Lomarena Elementary, Laguna Hills CA

Original Research by School Decision on Lomarena Elementary

Lomarena Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Laguna Hills, a built-out suburban city in south Orange County where single-family neighborhoods from the 1970s onward shape the residential character. The school sits within the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, which has faced enrollment declines and facility pressures over recent years. A nearby elementary school in the district closed at the end of the 2024-25 school year due to under-enrollment, a consolidation parents should be aware of as the district evaluates its footprint.

The school draws a student body that is majority Hispanic, with a substantial white population and smaller Asian and multiracial enrollment. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating economic diversity in the catchment. Enrollment is stable at roughly that level across the grade bands, with slightly higher numbers in fourth and sixth grades. Data on the school's special education and English learner populations were not available.

On state testing, Lomarena's results paint a picture of mixed performance. In English Language Arts across tested grades, proficiency hovers around the midpoint, with fourth grade performing strongest and third grade the weakest. Mathematics shows more challenge, with proficiency rates running lower across the board, particularly in fifth and sixth grades where performance drops notably. Science proficiency, measured only in fifth grade, sits below that in math and ELA. Across both tested subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint relative to other school sites across Orange County's districts, a position that reflects the academic work ahead.

The surrounding community offers distinct texture. Laguna Hills is car-oriented and largely built out, with commercial life concentrated in the north along El Toro Road and the I-5 corridor rather than a traditional walkable downtown. The city has invested in pedestrian improvements, including widening a sidewalk along La Paz Road to encourage safe walking to school. The Village at Laguna Hills, a major redevelopment of the former mall site, is being redesigned as a mixed-use center with retail, dining, and residential components intended to create more walkable gathering space. The Laguna Hills Community Center and Sports Complex, a large public facility, anchors civic and recreation life.

The housing market in the area is expensive. Home values are substantially above the state median, and monthly rents are also elevated relative to regional benchmarks. For a family with a typical median household income, housing costs consume a large share of monthly budget, whether buying or renting. The local economy relies on health care, with Saddleback Memorial Hospital a major anchor, along with professional services and some technology and medical-device firms. Employment trends show modest unemployment and occupations concentrated in management, office work, and business operations.

The district has navigated budget constraints and facility aging. Voters rejected a school bond measure in 2020 that would have funded repairs and modernization across older campuses, so some buildings likely operate without recent capital improvements. The district is also managing a broader facilities study aimed at addressing under-enrollment and consolidating under-full campuses, a context that families evaluating Lomarena should understand as part of the longer-term district picture.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 58% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 56% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 52% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 54% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 54% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 55%

▲ 12 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 61% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 63% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 48% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

This schoolSaddleback Valley 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-income38%Higher-income56%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income78%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income71%34 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income90%59 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income36%Higher-income83%47 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income87%56 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income54%27 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income22%Higher-income70%48 pp gap