Laguna Beach High School
Laguna Beach · Orange County · Laguna Beach Unified · Public
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Most similar nearby schools
Laguna Hills High School → Estancia High School → Legacy Magnet Academy → Samueli Academy → Mission Viejo High School → Compare all similar →A parent's read
- Where graduates go, as the school itself publishes it. Laguna Beach High School publishes where its graduates go (C/O 2026): 84 colleges, including Boston University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University.
- The UC pipeline here is real. 92 admissions to the top six UC campuses for a class of 196 seniors puts this school in roughly the top 13% of California high schools.
- And it's a rising stock. UC admissions per senior have climbed three years running — the trend line, not just the snapshot, is moving the right way.
- 8 in 10 graduates leave eligible for UC and CSU. 87% finish the A-G courses California's universities require before a student can even apply — most California schools manage about 6 in 10.
- One question for any counselor: who should still test? Plenty of strong students skip the SAT/ACT now — but merit scholarships at dozens of colleges still key off scores. Ask how the school decides who should still sit for one.
Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.
Where graduates go — as published by the school
Laguna Beach High School publishes where its graduates enrolled (C/O 2026): 84 colleges. See the full list ↓
At a glance
- 19 AP courses offered — Elite
- Gifted & talented program
- 8 calculus classes · 8 physics · 12 chemistry
- AP rigor: 86th percentile nationally
- SAT/ACT participation: Bottom 39% by test-taker volume
- 4-yr grad rate: 98% in 2019 (Top 2.3% of US high schools by 4-yr grad rate)
Composed from federal CRDC offerings, EDFacts graduation data, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.
Their published matriculation list
Where their graduates enrolled
Laguna Beach High School publishes where its graduates enrolled. What follows is copied from that document — 84 colleges, in the document's own order.
Years, as the document states them
C/O 2026
Ivy+ and most selective · 2
University of California · 7
University of California, Berkeley · University of California, Irvine · University of California, Los Angeles · University of California, Riverside · University of California, San Diego · University of California, Santa Barbara · University of California, Santa Cruz
Cal State · 6
Cal State University, Monterey · Cal State University, San Marcos · Cal Poly San Luis Obispo · Chico State University · San Diego State University · San Jose State University
Other California · 11
Art Center College of Design · Chapman University · Loyola Marymount University · Miracosta College · Occidental College · Pitzer College · Point Loma Nazarene University · Santa Clara University · University of the Pacific · University of San Diego · University of Southern California
Out of state · 40
Arizona State University · Boise State University · Boston University · Brigham Young University · Colorado State University · Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University · Georgia Institute of Technology · Hesston College · High Point University · Indiana University · Johns Hopkins University · Long Island University · New York University · Northeastern University · and 26 more below
Not matched to a college page · 18
Anglo-American University · Berklee School of Music · Colombia University · Concordia University · Goldenwest College · Irvine Valley College · Laguna College of Art + Design · Orange Coast College · Oxford College of Emory University · Pasadena City College · Saddleback College · Santa Barbara Community College · Santa Monica City College · Tarrant County College · and 4 more below
Is my kid's college on this list?
The school down the road: Estancia High School
| College | Laguna Beach High School | Estancia High School |
|---|---|---|
| Boston University | ✓ named | — |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | ✓ named | — |
| Harvard University | ✓ named | — |
| Johns Hopkins University | ✓ named | — |
| New York University | ✓ named | — |
| Northeastern University | ✓ named | — |
| Purdue University | ✓ named | — |
| Stanford University | ✓ named | — |
| University of California, Berkeley | ✓ named | — |
| University of California, Los Angeles | ✓ named | ✓ named |
| University of Michigan, Ann Arbor | ✓ named | — |
| University of Notre Dame | ✓ named | — |
Both schools print names, not counts, so this shows which selective colleges each list names.
All 84 colleges, as the document prints them
and 54 more
These graduates went on to the colleges above.
