Costa Mesa High School
Costa Mesa · Orange County · Newport-Mesa Unified · Public
Shareable scorecard →Compare with peers
Most similar nearby schools
Valley High School → Saddleback High School → Bolsa Grande High School → Santiago High School → Los Amigos High School → Compare all similar →A parent's read
- Where graduates go, as the school itself publishes it. Costa Mesa High School publishes where its graduates go (not stated): 162 colleges, including UC Berkeley, Boston College, Brown University, California Institute of Technology.
- Elite admits are rare — here and everywhere. Berkeley admitted 4 of this class's 195 UC applications. The strong middle campuses — San Diego, Santa Barbara, Irvine, Davis — are where most real UC outcomes happen.
- Most grads aim beyond the UC system. Seniors file only ~0.6 UC applications each — families here mostly target CSU, private, or out-of-state colleges, so judge this school on more than its UC numbers.
- Who actually gets in: the top half of applicants. UC admits from this school average about a 4.2 weighted GPA — noticeably above the average applicant. Being near the top of THIS school's class is what converts to admits; UC reads applications in each school's own context.
- Worth asking about: the recent trend. UC admissions per senior have slipped for three straight years. Ask the school what changed — counseling, course access, or just class-size shifts.
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
Costa Mesa High School publishes its college acceptances (not stated): 162 colleges. See the full list ↓
At a glance
- 21 AP courses offered — Elite
- 2 calculus classes · 3 physics · 9 chemistry
- AP rigor: 80th percentile nationally
- SAT/ACT participation: Bottom 43% by test-taker volume
- 4-yr grad rate: 94% in 2019 (69th percentile nationally)
Composed from federal CRDC offerings, EDFacts graduation data, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.
Their published college acceptances
College acceptances
Costa Mesa High School publishes the colleges that admitted its graduates. What follows is copied from that document — 162 colleges, in the document's own order.
The document does not state a class year for this list.
Ivy+ and most selective · 4
Brown University · Duke University · Stanford University · Yale University
University of California · 9
UC Berkeley · UC Davis · UC Irvine · UC Los Angeles · UC Merced · UC Riverside · UC San Diego · UC Santa Barbara · UC Santa Cruz
Cal State · 19
California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo · California State University, Bakersfield · California State University, Chico · California State University, Dominguez Hills · California State University, East Bay · California State University, Fresno · California State University, Fullerton · California State University, Long Beach · California State University, Los Angeles · California State University, Monterey Bay · California State Polytechnic University, Pomona · California State University, Sacramento · California State University, San Marcos · California State University, Stanislaus · and 5 more below
Other California · 17
Academy of Art University · Azusa Pacific University · Biola University · California Institute of Technology · Chapman University · Concordia University, Irvine · Loyola Marymount University · Otis College of Art and Design · Pepperdine University · Thomas Aquinas College · University of La Verne · University of the Pacific · University of Redlands · University of Southern California · and 3 more below
Out of state · 63
American University · Allegheny College · Arizona State University · Baylor University · Boise State · Boston College · Brigham Young University - Idaho · Brigham Young University · Chaminade University of Honolulu · Colorado State University · Dickinson State University · Florida State University · George Mason University · George Washington University · and 49 more below
Not matched to a college page · 50
American Academy for the Dramatic Arts · Art Institute · Eastern Michigan State · FIDM · Golden State Baptist College · Johnson & Wales University, Denver · Kansas City Art Institute · Laguna College of Art and Design · Marymount Manhattan · Menlo College · Mercy College · New York Film Academy · Parsons The New School for Design · Providence Christian College · and 36 more below
Is my kid's college on this list?
The school down the road: Saddleback High School
| College | Costa Mesa High School | Saddleback High School |
|---|---|---|
| Boston College | ✓ named | — |
| Brown University | ✓ named | — |
| Duke University | ✓ named | — |
| Georgetown University | ✓ named | — |
| Johns Hopkins University | ✓ named | — |
| New York University | ✓ named | — |
| Purdue University | ✓ named | — |
| Stanford University | ✓ named | — |
| UC Berkeley | ✓ named | — |
| UC Los Angeles | ✓ named | ✓ named |
| University of Southern California | ✓ named | ✓ named |
| University of Washington | ✓ named | — |
Both schools print names, not counts, so this shows which selective colleges each list names.
All 162 colleges, as the document prints them
and 132 more
These graduates were admitted 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 Costa Mesa High School — CMHS School Profile 2024-2025 ↗. Found at: Page 4, “Recent University and College Acceptances” — sections CALIFORNIA STATE PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES, PRIVATE COLLEGES & OUT OF STATE UNIVERSITIES, COMMUNITY COL.
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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
82.5% 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 85.2% had enrolled — CDE publishes a 16-month window alongside the 12-month one, 224 students.
Up 5 points from the 2021-22 class (77.5%).
Where the 2022-23 class enrolled
In California — 210 students (79.8%)
Out of state — 7 students (2.7%)
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 Costa Mesa High School compares for families
Mid-pack college outcomes within California.
- ▸ StatewideUC Reach Score of 14 — right around the California median of 19.
- ▸ vs Similar SchoolsTrails the peer median (UC Reach Score 14 vs a 19 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
80th 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 43% 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?
69th percentile nationally
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
Title I Schoolwide eligible
≥40% FRPL — qualifies for Title I Schoolwide program
40-74% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. The district can use Title I funds across the whole school under federal Schoolwide Program rules.
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.
Absenteeism is up 7.6 pp since 2016-17. A rising absenteeism trend often precedes formal departure — worth investigating which subgroups are driving it.
