Is Melinda Heights Elementary a good school?

Melinda Heights Elementary ranks 1136 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Melinda Heights Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 950 students attended Melinda Heights Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Melinda Heights Elementary?

Students at Melinda Heights Elementary are 51% White, 25% Hispanic, 13% Asian, 10% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Melinda Heights Elementary attend?

Students who attend Melinda Heights Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate High : Trabuco Hills High

Melinda Heights Elementary

Summary:

Melinda Heights Elementary is a public elementary school located in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, serving 959 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, which is ranked 376 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Melinda Heights Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state averages in academic achievement, with 61.12% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 59.89% proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 59.15% and 50.69% for the district, respectively. The school's performance in Science is also strong, with 46.06% of students proficient or better, compared to 45.59% for the district and 30.7% for the state. Notably, Hispanic students at Melinda Heights Elementary perform exceptionally well, ranking in the top 10% of California elementary schools in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics. However, the school's performance for Asian and English Language Learner students is relatively lower, ranking in the bottom 40% of California elementary schools in these categories.

While Melinda Heights Elementary performs well compared to other schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, such as Foothill Ranch Elementary and Portola Hills Elementary, its performance is not as strong as some nearby schools in the Capistrano Unified School District, such as Philip J. Reilly Elementary and Tijeras Creek Elementary, which consistently rank higher in the state. Additionally, Melinda Heights Elementary has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 4.0% in the 2020-2021 school year to 12.9% in the 2022-2023 school year, which may require the school to implement strategies to address the underlying causes.

Detail:

Public K-6

21001 Rancho Trabuco
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-3444

(949) 888-7311

District: Saddleback Valley Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1136^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,131

Students who attend Melinda Heights Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
High:	Trabuco Hills High

Student/teacher ratio: 29.0

Number of students: 950

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.7%

Hispanic:

24.7%

Asian:

12.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 28.6%

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Compare Melinda Heights Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Melinda Heights Elementary ranks better than 80.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 8^th among 22 ranked elementary schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 80.35. (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 Student population at Melinda Heights Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (50.7%), Hispanic (24.7%), Asian (12.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 28.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Melinda Heights Elementary is 29. 20 elementary schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Melinda Heights Elementary employs 32.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Melinda Heights Elementary is $5,131. 17 elementary schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Melinda Heights Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Melinda Heights Elementary 1136^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Melinda Heights Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Saddleback Valley Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Saddleback Valley Unified 376^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Melinda Heights Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Melinda Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	93.66	299^th	4809	93.8%
2005	94.92	230^th	4822	95.2%
2006	95.35	200^th	4818	95.8%
2007	94.40	265^th	5113	94.8%
2008	92.71	328^th	5113	93.6%
2009	91.87	357^th	5193	93.1%
2010	90.87	397^th	5314	92.5%
2011	89.42	464^th	5377	91.4%
2012	88.52	518^th	5390	90.4%
2013	91.30	378^th	5530	93.2%
2015	94.56	356^th	5611	93.7%
2016	94.35	352^nd	5614	93.7%
2017	92.53	487^th	5692	91.4%
2018	89.80	645^th	5662	88.6%
2019	87.63	770^th	5789	86.7%
2022	87.48	829^th	5883	85.9%
2023	84.43	982^nd	5874	83.3%
2024	80.35	1136^th	5862	80.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Melinda Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	41.02	237^th	339	30.1%
2019	64.10	185^th	445	58.4%
2022	70.51	192^nd	610	68.5%
2023	57.24	321^st	669	52.0%
2024	51.70	386^th	669	42.3%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Melinda Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	66.24	605^th	3250	81.4%
2024	36.91	2038^th	3160	35.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Melinda Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	74.87	390^th	2420	83.9%
2024	68.51	520^th	2634	80.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Melinda Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	85.74	462^nd	5084	90.9%
2019	71.01	1134^th	5173	78.1%
2022	84.12	593^rd	5264	88.7%
2023	76.00	946^th	5374	82.4%
2024	75.46	1038^th	5511	81.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at Melinda Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	89.38	596^th	5413	89.0%
2019	87.90	666^th	5492	87.9%
2022	86.40	800^th	5635	85.8%
2023	85.58	864^th	5617	84.6%
2024	81.41	1036^th	5605	81.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Melinda Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	75.16	341^st	2128	84.0%
2019	73.00	457^th	2585	82.3%
2022	68.64	435^th	2227	80.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Melinda Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	87.76	703^rd	5431	87.1%
2019	84.45	846^th	5510	84.6%
2022	85.92	828^th	5663	85.4%
2023	80.53	1071^st	5650	81.0%
2024	76.07	1230^th	5636	78.2%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Melinda Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	75.10	256^th	1071	76.1%
2019	55.56	639^th	1149	44.4%
2022	50.49	721^st	1154	37.5%
2023	45.40	791^st	1190	33.5%
2024	49.82	758^th	1203	37.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Melinda Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	83.59	545^th	4830	88.7%
2019	81.93	638^th	4963	87.1%
2022	89.88	364^th	5084	92.8%
2023	87.32	460^th	5098	91.0%
2024	74.96	939^th	5102	81.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Melinda Heights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	75.64	619^th	2737	77.4%
2019	69.90	828^th	2834	70.8%
2022	65.44	973^rd	2726	64.3%
2023	64.01	985^th	2662	63.0%
2024	56.93	1215^th	2647	54.1%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

