Esencia

Summary:

Esencia is an elementary school located in Rancho Mission Viejo, CA, serving 873 students in grades K-5. It 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.

Esencia consistently outperforms the Capistrano Unified School District and the state of California in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Esencia had 75.18% of students proficient or better in ELA/Literacy, compared to 70.24% for the district and 47.04% for the state. Esencia's performance is particularly strong for certain student subgroups, such as ranking 433 out of 5,102 California elementary schools for Hispanic students in ELA/Literacy, and 187 out of 2,634 schools for special education students. Additionally, Esencia has relatively low chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 6.6% in 2020-2021 to 12.5% in 2022-2023, and a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (17.3% in 2022-2023) compared to some nearby schools.

Esencia outperforms most of the nearby schools, such as Harold Ambuehl Elementary and Las Flores Elementary, in academic metrics like Smarter Balanced Assessments and CAST Science scores. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Esencia had 58.97% of students proficient or better in CAST Science, compared to 32.14% for Harold Ambuehl Elementary and 64.38% for Las Flores Elementary. Esencia's strong performance, low chronic absenteeism, and relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch make it a standout school in the Rancho Mission Viejo area.

Detail:

Public K-5

5 Aprender St.
Rancho Mission Viejo, CA 92694

(949) 234-9200

District: Capistrano Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
573^rd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Students who attend Esencia usually attend:

High:

Tesoro High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.5

Number of students: 873

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.6%

Two or more races:

16.2%

Hispanic:

13.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 17.3%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Esencia ranks better than 90.2% of elementary schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 91.97. (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

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Teachers

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Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Esencia:

SchoolDigger ranks Esencia 573^rd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Esencia 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:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

Asian 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 Esencia

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Rank History for all students at Esencia

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	85.30	892^nd	5789	84.6%
2022	89.91	690^th	5883	88.3%
2023	92.84	517^th	5874	91.2%
2024	91.97	573^rd	5862	90.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Esencia

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	50.80	345^th	610	43.4%
2023	68.89	212^th	669	68.3%
2024	57.67	338^th	669	49.5%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Esencia

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	96.84	78^th	2420	96.8%
2024	90.21	187^th	2634	92.9%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Esencia

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	94.43	210^th	5374	96.1%
2024	96.29	186^th	5511	96.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Esencia

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	85.31	804^th	5492	85.4%
2022	90.37	618^th	5635	89.0%
2023	93.59	393^rd	5617	93.0%
2024	91.50	533^rd	5605	90.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Esencia

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	83.89	242^nd	2227	89.1%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at Esencia

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	88.34	9^th	140	93.6%
2024	97.00	3^rd	118	97.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Esencia

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	82.21	955^th	5510	82.7%
2022	85.92	829^th	5663	85.4%
2023	88.95	681^st	5650	87.9%
2024	88.52	686^th	5636	87.8%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Esencia

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	64.32	513^th	1154	55.5%
2024	67.56	459^th	1203	61.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Esencia

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	88.77	397^th	5084	92.2%
2023	92.51	261^st	5098	94.9%
2024	87.91	433^rd	5102	91.5%

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

Rank History for White students at Esencia

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	68.84	872^nd	2834	69.2%
2022	72.54	713^th	2726	73.8%
2023	74.10	651^st	2662	75.5%
2024	76.46	571^st	2647	78.4%

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 Esencia

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2019	289	5	42	67	1	0	45	449
2020	387	3	63	104	1	0	79	637
2021	412	4	84	111	0	1	107	719
2022	458	5	92	113	0	2	123	793
2023	503	6	100	121	0	2	141	873

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 Esencia

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	449	16.0	28.0	8.7
2020	637	n/a	n/a	9.3
2021	719	26.2	27.3	8.5
2022	793	33.2	23.8	7.2
2023	873	35.5	24.5	17.3

