Capistrano Unified Students Rank Above National Average on Test

Students in the county’s fastest-growing school district scored well above their average peers in a standardized test called the Stanford 9, according to results just released.

The Capistrano Unified School District students ranked above the 60th percentile nationally in most subjects. Their percentile rankings ranged from a low of 50 in spelling for all eighth graders to a high of 74 on the 11th-grade social studies test.

The Stanford 9 tests basic skills of second- to 11th-graders. All those students are tested in reading, writing and math. Students in grades nine to 11 must also take a science and social studies test.

As in other districts, Capistrano students who have a limited proficiency in English--nearly 13% of the 39,951-student district--did not perform well on the test. Some students scored in the 22nd percentile in reading, which are some of the lowest scores reported in the county.

“It is an indication of the work we must do,” Supt. James A. Fleming said.

Capistrano’s test scores were similar to those of students in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, which has a 6% limited-English population.