How to read the California School Dashboard
California does not give schools letter grades or a single score. The California School Dashboard, run by the California Department of Education (CDE), rates each measure with one of five colors from Red (lowest) through Orange, Yellow and Green to Blue (highest). The color combines this year's result with the change since last year. All figures here are from the CDE's 2025 Dashboard data files for all students, covering the 2024-25 school year, downloaded in October 2026.
English and math results are shown as distance from standard: how many points, on average, students in grades 3 to 8 and 11 scored above (+) or below (-) the level the state sets for their grade. The graduation rate counts students who finished high school with a regular diploma within four years. Chronic absenteeism is the share of students in kindergarten to grade 8 who missed 10% or more of their school days; lower is better.
San Juan Capistrano school results at a glance
| School | Grades | English (vs standard) | Math (vs standard) | Other measure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan Hills High | 9-12 | +68.1 (Green) | -0.3 (Green) | Graduation 96.3% (Blue) |
| Marco Forster Middle | 6-8 | -2.9 (Green) | -43.0 (Yellow) | Absenteeism 16.8% (Yellow) |
| Harold Ambuehl Elementary | K-5 | -0.5 (Yellow) | +11.2 (Blue) | Absenteeism 11.2% (Yellow) |
| San Juan Elementary | K-5 | -45.6 (Yellow) | -45.1 (Yellow) | Absenteeism 15.0% (Yellow) |
| Kinoshita Elementary | K-5 | -43.2 (Yellow) | -60.1 (Yellow) | Absenteeism 19.4% (Yellow) |
| Capistrano Unified (district) | K-12 | +52.9 (Blue) | +26.4 (Green) | Graduation 95.4% (Blue) |
| State of California | K-12 | -8.1 (Yellow) | -42.4 (Yellow) | Graduation 87.8% (Green) |
Source: CDE, 2025 California School Dashboard data files. The district figure covers about 20,000 tested students across south Orange County, so it says little about any one San Juan Capistrano school. Every school in the table improved or held steady in at least one subject compared with 2024.
High schools serving San Juan Capistrano
San Juan Hills High School (Capistrano Unified)
San Juan Hills High, at 29211 Stallion Ridge in the hills off San Juan Creek Road, is the only comprehensive public high school inside the city. In 2025 its 11th graders scored 68.1 points above standard in English, slightly down from 71.2, and 0.3 points below in math, up 9.6 points; both were rated Green. Its four-year graduation rate was 96.3% for a group of 695 students, rated Blue.
Capistrano Valley High and Dana Hills High (nearby Capistrano Unified schools)
Some San Juan Capistrano addresses near the city edges may be assigned to a high school in a neighboring city. Capistrano Valley High, at 26301 Via Escolar in Mission Viejo, scored 77.4 above standard in English and 1.4 above in math, both Blue after gains of about 22 points each, with a 95.9% graduation rate. Dana Hills High, at 33333 Golden Lantern in Dana Point, scored 44.6 above in English (Green) and 41.3 below in math (Yellow), both lower than in 2024, with a 94.3% graduation rate. Check the district locator for which one applies, as boundaries are set by street.
Capistrano Union High (continuation school)
Capistrano Union High, at 31422 Camino Capistrano, is the district's continuation school for students who need a smaller setting or to recover credits. Its 2025 graduation rate was 91.8%. Its test groups are small, so the Dashboard gives no color for English or math.
Middle schools serving San Juan Capistrano
Marco Forster Middle School
Marco Forster Middle, at 25601 Camino del Avion on the south side of the city, is one of the district's larger middle schools, with about 900 students tested. In 2025 it scored 2.9 points below standard in English, up 5.9 points and rated Green, and 43.0 below in math, up 3.7 and rated Yellow. Chronic absenteeism fell from 18.1% to 16.8%.
Carl Hankey Middle School (Mission Viejo address)
Carl Hankey Middle, at 27252 Nubles Street in Mission Viejo, shares a campus with Carl Hankey Elementary. Its 2025 results were 47.3 points above standard in English and 17.0 above in math, both Blue. Math rose 27 points in a year, the largest math gain among the non-charter schools on this page. Chronic absenteeism rose to 14.1%, rated Orange.
Elementary schools in San Juan Capistrano
Capistrano Unified runs three elementary schools inside the city, each serving kindergarten to grade 5, plus Carl Hankey Elementary in Mission Viejo.
Harold Ambuehl Elementary
Ambuehl, at 28001 San Juan Creek Road on the east side of the city, had the strongest math result of the in-city elementary schools in 2025: 11.2 points above standard, up 21.3 points and rated Blue. English was 0.5 points below standard, a decline of 9.4 points. Chronic absenteeism fell sharply, from 17.6% to 11.2%.
San Juan Elementary
San Juan Elementary, at 31642 El Camino Real near the historic downtown, scored 45.6 points below standard in English and 45.1 below in math. Both are below the state average, but both improved strongly: English by 25.0 points and math by 14.3, earning Yellow.
Kinoshita Elementary
Kinoshita, at 2 Via Positiva on the west side of Interstate 5, scored 43.2 points below standard in English and 60.1 below in math, up 15.3 and 7.4 points respectively, both Yellow. Its chronic absenteeism of 19.4% was the highest of the city's schools.
Carl Hankey Elementary
Carl Hankey Elementary, on the same Nubles Street campus, scored 31.5 points above standard in English (unchanged) and 25.5 above in math (up 8.7), both Green, with chronic absenteeism of 10.1%.
School choice in San Juan Capistrano: transfers, charters and private schools
Capistrano Unified School of Choice
Capistrano Unified's School of Choice program lets families who live in the district apply for a school other than the one serving their attendance area, on a space-available basis. Families can apply once per school year, either in the annual window or when they first enroll. The district publishes a School Availability List, and high school athletes should check CIF eligibility rules before switching.
Charter schools in San Juan Capistrano
The CDE directory lists OCASA College Prep, a charter at 31522 El Camino Real for grades 6 to 12, which scored 14.7 below standard in English in 2025 after a 139-point rise from a small group of 56 tested students. Opportunities for Learning - Capistrano, a charter on Del Obispo Street, serves grades 7 to 12. Journey School, a K-8 charter authorized by the district, is in Aliso Viejo.
Private schools in San Juan Capistrano
Two large private schools are based in the city: JSerra Catholic High School at 26351 Junipero Serra Road, and St. Margaret's Episcopal School at 31641 La Novia Avenue, which runs from preschool through grade 12. Private schools do not take the state tests and have no Dashboard results, so ask each for its accreditation, class sizes and college outcomes.
How to check which schools serve a San Juan Capistrano address
Never rely on a listing or a city name to tell you which school a home is assigned to. Confirm it yourself.
Use the Capistrano Unified School Locator
The district's School Locator finds the schools assigned to a street address, and its map can show attendance boundaries. Enter the full address, then switch on the boundary layer to see how close the home is to a line. Homes near Mission Viejo, Dana Point and the eastern hills are the ones most worth checking.
Confirm with the district before you buy
Call or visit Capistrano Unified at 33122 Valle Road and ask which elementary, middle and high schools serve the address this year, since boundaries can change as new schools open. Rancho Mission Viejo, for example, is adding a TK-8 school at Rienda for fall 2027. Then read each school's full page on the Dashboard. For the rest of the city picture, see our San Juan Capistrano homes for sale guide, is San Juan Capistrano a good place to live and the Orange County schools guide.