Tesoro High School

Rancho San Margarit · Orange County · Capistrano Unified
Public Orange County 🏛 Capistrano Unified → ~552 seniors CDS 3066464…
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Compare with peers

Most similar nearby schools

Capistrano Valley High School → El Toro High School → Mission Viejo High School → Trabuco Hills High School → Aliso Niguel High School → Compare all similar →

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)
2,583 (2018)2,013 (2026)
-22.1%
Grade 12 (graduating class)
647 (2018)494 (2026)
-23.6%

If this trend holds (-3.1%/yr, Total enrollment)

At per-pupil funding of $ / student:

Horizon Projected Total enrollment Change Funding impact / yr
1 yr (2027) ~1,951 -62 $0
3 yr (2029) ~1,833 -180 $0
5 yr (2031) ~1,723 -290 $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 Orange County baseline — the demographic tide is moving every CA HS, so a school's gap vs. county is the actionable signal.

Critical
Sharp demand downturn hidden by elite retention.

Tesoro High School's enrollment is shrinking 3.3× the county rate (school -23.6% vs. county -7.1%). Stability of 95.6% means every family you keep is one fewer; the leverage is at recruitment, not retention. This is the case the high stability number alone would hide.

-23.6%  school enrollment (2018–2026)
-7.1%  Orange County baseline
-16.5pp  gap vs. county
95.6%  retention (county median 91.8%)
Enrollment — indexed to 100 at 2018
Stability rate by year (raw %)
Stability rate
95.6%
1,977 of 2,067 students

90 of 2,067 students who enrolled at Tesoro High School this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (4.4% non-stability). Mid-year transfers, dropouts, and other exits are all counted.

Orange County median
91.8% · school is in the 90th percentile of 94 HS
Statewide median
87.2% · in the 92nd percentile of 1,688 HS

Stability by student group

White (1,154) 96.1%
Socio. disadvantaged (511) 94.7%
Hispanic / Latino (333) 94.6%
Students w/ disabilities (284) 93.0%
Asian (262) 95.4%
Two or more races (146) 98.6%

Nearest peer high schools

Capistrano Valley High School 93.5% El Toro High School 91.8% Mission Viejo High School 91.7% Trabuco Hills High School 93.5% Aliso Niguel High School 93.0%

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
12.9%
265 of 2,056 students

Absenteeism is up 5.9 pp since 2016-17. A rising absenteeism trend often precedes formal departure — worth investigating which subgroups are driving it.

Orange County median
17.9% · school is better than 78% of 94 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 = 465
89.9%
incl. 62.6% exceeded
★ Top 10% CA
+26.2 pts above Orange County median (63.7%) · CA median 54.3% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 79.3%
Math — met or exceeded
n = 464
64.9%
incl. 38.6% exceeded
★ Top 10% CA
+27.8 pts above Orange County median (37.1%) · 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

White 53% -4.0
Asian 15% +3.5
Hispanic / Latino 15% -1.9
Two or more 8% +1.4
Not reported 4%
Filipino 4%
Black / African Am. 1%

Program subgroups

Students w/ disabilities 22%
Socioeconomically disadv. 12%
English learners 1%
Homeless 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 — Capistrano 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
$715.9M
+23.7% since FY2017
Per-pupil revenue
$16,375
43,719 students enrolled
Revenue mix
State: 37.2%
Local: 56.4%
Federal: 6.4%
Instruction share
60.6%
of current spending · $8,022/pupil
Long-term debt
$41.2M
-24.4% since FY2017
Total revenue by year ($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 Capistrano 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
32%
174 admits / 552 seniors
+1.6 pp above peer median (29.9%) · Ranked #6 of 11 similar schools
5-year trend
2021 · 32.0% 2025 · 31.5%
Where this sits on the California curve
CA median
18.5%
Peer median
29.9%
Top 10%
53.3%
This school
31.5%
0%50%100%
CA median 18.5% Top 10% ≥ 53.3% This school 31.5%

Higher than 75% of California high schools (1105 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

📊 What this number means

Tesoro High School's UC Reach of 31.5% 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 71 pp from where this school sits.

Overall, Tesoro High School's UC Reach is higher than 75% of California high schools (1105 ranked).

