Is Orange County Special Education a good school?

Orange County Special Education ranks in the bottom 0.6% of California alternative schools.

How many students attend Orange County Special Education?

In the 2022-23 school year, 347 students attended Orange County Special Education.

What is the racial makeup of Orange County Special Education?

Students at Orange County Special Education are 52% Hispanic, 21% White, 17% Asian, 6% African American, 2% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

Orange County Special Education

Summary:

Orange County Special Education is an alternative public school located in Costa Mesa, California that serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade, with an enrollment of 347 students. This school is part of the Orange County Department of Education and is designed to provide specialized education and support for students with special needs.

The data shows that Orange County Special Education is struggling in several key areas compared to nearby schools like Occs:chep/Pchs, ACCESS Juvenile Hall, and ACCESS County Community. The school has had very low four-year graduation rates, ranging from 0% to 28.2% over the past 5 years, which is significantly lower than the nearby schools. Additionally, the school has had high dropout rates, ranging from 3% to 26.7%, and very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 29.3% to 52.6%, both of which are much higher than the nearby schools.

The data also shows that Orange County Special Education students have performed poorly on standardized tests compared to the surrounding schools and the state averages. For example, in 2023-2024, only 11.76% of 11th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 21.61% for the Orange County Department of Education and 55.73% for the state of California. The high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients at Orange County Special Education (up to 42.94%) suggest that the school serves a population with lower socioeconomic status, which may contribute to the challenges the school faces.

Detail:

Public, Alternative K-12

200 Kalmus Dr.
Costa Mesa, CA 92628-9050

(714) 966-4129

District: Orange County Department of Education

SchoolDigger Rank:
2759^th of 2,777 California Alternative Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 7.3

Number of students: 347

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

52.2%

White:

20.7%

Asian:

16.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 42.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Orange County Special Education to nearby alternative schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Orange County Special Education ranks worse than 99.4% of middle schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 5.33. (See more...)

Compare Details Orange County Special Education ranks worse than 82.8% of high schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.43. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Orange County Special Education who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Orange County Special Education is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (52.2%), White (20.7%), Asian (16.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 42.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Orange County Special Education is 7.3, which is the lowest among 4 alternative schools in the Orange County Department of Education School District! (See more...)

Compare Orange County Special Education employs 47 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Orange County Special Education:

SchoolDigger ranks Orange County Special Education 2759^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Orange County Special Education in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

SchoolDigger ranks Orange County Special Education 1924^th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Orange County Special Education in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

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Rank History for Orange County Special Education

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Rank History for all middle school students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	7.99	1716^th	1769	3.0%
2005	8.35	1698^th	1777	4.4%
2006	14.23	1618^th	1804	10.3%
2007	8.72	1890^th	1999	5.5%
2008	11.55	1857^th	2005	7.4%
2009	12.83	1879^th	2063	8.9%
2015	7.80	2392^nd	2477	3.4%
2016	8.05	2388^th	2497	4.4%
2021	3.58	893^rd	894	0.1%
2022	5.32	2732^nd	2740	0.3%
2024	5.33	2759^th	2777	0.6%

See the entire list of California Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Special Education students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	17.98	1495^th	1550	3.5%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for middle school Disabled students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	24.74	312^th	354	11.9%
2022	18.63	1481^st	1531	3.3%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	5.26	2355^th	2359	0.2%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Orange County Special Education

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Rank History for all high school students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	15.22	1460^th	1653	11.7%
2005	14.09	1621^st	1901	14.7%
2006	15.66	1632^nd	1968	17.1%
2007	18.52	1566^th	2063	24.1%
2008	27.13	1251^st	2117	40.9%
2009	24.22	1665^th	2238	25.6%
2010	21.86	1542^nd	2281	32.4%
2011	26.65	1418^th	2367	40.1%
2012	23.54	1487^th	2354	36.8%
2013	13.71	1947^th	2426	19.7%
2015	11.07	1758^th	1994	11.8%
2017	10.52	1795^th	2021	11.2%
2018	14.10	1627^th	2017	19.3%
2019	13.96	1813^th	2133	15.0%
2023	11.18	1994^th	2348	15.1%
2024	11.43	1924^th	2323	17.2%