67%

33%

Reviews:

by a parent
Sunday, April 25, 2021

The school is too large so your just a number. My daughter was doing her work till 9 pm and at lunch. I would find a school with fewer kids. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, March 10, 2017

We've been at Melinda Heights for 5 years now and couldn't be any more impressed with the teachers, the administrators, and the families that are part of this school. Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, October 15, 2016

We are new to Melinda Heights this year. It is a very organized and impressive school. Even with the large size student body, it has a tight knit community feel. The new principal is all smiles and we have 3 amazing teachers from kinder to 5th grade. From the programs the school offers, to the welcoming atmosphere, we are very happy to be here. The teachers all seem to work hard to thrive and be great. The school we came from was complete opposite so this is a nice breath of fresh air. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Melinda Heights Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1998	549	16	63	87	4	n/a	n/a	0	719
1999	798	24	94	120	7	n/a	n/a	0	1043
2000	966	35	125	143	8	n/a	n/a	0	1277
2001	1015	21	134	141	9	n/a	n/a	0	1320
2002	1031	20	151	134	10	n/a	n/a	0	1346
2003	1031	20	151	134	10	n/a	n/a	0	1346
2004	1018	24	143	135	8	n/a	n/a	0	1328
2005	996	19	145	142	6	n/a	n/a	0	1308
2006	978	19	148	151	6	n/a	n/a	9	1311
2007	907	17	157	147	6	n/a	n/a	16	1250
2008	874	19	161	138	5	n/a	n/a	0	1197
2009	824	23	157	124	4	4	53	0	1189
2010	871	23	130	170	4	1	83	0	1282
2011	848	16	130	183	4	0	101	0	1282
2012	788	13	130	187	3	0	101	0	1222
2013	754	11	125	158	2	0	103	0	1153
2014	739	11	117	147	2	0	98	0	1114
2015	672	18	119	174	1	0	93	0	1077
2016	658	13	107	188	0	1	109	0	1076
2017	598	11	113	190	1	2	115	0	1030
2018	562	6	116	198	2	2	110	0	996
2019	565	5	126	200	1	1	112	0	1010
2020	568	3	122	228	0	1	119	0	1041
2021	492	6	128	221	0	2	123	0	972
2022	496	8	119	236	2	2	115	0	978
2023	482	7	118	241	3	2	106	0	959
2024	482	7	121	235	3	3	99	0	950

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 Melinda Heights Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	719	34.0	21.1	6
1999	1043	48.0	21.7	4.9
2000	1277	61.0	20.9	4.8
2001	1320	65.0	20.3	4
2002	1346	59.8	22.5	3.7
2003	1346	59.8	22.5	3.7
2004	1328	53.0	25.1	3.2
2005	1308	53.0	24.7	3.6
2006	1311	54.0	24.3	3.8
2007	1250	53.4	23.4	3
2008	1197	54.4	22.0	3.2
2009	1189	47.4	24.0	4
2010	1282	49.0	26.1	5.7
2011	1282	n/a	n/a	6.6
2012	1222	40.8	29.9	n/a
2013	1153	41.1	28.0	8.2
2014	1114	38.0	29.3	9.3
2015	1077	38.0	28.3	8.8
2016	1076	37.0	29.0	9.4
2017	1030	36.0	28.6	9.7
2018	996	30.3	32.7	13.8
2019	1010	30.4	33.1	15.1
2020	1041	n/a	n/a	13.2
2021	972	35.0	27.7	12.8
2022	978	38.4	25.4	12.5
2023	959	37.5	25.5	24.8
2024	950	32.7	29.0	28.6

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 Melinda Heights Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1998	719	34.0	21.1	6
1999	1043	48.0	21.7	4.9
2000	1277	61.0	20.9	4.8
2001	1320	65.0	20.3	4
2002	1346	59.8	22.5	3.7
2003	1346	59.8	22.5	3.7
2004	1328	53.0	25.1	3.2
2005	1308	53.0	24.7	3.6
2006	1311	54.0	24.3	3.8
2007	1250	53.4	23.4	3
2008	1197	54.4	22.0	3.2
2009	1189	47.4	24.0	4
2010	1282	49.0	26.1	5.7
2011	1282	n/a	n/a	6.6
2012	1222	40.8	29.9	n/a
2013	1153	41.1	28.0	8.2
2014	1114	38.0	29.3	9.3
2015	1077	38.0	28.3	8.8
2016	1076	37.0	29.0	9.4
2017	1030	36.0	28.6	9.7
2018	996	30.3	32.7	13.8
2019	1010	30.4	33.1	15.1
2020	1041	n/a	n/a	13.2
2021	972	35.0	27.7	12.8
2022	978	38.4	25.4	12.5
2023	959	37.5	25.5	24.8
2024	950	32.7	29.0	28.6

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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