Tesoro High

Summary:

Tesoro High is a public high school located in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 2,217 students. The school is part of the Capistrano Unified School District, which is ranked 204 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Tesoro High consistently ranks among the top high schools in California, with a statewide ranking between 51 and 123 over the past 10 years. The school's students perform exceptionally well on standardized tests, with 80.96% of 11th-grade students and 80.96% of end-of-course students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 55.73% and 47.04% statewide, respectively. In mathematics, 57.2% of 11th-grade students and 57.2% of end-of-course students at Tesoro High were proficient or better, compared to 27.9% and 35.54% statewide. Tesoro High's science proficiency rates, as measured by the CAST exam, are also impressive, with 72.73% of 12th-grade students and 72.73% of end-of-course students scoring proficient or better, compared to 26.73% and 30.7% statewide. The school has consistently maintained a high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 95.2% to 97.3% over the past five years, significantly higher than the state average, and a very low dropout rate, ranging from 0.5% to 1.4% over the same period.

Compared to other high schools in the Capistrano Unified School District and the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, Tesoro High outperforms its peers on most academic metrics, including test scores, graduation rates, and dropout rates. The only nearby school that comes close to Tesoro High's performance is San Juan Hills High, which is also a highly-ranked school within the Capistrano Unified School District. However, Tesoro High has seen an increase in chronic absenteeism rates, from 7.8% in 2017-2018 to 15.7% in 2021-2022, which is an area the school may want to investigate and address to ensure continued high academic achievement.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 1 Tesoro Creek Rd.
       Rancho Santa Margarita, CA  92688-4706


(949) 234-5310

District: Capistrano Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
108th of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,551 Help


Feeder schools for Tesoro High:

Elementary:    Arroyo Vista Elementary
    Chaparral Elementary
    Esencia
    Las Flores Elementary
    More...
Middle:    Arroyo Vista Middle
    Las Flores Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  21.4 Help
Number of students:  2,040

Racial breakdown:

White:
56.8%
Hispanic:
16.9%
Asian:
14.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  20.5% Help


 See top rated California high schools

 Compare Tesoro High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details Tesoro High ranks better than 95.4% of high schools in California. It also ranks first among 8 ranked high schools in the Capistrano Unified School District! (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 93.22. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Tesoro High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
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The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
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Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at Tesoro High is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (56.8%), Hispanic (16.9%), Asian (14.7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 20.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Capistrano Unified School District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Tesoro High is 21.4. 4 high schools in the Capistrano Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
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Compare Tesoro High employs 95 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Tesoro High is $9,551. 7 high schools in the Capistrano Unified School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Tesoro High:

SchoolDigger ranks Tesoro High 108th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Tesoro High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Military Connected students:
Male students:
Asian students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Capistrano Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Capistrano Unified 204th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Tesoro High

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Tesoro High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 72.55 150th 1653 90.9%
2005 78.50 107th 1901 94.4%
2006 84.95 66th 1968 96.6%
2007 78.11 147th 2063 92.9%
2008 85.70 57th 2117 97.3%
2009 83.88 59th 2238 97.4%
2010 91.04 24th 2281 98.9%
2011 87.51 52nd 2367 97.8%
2012 90.21 30th 2354 98.7%
2013 87.39 51st 2426 97.9%
2015 93.26 120th 1994 94.0%
2016 94.65 79th 2039 96.1%
2017 92.25 145th 2021 92.8%
2018 90.37 194th 2017 90.4%
2019 96.71 63rd 2133 97.0%
2021 91.24 115th 1290 91.1%
2022 96.14 90th 2123 95.8%
2023 95.79 72nd 2348 96.9%
2024 93.22 108th 2323 95.4%
See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Tesoro High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 60.59 151st 366 58.7%
2019 85.49 41st 422 90.3%
2022 74.30 115th 515 77.7%
2023 77.32 125th 786 84.1%
2024 71.69 162nd 804 79.9%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Tesoro High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 73.89 171st 1547 88.9%
2024 70.21 211th 1534 86.2%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Tesoro High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 65.62 614th 1862 67.0%
2019 92.07 104th 1937 94.6%
2021 89.23 94th 1126 91.7%
2022 95.11 78th 1943 96.0%
2023 97.32 49th 2247 97.8%
2024 87.61 155th 2235 93.1%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Tesoro High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 88.09 194th 1760 89.0%
2019 96.15 56th 1833 96.9%
2021 90.63 96th 1054 90.9%
2022 94.24 103rd 1858 94.5%
2023 96.05 56th 2118 97.4%
2024 93.50 90th 2098 95.7%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Tesoro High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 47.59 417th 1052 60.4%
2019 87.39 88th 1117 92.1%
2021 64.50 121st 555 78.2%
2022 83.28 112th 1161 90.4%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Tesoro High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 69.26 51st 168 69.6%
2023 83.61 32nd 233 86.3%
2024 76.75 43rd 234 81.6%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Tesoro High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 89.84 184th 1834 90.0%
2019 95.99 77th 1880 95.9%
2021 89.34 124th 1122 88.9%
2022 96.58 76th 1916 96.0%
2023 94.21 102nd 2207 95.4%
2024 91.50 136th 2172 93.7%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Tesoro High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 84.05 67th 581 88.5%
2019 85.40 62nd 582 89.3%
2022 87.65 40th 581 93.1%
2023 85.82 51st 731 93.0%
2024 86.19 50th 712 93.0%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Tesoro High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 90.49 133rd 1742 92.4%
2019 98.13 35th 1814 98.1%
2022 95.46 67th 1861 96.4%
2023 93.81 80th 2142 96.3%
2024 88.06 127th 2125 94.0%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Tesoro High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 74.67 312th 1173 73.4%
2019 88.67 93rd 1222 92.4%
2022 86.97 113th 1204 90.6%
2023 86.03 103rd 1434 92.8%
2024 81.82 139th 1406 90.1%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Tesoro High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Monday, August 14, 2017

