Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Tustin Unified

This page covers 18 elementary schools in Tustin Unified. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

18
Schools Ranked
California
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 18
1
rank
Barbara Benson Elementary
Grades KG–05327 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
47
/100
Student:Teacher
21.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
55/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$14,952
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
60%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
Red Hill Elementary
Grades KG–05417 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
46
/100
Student:Teacher
23.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$14,952
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
17%
Low economic need
3
rank
W. R. Nelson Elementary
Grades KG–05471 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
42
/100
Student:Teacher
24.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
55/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$14,952
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
78%
High economic need
4
rank
Peters Canyon Elementary
Grades KG–05471 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
42
/100
Student:Teacher
25.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$14,952
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
18%
Low economic need
5
rank
Heritage Elementary
Grades KG–05507 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
42
/100
Student:Teacher
25.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$14,952
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
17%
Low economic need
6
rank
Loma Vista Elementary
Grades KG–05473 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
41
/100
Student:Teacher
24.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$14,952
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
53%
Near nat'l 52.2%
7
rank
Tustin Memorial Elementary
Grades KG–05587 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
41
/100
Student:Teacher
29.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$14,952
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
8%
Low economic need
8
rank
Arroyo Elementary
Grades KG–05539 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
41
/100
Student:Teacher
29.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$14,952
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
9%
Low economic need
9
rank
Sycamore Magnet Academy
Grades KG–081,211 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
41
/100
Student:Teacher
24.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
55/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$14,952
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
84%
High economic need
10
rank
Myford Elementary
Grades KG–05488 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
41
/100
Student:Teacher
24.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$14,952
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
34%
Low economic need
8 more elementary schools in Tustin Unified not shown here.
View all schools in Tustin Unified
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
18
Elementary Schools
28
Total Schools
47
#1 Score
40
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Compare Tustin Unified with neighbouring districts
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Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.