Enrollment & Outcomes Scorecard
Costa Mesa High School
Public · Costa Mesa · Orange County · 1,610 students · Class of 2025
UC Reach Score · Class of 2025
14
Below the CA median
below the state median
Higher than 39% of California high schools
-4.1 pp vs. peer median (19)
· Ranked #10 of 11 similar schools
5-year UC Reach Score
2021 · 18
2025 · 14
-8%
Senior-class enrollment (2018–2026)
-1.0 pp
vs. Orange County baseline (-7%)
~1525
5-yr projected enrollment (85 fewer than today)
- ▸On UC Reach Score, Costa Mesa High School sits near the bottom of its similar-school group (ranked #10 of 11): 14 vs. a peer median of 19.
- ▸Costa Mesa High School's UC Reach Score has stepped down from a peak of 20 in 2023 to 14 in 2025 — a 6-point decline worth tracking.
- ▸Across the top-6 UC campuses, Costa Mesa High School is admitting at roughly +6 percentage points above what its average applicant GPA (3.83) alone would predict (28% actual vs. 22% expected). That's a meaningful signal — it can reflect UC's track record with this school's graduates, students presenting strongly in UC's holistic review (essays, EC's, context), or institutional familiarity helping at the margin. The data can't distinguish which, but the pattern itself is real and worth understanding.
- ▸Senior-class enrollment is down 8% (283→260 from 2018 to 2026), tracking the peer-group median of -10%.
- ▸At its recent rate (-1.8%/yr), enrollment projects to ~1525 by 2029 — about 85 fewer students than today.
Most similar nearby schools
| School | Type | UC Reach Score | Enroll. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley High | Public | 15 | +4% |
| Saddleback High School | Public | 15 | -3% |
| Bolsa Grande High School | Public | 27 | -16% |
| Santiago High | Public | 21 | -16% |
| Los Amigos High School | Public | 17 | -21% |
| Tustin High School | Public | 16 | -29% |
UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class. Sources: UCOP Admissions by Source School, CDE enrollment, IRS Form 990, NCES F-33. Reach — by Test Prep Gurus · Methodology
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