Check your kid's odds at these colleges →We'll load 10 from the list above — add your name, email and your child's numbers and we'll see where your child lands at each.
Independently verified As published by Laguna Beach High School — School Profile 2026-2027 (Laguna Beach High School) ↗. Found at: page 2, the 'COLLEGE MATRICULATION' panel, labelled 'C/O 2026'; three alphabetical columns of college names. Linked as 'School Profile (click to access full pdf.
Keep this page current
Work at Laguna Beach High School? If this page is missing your newest school profile, matriculation list, or college acceptances, send us the links. We read the document, copy the figures exactly as published, and cite it on this page.
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Where grads go — and what it costs & pays
UC admits by campus · Class of 2025
Getting in is step one. The cost above is the average aid-receiving family's net price — yours depends on whether you qualify for aid — and your child's odds depend on their GPA + scores. See your family's real numbers at these campuses:
Get my child's odds + our real costs →Sources: UC Office of the President (admits); IPEDS net price + College Scorecard 10-yr earnings (cost & payoff). Full campus-by-campus breakdown below.
California College-Going Rate
87.7% of the 2022-23 graduating class enrolled in college within a year.
The share of 2022-23 graduates who enrolled at a college anywhere in the U.S. within 12 months, per the National Student Clearinghouse match the California Department of Education publishes.
Give the same class four more months and 90% had enrolled — CDE publishes a 16-month window alongside the 12-month one, 242 students.
Up 1.2 points from the 2021-22 class (86.5%).
Where the 2022-23 class enrolled
In California — 146 students (54.3%)
Out of state — 90 students (33.5%)
CDE puts each graduate in one bucket only — whichever kind of college they were enrolled in longest — so these add up to the rate above. That is a different count from the UC Reach Score on this page, which counts a student at every UC campus that admitted them.
Source: California Department of Education, College-Going Rate (DataQuest) ↗, cohort 2022-23, posted 17-Sep-2025. Data file: cgr12mo23.txt ↗ (and the 16-month file ↗). CDE builds the rate by matching California high school completers to National Student Clearinghouse enrollment records; we publish CDE’s aggregates and hold no student-level data.
How Laguna Beach High School compares for families
Top-tier college outcomes for California families.
- ▸ StatewideUC Reach Score of 47 — 28 points above the California median of 19. Ahead of 87% of California high schools.
- ▸ Locally📘 Top 10% in California on ELA proficiency — plus 1 more top-rank.
- ▸ vs Similar SchoolsBeats the peer median (UC Reach Score 47 vs a 17 median) across the 5 most similar nearby schools.
For Parents
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Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.
Academic rigor
AP + advanced-course offerings
Elite — exceptional AP + advanced course breadth
86th percentile nationally
Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). CRDC reports what's offered + enrolled — it doesn't collect AP exam pass rates (College Board owns that data and doesn't release it school-level).
SAT / ACT participation
CRDC federal data · 2020-21Bottom 39% by test-taker volume
Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). Volume — not score — is what's reported here. A higher count means more students at this school are entering the college admissions pipeline. Note: 2020-21 was COVID-disrupted; some districts (especially those that stayed remote longer) report unusually low or zero takers.
4-year graduation rate · federal EDFacts
What % of students graduate on time?
Top 2.3% of US high schools by 4-yr grad rate
Source: federal EDFacts ACGR (Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate), 2019 vintage via Urban Institute. EDFacts publishes a range (low-high) to preserve privacy on small cohorts; we display the midpoint.
Federal Title I context
Lower-need school
Not Title I eligible (FRPL < 25%)
<25% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. Well below the Title I threshold; expect a higher-income student body on average.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, free/reduced-price lunch eligibility. The actual Title I designation is a district decision and may differ from eligibility — but the federal eligibility math is what we show here. We don't claim to assert whether the district formally chose to enroll this school in Title I.
