2023 Best Schools in Rancho Santa Margarita

• Newport Coast, CA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.14 out of 5  98 reviews

Senior: Sage offers a Socratic style of learning. I often converse with my peers and I am never afraid to ask questions if I do not understand. Most of my peers are brilliant. If I ever need to know something I can just simply ask, and even if they do not know the teachers are always there to help you. The college counselors are also really good. They review your college essay with you and really helps you make a great one. Of course, they will not write it for you or offer you suggestions of what to put or not to put, but simply advise you and that has been super helpful. They make the college process 10 times easier. All in all, the campus is beautiful, learning is a breeze, and the college counseling staff are awesome!... Read 98 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 550

• Student-teacher ratio 6:1

• San Juan Capistrano, CA•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.07 out of 5  56 reviews

Parent: I have 2 children at St. Margaret's and I can't say enough good things about the school and the environment. They really do try to develop the whole child. It isn't just a factory trying to turn out 4.0 students with 1600 SAT scores! Yes it is competitive, but in a good way. Many of the students have been at the school since pre school! The facilities are amazing - better than 99% of the colleges out there. The teachers really care and for the most part, the parents are great. Yes, there are the occasional obnoxious parent, but they usually get chopped down to size cuz there is always someone wealthier and more successful than them :-) If you want your child to develop into a great adult with compassion and drive, then SMES is an excellent place to go.... Read 56 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 1,250

• Student-teacher ratio 8:1

• Irvine, CA•

• Private School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.43 out of 5  7 reviews

Alum: I am a Pacific Academy alum who graduated with the class of 2021. Thanks to Pacific Academy, I had a wonderful middle and high school experience in which I blossomed into a more confident, responsible, and outgoing version of my younger self. This school is about more than just academics; the teachers build warm relationships with their students because they truly care about them, and the students are encouraged to participate in the many clubs and extracurricular activities that are available. No matter the student's interest, there is almost always a space for them to grow and do what they love. And if not, they can create their own opportunities that pave the way for other students who might also share those interests. The school also fosters collaboration in all areas, from the classroom to sports to club activities. I'm also thankful that I got to make so many close friendships during my time here with a lot of amazing people.... Read 7 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 172

• Student-teacher ratio 4:1

• Rancho Santa Margarita, CA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.14 out of 5  330 reviews

Parent: Best teachers. Incredible coaches. Administrators who care about your student’s (and family’s) overall experience. World class arts program. Our son does Steel Drums as an elective and has also participated in several sports — Cross Country, Volleyball, Track. The concerts are next level — so much talent, so fun to watch! The coaches have all been tremendous and have taken their teams to CIF and State champs. They really care about the kids and are great leaders. There’s just so much love here. They say “Find it Here” and that’s so true…there’s really something for every interest.... Read 330 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 1,671

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Irvine, CA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.91 out of 5  180 reviews

Senior: There were so many unique courses that the school offers that I had considerable difficulty in fitting everything that I wanted to take. There are countless honors courses and AP classes that students can partake that can academically challenge and thus foster growth. There are also cohort programs ranging from those relating to engineering, business, law, and medicine. Being involved in these cohort groups may further allow students to explore their academic interest and potential career paths for the future. Crean is also a Lutheran based Christian school that strives for excellence in academics through Jesus Christ. If you want your child to be a well rounded individual who has a positive influence on his community through his/her well developed understanding of love in Christ, enroll him/her at Crean!... Read 180 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 959

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• Capistrano Unified School District, CA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.98 out of 5  432 reviews

Sophomore: My sophomore year was pretty good! The majority of my teachers were great and I felt like I really learned a lot. My English teacher got injured in the beginning of the year and took a paid leave for the rest of the school year, so I was stuck taking a different class. My Spanish teacher also did not teach very well. Overall, mostly everything was good and I enjoyed it.... Read 432 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 2,409

• Student-teacher ratio 26:1

• Irvine Unified School District, CA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.32 out of 5  71 reviews

Sophomore: Personally my experience at Portola had been wonderful, they provide multiple resources to help learn my career options and help me pursue them. Additionally I have seen the input teacher put towards helping the students excel in their classes. Although the school had multiple good qualities, some of them are hard to find. One example would be ROP classes, I wasn’t able to take any ROP classes during freshman year. I am taking them now and think it is very beneficial for my career path. I was able to obtain multiple connections with talented and hard-working people! I specifically was able to be taught by a lawyer and a police officer for a while which helped me learn so much about the law helping to pursue my career. Additionally there are multiple opportunities the school gives to help students get jobs to earn income and the support given to those families of lower income. Including the environment around us was so friendly and welcoming truly creating a great learning experience!... Read 71 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 1,539

