Is Portola Springs Elementary a good school?

Yes. Portola Springs Elementary ranks in the top 5.7% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Portola Springs Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 955 students attended Portola Springs Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Portola Springs Elementary?

Students at Portola Springs Elementary are 58% Asian, 19% White, 12% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Portola Springs Elementary attend?

Students who attend Portola Springs Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Jeffrey Trail Middle High : Portola High

Portola Springs Elementary

Summary:

Portola Springs Elementary is a highly-ranked public elementary school in Irvine, California, serving 887 students in grades K-6. As part of the Irvine Unified School District, which is ranked 108 out of 1,568 districts in the state, Portola Springs Elementary has consistently been one of the top-performing elementary schools in California, ranking in the top 6% of all elementary schools in the state for the past several years.

Portola Springs Elementary's academic performance is exceptional, with students consistently outperforming the district and state averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates in ELA and Math were significantly higher than the district and state averages, with some grade levels exceeding 80% proficiency. The school also excels in supporting various student subgroups, including English Language Learners, Low Socioeconomic Status students, and students with disabilities, with rankings in the top 1-2% of California elementary schools for these subgroups.

When compared to nearby elementary schools in the Irvine Unified School District, such as Santiago Hills Elementary and Stonegate Elementary, Portola Springs Elementary generally outperforms its peers in academic achievement, with higher proficiency rates in ELA and Math. However, some of these nearby schools also demonstrate exceptional performance, suggesting a high level of educational quality across the district. While Portola Springs Elementary's performance is exceptional, there may be opportunities to further enhance the school's outcomes, particularly for certain student subgroups, and to reduce the school's already relatively low chronic absenteeism rates.

Detail:

Public K-6

12100 Portola Springs
Irvine, CA 92618-8875

(949) 936-8800

District: Irvine Unified

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $4,816

Students who attend Portola Springs Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Jeffrey Trail Middle
High:	Portola High

Student/teacher ratio: 29.3

Number of students: 955

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

57.9%

White:

19.2%

Hispanic:

11.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 17.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Portola Springs Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Portola Springs Elementary ranks better than 94.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 11^th among 26 ranked elementary schools in the Irvine Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 95.14. (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: Asian (57.9%), White (19.2%), Hispanic (11.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 17.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Portola Springs Elementary is 29.3. 16 elementary schools in the Irvine Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Portola Springs Elementary employs 32.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Portola Springs Elementary is $4,816. 23 elementary schools in the Irvine Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Portola Springs Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Portola Springs Elementary 334^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Portola Springs Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Irvine Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Irvine Unified 108^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Portola Springs Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Portola Springs Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2017	97.45	140^th	5692	97.5%
2018	96.04	213^th	5662	96.2%
2019	95.39	260^th	5789	95.5%
2022	93.19	501^st	5883	91.5%
2023	94.51	390^th	5874	93.4%
2024	95.14	334^th	5862	94.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Portola Springs Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	66.72	155^th	445	65.2%
2022	65.36	240^th	610	60.7%
2023	75.35	157^th	669	76.5%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Portola Springs Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	99.91	5^th	3246	99.8%
2019	99.87	12^th	3275	99.6%
2022	98.43	53^rd	3311	98.4%
2024	97.88	29^th	3160	99.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Portola Springs Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	95.31	120^th	5084	97.6%
2019	93.05	199^th	5173	96.2%
2022	83.70	612^th	5264	88.4%
2023	93.08	262^nd	5374	95.1%
2024	88.99	482^nd	5511	91.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Portola Springs Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	93.32	332^nd	5413	93.9%
2019	94.24	279^th	5492	94.9%
2022	93.45	415^th	5635	92.6%
2023	94.42	334^th	5617	94.1%
2024	94.07	349^th	5605	93.8%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Portola Springs Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	85.71	251^st	2585	90.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Portola Springs Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	96.58	147^th	5431	97.3%
2019	94.95	253^rd	5510	95.4%
2022	91.11	568^th	5663	90.0%
2023	92.23	483^rd	5650	91.5%
2024	94.01	353^rd	5636	93.7%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Portola Springs Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	76.22	232^nd	1071	78.3%
2019	72.89	306^th	1149	73.4%
2022	70.10	385^th	1154	66.6%
2023	71.04	379^th	1190	68.2%
2024	73.31	342^nd	1203	71.6%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Portola Springs Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	93.88	170^th	4830	96.5%
2019	89.32	328^th	4963	93.4%
2022	76.21	889^th	5084	82.5%
2023	83.76	585^th	5098	88.5%
2024	87.40	453^rd	5102	91.1%

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

Rank History for White students at Portola Springs Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	67.96	900^th	2737	67.1%
2019	69.91	826^th	2834	70.9%
2022	68.25	870^th	2726	68.1%
2023	61.29	1070^th	2662	59.8%
2024	61.58	1075^th	2647	59.4%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Saturday, August 25, 2018

The school has been privy to poor leadership and some negligent teachers and the kids are suffering due to this. Irvine school district has one of the highest paid staffs and our children deserve better than this. When talking to the principal she simply made a statement that "she must protect her teachers first." As a parent I no longer want to feel helpless please help by filing an official complaint with iusd.org, calling the director Stan Machesky, Executive Director, Elementary Education, (949) 936-5055, [email protected], attending the board meeting at 5050 Barrancs pkwy on Sept 11 at 6:30pm Close Quote

Enrollment information for Portola Springs Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2015	51	0	132	36	0	0	23	242
2016	134	9	365	64	1	0	53	626
2017	158	8	463	73	1	0	73	776
2018	174	8	570	108	1	0	82	943
2019	178	16	627	114	3	1	91	1030
2020	156	13	547	112	2	1	90	921
2021	99	6	202	67	0	0	54	428
2022	157	19	452	104	1	2	108	843
2023	168	13	484	110	1	5	106	887
2024	183	13	553	111	2	4	89	955

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 Portola Springs Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2015	242	11.0	22.0	11.2
2016	626	24.0	26.0	4.8
2017	776	28.1	27.5	6.1
2018	943	32.7	28.8	11.6
2019	1030	37.7	27.3	13.4
2020	921	n/a	n/a	14.3
2021	428	19.0	22.5	19.2
2022	843	32.0	26.3	14.5
2023	887	32.7	27.1	15.2
2024	955	32.5	29.3	17.1

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 Portola Springs Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2015	242	11.0	22.0	11.2
2016	626	24.0	26.0	4.8
2017	776	28.1	27.5	6.1
2018	943	32.7	28.8	11.6
2019	1030	37.7	27.3	13.4
2020	921	n/a	n/a	14.3
2021	428	19.0	22.5	19.2
2022	843	32.0	26.3	14.5
2023	887	32.7	27.1	15.2
2024	955	32.5	29.3	17.1

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