Mission Vista High School

Oceanside · San Diego County · Vista Unified
Public San Diego County 🏛 Vista Unified → ~398 seniors CDS 3768452…
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Compare with peers

Most similar nearby schools

Vista High School → Guajome Park Academy Charter → Rancho Buena Vista High School → Fallbrook High → Coastal Academy Charter → Compare all similar →

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)
1,677 (2018)1,673 (2026)
-0.2%
Grade 12 (graduating class)
418 (2018)410 (2026)
-1.9%

If this trend holds (-0.0%/yr, Total enrollment)

At per-pupil funding of $ / student:

Horizon Projected Total enrollment Change Funding impact / yr
1 yr (2027) ~1,673 +0 $0
3 yr (2029) ~1,672 -1 $0
5 yr (2031) ~1,671 -2 $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.

Enrollment stability & demand — 2024-25

Two complementary signals: retention (do students stay once enrolled?) and demand (are families choosing the school?). Read against the San Diego County baseline — the demographic tide is moving every CA HS, so a school's gap vs. county is the actionable signal.

Healthy
Outperforming the market — gaining relative share even as San Diego County contracts.

Mission Vista High School is shrinking (-1.9%) but San Diego County is shrinking faster (-7.8%), so Mission Vista High School is winning roughly 5.9 pp of relative market share. Combined with 97.0% stability (county median 88.5%), this reflects a school that families actively chose during a market contraction. Replicable model — worth documenting what's working.

-1.9%  school enrollment (2018–2026)
-7.8%  San Diego County baseline
+5.9pp  gap vs. county
97.0%  retention (county median 88.5%)
Enrollment — indexed to 100 at 2018
Stability rate by year (raw %)
Stability rate
97.0%
1,636 of 1,686 students

50 of 1,686 students who enrolled at Mission Vista High School this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (3.0% non-stability). Mid-year transfers, dropouts, and other exits are all counted.

San Diego County median
88.5% · school is in the 98th percentile of 121 HS
Statewide median
87.2% · in the 97th percentile of 1,688 HS

Stability by student group

Socio. disadvantaged (762) 96.1%
Hispanic / Latino (681) 96.9%
White (677) 97.5%
Students w/ disabilities (152) 94.1%
Two or more races (148) 95.3%
Asian (75) 98.7%

Nearest peer high schools

Vista High School 88.8% Guajome Park Academy Charter 93.0% Rancho Buena Vista High School 88.6% Fallbrook High 89.8% Coastal Academy Charter 89.8%

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.

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.

Chronic absent
10.0%
167 of 1,672 students

Absenteeism is up 5.5 pp since 2016-17. A rising absenteeism trend often precedes formal departure — worth investigating which subgroups are driving it.

San Diego County median
18.9% · school is better than 86% of 117 HS
Statewide median
22.9%
Chronic absenteeism by year (raw %)

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).

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.

ELA — met or exceeded
n = 407
89.4%
incl. 53.1% exceeded
★ Top 10% CA
+28.8 pts above San Diego County median (60.6%) · CA median 54.3% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 79.3%
Math — met or exceeded
n = 402
48.0%
incl. 27.4% exceeded
+23.6 pts above San Diego County median (24.4%) · CA median 21.1% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 53.6%

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

Hispanic / Latino 42% +2.1
White 38% -2.3
Two or more 9%
Asian 5%
Filipino 3%
Black / African Am. 2%

Program subgroups

Students w/ disabilities 45% +5.2
Socioeconomically disadv. 10% +1.2
Homeless 2% +1.1

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.

District financial profile — Vista Unified (FY2020)

From 4 years of NCES F-33 filings (the federally-mandated district finance survey). Public schools don't have their own books — the district does. These figures show the financial scale, revenue dependence, instruction-vs-overhead mix, and long-term debt that shape what a school can sustain.

Total revenue
$329.5M
+8.1% since FY2017
Per-pupil revenue
$16,706
19,722 students enrolled
Revenue mix
State: 52.3%
Local: 36.0%
Federal: 11.6%
Instruction share
63.0%
of current spending · $9,142/pupil
Long-term debt
$149.1M
+32.3% since FY2017
Total revenue by year ($M)
Total expenditure by year ($M)

Source: NCES F-33 Annual Survey of School System Finances (Urban Institute Education Data API). Latest year currently published: FY2020. F-33 is a district-level federal filing — it reflects the Vista Unified as a whole, not this individual school's books. Revenue mix shows where the district's dollars come from (state aid dominates in CA via LCFF). Instruction share is current expenditure on instruction ÷ total current expenditure (national benchmark ~60%). Long-term debt is end-of-year outstanding (mostly facilities bonds).

University of California outcomes · Class of 2025
UC Reach
28%
111 admits / 398 seniors
+11.9 pp above peer median (16.0%) · Ranked #2 of 8 similar schools
5-year trend
2021 · 18.2% 2025 · 27.9%
Where this sits on the California curve
CA median
18.5%
Top 10%
53.3%
This school
27.9%
0%50%100%
CA median 18.5% Top 10% ≥ 53.3% This school 27.9%

Higher than 69% of California high schools (1105 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

📊 What this number means

Mission Vista High School's UC Reach of 27.9% is above the California median (18.5%). The top 10% of CA schools achieve 53.3% or higher.