• Student-teacher ratio 25:1

• San Juan Capistrano, CA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.12 out of 5  211 reviews

Parent: JSerra is a college-prep school with very challenging curriculum. There are many AP and Honors classes available, as well as such courses as pre-law, pre-med, pre-engineering, and others. Teachers and staff were terrific and always available to help you when you need it. School facilities and grounds were always kept clean and tidy. The only change I would make is to increase on campus parking. Otherwise, I would highly recommend this great school!... Read 211 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 1,250

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Capistrano Unified School District, CA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.76 out of 5  483 reviews

Senior: This school was overall amazing. The teachers were incredible. The counselors were also amazing and the other staff were all great people aswell. I could see in my eyes that they were all genuinely happy to be there and wanted the best for the kids. the school has so many programs to help the students get into good colleges which most school in the area do not have However, the school does not lack in amazing staff and opportunities it does in cleanliness and operational stuff. For example, the halls are really dirty. especially the bathrooms, they are so unbelievably dirty you can’t even go into them the vending machines break quite often, the power might go off sometimes and the air conditioning was not operating for around a month and a half towards the beginning of the school year and at least once or twice a week the fire alarm goes off having a very unpleasant noise for everyone to hearbut overall, if I had a kid, I would definitely feel comfortable sending them to this school.... Read 483 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 2,068

• Student-teacher ratio 26:1

• Lake Forest, CA•

• Public School•

• PK, K-8

• •
  Rating 4.7 out of 5  20 reviews

Parent: Since we began school in the middle of a pandemic, the staff and administration have been super communicative helpful and supportive! They are organized, and when something is not working, they make adjustments. It is a learning curve for everyone, and they have been great.... Read 20 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 646

• Student-teacher ratio 20:1

• Saddleback Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.05 out of 5  650 reviews

Alum: During my time as a student at Mission Viejo High School, I found and experienced many good things. The school is one of the few institutions that offers courses in the international baccalaureate (IB) program. As a student who was fully enrolled and committed to this program, I can confidently say that it does prepare students for college. So, as long as you are taking full advantage of the opportunities that the school is giving to you as a student, you will find the workload in college manageable. Furthermore, the leaders who guide the program are an additional bonus. Many instructors working both inside and outside the program are provide helpful resources and guidance. While there are many good things about this school in terms of the educational aspect, there are also a few things that could be improved on. Things such as choice of counselors, academic advisor availability, and etc. Despite these things, I would highly recommend attending this high school!... Read 650 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 1,949

• Student-teacher ratio 23:1

• Mission Viejo, CA•

• Public School•

• PK, K-8

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  18 reviews

Parent: I had two boys attend school at OPA-SOC and I wholeheartedly recommend this school! The educational philosophy they adhere to, Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences, is top notch. My boys were exposed to and developed strengths in multiple learning and teaching methods, which has sent them off to their next schools extremely well prepared. They were challenged academically and supported emotionally by their teachers, the support staff, and their peers. I am grateful for the time my boys got to spend at OPA-SOC and I feel that they are better from having been there.... Read 18 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 827

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1

• Irvine Unified School District, CA•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  1 review

• grade A+

• Students 507

• Student-teacher ratio 22:1

• Irvine Unified School District, CA•

• K-8

• grade A+

• Students 490

• Student-teacher ratio 25:1

• Saddleback Valley Unified School District, CA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.7 out of 5  633 reviews

Senior: My overall experience with Trabuco Hills High School has been amazing. The campus has such positive energy, especially the program called Unified Sports. Unified Sports and Best buddies brings everyone together. I have seen staff, advisors, ASB, and many students participate together in the hopes of continuing spreading Inclusion. Also the AP program is pretty good and the Choir program is amazing! The teacher really cares for music and has the ability to capture what it means to sing in a choir. I recommend this school because it has so many options.... Read 633 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 2,718

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• Irvine, CA•

• Private School•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Senior: My overall experience of all four years at Futures Academy has been amazing. All the teachers treat you more then a student, you all have a special place in their mind. You will meet many different students that will also take you in like family.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 28