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 Esencia

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	449	16.0	28.0	8.7
2020	637	n/a	n/a	9.3
2021	719	26.2	27.3	8.5
2022	793	33.2	23.8	7.2
2023	873	35.5	24.5	17.3

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.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates

Esencia

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Year	Completely Immunized	Medical Exemption	Conditional	Polio	Hepatitis B	Varicella	DTP	MMR
2020	95.4%	4.1%	0.0%	95.9%	96.4%	95.4%	95.9%	95.9%
2021	95.4%	2.3%	2.3%	96.5%	97.7%	96.5%	97.1%	97.1%
2022	97.7%	0.0%	0.6%

Data source: California Department of Public Health

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Esencia

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 892^nd of 5789 Elementary schools	Ranks 517^th of 5874 Elementary schools	6.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Esencia)	77	70.2	6.8%
3rd Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Capistrano Unified)	66.1	64.5	1.6%
3rd Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	48.5	43	5.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Esencia)	82.2	76.6	5.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Capistrano Unified)	66.4	66.8	0.4%
3rd Grade Mathematics (California)	50.2	45.1	5.1%
4th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Esencia)	64.3	78.5	14.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Capistrano Unified)	68.1	67.2	0.9%
4th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	49.5	43.7	5.7%
4th Grade Mathematics (Esencia)	55.6	81	25.5%
4th Grade Mathematics (Capistrano Unified)	65.4	68.1	2.7%
4th Grade Mathematics (California)	44.9	40.8	4.1%
5th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Esencia)	75	73.3	1.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Capistrano Unified)	68.1	69.7	1.6%
5th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	51.7	46.7	5%
5th Grade Mathematics (Esencia)	50	63.8	13.8%
5th Grade Mathematics (Capistrano Unified)	56.3	57.5	1.1%
5th Grade Mathematics (California)	38	33.4	4.6%
5th Grade Science (Esencia)	58.3	56	2.3%
5th Grade Science (Capistrano Unified)	50.3	52.9	2.7%
5th Grade Science (California)	31.7	31.9	0.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	449	873	94.4%
African American	5	6	20%
American Indian	1	0	100%
Asian	42	100	138.1%
Hispanic	67	121	80.6%
Pacific Islander	0	2
White	289	503	74%
Two or More Races	45	141	213.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	8.7%	17.3%	8.6%