SBAC academic outcomes — grade 11, 2025
Share of grade-11 students meeting or exceeding the California standard on Smarter Balanced ELA and Math. This is the academic-readiness signal that pairs with UC Reach (post-grad outcomes), stability (retention), and absenteeism (engagement). Note: statewide median Math is only ~20% — a school at 20% isn't an outlier; one at 45%+ genuinely is.
Source: California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Smarter Balanced research files. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥30 tested students.
Student composition — 2025-26
HS grades 9–12 racial/ethnic composition and program subgroups, from CDE Census Day Enrollment. Two-year shift shown when ≥1 pt — surfaces how the community served has changed since 2023-24.
Race / ethnicity
Program subgroups
Source: California Department of Education, Census Day Enrollment 2025-26 (HS grades 9–12). Δ shown when shift is ≥1 pt since 2023-24. Categories below 0.5% omitted.
Chronic absenteeism — 2024-25
Share of students missing 10% or more of expected attendance — the leading indicator that often precedes the demand decline shown above. Families disengaging tend to raise absenteeism first, then formally leave. Basis: grades 9–12.
Low and stable absenteeism — students are engaged and showing up. The leading indicator is healthy.
Source: California Department of Education, Chronic Absenteeism 2024-25. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥100 eligible students. CDE didn't publish a usable 2019-20 file (COVID).
Enrollment trend & projection
If this trend holds (-3.9%/yr, Total enrollment)
At per-pupil funding of $ / student:
| Horizon | Projected Total enrollment | Change | Funding impact / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 yr (2027) | ~788 | -32 | $0 |
| 3 yr (2029) | ~728 | -92 | $0 |
| 5 yr (2031) | ~672 | -148 | $0 |
Straight-line extrapolation of the recent annual rate — a what-if, not a forecast of intent. Default = California's LCFF base grant for grades 9–12 ($12,423/ADA). Edit the figure to match your school.
How does Laguna Beach High School really compare on getting kids to college?
We've ranked it #3 of 11 most similar nearby schools on UC Reach. Unlock the full snapshot to see the head-to-head — who's ahead, by how much, and where it's heading.
Your similar-school group includes
Laguna Hills High School · Estancia High School · Legacy Magnet Academy · Samueli Academy · Mission Viejo High School · Dana Hills High School · +4 more
Enrollment stability & demand — 2024-25
Two complementary signals: retention (do students stay once enrolled?) and demand (are families choosing the school?). Read against the Orange County baseline — the demographic tide is moving every CA HS, so a school's gap vs. county is the actionable signal.
Laguna Beach High School's enrollment is shrinking 3.5× the county rate (school -20.9% vs. county -6.0%). Stability of 95.9% means every family you keep is one fewer; the leverage is at recruitment, not retention. This is the case the high stability number alone would hide.
34 of 834 students who enrolled at Laguna Beach High School this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (4.1% non-stability). Mid-year transfers, dropouts, and other exits are all counted.
Stability by student group
Nearest peer high schools
Source: California Department of Education, Stability Rate 2024-25. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥100 cumulative enrollees so by-design-high-churn continuation schools don't dominate the bottom of the distribution. Cumulative enrollment counts every student on the rolls during the year, so it can exceed peak-day enrollment.
District financial profile — Laguna Beach Unified (FY2020)
From 4 years of NCES F-33 filings (the federally-mandated district finance survey). Public schools don't have their own books — the district does. These figures show the financial scale, revenue dependence, instruction-vs-overhead mix, and long-term debt that shape what a school can sustain.
Local: 86.0%
Federal: 4.0%
Source: NCES F-33 Annual Survey of School System Finances (Urban Institute Education Data API). Latest year currently published: FY2020. F-33 is a district-level federal filing — it reflects the Laguna Beach Unified as a whole, not this individual school's books. Revenue mix shows where the district's dollars come from (state aid dominates in CA via LCFF). Instruction share is current expenditure on instruction ÷ total current expenditure (national benchmark ~60%). Long-term debt is end-of-year outstanding (mostly facilities bonds).