• Student-teacher ratio 1:1

• Aliso Viejo, CA•

• Private School•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 4.13 out of 5  15 reviews

Parent: At the beginning of the 2nd semester of 9th grade, our son became very sick. He missed 10 weeks of school falling so far behind that it wasn't possible for him to complete 9th grade. A counselor at his school suggested we reach out to Futures Academy in Mission Viejo to see if they could help. Futures Academy was fantastic. They are responsive. Futures developed an individualized learning plan that accommodated my son’s physical challenges, while at the same time kept him on track to complete 9th grade. Today, my son continues to attend Futures and is in 10th grade. He needs accommodations for his illness, but Futures has become an important part of his overall recovery. They are flexible about his learning schedule while maintaining high academic standards. His teachers challenge him in his learning, and he often reports he’s enjoying his classes. Futures has made it possible for our son to continue in school while facing a tough challenge in life.... Read 15 reviews

• grade A

• Students 28

• Student-teacher ratio 1:1

• Capistrano Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

• grade A

• Students 319

• Student-teacher ratio 23:1

• Capistrano Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.2 out of 5  5 reviews

Middle School Student: It’s a pretty average school. It’s hard to really review it with the pandemic but they seem to respect social distancing and imply masks and safety measures. It’s pretty average. I feel personally it is really easy. And the homework is the perfect amount. The teachers are pretty average. One of them is kind of biased to me, they don’t really like me but it’s okay. If your gonna go into this school or thinking about putting your kid in here, they have lots of opportunities and it’s pretty good here. Nothing extraordinary, but pretty good.... Read 5 reviews

• grade A

• Students 723

• Student-teacher ratio 23:1

• Capistrano Unified School District, CA•

• K-5

• grade A

• Students 393

• Student-teacher ratio 25:1

• Capistrano Unified School District, CA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.25 out of 5  8 reviews

Alum: Throughout my attendance of this school, I have had very good teachers and many good experiences. There are entertaining events throughout the year for students. For the most part, students are treated well and have a fun time at this school.... Read 8 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,108

• Student-teacher ratio 23:1

• Lake Forest, CA•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: Our family loves Heritage Christian School! I have a daughter who graduated from HCS and is now thriving at Biola University in their Torrey Honors Program. HCS did a great job preparing her to be successful in college. I also have an 11th and 7th grader still attending HCS. They are getting a Christ-centered worldview and education. I love how all of the teachers clearly care about each student academically, emotionally, and spiritually. The love of Christ is evident throughout the staff and students. I highly recommend this school!... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 233

• Student-teacher ratio 8:1

• San Juan Capistrano, CA•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.56 out of 5  89 reviews

Parent: We love CVCS! We started in elementary and currently have kids in middle and high school. The teachers have expertise in their subjects and a love for the students. The classes are small allowing the teachers to know what each child needs. High School offers numerous AP classes as well as individualized academic planning for college. My kids have participated in various electives including performing arts (The Little Mermaid Jr., Newsies - full Broadway version, etc.), culinary arts, financial planning, and more. Trips to Sacramento in 4th Grade and the East Coast in 8th grade bring what they are studying to life. The high school sports programs are also top-notch. The teams consistently compete at the top of their leagues. The coaches care about the students and the teams have an amazing team atmosphere. But the most important item that sets CVCS apart is the love for Christ that is evidenced in everything that they do. We gladly re-enroll our kids each year in this amazing school!... Read 89 reviews

• grade A

• Students 706

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Irvine Unified School District, CA•

• K-6

• grade A

• Students 282

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• Orange, CA•

• Private School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.93 out of 5  14 reviews

Parent: The 2021/2022 school year has been my family's first year at Spirit and it has been a great year! I have a son in 1st, a daughter in 3rd, and a daughter in 5th grade. This school is a wonderful option for families that want to homeschool but also want the on campus experience for their kids. Spirit does a great job with organizing many fun events throughout the year including field trips, monthly "stay and play" activity-filled after school days, a Thanksgiving party, a Christmas concert, and a talent show. The teachers do an incredible job of staying connected with the parents to keep on track with the curriculum and classwork. My family has really enjoyed connecting with the other families at this school. It is a very unique and wonderful community. There is so much support here. We are so thankful to have found such a wonderful school and we look forward to returning for the next school year.... Read 14 reviews

• grade A

• Students 137

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1