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 (-1.4%/yr, Total enrollment)
At per-pupil funding of $ / student:
| Horizon | Projected Total enrollment | Change | Funding impact / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 yr (2027) | ~1,588 | -22 | $0 |
| 3 yr (2029) | ~1,545 | -65 | $0 |
| 5 yr (2031) | ~1,503 | -107 | $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 Costa Mesa High School really compare on getting kids to college?
We've ranked it #10 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
Valley High · Saddleback High School · Bolsa Grande High School · Santiago High · Los Amigos High School · Tustin 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.
Enrollment is shrinking 1.3× the county rate (school -8.1% vs. county -6.0%) with stability (91.1%) near the county median. Two problems compounding — the recruitment side is the higher-leverage starting point.
107 of 1,197 students who enrolled at Costa Mesa High School this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (8.9% 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 — Newport-Mesa 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: 78.6%
Federal: 7.2%
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 Newport-Mesa 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).
Costa Mesa High School sent 195 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 22.6% were admitted, producing a UC Reach Score of 14 (top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors, counting a student at each campus that admitted them) — 5 points below the California median of 19, higher than 37% of California high schools. The school produces 1.3 UCLA + UC Berkeley admits per 100 seniors.
19
53
14
Higher than 37% of California high schools (1105 ranked, ≥50 seniors)
Costa Mesa High School's UC Reach Score of 14 is below the California median (19). The top 10% of CA schools achieve 53 or higher.
But in Orange County, where the local median is 25 and the top-10% bar is 70, this score is mid-pack rather than exceptional — typical of its market rather than a standout.
Overall, Costa Mesa High School's UC Reach is higher than 37% 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 (2020) | 3.89 | 4.26 | +0.37 | 23.8% | Peers +0.28 · steeper |
| UCLA (2020) | 3.87 | 4.26 | +0.40 | 23.1% | Peers +0.34 · steeper |
| UC San Diego | 3.84 | 4.21 | +0.36 | 31.0% | Peers +0.35 · matches |
| UC Santa Barbara | 3.83 | 4.16 | +0.32 | 28.6% | Peers +0.34 · matches |
| UC Irvine | 3.79 | 4.12 | +0.33 | 25.0% | Peers +0.34 · matches |
| UC Davis | 3.89 | 4.16 | +0.27 | 46.2% | Peers +0.26 · matches |
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 Costa Mesa High School sits vs. all California schools ⓘ
Overall, this school admits its UC applicants 6.0 points above what their GPAs predict (28.0% actual vs. 22.1% 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 | 22 | 4 | —† | 18.2% | 1 | — | 3.85 | —† |
| UCLA → Elite | 38 | —† | —† | —† | —† | — | 3.88 | —† |
| UC San Diego → Selective | 42 | 13 | 4 | 31.0% | 4 | 30.8% | 3.84 | 4.21 |
| UC Santa Barbara → Selective | 28 | 8 | —† | 28.6% | 3 | — | 3.83 | 4.16 |
| UC Irvine → Selective | 52 | 13 | 8 | 25.0% | 4 | 61.5% | 3.79 | 4.12 |
| UC Davis → | 13 | 6 | —† | 46.2% | 2 | — | 3.89 | 4.16 |
What This Means
For School Admins
The full Reach Report for Costa Mesa 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 (14) ranked head-to-head against your closest competitor schools
- ✓Your 5-year enrollment forecast (currently -1.4%/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 assistantCosta Mesa High School is a public high school in Costa Mesa, Orange County, California with 304 seniors in the Class of 2025.
Its UC Reach Score is 14 (Below the CA median, below the state median): 44 UC admits (counted at each UC) from a senior class of 304, so a student admitted to several campuses counts at each. That is higher than 37% of California high schools.
In 2025 its students filed 195 UC applications and received 44 offers, a UC admit rate of 22.6% (counted at each campus); 12 enrolled.
More of its graduates enrolled at UC Irvine than at any other UC campus (8 in 2025); UC Berkeley and UCLA together admitted 4.
50% of its graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU eligibility (California median 56%).
82% 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, 90% earned a degree within six years (cohort entering 2016).
It has about 402 students per school counselor.
Enrollment was 1,610 students in 2026, down 13% since 2018.
Costa Mesa High School publishes a college acceptances list for the not stated: 162 colleges. Source: CMHS School Profile 2024-2025.
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 Costa Mesa High School's UC Reach Score? Costa Mesa High School's UC Reach Score is 14 (Below the CA median, below the state median): 44 UC admits (counted at each UC) from a senior class of 304, so a student admitted to several campuses counts at each. That is higher than 37% of California high schools.
How many students from Costa Mesa High School got into a UC? In 2025 its students filed 195 UC applications and received 44 offers, a UC admit rate of 22.6% (counted at each campus); 12 enrolled.
Which UC campus do Costa Mesa High School graduates attend most? More of Costa Mesa High School's graduates enrolled at UC Irvine than at any other UC campus (8 in 2025); UC Berkeley and UCLA together admitted 4.
What percentage of Costa Mesa High School graduates complete the A-G requirements? 50% of its graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU eligibility (California median 56%).
What percentage of Costa Mesa High School graduates go to college? 82% of its 2022-23 graduates enrolled in college within 12 months (California Department of Education College-Going Rate).
Where do Costa Mesa High School graduates go to college? Costa Mesa High School publishes a college acceptances list for the not stated: 162 colleges. Source: CMHS School Profile 2024-2025.
How many students attend Costa Mesa High School? Enrollment was 1,610 students in 2026, down 13% since 2018.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com). These figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
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