Nova Academy Early College Hs
Santa Ana · Orange County · Santa Ana Unified · Public
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Most similar nearby schools
Lorin Griset Academy → Cesar E. Chavez High → Vista Meridian Global Academy → Advanced Learning Academy → Valley Vista High → 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 Nova Academy Early College Hs compares for families
Real college outcomes data available below.
- ▸ Statewide11.1% UC Reach — 7.0 points below the California median of 18.1%.
- ▸ vs Similar SchoolsTrails the peer median (11.1% UC Reach vs 48.8% median) across the 5 most similar nearby schools.
Nova Academy Early College Hs sent 52 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 15.4% were admitted, producing a UC Reach of 11.1% — 7.0 percentage points below the California median of 18.1%, higher than 22% of California high schools..
-37.7 pp vs. peer median (48.8%) · Ranked #3 of 3 similar schools
18.1%
48.8%
51.2%
11.1%
Higher than 22% of California high schools (978 ranked, ≥50 seniors)
Nova Academy Early College Hs's UC Reach of 11.1% is below the California median (18.1%). The top 10% of CA schools achieve 51.2% or higher.
But in Orange County, where the local median is 25.0% and the top-10% bar is 70.9%, this score is mid-pack rather than exceptional — typical of its market rather than a standout.
Against similar schools, Nova Academy Early College Hs trails the peer-group median (48.8%) — even though it looks strong vs. the state average.
Overall, Nova Academy Early College Hs's UC Reach is higher than 22% 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 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 San Diego (2024) | 3.65 | 4.05 | +0.40 | 50.0% | Peers +0.41 · matches |
| UC Irvine (2022) | 3.68 | 4.14 | +0.47 | 32.3% | Peers +0.43 · steeper |
| UC Davis (2018) | 3.69 | 4.13 | +0.44 | 33.3% | Peers +0.39 · 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% |
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 | 10 | —† | —† | —† | —† | — | 3.61 | —† |
| UCLA → Elite | 14 | —† | —† | —† | —† | — | 3.70 | —† |
| UC San Diego → Selective | 10 | 4 | —† | 40.0% | 5.6% | — | 3.64 | —† |
| UC Irvine → Selective | 18 | 4 | —† | 22.2% | 5.6% | — | 3.59 | —† |
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 10.5 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 (-4.0%/yr, Total enrollment)
At per-pupil funding of $ / student:
| Horizon | Projected Total enrollment | Change | Funding impact / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 yr (2027) | ~281 | -12 | $0 |
| 3 yr (2029) | ~259 | -34 | $0 |
| 5 yr (2031) | ~239 | -54 | $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.
Nova Academy Early College Hs — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot
Public · Santa Ana · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools
- ▸On UC Reach, Nova Academy Early College Hs sits near the bottom of its similar-school group (ranked #3 of 3): 11% vs. a peer median of 49%.
- ▸Nova Academy Early College Hs's UC Reach has declined meaningfully from a peak of 22% in 2022 to 11% in 2025 — a 11-point drop that warrants attention. Multi-year UC Reach declines of this size often signal something specific (leadership change, comp-program shift, demographic move) rather than year-to-year noise. This is the kind of trajectory an Enrollment Trend Audit unpacks.
- ▸Senior-class enrollment is up 10% (80→88 from 2018 to 2026), outpacing the peer-group median of +2%.
- ▸At its recent rate (-4.0%/yr), enrollment projects to ~259 by 2029 — about 34 fewer students than today.
Enrollment projection
That's about 34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Academy Early College Hs | Public | 293 | 11.1% | +10% |
| Peer-group median | 48.8% | +2% | ||
| Lorin Griset Academy | Public | 285 | — | -20% |
| Cesar E. Chavez High | Public | 309 | — | +0% |
| Vista Meridian Global Academy | Public | 247 | — | -16% |
| Advanced Learning Academy | Public | 368 | 17.9% | +257% |
| Valley Vista High | Public | 250 | — | -6% |
| Gilbert High (continuation) | Public | 348 | — | -49% |
| Ednovate - Legacy College Prep. | Public | 451 | — | +20% |
| Middle College High | Public | 476 | 79.8% | +20% |
| Marie L. Hare High | Public | 222 | — | +4% |
| Orange County Workforce Innovation High | Public | 227 | — | +12% |
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.
Enrollment growth is beating Orange County (+10.0% vs. -7.1%), but 55 of 319 students didn't maintain continuous enrollment. Why are families leaving once enrolled? Chronic absenteeism is rising (24.6%, +10.5 pts since 2016-17) — a watch signal worth monitoring as a leading indicator.
55 of 319 students who enrolled at Nova Academy Early College Hs this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (17.2% 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.
District financial profile — Santa Ana 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.
Local: 28.4%
Federal: 15.5%
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 Santa Ana 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).