Is Moulton Elementary a good school?

Moulton Elementary ranks 757 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Moulton Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 530 students attended Moulton Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Moulton Elementary?

Students at Moulton Elementary are 63% White, 16% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 7% Asian, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Moulton Elementary attend?

Students who attend Moulton Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Niguel Hills Middle High : Dana Hills High

Moulton Elementary

Summary:

Moulton Elementary is a public elementary school located in Laguna Niguel, California, serving grades K-5 with a student population of around 550. It is part of the Capistrano Unified School District, which is ranked 204 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Moulton Elementary consistently performs above the state and district averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. For example, in 2023-2024, 68.23% of Moulton students were proficient or better in ELA compared to 47.04% statewide, and 69.31% were proficient or better in Math compared to 35.54% statewide. The school also has strong performance across different student subgroups, with its Hispanic students ranking 681 out of 5,102 California elementary schools in ELA, and its low socioeconomic status students ranking 518 out of 5,511 in the state. However, Moulton Elementary has seen a rise in chronic absenteeism, from 7.5% in 2020-2021 to 21.8% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the state average.

Moulton Elementary generally outperforms the nearby John Malcom Elementary and Marian Bergeson Elementary in academic assessments, but lags behind high-performing schools like Canyon Vista Elementary and Laguna Niguel Elementary. Additionally, Moulton Elementary has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 30% in 2022-2023, compared to some nearby schools like Hidden Hills Elementary at 77.37%, suggesting a more affluent student population.

Detail:

Public K-5

29851 Highlands Ave.
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677-2008

(949) 234-5980

District: Capistrano Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
757^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,505

Students who attend Moulton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Niguel Hills Middle
High:	Dana Hills High

Student/teacher ratio: 24.0

Number of students: 530

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.6%

Hispanic:

16.4%

Two or more races:

13.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 27.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Moulton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Moulton Elementary ranks better than 87.1% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 16^th among 34 ranked elementary schools in the Capistrano Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 88.86. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Moulton Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (62.6%), Hispanic (16.4%), two or more races (13%). (See more...)

Compare Details 27.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Moulton Elementary is 24. 22 elementary schools in the Capistrano Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Moulton Elementary employs 22 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Moulton Elementary is $9,505. 21 elementary schools in the Capistrano Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Moulton Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Moulton Elementary 757^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Moulton Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Capistrano Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Capistrano Unified 204^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Moulton Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Moulton Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	82.83	798^th	4809	83.4%
2005	83.29	798^th	4822	83.5%
2006	81.19	913^th	4818	81.1%
2007	77.49	1073^rd	5113	79.0%
2008	78.98	1016^th	5113	80.1%
2009	81.09	949^th	5193	81.7%
2010	84.79	742^nd	5314	86.0%
2011	87.74	581^st	5377	89.2%
2012	87.26	605^th	5390	88.8%
2013	83.31	859^th	5530	84.5%
2015	89.21	657^th	5611	88.3%
2016	89.83	628^th	5614	88.8%
2017	88.70	718^th	5692	87.4%
2018	88.85	694^th	5662	87.7%
2019	91.94	525^th	5789	90.9%
2022	92.42	561^st	5883	90.5%
2023	90.75	658^th	5874	88.8%
2024	88.86	757^th	5862	87.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Moulton Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	56.56	328^th	669	51.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Moulton Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	76.67	359^th	2420	85.2%
2024	84.56	272^nd	2634	89.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Moulton Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	78.04	773^rd	5084	84.8%
2019	83.19	578^th	5173	88.8%
2022	96.56	127^th	5264	97.6%
2023	95.32	186^th	5374	96.5%
2024	87.93	518^th	5511	90.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Moulton Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	88.95	620^th	5413	88.5%
2019	90.58	525^th	5492	90.4%
2022	90.50	611^th	5635	89.2%
2023	87.55	761^st	5617	86.5%
2024	87.43	746^th	5605	86.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Moulton Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	84.79	219^th	2128	89.7%
2019	92.66	132^nd	2585	94.9%
2022	88.36	186^th	2227	91.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Moulton Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	77.02	22^nd	140	84.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Moulton Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	86.92	745^th	5431	86.3%
2019	91.23	500^th	5510	90.9%
2022	92.51	480^th	5663	91.5%
2023	91.50	528^th	5650	90.7%
2024	87.39	746^th	5636	86.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Moulton Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	44.10	803^rd	1190	32.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Moulton Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	78.84	735^th	4830	84.8%
2019	75.99	880^th	4963	82.3%
2022	93.29	251^st	5084	95.1%
2023	86.48	491^st	5098	90.4%
2024	81.14	681^st	5102	86.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Moulton Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	72.84	723^rd	2737	73.6%
2019	79.85	471^st	2834	83.4%
2022	79.98	451^st	2726	83.5%
2023	76.11	580^th	2662	78.2%
2024	71.81	753^rd	2647	71.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, May 28, 2010

First of all the student teacher ratio is not 20:1 it is closer to 31:1. At that ratio the teacher needs a full-time Aide. Creativity is lacking when it come to teaching kids that don't learn auditorilly. There are 6'-8' openings between classrooms creating constant distractions and limitations for the teachers. The school is 40 years old, you think they could of designed a partition or put in sliding glass doors by now.

