Summary:
Costa Mesa High is a public high school serving grades 7-12 in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, with 1,776 students. While the school has a long history and has been ranked among California high schools for over a decade, its current statewide ranking places it in the middle of California high schools, with a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Academically, Costa Mesa High's performance, as measured by standardized test scores, is generally below the district and state averages across subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2023-2024, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts ranged from 40.55% to 51.77%, compared to the district's 55.98% to 62.53% and the state's 45.95% to 55.73%. In Mathematics, Costa Mesa High's proficiency rates ranged from 19.57% to 40.07%, significantly lower than the district's 35.68% to 46.79% and the state's 27.9% to 33.83%. The school's science proficiency rates also lagged behind the district and state. However, the school has maintained a relatively high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 93.6% to 97.0% over the past five years, despite a higher dropout rate than the district and state averages.
One notable factor is that Corona del Mar High, a nearby school in the same district, has a significantly lower percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, which may contribute to its higher academic performance compared to Costa Mesa High. Additionally, the district offers specialized programs, such as the Early College High School, which is ranked among the top 43 high schools in California, suggesting that the district has the resources and expertise to support high-performing schools. Addressing the significant increase in chronic absenteeism at Costa Mesa High, which has risen from 9.2% in 2018-2019 to 23.3% in 2022-2023, could be a key focus area for the school and district to improve student outcomes.
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Detail:
Public 7-12
District:
Newport-Mesa Unified
SchoolDigger Rank:
829th of 2,323 California High Schools
Feeder schools for Costa Mesa High:
Student/teacher ratio: 19.5
Number of students: 1,776
Racial breakdown:
Hispanic:
68.8%
White:
16.8%
Asian:
6.4%
more
Two or more races:
4.6%
African American:
1.7%
Pacific Islander:
1.4%
American Indian:
0.2%
Not Specified:
0.1%
Free/discounted lunch recipients: 75.2%
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