517
28	San Joaquin Elementary Laguna Hills · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	29.3 Lower 50%	32% Math proficiency	221
29	Linda Vista Magnet Elementary Mission Viejo · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	23.8 Lower 50%	27% Math proficiency	263
30	Olivewood Elementary Lake Forest · Elementary · Grades K–6	Public	19.5 Lower 50%	28% Math proficiency	396

De Portola Elementary in Mission Viejo leads the 2025 list of traditional public schools in Saddleback Valley Unified with a Success Index (US) of 78.0. Of the 30 schools shown, 30 are public.

For the full picture see the wider California traditional public schools rankings, every school on the Saddleback Valley Unified page, or the comparison tool to put a shortlist side by side.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best public school in Saddleback Valley Unified?

De Portola Elementary in Mission Viejo, California ranks first among traditional public schools in Saddleback Valley Unified with a Success Index (US) of 78.0 out of 100 (Enrollment: 540).

How are traditional public schools in Saddleback Valley Unified ranked?

Each school's Success Index (US) combines 4 factors: math proficiency (30%), reading proficiency (30%), community advantage (fewer free/reduced-price lunch) (25%), students per teacher (15%). Each factor is a percentile against schools of the same type across United States. Schools with fewer than 60 students are excluded from rankings.

Are these 2025 rankings official?

No. They are computed by Success Tutoring from official American data (Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES CCD, EDFacts); NCES Common Core of Data). States set their own assessments and proficiency cut scores, so proficiency rates are most comparable within a state. Use the state rankings for like-for-like comparisons.