UC Application Reach
157.6%
870 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% · Orange Co. Top 10% ≥ 294.1% · higher than 78% of CA HS.
UC Admit Rate
20.0%
174 / 870 applications
In context: CA median 26.0% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.5% · higher than 16% of CA HS.
UC Yield Rate
32.2%
56 enrolled of 174 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
10.1%
56 enrollees / 552 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
2013:1
1.0 FTE counselors · 2,013 students
In context: CA median 338:1 · 1675 more students per counselor · ASCA target 250:1.
A-G Completion
75%
393 of 524 graduates · 2024-25 cohort
In context: CA median 55.9% · +19.1 pp above · Orange Co. 60.5%.
UC 6-Yr Grad Rate
95%
84% finished in 4 yrs · N=56 entered 2019
In context: CA median 88.6% · +6.0 pp above.
Selective UC Reach (UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCD)
24.5
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 15.7 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 42.4 · higher than 72% of CA HS.
Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA)
3.8
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 3.5 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 11.1 · higher than 53% of CA HS.
Senior Class Size
552
CDE grade 12 (exact)
Total School Enrollment
2,030
All grades · CDE Census Day
Economic Connectedness
1.82
98th percentile in CA · cross‑class friendships

Tesoro High School — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot

Public · Rancho San Margarit · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools

  • On UC Reach, Tesoro High School sits in the middle of its similar-school group (ranked #6 of 11): 32% vs. a peer median of 30%.
  • Its UC Reach has risen 5 points since 2018.
  • Senior-class enrollment is down 24% (647→494 from 2018 to 2026), trailing the peer-group median of -12%.
  • At its recent rate (-3.1%/yr), enrollment projects to ~1833 by 2029 — about 180 fewer students than today.

Enrollment projection

2013 students (2026)
~1833 projected (2029)
at -3.1%/yr

That's about 180 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
Tesoro High School Public 2013 31.5% -24%
Peer-group median 29.9% -12%
Capistrano Valley High School Public 1980 35.5% -9%
El Toro High School Public 1849 10.4% -25%
Mission Viejo High School Public 1519 15.2% -40%
Trabuco Hills High School Public 2489 23.3% -14%
Aliso Niguel High School Public 2534 34.4% -7%
San Juan Hills High School Public 2519 25.3% +15%
Dana Hills High School Public 1626 19.0% -31%
Irvine High School Public 1903 43.0% -14%
Woodbridge High School Public 2220 45.9% -8%
Northwood High School Public 2255 70.8% -11%

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
4.06
Avg. Admitted GPA · top-6 UCs
4.27

Admit rate vs. CA peer average, by campus

How does this school's admit rate at each UC compare to other CA schools whose applicant pool averages the same GPA?

Campus Applicant GPA (avg) Actual admit rate CA peer avg Δ Verdict
UC Berkeley 4.09 8.6% 14.4% -5.9pp Under
UCLA 4.07 6.1% 9.6% -3.5pp On target
UC San Diego 4.05 22.0% 19.0% +3.0pp On target
UC Santa Barbara 4.06 29.1% 36.1% -7.0pp Under
UC Irvine 4.04 22.1% 27.9% -5.9pp Under
UC Davis 4.07 35.8% 33.5% +2.3pp On target
"Applicant GPA" is the average GPA of this school's UC applicant pool — not an individual student GPA. "CA peer avg" is the application-weighted statewide admit rate at this school-pool GPA, fit separately per campus. At any given pool GPA, real admit rates span widely (UCSD ranges 8% → 65% across CA schools) because UCs use comprehensive review — context-of-opportunity, geography, demographics, and applicant essays all weigh in beyond GPA. A large negative residual flags this school is admitted at a meaningfully lower rate than other CA schools at the same pool GPA — not that students here were "rejected at expected rate X." "Over" / "Under" use a ±5-point band. Campuses with fewer than 5 applicants are omitted.

Where Tesoro High School sits vs. all California schools

Overall, this school admits its UC applicants in line with what their GPAs predict (20.0% actual vs. 22.9% 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 128 11 9 8.6% 2.0% 81.8% 4.09 4.25
UCLA → Elite 164 10 8 6.1% 1.8% 80.0% 4.07 4.32
UC San Diego → Selective 164 36 12 22.0% 6.5% 33.3% 4.05 4.29
UC Santa Barbara → Selective 151 44 8 29.1% 8.0% 18.2% 4.06 4.31
UC Irvine → Selective 154 34 12 22.1% 6.2% 35.3% 4.04 4.24
UC Davis → 109 39 7 35.8% 7.1% 17.9% 4.07 4.22
⚠ 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.
UC Reach is solid. A meaningful share of the senior class is achieving UC admission, and there is likely room to grow both application volume and admission outcomes.
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.
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