Santa Margarita Catholic High School

Rancho San Margarit · Orange County · Catholic religious-affiliated

Private Orange County ~421 seniors

Data Year

Compare with peers

Other schools in Orange County, closest in size

Mater Dei High School → Jserra Catholic High School → St. Margaret's Episcopal School → Orange Lutheran High School → Crean Lutheran High School → Compare all similar →

37 UC Reach Score · Above average 24 AP courses

A parent's read

The UC pipeline here is real. 156 admissions to the top six UC campuses for a class of 421 seniors puts this school in roughly the top 21% of California high schools.
The UC surprise: most admits from the middle campuses — most enrollments at UCLA. The middle campuses said yes far more often — 120 of this class's 156 UC admits came from San Diego, Santa Barbara, Irvine, and Davis. But the campus grads chose most is UCLA: 11 of its 16 admits took the seat. Those offers are rare — and when kids from here win one, they keep it.
Students who test here average 1266 on the SAT. That's far above the national average of about 1030 — as published in the school's own profile.
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.

At a glance

Programs & features

24 AP courses offered (school profile)
4 National Merit Semifinalists (2025)

Academic signals

SAT avg 1266
ACT avg 27
AP exam pass rate 91%

Composed from the school's own published profile (2025), and other public data. Full breakdowns below.

Where grads go — and what it costs & pays

UC Reach Score

Above average top 25% in California

Top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors in the Class of 2025 — counts each campus admit, so a student admitted to several UCs counts more than once (which is why a strong school can score over 100).

UC admits by campus · Class of 2025

UCB

20 admitted

8 enrolled

Net $13,481/yr avg

Grads earn $92,446 @10yr

UCLA

16 admitted

11 enrolled

Net $12,548/yr avg

Grads earn $82,511 @10yr

UCSD

26 admitted

5 enrolled

Net $12,470/yr avg

Grads earn $84,943 @10yr

UCSB

29 admitted

3 enrolled

Net $16,109/yr avg

Grads earn $74,915 @10yr

UCI

35 admitted

5 enrolled

Net $14,251/yr avg

Grads earn $80,735 @10yr

UCD

30 admitted

4 enrolled

Net $14,741/yr avg

Grads earn $80,838 @10yr

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.

You've seen Santa Margarita Catholic High School. What are your child's real college odds? Check any college in 10 seconds — no email needed — then get the free Family Decision Report: Reach / Competitive / Match / Likely + the real cost range for every college on their list. Check odds →

How Santa Margarita Catholic High School compares for families

Above-average college outcomes statewide.

▸ StatewideUC Reach Score of 37 — 18 points above the California median of 19. Ahead of 79% of California high schools.
▸ vs Similar SchoolsOther schools in the county, closest in size: Mater Dei High School, Jserra Catholic High School, St. Margaret's Episcopal School and 2 more. See the sidebar to compare side-by-side.

For Parents

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Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.

Their published matriculation list

Where the Class of 2025 enrolled

Santa Margarita Catholic High School publishes where its graduates enrolled. What follows is copied from that document — 154 colleges, ordered by the number of students enrolled.