Laguna Beach High School sent 352 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 26.1% were admitted, producing a UC Reach Score of 47 (top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors, counting a student at each campus that admitted them) — 28 points above the California median of 19, higher than 87% of California high schools. The school produces 11.2 UCLA + UC Berkeley admits per 100 seniors.
19
53
47
Higher than 87% of California high schools (1105 ranked, ≥50 seniors)
Laguna Beach High School's UC Reach Score of 47 is in the top quartile statewide (median 19; top 25% bar 33) — but it's still below the top-10% bar of 53.
For context, the elite tier (top 1%) clears 95 — a gap of 48 pp from where this school sits.
Overall, Laguna Beach High School's UC Reach is higher than 87% of California high schools (1105 ranked).
UC funnel — which kids are getting in at what GPA
Combining the school's applicant pool GPA, admit pool GPA, actual admit rate, and statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, we can read which GPA tiers tend to get in — and which don't.
| Campus | 4.00+ GPA | 3.70–3.99 GPA | 3.30–3.69 GPA | < 3.30 GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | Real shot | Long odds | Filtered out | Filtered out |
| UCLA | Real shot | Long odds | Filtered out | Filtered out |
| UC San Diego | Strong shot | Moderate | Long odds | Filtered out |
| UC Santa Barbara | Strong shot | Real shot | Long odds | Filtered out |
| UC Irvine | Strong shot | Real shot | Long odds | Filtered out |
| UC Davis | Strong shot | Strong shot | Real shot | Filtered out |
The numbers behind it
| Campus | Applicant GPA | Admit GPA | Lift ⓘ | Admit rate | vs peer schools @ same GPA ⓘ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | 4.09 | 4.18 | +0.10 | 21.0% | Peers +0.19 · wider |
| UCLA | 4.08 | 4.20 | +0.11 | 12.0% | Peers +0.22 · wider |
| UC San Diego | 4.03 | 4.23 | +0.20 | 24.2% | Peers +0.25 · wider |
| UC Santa Barbara | 4.02 | 4.23 | +0.21 | 31.3% | Peers +0.26 · wider |
| UC Irvine | 4.04 | 4.20 | +0.15 | 40.4% | Peers +0.20 · wider |
| UC Davis | 4.03 | 4.17 | +0.14 | 38.5% | Peers +0.20 · wider |
Statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, 2025 (for reference)
| GPA band | UCB | UCLA | UCSD | UCSB | UCI | UCD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.00+ | 17.0% | 15.1% | 45.2% | 62.3% | 46.3% | 65.9% |
| 3.70–3.99 | 3.1% | 1.6% | 9.3% | 17.6% | 17.0% | 31.1% |
| 3.30–3.69 | 0.8% | 0.5% | 1.5% | 2.8% | 2.4% | 10.3% |
| 3.00–3.29 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 1.9% |
| < 3.00 | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.7% |
Where Laguna Beach High School sits vs. all California schools ⓘ
Overall, this school admits its UC applicants in line with what their GPAs predict (26.1% actual vs. 21.8% expected).
UC Outcomes Trend — 2018–2025
Class size from CDE grade 12 enrollment. Campus-level data: applicant and admit totals count a student once at EACH campus. A senior admitted to UCLA and UC San Diego adds 2 to the admit total, so the total can exceed the senior class — that is the metric working as defined, not an error. The admit RATE is unaffected: both its numerator and denominator are campus-level.
