Orange County School of the Arts
Santa Ana · Orange County · Magnet/Charter · High school
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Most similar nearby schools
Santa Ana High School → Valley High → La Quinta High → Foothill High → Orange High School → 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 Orange County School of the Arts compares for families
One of California's strongest schools for college outcomes.
- ▸ Statewide96.2% UC Reach — 78.1 points above the California median of 18.1%. Ahead of 99% of California high schools.
- ▸ Locally🎓 Top 5% in California on UC Reach — plus 5 more top-ranks.
- ▸ vs Similar SchoolsBeats the peer median (96.2% UC Reach vs 20.3% median) across the 5 most similar nearby schools.
Orange County School of the Arts sent 1,133 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 33.4% were admitted, producing a UC Reach of 96.2% — 78.1 percentage points above the California median of 18.1%, higher than 99% of California high schools. The school produces 20.9 UCLA + UC Berkeley admits per 100 seniors.
+75.9 pp above peer median (20.3%) · Ranked #1 of 11 similar schools
18.1%
51.2%
96.2%
Higher than 99% of California high schools (978 ranked, ≥50 seniors)
Orange County School of the Arts's UC Reach of 96.2% clears the statewide top-10% cutoff (51.2%) — meaning roughly 96 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%).
For context, the elite tier (top 1%) clears 97.3% — a gap of 1 pp from where this school sits.
Overall, Orange County School of the Arts's UC Reach is higher than 99% of California high schools (978 ranked).
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.
| 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 |
The numbers behind it
| Campus | Applicant GPA | Admit GPA | Lift ⓘ | Admit rate | vs peer schools @ same GPA ⓘ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | 4.00 | 4.16 | +0.16 | 15.4% | Peers +0.23 · wider |
| UCLA | 3.98 | 4.14 | +0.16 | 18.6% | Peers +0.27 · wider |
| UC San Diego | 3.95 | 4.06 | +0.11 | 37.4% | Peers +0.28 · wider |
| UC Santa Barbara | 3.93 | 4.04 | +0.11 | 41.9% | Peers +0.29 · wider |
| UC Irvine | 3.91 | 4.00 | +0.09 | 52.3% | Peers +0.26 · wider |
| UC Davis | 3.86 | 3.96 | +0.10 | 44.6% | Peers +0.27 · 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% |
Where Orange County School of the Arts sits vs. all California schools ⓘ
Overall, this school admits its UC applicants 13.3 points above what their GPAs predict (33.3% actual vs. 20.1% expected), based on 2024 data.
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) '24 | Avg GPA (Adm) '24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley → Elite | 192 | 44 | 21 | 22.9% | 11.2% | 47.7% | 4.00 | 4.16 |
| UCLA → Elite | 240 | 38 | 15 | 15.8% | 9.7% | 39.5% | 3.98 | 4.14 |
| UC San Diego → Selective | 210 | 65 | 14 | 31.0% | 16.5% | 21.5% | 3.95 | 4.06 |
| UC Santa Barbara → Selective | 180 | 79 | 10 | 43.9% | 20.1% | 12.7% | 3.93 | 4.04 |
| UC Irvine → Selective | 191 | 89 | 11 | 46.6% | 22.6% | 12.4% | 3.91 | 4.00 |
| UC Davis → | 120 | 63 | 5 | 52.5% | 16.0% | 7.9% | 3.86 | 3.96 |
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 13.8 pp since 2020-21. 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 (+6.5%/yr, Total enrollment)
At per-pupil funding of $ / student:
| Horizon | Projected Total enrollment | Change | Funding impact / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 yr (2027) | ~2,039 | +124 | $0 |
| 3 yr (2029) | ~2,312 | +397 | $0 |
| 5 yr (2031) | ~2,621 | +706 | $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.
Orange County School of the Arts — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot
Public · Santa Ana · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools
- ▸On UC Reach, Orange County School of the Arts sits near the top of its similar-school group (ranked #1 of 11): 96% vs. a peer median of 20%.
- ▸Its UC Reach has risen 60 points since 2020.
- ▸Across the top-6 UC campuses, Orange County School of the Arts is admitting at roughly +13 percentage points above what its average applicant GPA (3.947) alone would predict (33% actual vs. 20% 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 46% (295→431 from 2020 to 2026), outpacing the peer-group median of -6%.
- ▸Enrollment has been growing (+6.5%/yr); projects to ~2312 by 2029.
Enrollment projection
Your school vs. its 10 most similar nearby schools
| School | Type | Size | UC Reach | Enroll. trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County School of the Arts | Public | 1915 | 96.2% | +46% |
| Peer-group median | 20.3% | -6% | ||
| Santa Ana High School | Public | 2196 | 13.5% | -4% |
| Valley High | Public | 1737 | 14.8% | +4% |
| La Quinta High | Public | 1989 | 40.2% | -7% |
| Foothill High | Public | 2050 | 24.6% | +3% |
| Orange High School | Public | 1710 | 6.6% | +8% |
| El Modena High School | Public | 1756 | 11.6% | -9% |
| Garden Grove High School | Public | 2103 | 33.6% | -19% |
| Irvine High School | Public | 1903 | 43.0% | -14% |
| Villa Park High School | Public | 2049 | 20.6% | -14% |
| Segerstrom High School | Public | 2209 | 20.0% | -5% |
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.
Orange County School of the Arts outperformed Orange County on enrollment (school +46.1% vs. county -10.2%) AND maintains 97.4% stability. Replicable model — worth documenting what's working.
48 of 1,822 students who enrolled at Orange County School of the Arts this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (2.6% 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.