College · Students

Saddleback College 31

University of Utah 26

Texas Christian University 16

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 10

Chapman University 10

UCLA 10

University of San Diego 9

San Diego State University 8

Southern Methodist University 8

UC Berkeley 8

University of Mississippi 8

Boston University 7

Indiana University 7

University of Notre Dame 7

University of Southern California 7

Boise State University 6

The University of Alabama 6

University of Arizona 6

CSU Fullerton 5

Loyola Marymount University 5

New York University 5

UC Davis 5

UC Irvine 5

UC San Diego 5

University of Oklahoma 5

Orange Coast College 4

Clemson University 3

Concordia University 3

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Prescott) 3

Harvard University 3

and 124 more

Irvine Valley College 3

Texas A&M University 3

The University of Tennessee 3

UC Riverside 3

UC Santa Barbara 3

University of Michigan 3

University of Missouri 3

University of Oregon 3

University of Washington 3

Arizona State University 2

Art Center College of Design 2

Columbia University 2

CSU Chico 2

CSU Long Beach 2

CSU Monterey Bay 2

Grand Canyon University 2

Manhattan University 2

Northeastern University 2

Oregon State University 2

Point Loma Nazarene University 2

Purdue University 2

Santa Barbara City College 2

Santa Clara University 2

Seton Hall University 2

Stanford University 2

Syracuse University 2

The Ohio State University 2

United States Naval Academy 2

University of Colorado Boulder 2

University of Georgia 2

University of Richmond 2

University of South Carolina 2

University of St Andrews 2

University of the Pacific 2

Westmont College 2

Whittier College 2

Arizona Christian University 1

Auburn University 1

Babson College 1

Belmont University 1

Benedictine College 1

Biola University 1

Boston College 1

Brandeis University 1

Brigham Young University 1

Brown University 1

Bucknell University 1

California Baptist University 1

California Lutheran University 1

Carnegie Mellon University 1

Central Michigan University 1

Claremont McKenna College 1

Colorado School of Mines 1

Cornell University 1

Creighton University 1

CSU Dominguez Hills 1

CSU San Marcos 1

Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland 1

Duquesne University 1

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach) 1

Emory University 1

Florida Institute of Technology 1

Florida International University 1

Florida State University 1

George Washington University 1

Hawai'i Pacific University 1

High Point University 1

Johns Hopkins University 1

Lewis & Clark College 1

Loyola University Chicago 1

Michigan State University 1

Molloy University 1

Montana State University 1

New Mexico Military Institute 1

Northeastern University London 1

Northern Arizona University 1

Northwestern University 1

Otis College of Art and Design 1

Penn State University 1

Pepperdine University 1

Pratt Institute 1

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 1

Rutgers University 1

Salisbury University 1

Samford University 1

Santa Monica College 1

Seattle University 1

Smith College 1

St Mary's University 1

St. Edward's University 1

St. George's University 1

Swarthmore College 1

Texas State University 1

The University of Texas at Austin 1

Trinity College Dublin 1

United States Military Academy at West Point 1

University College London 1

University of Arkansas 1

University of Austin 1

University of Central Florida 1

University of Chicago 1

University of Cincinnati 1

University of Hawaii at Manoa 1

University of Idaho 1

University of Illinois at Chicago 1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1

University of Iowa 1

University of Kansas 1

University of Massachusetts-Amherst 1

University of Mount Olive 1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1

University of Pennsylvania 1

University of Pittsburgh 1

University of Redlands 1

University of San Francisco 1

University of Wisconsin 1

University of Wisconsin-Stout 1

Utah State University 1

Vanguard University 1

Villanova University 1

Wake Forest University 1

Washington State University 1

Wellesley College 1

Westminster University 1

These graduates went on to the colleges above.

Check your kid's odds at these colleges →

We'll load the 10 colleges the class chose most often — add your name, email and your child's numbers and we'll see where your child lands at each.

Independently verified As published by Santa Margarita Catholic High School — 2025-2026 School Profile ↗. Found at: p.4, 'COLLEGE MATRICULATION LIST - CLASS OF 2025' (labeled: 'This is the complete matriculation list, with the number of students attending for the class of 202.

No SBAC data for private schools — and that's not the metric you want anyway

California's Smarter Balanced (CAASPP) assessment is administered by the state, by statute, to public & charter schools only. Private schools don't sit for it. That's why the SBAC card is missing on this profile — not a data gap on our side, a deliberate scope of the state's testing program.

For private schools, UC Reach is the stronger academic signal anyway. SBAC measures grade-11 inputs (proficiency on a state standard); UC Reach measures outputs (who actually got into the most selective UCs). For private-school families weighing tuition against college outcomes, the outputs are the relevant signal.

Scroll up to the UC Reach card for Santa Margarita Catholic High School's 2025 number, statewide percentile, and 5-year trend.

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)

1,641 (2020) → 1,823 (2025)

+11.1%

Grade 12 (graduating class)

379 (2020) → 421 (2025)

+11.1%

If this trend holds (+2.1%/yr, Total enrollment)

At tuition of $ / student:

Horizon	Projected Total enrollment	Change	Tuition impact / yr
1 yr (2026)	~1,861	+38	$0
3 yr (2028)	~1,940	+117	$0
5 yr (2030)	~2,023	+200	$0

Straight-line extrapolation of the recent annual rate — a what-if, not a forecast of intent. Default = a typical CA Catholic high school ($10k–18k). Edit the figure to match your school.

