Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana
· Orange County · SBE - Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana · Public
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Middle College High → Samueli Academy → Ednovate - Legacy College Prep. → Polaris High School → Advanced Learning Academy → Compare all similar →📋 At a glance
- Program details not reported to CRDC
- Academic signals not yet ingested for this school
Composed from federal CRDC offerings, EDFacts ACGR, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.
How Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana compares for families
One of California's strongest schools for college outcomes.
- ▸ Statewide100.0% UC Reach — 81.9 points above the California median of 18.1%. Ahead of 99% of California high schools.
- ▸ vs Similar SchoolsBeats the peer median (100.0% UC Reach vs 40.4% median) across the 5 most similar nearby schools.
Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana sent 106 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 34.0% were admitted, producing a UC Reach of 100.0% — 81.9 percentage points above the California median of 18.1%, higher than 99% of California high schools. The school produces 22.2 UCLA + UC Berkeley admits per 100 seniors.
+59.6 pp above peer median (40.4%) · Ranked #1 of 6 similar schools
18.1%
40.4%
51.2%
100.0%
Higher than 99% of California high schools (978 ranked, ≥50 seniors)
Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana's UC Reach of 100.0% clears the statewide top-10% cutoff (51.2%) — meaning roughly 100 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, Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana stands out clearly — the peer-group median is 40.4%.
This places Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana in the elite tier statewide — the top-1% threshold is 97.3%.
Overall, Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana's UC Reach is higher than 99% of California high schools (978 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 |
| UC San Diego | Strong shot | Moderate | 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 | 3.98 | 4.15 | +0.17 | 29.4% | Peers +0.24 · wider |
| UC San Diego | 3.97 | 4.12 | +0.15 | 63.2% | Peers +0.28 · wider |
| UC Irvine | 3.94 | 4.18 | +0.25 | 24.0% | Peers +0.26 · matches |
| UC Davis | 3.87 | 4.02 | +0.15 | 66.7% | Peers +0.27 · wider |
📊 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 Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana sits vs. all California schools ⓘ
Overall, this school admits its UC applicants 13.4 points above what their GPAs predict (34.0% actual vs. 20.6% expected).
UC Outcomes Trend — 2018–2025
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) | Avg GPA (Adm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley → Elite | 17 | 5 | 5 | 29.4% | 13.9% | 100.0% | 3.98 | 4.15 |
| UCLA → Elite | 21 | 3 | —† | 14.3% | 8.3% | — | 4.01 | —† |
| UC San Diego → Selective | 19 | 12 | 5 | 63.2% | 33.3% | 41.7% | 3.97 | 4.12 |
| UC Santa Barbara → Selective | 15 | 4 | —† | 26.7% | 11.1% | — | 4.00 | —† |
| UC Irvine → Selective | 25 | 6 | —† | 24.0% | 16.7% | — | 3.94 | 4.18 |
| UC Davis → | 9 | 6 | —† | 66.7% | 16.7% | — | 3.87 | 4.02 |
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 5.5 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 (-2.8%/yr, Total enrollment)
At per-pupil funding of $ / student:
| Horizon | Projected Total enrollment | Change | Funding impact / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 yr (2027) | ~570 | -16 | $0 |
| 3 yr (2029) | ~538 | -48 | $0 |
| 5 yr (2031) | ~508 | -78 | $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.
Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot
Public · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools
- ▸On UC Reach, Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana sits near the top of its similar-school group (ranked #1 of 6): 100% vs. a peer median of 40%.
- ▸Its UC Reach has risen 71 points since 2021.
- ▸Across the top-6 UC campuses, Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana is admitting at roughly +13 percentage points above what its average applicant GPA (3.968) alone would predict (34% actual vs. 21% 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 257% (14→50 from 2018 to 2026), outpacing the peer-group median of +14%.
- ▸At its recent rate (-2.8%/yr), enrollment projects to ~538 by 2029 — about 48 fewer students than today.
Enrollment projection
That's about 48 fewer students. At per-student funding of $ per student, that's roughly $0 in annual state funding at risk.
Default = California's LCFF base grant for grades 9–12 ($12,423 per ADA) — adjust to your district's actual per-pupil figure. Projection extrapolates the recent annual rate — not a forecast of intent.
Your school vs. its 10 most similar nearby schools
| School | Type | Size | UC Reach | Enroll. trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana | Public | 586 | 100.0% | +257% |
| Peer-group median | 40.4% | +14% | ||
| Middle College High | Public | 476 | 79.8% | +20% |
| Samueli Academy | Public | 844 | 40.4% | +8% |
| Ednovate - Legacy College Prep. | Public | 451 | — | +20% |
| Polaris High School | Public | 727 | — | +687% |
| Advanced Learning Academy | Public | 368 | 17.9% | +257% |
| Estancia High School | Public | 954 | 12.9% | -15% |
| Lorin Griset Academy | Public | 285 | — | -20% |
| Legacy Magnet Academy | Public | 988 | 86.8% | +35% |
| Gilbert High (continuation) | Public | 348 | — | -49% |
| Cesar E. Chavez High | Public | 309 | — | +0% |
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. Methodology →
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.
Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana outperformed Orange County on enrollment (school +257.1% vs. county -7.1%) AND maintains 97.9% stability. Replicable model — worth documenting what's working.
4 of 190 students who enrolled at Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (2.1% 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.