Open Quote Great environment for best education around the area. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Tesoro High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2002 1473 23 133 110 4 n/a n/a 93 1836
2003 1473 23 133 110 4 n/a n/a 93 1836
2004 2090 42 196 146 5 n/a n/a 121 2600
2005 2353 31 222 170 8 n/a n/a 127 2911
2006 2481 39 252 212 13 n/a n/a 122 3119
2007 2368 43 254 215 12 n/a n/a 124 3016
2008 2286 43 255 220 10 n/a n/a 0 2814
2009 2121 45 246 209 9 14 87 0 2731
2010 1910 47 237 362 6 11 49 0 2622
2011 1823 33 221 330 8 10 50 0 2475
2012 1811 27 225 302 8 6 63 0 2442
2013 1756 23 221 305 7 5 82 0 2399
2014 1713 29 218 273 8 2 102 0 2345
2015 1670 35 236 294 9 2 109 0 2355
2016 1652 44 267 345 11 3 129 0 2451
2017 1690 46 288 378 11 3 135 0 2551
2018 1696 43 307 375 7 4 151 0 2583
2019 1633 33 325 359 9 3 152 0 2514
2020 1607 28 334 378 10 3 158 0 2518
2021 1499 25 318 393 7 2 164 1 2409
2022 1392 23 307 373 8 1 160 4 2268
2023 1315 24 305 372 3 1 187 10 2217
2024 1158 28 299 345 1 1 199 9 2040

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Tesoro High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2002 1836 74.6 24.6 3.6
2003 1836 74.6 24.6 3.6
2004 2600 98.0 26.5 2.4
2005 2911 110.3 26.4 1.9
2006 3119 117.4 26.6 2.2
2007 3016 112.4 26.8 2.1
2008 2814 111.3 25.3 3.6
2009 2731 96.1 26.9 4.3
2010 2622 95.0 27.6 3.7
2011 2475 n/a n/a 4.8
2012 2442 88.7 27.5 n/a
2013 2399 83.5 28.7 8.6
2014 2345 82.5 28.4 6.1
2015 2355 89.0 26.4 6.9
2016 2451 88.0 27.8 6.9
2017 2551 95.5 26.7 6.2
2018 2583 101.0 25.5 9.8
2019 2514 97.9 25.6 8
2020 2518 n/a n/a 10.6
2021 2409 93.3 25.8 10
2022 2268 102.0 22.2 12
2023 2217 92.0 24.0 21.3
2024 2040 95.0 21.4 20.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Tesoro High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2002 1836 74.6 24.6 3.6
2003 1836 74.6 24.6 3.6
2004 2600 98.0 26.5 2.4
2005 2911 110.3 26.4 1.9
2006 3119 117.4 26.6 2.2
2007 3016 112.4 26.8 2.1
2008 2814 111.3 25.3 3.6
2009 2731 96.1 26.9 4.3
2010 2622 95.0 27.6 3.7
2011 2475 n/a n/a 4.8
2012 2442 88.7 27.5 n/a
2013 2399 83.5 28.7 8.6
2014 2345 82.5 28.4 6.1
2015 2355 89.0 26.4 6.9
2016 2451 88.0 27.8 6.9
2017 2551 95.5 26.7 6.2
2018 2583 101.0 25.5 9.8
2019 2514 97.9 25.6 8
2020 2518 n/a n/a 10.6
2021 2409 93.3 25.8 10
2022 2268 102.0 22.2 12
2023 2217 92.0 24.0 21.3
2024 2040 95.0 21.4 20.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Tesoro High

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $9,551

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Tesoro High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 63rd of 2133 High schoolsRanks 72nd of 2348 High schools
 0.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Tesoro High)84.386.5
 2.2%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Capistrano Unified)75.476.3
 0.8%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)57.355.4
 1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Tesoro High)64.958.7
 6.2%
   11th Grade Mathematics (Capistrano Unified)50.549
 1.5%
   11th Grade Mathematics (California)32.227.4
 4.9%
12th Grade Science (Tesoro High)6157.6
 3.4%
   12th Grade Science (Capistrano Unified)46.550.7
 4.2%
   12th Grade Science (California)25.626.9
 1.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students25142217
 11.8%
African American3324
 27.3%
American Indian93
 66.7%
Asian325305
 6.2%
Hispanic359372
 3.6%
Pacific Islander31
 66.7%
White16331315
 19.5%
Two or More Races152187
 23%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients8%21.3%
 13.4%


Schools Near Tesoro High









Frequently Asked Questions about Tesoro High

In the 2023-24 school year, 2,040 students attended Tesoro High.

Students at Tesoro High are 57% White, 17% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 10% Two or more races, 1% African American.

Yes! Tesoro High is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 108th of 2323 California high schools.

Tesoro High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Arroyo Vista Elementary
Elementary : Chaparral Elementary
Elementary : Esencia
Elementary : Las Flores Elementary
Elementary : Tijeras Creek Elementary
Elementary : Wagon Wheel Elementary
Middle : Arroyo Vista Middle
Middle : Las Flores Middle


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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