Crean Lutheran High School

Irvine · Orange County · Religious-affiliated

Private Orange County ~285 seniors
📄 Shareable scorecard →

Top 5% UC Reach in California 📖16 AP courses 🎓Top 5% UC Reach in CA 🎓Top 4 UC Reach in Orange

📋 At a glance

Programs & features
  • 📚 16 AP courses offered (school profile)
  • 🏆 2 National Merit Semifinalists last year
Academic signals
  • 📝 SAT avg 1300 (25-75: 1240–1370)
  • 📝 ACT avg 29.0 (25-75: 27–31)
  • 📚 AP exam pass rate 83.0% (avg score 4.0)

Composed from federal CRDC offerings, EDFacts ACGR, the school's own published profile, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.

💡

How Crean Lutheran High School compares for families

One of California's strongest schools for college outcomes.

  • Statewide94.4% UC Reach76.3 points above the California median of 18.1%. Ahead of 99% of California high schools.
  • Locally🎓 Top 5% in California on UC Reach — plus 1 more top-rank.
  • vs Similar SchoolsBeats the peer median (94.4% UC Reach vs 32.8% median) across the 5 most similar nearby schools.
📊 Key takeaway · Class of 2025

Crean Lutheran High School sent 736 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 36.5% were admitted, producing a UC Reach of 94.4%76.3 percentage points above the California median of 18.1%, higher than 99% of California high schools. The school produces 10.2 UCLA + UC Berkeley admits per 100 seniors.

University of California outcomes · Class of 2025
★ Top 5% UC Reach
UC Reach
94%
269 admits / 285 seniors
+61.6 pp above peer median (32.8%) · Ranked #1 of 8 similar schools
5-year trend
2021 · 78.3% 2025 · 94.4%
Where this sits on the California curve
CA median
18.1%
Peer median
32.8%
Top 10%
51.2%
This school
94.4%
0%50%100%
CA median 18.1% Top 10% ≥ 51.2% This school 94.4%

Higher than 99% of California high schools (978 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

📊 What this number means

Crean Lutheran High School's UC Reach of 94.4% clears the statewide top-10% cutoff (51.2%) — meaning roughly 94 top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors, well above what most California schools achieve.

In Orange County — a competitive market where the median is already 25.0% — this still clears the county top-10% bar (70.9%).

Against similar schools, Crean Lutheran High School stands out clearly — the peer-group median is 32.8%.

For context, the elite tier (top 1%) clears 97.3% — a gap of 3 pp from where this school sits.

Overall, Crean Lutheran High School's UC Reach is higher than 99% of California high schools (978 ranked).

UC Application Reach
258.2%
736 applications
Strong UC pursuit. The typical senior is applying to about 3 top-6 UC campuses — a signal of a college-driven student body.
In context: CA median 74.9% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 241.0% · Orange Co. Top 10% ≥ 295.1% · higher than 92% of CA HS.
UC Admit Rate
36.5%
269 / 736 applications
In context: CA median 26.1% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.5% · higher than 84% of CA HS.
UC Yield Rate
15.6%
42 enrolled of 269 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
14.7%
42 enrollees / 285 seniors
Enrollment Reach vs. Yield: Reach answers "of the whole senior class, what % 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
87%
68% finished in 4 yrs · N=38 entered 2019
In context: CA median 88.6% · -1.8 pp vs. median.
Selective UC Reach (UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCD)
71.9
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 15.4 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 41.5 · higher than 98% of CA HS.
Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA)
10.2
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 3.3 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 9.7 · higher than 91% of CA HS.
Senior Class Size
285
Private School Affidavit
Total School Enrollment
1,126
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
4.04
Avg. Admitted GPA · top-6 UCs
4.18

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 Crean Lutheran 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 4.06 4.19 +0.13 16.7% Peers +0.20 · wider
UCLA 4.06 4.14 +0.09 11.0% Peers +0.23 · wider
UC San Diego 4.04 4.21 +0.17 32.8% Peers +0.23 · wider
UC Santa Barbara 4.01 4.20 +0.19 35.0% Peers +0.25 · wider
UC Irvine 4.03 4.16 +0.13 52.0% Peers +0.19 · wider
UC Davis 4.02 4.15 +0.14 53.5% Peers +0.20 · wider
📊 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 Crean Lutheran High School sits vs. all California schools

Overall, this school admits its UC applicants 11.7 points above what their GPAs predict (33.2% actual vs. 21.5% expected), based on 2024 data.

UC Outcomes Trend — 2018–2025

UC Admit Rate %
UC Reach % (where available)
UC Admits (count, right axis)

Class size from CDE grade 12 enrollment. Campus-level data — applicant/admit totals may count a student at multiple campuses more than once.