Diocesan context — Diocese of Orange

Diocese

Counties covered

Orange

Schools operated (K–12)

~39

approx; from diocesan reports

Other Catholic HS tracked

in this diocese, on this site

Diocese of Orange is the canonical governance body for Catholic schools in this region — board policy, tuition guidance, and shared services typically originate here. Visit the diocesan website →

Financial figures aren't shown because Catholic (arch)dioceses don't file IRS Form 990 — they're covered by the USCCB Group Ruling (GEN 0928), which exempts dioceses, parishes, and parochial schools from individual filing. School counts above are hand-compiled from each diocese's published schools-department information.

Key takeaway · Class of 2025

Santa Margarita Catholic High School sent 723 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 21.6% were admitted, producing a UC Reach Score of 37 (top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors, counting a student at each campus that admitted them) — 18 points above the California median of 19, higher than 79% of California high schools. The school produces 8.6 UCLA + UC Berkeley admits per 100 seniors.

UC Reach Score 37 ⓘ 156 admits (counted at each UC) / 421 seniors methodology

Where this sits on the California curve

CA median
19

Top 10%
53

This school
37

050100

CA median 19 Top 10% ≥ 53 This school 37

Higher than 79% of California high schools (1107 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

What this number means

Santa Margarita Catholic High School's UC Reach Score of 37 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 58 pp from where this school sits.

Overall, Santa Margarita Catholic High School's UC Reach is higher than 79% of California high schools (1107 ranked).

UC Application Reach Score ⓘ

172

723 applications

Most seniors are applying to at least one of the six most selective UCs (applications counted at each campus).

In context: CA median 81 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 240 · Orange Co. Top 10% ≥ 294 · higher than 80% of CA HS.

UC Admit Rate ⓘ

21.6%

156 / 723 applications

In context: CA median 26.0% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.4% · higher than 24% of CA HS.

UC Yield Rate ⓘ

23.1%

36 enrolled of 156 admitted

Yield vs. Enrollment Reach: Yield answers "of UC admits, what % chose UC?" — denominator is just the admits. A small admitted cohort can post a low yield even when the school sends a healthy share of its class to UC.

UC Enrollment Reach Score ⓘ

36 enrollees / 421 seniors

Enrollment Reach vs. Yield: Reach answers "of the whole senior class, what share ended up at UC?" — denominator is everyone. High Yield with low Enrollment Reach is common at elite privates: most admits matriculate, but the school sends most of its class to non-UC selective colleges.

UC 6-Yr Grad Rate ⓘ

Kids from here finish what they start: 94% of its UC entrants earn the degree within six years — above the norm for CA schools.

94%

88% finished in 4 yrs · N=33 entered 2019

In context: CA median 88.6% · +5.3 pp above.

Selective UC Reach (UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCI — incl. the Elite two) ⓘ

29.9

per 100 seniors · campus-level total

In context: CA median 15.9 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 42.2 · higher than 79% of CA HS.

Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA) ⓘ

8.6

per 100 seniors · campus-level total

In context: CA median 3.4 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 10.2 · higher than 84% of CA HS.

Senior Class Size ⓘ

421

Private School Affidavit

Total School Enrollment ⓘ

1,823

All grades · Private School Affidavit

Private-school figures come from the California Private School Affidavit. Per CDE, inclusion in private-school data is not an evaluation, approval, or endorsement of a school.

Avg. Applicant GPA · top-6 UCs ⓘ

3.93

Avg. Admitted GPA · top-6 UCs ⓘ

4.17

GPA figures reflect 2024 — UC has not yet released applicant/admit GPA for 2025.

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.

Who's actually getting into UC from Santa Margarita Catholic High School

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	Real shot	Long odds	Filtered out
UC Santa Barbara	Strong shot	Moderate	Long odds	Filtered out
UC Irvine	Strong shot	Real shot	Long odds	Filtered out
UC Davis	Strong shot	Real shot	Moderate	Filtered out

Strong shot = ≥30% statewide admit rate at this band · Real shot = 10–29% · Moderate = 5–9% · Long odds = 1–4% · Filtered out = under 1%. Tiers map this school's likely outcomes by GPA tier using statewide CA admit rates from UCOP 2024.