Schools Near Esencia

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts (2024)				CAST Science (2024)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)				% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts End of Course	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Total
Esencia	Public	K-5	5 Aprender St.	Rancho Mission Viejo	92694	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-9200	873	36	24.5	17.3%	503 (57.6%)	6 (0.7%)	121 (13.9%)	100 (11.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	141 (16.2%)	92	573^rd of 5862 public elementary schools	90.2%		92.8	517^th of 5874 public elementary schools	91.2%	56					59.0	59.0	68.7	75.7	82.9	75.2	71.3	67.6	66.7	68.7	97.7
Oso Grande Elementary	Public	K-5	30251 Sienna Pkwy.	Ladera Ranch	92694	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5966	916	37	24.7	10.8%	640 (69.9%)	5 (0.5%)	76 (8.3%)	72 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	122 (13.3%)	95.9	272^nd of 5862 public elementary schools	95.4%		94.7	378^th of 5874 public elementary schools	93.6%	106					73.2	73.2	86.8	80.2	72.5	79.9	85.4	75.5	73.2	77.9	98.4			98.4	98.4	98.4	$8,993
Ladera Ranch Elementary	Public	K-5	29551 Sienna Pkwy.	Ladera Ranch	92694	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5915	605	24	25.2	23.0%	358 (59.2%)	5 (0.8%)	83 (13.7%)	77 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	81 (13.4%)	96.9	173^rd of 5862 public elementary schools	97.0%		95	353^rd of 5874 public elementary schools	94.0%	180					72.1	72.1	79.1	82.1	85.6	82.5	81.5	80.4	74.8	78.7	95.8		97.5	98.3	97.5		$9,460
Chaparral Elementary	Public	K-5	29001 Sienna Pkwy.	Ladera Ranch	92694	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5349	627	27	23.2	15.9%	378 (60.3%)	5 (0.8%)	82 (13.1%)	61 (9.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	97 (15.5%)	97.4	125^th of 5862 public elementary schools	97.9%		96.1	267^th of 5874 public elementary schools	95.5%	142					66.4	66.4	84.0	80.7	88.5	84.5	88.1	82.7	79.7	83.3	97.4	98.3		98.3	97.4	98.3	$8,976
Wagon Wheel Elementary	Public	K-5	30912 Bridle Path	Coto De Caza	92679	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 589-1953	431	18	23.9	14.6%	279 (64.7%)	5 (1.2%)	46 (10.7%)	55 (12.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (10.7%)	96.1	252^nd of 5862 public elementary schools	95.7%		96.5	229^th of 5874 public elementary schools	96.1%	23					64.3	64.3	68.8	83.3	84.5	79.0	83.1	88.9	78.6	83.3							$9,747
California Republic Leadership Academy Capistrano	Public, Charter	K-8	31711 San Juan Creek Rd.	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	California Republic Leadership Academy Capistrano District	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(949) 298-6040	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	95.1	338^th of 5862 public elementary schools	94.2%					(n/a)					70.0	70.0	80.0	63.6	83.3	76.6	92.0	72.7	73.3	79.2
Harold Ambuehl Elementary	Public	K-5	28001 San Juan Creek Rd.	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 661-0400	308	15	20.5	40.6%	161 (52.3%)	2 (0.6%)	96 (31.2%)	10 (3.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (12.3%)	70.7	1565^th of 5862 public elementary schools	73.3%		75.2	1367^th of 5874 public elementary schools	76.7%	198					32.1	32.1	66.7	53.9	51.8	56.5	59.0	57.7	50.0	55.1	92.0			94.0	96.0	94.0	$10,545
Las Flores Elementary	Public	K-5	25862 Antonio Pkwy.	Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 589-6935	352	14	25.1	24.7%	187 (53.1%)	4 (1.1%)	67 (19.0%)	54 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (11.4%)	93.2	495^th of 5862 public elementary schools	91.6%		91.3	613^th of 5874 public elementary schools	89.6%	118					64.4	64.4	62.3	72.9	89.0	76.2	72.2	78.0	67.1	72.0	95.9	97.3	97.3	97.3	97.3	97.3	$9,703
Carl Hankey Elementary	Public	K-5	27252 Nubles St.	Mission Viejo	92692	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5315	321	13	24.6	49.2%	114 (35.5%)	2 (0.6%)	133 (41.4%)	24 (7.5%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	45 (14.0%)	81	1110^th of 5862 public elementary schools	81.1%		81.6	1111^th of 5874 public elementary schools	81.1%	1					52.6	52.6	42.3	73.1	73.7	63.4	51.9	67.9	63.2	61.1							$8,584
San Juan Elementary	Public	K-5	31642 El Camino Real	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 493-4533	697	28	24.8	73.2%	110 (15.8%)	1 (0.1%)	550 (78.9%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (4.6%)	19.2	4918^th of 5862 public elementary schools	16.1%		30.1	3879^th of 5874 public elementary schools	34.0%	1039	3.1	5.0	2.8	3.7	14.8	14.8	14.3	24.8	24.0	21.4	22.7	28.6	17.8	23.2	95.7	97.4		96.6	97.4	97.4	$9,610

Frequently Asked Questions about Esencia

Is Esencia a good school?

Yes. Esencia ranks in the top 9.8% of California elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Esencia attend?

Students who attend Esencia usually go on to attend:

High : Tesoro High

What district is Esencia in?

Capistrano Unified

How many students attend Esencia?

In the 2022-23 school year, 873 students attended Esencia.

What is the racial makeup of Esencia?

Students at Esencia are 58% White, 16% Two or more races, 14% Hispanic, 11% Asian.

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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.