Turtle Rock Elementary, Irvine CA

Original Research by School Decision on Turtle Rock Elementary

Turtle Rock Elementary is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Irvine, California. It sits within Irvine Unified School District and enrolls approximately nine hundred students. Demographically, the school is substantially Asian, with a smaller but meaningful white student population and smaller shares of Hispanic and multiracial students; fewer than one in twenty students identify as Black. About one-fifth of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating modest economic diversity within an overall affluent school community.

The school's academic profile is strong across its tested grades. In English language arts, students in grades three through six posted proficiency rates ranging from about seventy-eight percent at third grade to eighty-seven percent at fourth and fifth grades, with sixth grade at about eighty-four percent. In math, proficiency was consistent, ranging from about seventy-seven percent at fifth grade to eighty-four percent at sixth grade, with third and fourth grades near eighty percent and eighty-one percent respectively. In science, fifth-grade students reached proficiency at about seventy-four percent. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to the other districts in Orange County. These results show baseline competency with some strength, particularly in upper elementary English language arts.

Irvine is a master-planned community anchored by University of California, Irvine and known for a robust economy built on healthcare, technology, aerospace, and professional services. Housing values in the area are elevated, and rental costs consume a substantial share of household income. The city's economy and public services support a high standard of living for residents, and that affluence is visible in the school's demographics and test performance.

The parent district, Irvine Unified, has initiated several changes families should know about. The district is implementing an ethnic studies graduation requirement for high school students beginning in fall 2025 and has raised the high school diploma credit requirement for students entering the class of 2027 and beyond, changes that will reshape course planning for future high school families. Additionally, a boundary adjustment planned for 2028-29 will reassign current younger students in the Woodbury community from Portola High School to Irvine High School in response to rapid enrollment growth. The district continues to execute a voter-approved facilities bond, modernizing older school campuses, which improves the physical infrastructure families will encounter if their children advance through the district.

The data does not capture student counts in special education or English learner programs, nor does it provide information on staffing, school discipline, course availability, or attendance patterns. These details might matter depending on a family's needs, and a conversation with the school's office would fill those gaps. Given the school's strong academic performance, stable neighborhood, and affluent community context, Turtle Rock serves families seeking a mainstream elementary experience in a high-opportunity setting.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 380%

School 80% · District 73% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 72% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 577%

School 77% · District 66% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 684%

School 84% · District 73% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 53 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 378%

School 78% · District 68% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 487%

School 87% · District 73% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 587%

School 87% · District 75% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 684%

School 84% · District 76% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Science

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 65% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

This schoolIrvine 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-income58%Higher-income83%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income74%Higher-income90%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income64%Higher-income92%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income63%Higher-income87%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income64%Higher-income84%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income67%Higher-income85%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income82%29 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income65%Higher-income86%22 pp gap