The numbers behind it

Campus	Applicant GPA	Admit GPA	Lift ⓘ	Admit rate	vs peer schools @ same GPA ⓘ
UC Berkeley	4.00	4.16	+0.16	21.0%	Peers +0.23 · wider
UCLA	3.95	4.22	+0.27	14.3%	Peers +0.28 · matches
UC San Diego	3.93	4.19	+0.27	30.6%	Peers +0.29 · matches
UC Santa Barbara	3.91	4.20	+0.29	27.6%	Peers +0.30 · matches
UC Irvine	3.90	4.14	+0.23	39.6%	Peers +0.26 · matches
UC Davis	3.92	4.14	+0.23	39.6%	Peers +0.24 · matches

Statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, 2024 (for reference)

GPA band	UCB	UCLA	UCSD	UCSB	UCI	UCD
4.00+	17.1%	14.4%	43.5%	57.3%	46.0%	64.1%
3.70–3.99	2.8%	1.5%	11.2%	9.2%	16.5%	27.5%
3.30–3.69	0.8%	0.9%	1.4%	2.3%	3.4%	9.1%
3.00–3.29	0.5%	0.4%	0.1%	0.5%	0.4%	2.1%
< 3.00	0.6%	0.2%	0.2%	0.5%	0.3%	0.6%

How we infer the tier labels: Each tier comes from the statewide CA admit rate at that GPA band at that UC. The "vs peers" column compares this school's lift (admit GPA − applicant GPA) to the average lift at ~100–300 other CA schools with similar applicant pool GPA. What this isn't: a guarantee. UC comprehensive review weighs essays, course rigor, demographics, and context-of-opportunity beyond GPA. A 3.9 with strong context can land an admit; a 4.0 with weak essays can be denied. Use as a baseline expectation, not a verdict. Per-campus year is shown when it differs from the headline year (UCOP doesn't always publish admit-GPA for every campus every year).

Where Santa Margarita Catholic High School sits vs. all California schools ⓘ

Overall, this school admits its UC applicants 7.0 points above what their GPAs predict (28.1% actual vs. 21.1% expected), based on 2024 data.

UC Outcomes Trend — 2018–2025

UC Admit Rate %

UC Reach Score (where available)

UC Admits (count, right axis)

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) '24	Avg GPA (Adm) '24
UC Berkeley → Elite	98	20	8	20.4%	5	40.0%	4.00	4.16
UCLA → Elite	148	16	11	10.8%	4	68.8%	3.95	4.22
UC San Diego → Selective	138	26	5	18.8%	6	19.2%	3.93	4.19
UC Santa Barbara → Selective	143	29	3	20.3%	7	10.3%	3.91	4.20
UC Irvine → Selective	113	35	5	31.0%	8	14.3%	3.90	4.14
UC Davis →	83	30	4	36.1%	7	13.3%	3.92	4.14

† = UCOP-suppressed (count below 3 students, hidden for privacy — actual value is 0, 1, or 2, not necessarily zero). Campus-level totals may count one student admitted to multiple UC campuses more than once; Admit Volume metrics are not the same as UC Reach, which is measured against the whole senior class. See methodology →

What This Means

A large share of the senior class applies to UC, indicating strong college-going culture and UC pipeline development.

A large share of the class applies to UC, so the admit rate runs lower than the application volume alone might suggest — expected when many students apply broadly, including to reach campuses. UC Reach (which credits every admit relative to the class) is the truer read of how the class fares: a strong Reach alongside a moderate admit rate is healthy, not a contradiction.

UC Reach is solid. A meaningful share of the senior class is achieving UC admission, and there is likely room to grow both application volume and admission outcomes.

Students are earning UC admission but enrolling elsewhere at a notable rate. This may reflect competition from private colleges, out-of-state flagships, cost considerations, or UC campus fit. Student outcome surveys can clarify.

The school generates broad UC access, but fewer students are reaching the most selective UC campuses (UCLA, Berkeley, UCSD, UCSB, UCI). Targeted academic enrichment and campus-fit advising may help.

UC Reach has declined meaningfully year-over-year. This should be reviewed in context of applicant volume, GPA trends, course rigor changes, and peer-school performance before drawing conclusions.

Note: the UC Reach Score sums campus-level admits across the top-six UC campuses, so a student admitted to both UCLA and UCSD is counted at each. It reflects competitive admit volume relative to class size — admit-events, not distinct students — which is why a Score can exceed 100.

Compare with other schools → See Orange County rankings →