Campus Breakdown — 2025

Campus Applicants Admits Enrollees Admit Rate UC Reach Yield Avg GPA (App) '24 Avg GPA (Adm) '24
UC Berkeley → Elite 109 17 4 15.6% 6.0% 23.5% 4.06 4.19
UCLA → Elite 136 12 6 8.8% 4.2% 50.0% 4.06 4.14
UC San Diego → Selective 141 47 10 33.3% 16.5% 21.3% 4.04 4.21
UC Santa Barbara → Selective 117 56 4 47.9% 19.6% 7.1% 4.01 4.20
UC Irvine → Selective 139 73 15 52.5% 25.6% 20.5% 4.03 4.16
UC Davis → 94 64 3 68.1% 22.5% 4.7% 4.02 4.15
= 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 requires unique-student counts. See methodology →

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 Crean Lutheran High School's 2025 number, statewide percentile, and 5-year trend.

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)
854 (2020)1,126 (2025)
+31.9%
Grade 12 (graduating class)
204 (2020)285 (2025)
+39.7%

If this trend holds (+5.7%/yr, Total enrollment)

At tuition of $ / student:

Horizon Projected Total enrollment Change Tuition impact / yr
1 yr (2026) ~1,190 +64 $0
3 yr (2028) ~1,329 +203 $0
5 yr (2030) ~1,485 +359 $0

Straight-line extrapolation of the recent annual rate — a what-if, not a forecast of intent. Edit the figure to match your school.

Crean Lutheran High School — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot

Private · Other religious · Irvine · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools

  • On UC Reach, Crean Lutheran High School sits near the top of its similar-school group (ranked #1 of 8): 94% vs. a peer median of 33%.
  • Its UC Reach has held roughly steady since 2020.
  • Across the top-6 UC campuses, Crean Lutheran High School is admitting at roughly +12 percentage points above what its average applicant GPA (4.037) alone would predict (33% 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 up 40% (204→285 from 2020 to 2025), outpacing the peer-group median of -1%.
  • Enrollment has been growing (+5.7%/yr); projects to ~1329 by 2028.

Enrollment projection

1126 students (2025)
~1329 projected (2028)
at +5.7%/yr

Your school vs. its 10 most similar nearby schools

School Type Size UC Reach Enroll. trend
Crean Lutheran High School Private · Other religious 1126 94.4% +40%
Peer-group median 32.8% -1%
Orange Lutheran High School Private · Other religious 1141 36.7% -3%
Saint Margarets Episcopal Sch Private · Other religious 1159 72.5% -16%
Calvary Chapel High School Private · Other religious 839 27.6% +0%
Jserra Catholic High School Private · Catholic 1282 32.8% +10%
Crossroads Christian School Private · Other religious 733 +36%
Mater Dei High School Private · Catholic 1849 36.4% +3%
Lutheran High School Private · Other religious 1141 -3%
Servite High School Private · Catholic 767 24.6% -2%
United Christian Academy Private · Other religious 925 14.0% -23%
Newport Christian School Private · Other religious 458 +140%

UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class (can exceed 100% when students are admitted to multiple campuses). Enrollment trend = first-to-latest grade-12 change on file. Similar schools matched on proximity, size, type, and religious orientation. Methodology →

Financial profile — IRS Form 990, FY2016

From 5 years of Form 990 filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (free public IRS data). The school's tax filings show financial scale, fundraising health, and endowment trajectory — signals that drive board-level conversations about tuition pricing, financial-aid capacity, and capital projects.

Total revenue
$13.1M
FY2016
Net assets (endowment + property)
$17.6M
+46.2% since FY2012
Tuition revenue (program)
$12.2M
≈ $10871/student avg
Gifts & grants
$0.6M
fundraising
Total revenue by year ($M)
Net assets by year ($M)

Source: IRS Form 990 via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (EIN 550909201). Tuition-per-student is total program-service revenue divided by latest enrollment — a rough average that includes auxiliary revenue (athletics, food service, etc.); the actual published tuition can differ. Form 990 is filed annually under penalty of perjury, so the financial scale figures are authoritative.

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 very strong — more than 94% of seniors are earning UC admission. This places the school among California's highest-performing high schools on this metric.
Strong UC Reach paired with low yield: students are earning UC admission at high rates and then enrolling elsewhere. The pattern is characteristic of competitive college-preparatory schools where many students choose more selective private colleges or out-of-state flagships over UC — UC functions as a strong backup option rather than a first choice.
UC Reach has improved meaningfully compared to the prior year — a positive trajectory worth monitoring and reinforcing.
Note: admit counts used here are campus-level totals. A student admitted to both UCLA and UCSD is counted twice. When UCOP unique-student data becomes available it will be loaded automatically and the labels will update.
Compare with other schools → See Orange County rankings →

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