Campus Breakdown — 2025
| Campus | Applicants | Admits | Enrollees | Admit Rate | UC Reach Score | Yield | Avg GPA (App) | Avg GPA (Adm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley → Elite | 62 | 13 | 10 | 21.0% | 7 | 76.9% | 4.09 | 4.18 |
| UCLA → Elite | 75 | 9 | 5 | 12.0% | 5 | 55.6% | 4.08 | 4.20 |
| UC San Diego → Selective | 62 | 15 | 3 | 24.2% | 8 | 20.0% | 4.03 | 4.23 |
| UC Santa Barbara → Selective | 67 | 21 | 3 | 31.3% | 11 | 14.3% | 4.02 | 4.23 |
| UC Irvine → Selective | 47 | 19 | 7 | 40.4% | 10 | 36.8% | 4.04 | 4.20 |
| UC Davis → | 39 | 15 | —† | 38.5% | 8 | — | 4.03 | 4.17 |
What This Means
For School Admins
The full Reach Report for Laguna Beach High School
A board- and LCAP-ready intelligence brief: your enrollment retention and college outcomes, benchmarked against your closest competitors, with a 5-year forecast, concrete steps to act on, and the rigor + outcomes story you can share with your families. Built from primary public data — prepared for you, not auto-generated.
- ✓Your UC Reach Score (47) ranked head-to-head against your closest competitor schools
- ✓Your 5-year enrollment forecast (currently -3.9%/yr) with the revenue at stake
- ✓Student-retention benchmarking vs your county median — and the LCAP evidence to back your goals
At a glance
JSON · Using this page with an AI assistantLaguna Beach High School is a public high school in Laguna Beach, Orange County, California with 196 seniors in the Class of 2025.
Its UC Reach Score is 47 (Above average, top 25% in California): 92 UC admits (counted at each UC) from a senior class of 196, so a student admitted to several campuses counts at each. That is higher than 87% of California high schools.
In 2025 its students filed 352 UC applications and received 92 offers, a UC admit rate of 26.1% (counted at each campus); 28 enrolled.
More of its graduates enrolled at UC Berkeley than at any other UC campus (10 in 2025); UC Berkeley and UCLA together admitted 22.
87% of its graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU eligibility (California median 56%).
88% of its 2022-23 graduates enrolled in college within 12 months (California Department of Education College-Going Rate).
Of its graduates who enrolled at a UC, 91% earned a degree within six years (cohort entering 2019).
It has about 273 students per school counselor.
Enrollment was 820 students in 2026, down 24% since 2018.
Laguna Beach High School publishes a matriculation list (where its graduates enrolled) for the C/O 2026: 84 colleges. Source: School Profile 2026-2027 (Laguna Beach High School).
Sources: University of California Office of the President (admissions), California Department of Education (enrollment, A-G, college-going), and the school's own published documents where named.
Questions families ask
What is Laguna Beach High School's UC Reach Score? Laguna Beach High School's UC Reach Score is 47 (Above average, top 25% in California): 92 UC admits (counted at each UC) from a senior class of 196, so a student admitted to several campuses counts at each. That is higher than 87% of California high schools.
How many students from Laguna Beach High School got into a UC? In 2025 its students filed 352 UC applications and received 92 offers, a UC admit rate of 26.1% (counted at each campus); 28 enrolled.
Which UC campus do Laguna Beach High School graduates attend most? More of Laguna Beach High School's graduates enrolled at UC Berkeley than at any other UC campus (10 in 2025); UC Berkeley and UCLA together admitted 22.
What percentage of Laguna Beach High School graduates complete the A-G requirements? 87% of its graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU eligibility (California median 56%).
What percentage of Laguna Beach High School graduates go to college? 88% of its 2022-23 graduates enrolled in college within 12 months (California Department of Education College-Going Rate).
Where do Laguna Beach High School graduates go to college? Laguna Beach High School publishes a matriculation list (where its graduates enrolled) for the C/O 2026: 84 colleges. Source: School Profile 2026-2027 (Laguna Beach High School).
How many students attend Laguna Beach High School? Enrollment was 820 students in 2026, down 24% since 2018.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com). These figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
What does AI tell parents about Laguna Beach High School?
When a parent asks an AI assistant about Laguna Beach High School, the answer is built from a handful of sources, and Reach is often one of them. We will send your school a short report on what AI says about Laguna Beach High School and where it comes from. The first report is free.
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