Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate
K-12 School in California, CA · 21931 Alma Aldea, Rancho Santa Margarita · 92688
At a glance
Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate is a 118,917-square-foot K-12 school at 21931 Alma Aldea, Rancho Santa Margarita in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, built in 1993. In its 2024 California benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 84 out of 100 (grade B), a site energy-use intensity of 20.6 kBtu/ft² and 162 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 55% of the 2,016 scored K-12 school buildings in California.
AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10) · reporting year 2024
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 84 (band B) |
| Site EUI | 20.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | — |
| GHG emissions | 162 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 1.4 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 717,036 kWh |
| Gross floor area | 118,917 sq ft |
| Source record | california:27497530:2024 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024latest | 84 | +8 | 20.6 kBtu/ft² | 162 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 76 | +7 | 19.2 kBtu/ft² | 162 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 69 | 22.1 kBtu/ft² | 199 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10)
AB 802 requires every California commercial building over 50,000 sq ft to report energy use to the CEC annually; the CEC publicly discloses the results statewide.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 21931 Alma Aldea, Rancho Santa Margarita
- City
- California
- State
- California
- ZIP
- 92688
- Coordinates
- 33.64324, -117.58893
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in California · biggest emitters
How does Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate compare with other K-12 school buildings in California?
The latest disclosures cover 2,128 K-12 school buildings in California, out of 40,029 buildings citywide. Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate's ENERGY STAR score of 84 compares with an average of 74 across the 2,016 that report a score; it scores higher than 55% of them and lower than 44%. Its site EUI of 20.6 kBtu/ft² is about 40% below the average of 34.6 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 1.4 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 31% below the group average of 2.0 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 118,917 sq ft, it is roughly in line with the average floor area of 129,123 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1993, 17 years later than the group's average year built (1976). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 6,548 K-12 school buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site EUI of 52.7 kBtu/ft².
How has Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 3 California disclosures for Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate, covering report years 2022–2024. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 69 in 2022 to 84 in 2024 (+15 points). Site EUI moved from 22.1 kBtu/ft² (2022) to 20.6 kBtu/ft² (2024), a 7% decrease. Reported emissions went from 199 tCO₂e to 162 tCO₂e over the same span (down 18%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 84 mean?
ENERGY STAR scores run from 1 to 100 and are computed by the EPA's Portfolio Manager as a percentile against similar buildings nationwide, adjusted for climate, size and use: a score of 84 means the building performs better than about 84% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 84 falls in band B — above median (70–84). Scores of 75 or higher meet the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification; certification itself is a separate, verified application that the disclosure does not record. In California, 65% of scored buildings are at 75 or above.
Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate's 20.6 kBtu/ft² across 118,917 sq ft works out to about 2.4 billion Btu (718 MWh-equivalent) in 2024. The disclosure also reports 717,036 kWh of electricity for the year.
Which law requires Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate to report its energy use?
Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate reports under AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10), the legal basis of California's Building Energy Benchmarking Program (statewide), which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2024 disclosure (source record california:27497530:2024). AB 802 requires every California commercial building over 50,000 sq ft to report energy use to the CEC annually; the CEC publicly discloses the results statewide.
More K-12 school buildings in California
- Clark Magnet High School· 118,916 sq ft · score 77 (B)
- James Workman Ms· 118,522 sq ft · score 93 (A)
- Hamilton Middle· 117,403 sq ft · score 72 (B)
- Don Juan Avila· 117,313 sq ft · EUI 38.6 kBtu/ft²
- Newhart Ms· 117,116 sq ft · EUI 32.7 kBtu/ft²
- Browning High· 116,998 sq ft · score 71 (B)
- K-12 School buildings in California· 2,128 benchmarked
- All California benchmarked buildings· AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10)
- Most efficient large buildings in California
- Least efficient large buildings in California
- Biggest emitters in California
Frequently asked questions
What is Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate's energy grade?
Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate scores 84 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band B, above median (70–84) — in its 2024 California disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate use?
Its 2024 site energy-use intensity was 20.6 kBtu/ft² across 118,917 sq ft, including 717,036 kWh of electricity.
What are Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate's carbon emissions?
Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate reported 162 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (1.4 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2024.
Where is Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate?
Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate is at 21931 Alma Aldea, Rancho Santa Margarita, in Rancho Santa Margarita, California 92688. Its coordinates are 33.64324, -117.58893 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking Program (statewide) file.
How big is Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate and when was it built?
Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate has 118,917 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2024 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1993 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate covered by AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10)?
Yes — it appears in the 2024 Building Energy Benchmarking Program (statewide) disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10).
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About this data
Source: Building Energy Benchmarking Program (statewide) (AB 802 (Public Resources Code §25402.10)), as published July 9, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate, Rancho Santa Margarita, California — 2024 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/california/rancho-santa-margarita-intermediate-12ff1bc1 (data as of July 9, 2026).