Enrollment & Outcomes Scorecard
El Capitan High
Public · Merced County · 1,852 students · Class of 2025
UC Reach · Class of 2025
20%
Higher than 54% of California high schools
+9.8 pp above peer median (10.2%)
· Ranked #1 of 10 similar schools
5-year UC Reach
2021 · 14.6%
2025 · 20.0%
+10%
Senior-class enrollment (2018–2026)
+2.9 pp
vs. Merced County baseline (+8%)
~1928
5-yr projected enrollment (+1.3%/yr)
- ▸On UC Reach, El Capitan High sits near the top of its similar-school group (ranked #1 of 10): 20% vs. a peer median of 10%.
- ▸Its UC Reach has risen 7 points since 2018.
- ▸Across the top-6 UC campuses, El Capitan High is admitting at roughly +14 percentage points above what its average applicant GPA (4.002) alone would predict (38% actual vs. 23% 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 10% (381→421 from 2018 to 2026), outpacing the peer-group median of +5%.
- ▸Enrollment has been growing (+1.3%/yr); projects to ~1928 by 2029.
Most similar nearby schools
| School | Type | UC Reach | Enroll. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced High School | Public | 12.5% | +18% |
| Golden Valley High | Public | 15.2% | +14% |
| Buhach Colony High School | Public | 5.5% | -9% |
| Atwater High School | Public | 9.8% | +27% |
| Livingston High School | Public | 9.8% | +1% |
| John H Pitman High School | Public | 15.5% | +2% |
UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class. Sources: UCOP Admissions by Source School, CDE enrollment, IRS Form 990, NCES F-33. Test Prep Gurus Intelligence by Test Prep Gurus · Methodology
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