Del Obispo Elementary, San Juan Capistrano CA

Original Research by School Decision on Del Obispo Elementary

Del Obispo Elementary serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade in San Juan Capistrano, a South Orange County mission town balancing historic preservation with managed residential growth. The school sits on a separated campus away from the walkable downtown core, which centers on the historic Mission and Los Rios District. The broader area is oriented toward land, history, and community character; daily life moves at a considered pace, though outside the downtown core, car dependency is high.

The school enrolls a small population of about this grade-band size for the county. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Student composition is roughly evenly split between Hispanic and white students, with a smaller share identifying as two or more races and very small numbers of Asian and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander students. Demographic data on English learners and students with IEPs were not available.

On California's CAASPP assessments in 2024-25, proficiency rates across grades three through five show mixed results by subject. In English language arts, fifth graders performed noticeably stronger than younger grades, with clear proficiency. Fourth and third graders in ELA were below that mark. Mathematics proficiency was lower across all tested grades, with each grade level in the low to mid-range. In science, tested only at fifth grade, proficiency was in the low range. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among elementary schools in Orange County districts.

The assessment trend data available covers only one year, so no trajectory can yet be determined. State testing results for kindergarten through second grade were not reported because those grades are not assessed by the state. A parent may want to look into the school's instructional approach and any support structures in place for mathematics, where proficiency remains a softer spot.

The school is part of Capistrano Unified, a district spanning seven cities and operating more than 60 schools. The district is the largest employer in South Orange County. In October 2023, the board voted against a parental notification policy that critics said could have resulted in students being outed to families; this decision distinguishes the district from several neighboring Orange County districts that adopted such policies, a distinction families evaluating parental-rights and student-privacy approaches may weigh. The district has also faced repeated rejection of school facility bonds by voters, with no local funding measure for schools passing in recent years. This context means school campuses operate without dedicated local facilities funding, a factor relevant to families considering long-term facility quality and modernization.

Housing in the 92675 zip code reflects the broader regional market: home values are substantial, and rents have risen. The area is in an active growth phase, with state mandates requiring new housing units and recent mixed-use projects near downtown and the train station reshaping residential patterns.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 69% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 70% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 61% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 67% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 71% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 71% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 54% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolCapistrano Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income43%Higher-income55%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income50%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income58%Higher-income88%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income48%Higher-income55%7 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income37%Higher-income50%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income56%23 pp gap