For context, the elite tier (top 1%) clears 102.7% — a gap of 75 pp from where this school sits.

Overall, Mission Vista High School's UC Reach is higher than 69% of California high schools (1105 ranked).

UC Application Reach
129.9%
517 applications
Most seniors are applying to at least one of the six most selective UCs (applications counted at each campus).
In context: CA median 78.3% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 245.8% · San Diego Co. Top 10% ≥ 216.5% · higher than 71% of CA HS.
UC Admit Rate
21.5%
111 / 517 applications
In context: CA median 26.0% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.5% · higher than 23% of CA HS.
UC Yield Rate
35.1%
39 enrolled of 111 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
9.8%
39 enrollees / 398 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.
Student-Counselor Ratio
418:1
4.0 FTE counselors · 1,673 students
In context: CA median 338:1 · 80 more students per counselor · ASCA target 250:1.
A-G Completion
80%
319 of 401 graduates · 2024-25 cohort
In context: CA median 55.9% · +23.7 pp above · San Diego Co. 63.4%.
UC 6-Yr Grad Rate
94%
83% finished in 4 yrs · N=46 entered 2019
In context: CA median 88.6% · +4.9 pp above.
Selective UC Reach (UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCD)
20.6
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 15.7 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 42.4 · higher than 64% of CA HS.
Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA)
3.3
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 3.5 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 11.1 · higher than 46% of CA HS.
Senior Class Size
398
CDE grade 12 (exact)
Total School Enrollment
1,670
All grades · CDE Census Day
Economic Connectedness
1.31
71st percentile in CA · cross‑class friendships

Mission Vista High School — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot

Public · Oceanside · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools

  • On UC Reach, Mission Vista High School sits near the top of its similar-school group (ranked #2 of 8): 28% vs. a peer median of 16%.
  • Its UC Reach has risen 2 points since 2018.
  • Senior-class enrollment is down 2% (418→410 from 2018 to 2026), outpacing the peer-group median of -9%.
  • In business terms, this is market-share growth during a market contraction. San Diego County's senior population shrank 8% over the same window — Mission Vista High School only shrank 2%. So Mission Vista High School picked up about 6 percentage points of relative share — families chose it over the alternatives even as the overall pool got smaller. That's overperforming the market in a shrinking market.
  • At its recent rate (-0.0%/yr), enrollment projects to ~1672 by 2029 — about 1 fewer students than today.

Enrollment projection

1673 students (2026)
~1672 projected (2029)
at -0.0%/yr

That's about 1 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
Mission Vista High School Public 1673 27.9% -2%
Peer-group median 16.0% -9%
Vista High School Public 1635 13.0% -25%
Guajome Park Academy Charter Public 1326 -13%
Rancho Buena Vista High School Public 1842 16.0% -24%
Fallbrook High Public 1858 -5%
Coastal Academy Charter Public 2120 +497%
Oceanside High School Public 1903 13.0% -22%
El Camino High School Public 2309 10.4% -20%
Sage Creek High School Public 1236 39.8% -2%
LA Costa Canyon High School Public 1841 18.9% +8%
Carlsbad High School Public 2360 26.4% +2%

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 →

Avg. Applicant GPA · top-6 UCs
3.85
Avg. Admitted GPA · top-6 UCs
4.20

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 Mission Vista 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 Moderate Long odds Filtered out
UC Santa Barbara Strong shot Real shot Long odds Filtered out
UC Irvine Strong shot Real shot Long odds Filtered out
UC Davis Strong shot Strong shot Real shot 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 2025.

The numbers behind it

Campus Applicant GPA Admit GPA Lift Admit rate vs peer schools @ same GPA
UC Berkeley 3.92 4.22 +0.29 7.9% Peers +0.27 · matches
UCLA 3.93 4.20 +0.27 9.9% Peers +0.31 · wider
UC San Diego 3.83 4.19 +0.36 29.3% Peers +0.35 · matches
UC Santa Barbara 3.80 4.22 +0.42 20.7% Peers +0.36 · steeper
UC Irvine 3.82 4.22 +0.39 16.8% Peers +0.32 · steeper
UC Davis 3.84 4.18 +0.34 42.0% Peers +0.29 · steeper
📊 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%
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 Mission Vista High School sits vs. all California schools

Overall, this school admits its UC applicants in line with what their GPAs predict (21.5% actual vs. 21.0% expected).

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) Avg GPA (Adm)
UC Berkeley → Elite 63 5 3 7.9% 1.3% 60.0% 3.92 4.22
UCLA → Elite 81 8 4 9.9% 2.0% 50.0% 3.93 4.20
UC San Diego → Selective 116 34 22 29.3% 8.5% 64.7% 3.83 4.19
UC Santa Barbara → Selective 87 18 6 20.7% 4.5% 33.3% 3.80 4.22
UC Irvine → Selective 101 17 16.8% 4.3% 3.82 4.22
UC Davis → 69 29 4 42.0% 7.3% 13.8% 3.84 4.18
⚠ 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 →

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.
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.
Berkeley/UCLA admit volume is modest relative to overall UC reach. This is common and reflects the highly selective nature of those campuses, but may be a target area for the school's highest-performing students.
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 San Diego County rankings →

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