Is Truman Benedict Elementary a good school?

Yes. Truman Benedict Elementary ranks in the top 9.0% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Truman Benedict Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 590 students attended Truman Benedict Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Truman Benedict Elementary?

Students at Truman Benedict Elementary are 76% White, 12% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Truman Benedict Elementary attend?

Students who attend Truman Benedict Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Bernice Ayer Middle High : San Clemente High

Truman Benedict Elementary

Summary:

Truman Benedict Elementary is a public elementary school located in San Clemente, California, serving 600 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Capistrano Unified School District, which is ranked 204 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Truman Benedict Elementary consistently ranks in the top 15% of California elementary schools, with exceptional academic performance that exceeds district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. In 2023-2024, 72.44% of Truman Benedict students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 70.24% in the district and 47.04% statewide. The school also excels in supporting diverse student groups, with its Hispanic, Special Education, and Low Socioeconomic Status students ranking in the top 5-7% of California elementary schools. Additionally, Truman Benedict has maintained relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 5.1% to 24.5% in recent years, which is lower than the district and state averages.

Compared to nearby schools, Truman Benedict Elementary outperforms most in academic achievement, with significantly higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in 2023-2024, Truman Benedict's ELA proficiency rate was 72.44%, compared to 43.29% at Las Palmas Elementary, 56.46% at Harold Ambuehl Elementary, and 79.95% at Vista del Mar Elementary, the highest-performing nearby school. Overall, Truman Benedict Elementary stands out as a high-performing educational institution in the San Clemente area.

Detail:

Public K-5

1251 Sarmentoso
San Clemente, CA 92673

(949) 498-6617

District: Capistrano Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
526^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,269

Students who attend Truman Benedict Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Bernice Ayer Middle
High:	San Clemente High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.7

Number of students: 590

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.4%

Two or more races:

11.9%

Hispanic:

9.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 18.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Truman Benedict Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Truman Benedict Elementary ranks better than 91% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 12^th among 34 ranked elementary schools in the Capistrano Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 92.62. (See more...)

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

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (76.4%), two or more races (11.9%), Hispanic (9.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 18.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Truman Benedict Elementary is 22.7, which is the 14^th best among 34 elementary schools in the Capistrano Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Truman Benedict Elementary employs 25.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Truman Benedict Elementary is $9,269. 28 elementary schools in the Capistrano Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Truman Benedict Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Truman Benedict Elementary 526^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Truman Benedict Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Capistrano Unified:

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

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Rank History for Truman Benedict Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Truman Benedict Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	78.19	973^rd	4809	79.8%
2005	80.69	897^th	4822	81.4%
2006	83.66	797^th	4818	83.5%
2007	81.47	915^th	5113	82.1%
2008	75.41	1169^th	5113	77.1%
2009	79.24	1037^th	5193	80.0%
2010	81.08	951^st	5314	82.1%
2011	85.37	711^th	5377	86.8%
2012	77.65	1149^th	5390	78.7%
2013	83.14	878^th	5530	84.1%
2015	90.91	570^th	5611	89.8%
2016	88.94	674^th	5614	88.0%
2017	89.54	661^st	5692	88.4%
2018	84.81	897^th	5662	84.2%
2019	88.11	747^th	5789	87.1%
2022	89.34	724^th	5883	87.7%
2023	88.18	813^th	5874	86.2%
2024	92.62	526^th	5862	91.0%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Truman Benedict Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	56.07	310^th	610	49.2%
2023	54.15	355^th	669	46.9%
2024	75.61	158^th	669	76.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Truman Benedict Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	90.37	169^th	2420	93.0%
2024	91.15	177^th	2634	93.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Truman Benedict Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	74.22	971^st	5084	80.9%
2022	96.45	133^rd	5264	97.5%
2023	92.28	303^rd	5374	94.4%
2024	93.48	300^th	5511	94.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Truman Benedict Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	78.61	1106^th	5413	79.6%
2019	84.36	854^th	5492	84.5%
2022	86.82	784^th	5635	86.1%
2023	83.90	933^rd	5617	83.4%
2024	87.22	763^rd	5605	86.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Truman Benedict Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	94.80	92^nd	2128	95.7%
2019	92.85	128^th	2585	95.0%
2022	93.19	126^th	2227	94.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Truman Benedict Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	87.10	731^st	5431	86.5%
2019	88.81	646^th	5510	88.3%
2022	89.10	679^th	5663	88.0%
2023	89.39	658^th	5650	88.4%
2024	94.31	328^th	5636	94.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Truman Benedict Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	89.17	338^th	4830	93.0%
2019	86.39	448^th	4963	91.0%
2022	93.57	243^rd	5084	95.2%
2024	93.82	213^th	5102	95.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Truman Benedict Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	64.89	1009^th	2737	63.1%
2019	68.19	890^th	2834	68.6%
2022	69.88	815^th	2726	70.1%
2023	72.91	699^th	2662	73.7%
2024	78.90	460^th	2647	82.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary 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.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Truman Benedict Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	436	5	14	21	0	n/a	n/a	0	476
1989	551	8	18	32	0	n/a	n/a	0	609
1990	657	9	18	24	0	n/a	n/a	0	708
1991	755	7	21	31	0	n/a	n/a	0	814
1992	817	7	22	31	0	n/a	n/a	0	877
1993	855	7	23	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	927
1994	898	5	15	55	0	n/a	n/a	0	973
1995	829	3	17	20	3	n/a	n/a	0	872
1996	829	3	17	20	3	n/a	n/a	0	872
1997	808	3	11	17	2	n/a	n/a	0	841
1998	798	1	9	16	2	n/a	n/a	0	826
1999	614	3	7	22	1	n/a	n/a	0	647
2000	667	5	12	25	1	n/a	n/a	7	717
2001	608	4	12	31	4	n/a	n/a	5	664
2002	653	3	37	54	5	n/a	n/a	1	753
2003	653	3	37	54	5	n/a	n/a	1	753
2004	632	3	32	45	3	n/a	n/a	27	742
2005	644	4	30	41	1	n/a	n/a	46	766
2006	624	2	27	36	2	n/a	n/a	58	749
2007	623	3	27	33	2	n/a	n/a	53	741
2008	581	1	24	27	1	n/a	n/a	0	634
2009	650	2	25	26	1	0	103	0	807
2010	578	2	18	96	0	0	78	0	772
2011	545	1	14	88	0	0	74	0	722
2012	524	1	13	85	1	0	70	0	694
2013	551	0	15	80	4	0	70	0	720
2014	555	0	16	80	5	0	69	0	725
2015	522	0	13	73	5	0	64	0	677
2016	494	1	11	68	5	0	62	0	641
2017	494	1	12	67	5	0	52	0	631
2018	506	1	13	69	3	0	59	0	651
2019	525	1	13	70	1	0	61	0	671
2020	534	1	18	70	0	0	65	0	688
2021	478	2	21	66	0	0	65	0	632
2022	484	1	15	66	0	0	68	0	634
2023	454	1	13	59	1	0	72	0	600
2024	451	1	11	57	0	0	70	0	590