The communication from our teachers has been based on teachers personality. In K I was given constant feedback. In 1st & 2nd it wasn't until after Christmas break that communications were more consistant. It is hard to be supportive of the teacher expectations if you don't know your child isn't meeting them. It would be better for K-3 if every 2 -4 weeks we were given areas that need improving or what we can encourage to help them excel. Otherwise we are not able to correct behaviors before they become habits. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Moulton Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	766	17	44	54	2	n/a	n/a	0	883
1989	764	24	47	56	1	n/a	n/a	0	892
1990	852	19	82	78	4	n/a	n/a	0	1035
1991	747	26	76	64	4	n/a	n/a	0	917
1992	861	28	91	73	4	n/a	n/a	0	1057
1993	718	22	68	59	4	n/a	n/a	0	871
1994	732	16	80	67	3	n/a	n/a	0	898
1995	683	15	74	59	3	n/a	n/a	0	834
1996	683	15	74	59	3	n/a	n/a	0	834
1997	705	12	75	67	3	n/a	n/a	0	862
1998	739	21	72	81	4	n/a	n/a	0	917
1999	737	25	82	81	6	n/a	n/a	0	931
2000	717	22	93	85	7	n/a	n/a	0	924
2001	706	18	78	83	7	n/a	n/a	0	892
2002	618	17	78	118	7	n/a	n/a	16	854
2003	618	17	78	118	7	n/a	n/a	16	854
2004	585	20	68	122	1	n/a	n/a	13	809
2005	574	14	65	109	2	n/a	n/a	18	782
2006	536	13	60	77	2	n/a	n/a	30	718
2007	540	12	54	83	4	n/a	n/a	36	729
2008	550	9	48	74	4	n/a	n/a	0	685
2009	517	9	48	66	1	1	73	0	715
2010	468	4	47	128	3	1	68	0	719
2011	475	6	50	130	1	2	56	0	720
2012	439	7	50	132	1	2	46	0	677
2013	418	8	43	132	1	4	47	0	653
2014	390	5	51	134	1	3	55	0	639
2015	406	6	62	129	1	1	55	0	660
2016	430	9	61	106	1	2	64	0	673
2017	428	7	57	104	1	2	60	0	659
2018	428	8	48	86	1	2	59	0	632
2019	389	8	50	85	0	1	70	0	603
2020	382	7	56	85	0	0	72	0	602
2021	369	7	48	81	0	0	64	0	569
2022	364	8	40	78	0	0	56	1	547
2023	353	6	38	82	0	0	70	1	550
2024	332	6	35	87	0	1	69	0	530

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Moulton Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	883	29.0	30.4	n/a
1989	892	33.4	26.7	n/a
1990	1035	34.0	30.4	n/a
1991	917	35.0	26.2	n/a
1992	1057	35.6	29.6	6.1
1993	871	32.0	27.2	8.4
1994	898	32.0	28.1	9.6
1995	834	29.0	28.8	10
1996	834	29.0	28.8	10
1997	862	41.0	21.0	12.4
1998	917	43.5	21.1	9.9
1999	931	43.0	21.7	9.5
2000	924	42.5	21.7	8.2
2001	892	41.0	21.8	6.7
2002	854	37.5	22.8	15.4
2003	854	37.5	22.8	15.4
2004	809	35.7	22.7	11.2
2005	782	34.0	23.0	9.8
2006	718	31.0	23.2	9
2007	729	33.5	21.8	9.7
2008	685	34.0	20.1	9.2
2009	715	32.0	21.7	11.6
2010	719	26.0	27.6	9.7
2011	720	n/a	n/a	12.4
2012	677	25.8	26.1	0
2013	653	22.0	29.6	15.5
2014	639	20.0	31.9	12.5
2015	660	21.0	31.4	14.4
2016	673	22.0	30.5	14.6
2017	659	22.0	29.9	15.5
2018	632	21.0	30.0	21.5
2019	603	20.0	30.1	20.1
2020	602	n/a	n/a	20.8
2021	569	19.7	28.7	20.4
2022	547	23.0	23.7	20.8
2023	550	21.9	25.0	30
2024	530	22.0	24.0	27.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Moulton Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	883	29.0	30.4	n/a
1989	892	33.4	26.7	n/a
1990	1035	34.0	30.4	n/a
1991	917	35.0	26.2	n/a
1992	1057	35.6	29.6	6.1
1993	871	32.0	27.2	8.4
1994	898	32.0	28.1	9.6
1995	834	29.0	28.8	10
1996	834	29.0	28.8	10
1997	862	41.0	21.0	12.4
1998	917	43.5	21.1	9.9
1999	931	43.0	21.7	9.5
2000	924	42.5	21.7	8.2
2001	892	41.0	21.8	6.7
2002	854	37.5	22.8	15.4
2003	854	37.5	22.8	15.4
2004	809	35.7	22.7	11.2
2005	782	34.0	23.0	9.8
2006	718	31.0	23.2	9
2007	729	33.5	21.8	9.7
2008	685	34.0	20.1	9.2
2009	715	32.0	21.7	11.6
2010	719	26.0	27.6	9.7
2011	720	n/a	n/a	12.4
2012	677	25.8	26.1	0
2013	653	22.0	29.6	15.5
2014	639	20.0	31.9	12.5
2015	660	21.0	31.4	14.4
2016	673	22.0	30.5	14.6
2017	659	22.0	29.9	15.5
2018	632	21.0	30.0	21.5
2019	603	20.0	30.1	20.1
2020	602	n/a	n/a	20.8
2021	569	19.7	28.7	20.4
2022	547	23.0	23.7	20.8
2023	550	21.9	25.0	30
2024	530	22.0	24.0	27.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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