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 Truman Benedict Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	476	21.0	22.6	n/a
1989	609	24.0	25.3	n/a
1990	708	28.0	25.2	n/a
1991	814	32.0	25.4	n/a
1992	877	32.5	26.9	5.7
1993	927	36.0	25.8	6.8
1994	973	36.4	26.7	7.3
1995	872	34.0	25.6	4.8
1996	872	34.0	25.6	4.8
1997	841	37.0	22.7	3.4
1998	826	38.0	21.7	2.1
1999	647	34.0	19.0	2
2000	717	33.0	21.7	2.3
2001	664	28.0	23.7	2
2002	753	32.0	23.5	1.6
2003	753	32.0	23.5	1.6
2004	742	30.0	24.7	1.5
2005	766	31.0	24.7	2.6
2006	749	34.0	22.0	2.6
2007	741	32.0	23.2	2
2008	634	32.0	19.8	2.5
2009	807	34.0	23.1	2.5
2010	772	27.0	28.5	4.9
2011	722	n/a	n/a	6.9
2012	694	24.5	28.2	n/a
2013	720	23.5	30.5	10
2014	725	22.0	32.9	7.2
2015	677	22.0	30.7	6.5
2016	641	21.0	30.5	6.2
2017	631	20.0	31.5	6
2018	651	21.0	31.0	10.6
2019	671	24.2	27.7	12.1
2020	688	n/a	n/a	11
2021	632	23.4	26.9	12
2022	634	27.0	23.4	12
2023	600	24.9	24.0	18.3
2024	590	25.9	22.7	18.8

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 Truman Benedict Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	476	21.0	22.6	n/a
1989	609	24.0	25.3	n/a
1990	708	28.0	25.2	n/a
1991	814	32.0	25.4	n/a
1992	877	32.5	26.9	5.7
1993	927	36.0	25.8	6.8
1994	973	36.4	26.7	7.3
1995	872	34.0	25.6	4.8
1996	872	34.0	25.6	4.8
1997	841	37.0	22.7	3.4
1998	826	38.0	21.7	2.1
1999	647	34.0	19.0	2
2000	717	33.0	21.7	2.3
2001	664	28.0	23.7	2
2002	753	32.0	23.5	1.6
2003	753	32.0	23.5	1.6
2004	742	30.0	24.7	1.5
2005	766	31.0	24.7	2.6
2006	749	34.0	22.0	2.6
2007	741	32.0	23.2	2
2008	634	32.0	19.8	2.5
2009	807	34.0	23.1	2.5
2010	772	27.0	28.5	4.9
2011	722	n/a	n/a	6.9
2012	694	24.5	28.2	n/a
2013	720	23.5	30.5	10
2014	725	22.0	32.9	7.2
2015	677	22.0	30.7	6.5
2016	641	21.0	30.5	6.2
2017	631	20.0	31.5	6
2018	651	21.0	31.0	10.6
2019	671	24.2	27.7	12.1
2020	688	n/a	n/a	11
2021	632	23.4	26.9	12
2022	634	27.0	23.4	12
2023	600	24.9	24.0	18.3
2024	590	25.9	22.7	18.8

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.

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