See the entire list of California Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for high school English Language Learner students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	26.29	997^th	1350	26.1%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for high school Special Education students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	36.89	771^st	1547	50.2%
2024	33.73	867^th	1534	43.5%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for high school Low Socio Economic Status students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	8.52	2089^th	2247	7.0%
2024	9.23	2020^th	2235	9.6%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for high school Female students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	4.61	2110^th	2118	0.4%
2024	9.72	1879^th	2098	10.4%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for high school Disabled students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	40.42	524^th	1052	50.2%
2019	36.05	620^th	1117	44.5%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for high school Male students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	13.02	1806^th	2207	18.2%
2024	12.60	1790^th	2172	17.6%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for high school Hispanic students at Orange County Special Education

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.63	1356^th	1742	22.2%
2019	15.72	1494^th	1814	17.6%
2023	9.06	1939^th	2142	9.5%
2024	8.33	1955^th	2125	8.0%

See the entire list of Best California Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Orange County Special Education

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	463	39	55	156	2	n/a	n/a	0	715
1989	440	21	56	161	0	n/a	n/a	0	678
1990	443	21	60	178	1	n/a	n/a	0	703
1991	438	22	71	197	1	n/a	n/a	0	729
1992	432	31	77	205	1	n/a	n/a	0	746
1993	407	24	92	208	1	n/a	n/a	0	732
1994	277	19	54	135	2	n/a	n/a	0	487
1995	254	15	51	166	0	n/a	n/a	0	486
1996	254	15	51	166	0	n/a	n/a	0	486
1997	278	15	58	175	0	n/a	n/a	0	526
1998	262	19	62	200	14	n/a	n/a	0	557
1999	268	15	50	190	2	n/a	n/a	14	539
2000	281	20	59	216	1	n/a	n/a	1	578
2001	259	21	55	226	2	n/a	n/a	6	569
2002	271	16	69	232	3	n/a	n/a	19	610
2003	271	16	69	232	3	n/a	n/a	19	610
2004	255	14	81	240	3	n/a	n/a	7	600
2005	237	27	76	244	3	n/a	n/a	13	600
2006	234	20	95	255	3	n/a	n/a	7	614
2007	238	21	91	265	2	n/a	n/a	18	635
2008	221	19	90	270	3	n/a	n/a	0	603
2009	207	21	81	262	2	3	12	0	588
2010	162	21	90	235	1	3	33	0	545
2011	161	17	88	227	3	1	6	0	503
2012	165	17	78	191	0	2	25	0	478
2013	151	15	80	181	2	1	27	0	457
2014	126	15	75	196	1	2	11	0	426
2015	116	13	78	220	2	2	7	0	438
2016	113	10	71	204	1	2	7	0	408
2017	88	15	60	186	1	3	9	0	362
2018	90	14	60	193	2	2	7	0	368
2019	91	17	64	190	7	4	3	0	376
2020	90	15	59	191	4	2	5	0	366
2021	91	19	56	204	4	3	6	0	383
2022	81	20	56	191	5	3	8	0	364
2023	72	21	58	181	5	3	6	1	347

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Orange County Special Education

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	715	97.5	7.3	n/a
1989	678	87.2	7.7	n/a
1990	703	90.8	7.7	n/a
1991	729	99.8	7.3	n/a
1992	746	101.4	7.3	n/a
1993	732	89.0	8.2	0
1994	487	69.5	7.0	0
1995	486	77.3	6.3	0
1996	486	77.3	6.3	0
1997	526	77.1	6.8	0
1998	557	82.8	6.7	0
1999	539	89.2	6.0	0
2000	578	84.0	6.9	0
2001	569	76.6	7.4	0
2002	610	84.2	7.2	0
2003	610	84.2	7.2	0
2004	600	88.1	6.8	0
2005	600	88.0	6.8	18.4
2006	614	88.8	6.9	15.3
2007	635	84.1	7.6	19.1
2008	603	122.6	4.9	20.2
2009	588	77.7	5.2	17.9
2010	545	70.6	7.7	15.2
2011	503	n/a	n/a	19.9
2012	478	59.9	7.9	0
2013	457	56.9	8.0	21.4
2014	426	45.0	9.4	15.7
2015	438	45.0	9.7	16
2016	408	50.0	8.1	14.7
2017	362	52.8	6.8	19.6
2018	368	41.0	8.9	28.3
2019	376	41.0	9.1	31.4
2020	366	n/a	n/a	22.1
2021	383	47.0	8.1	29
2022	364	47.0	7.7	38.7
2023	347	47.0	7.3	42.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Orange County Special Education

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	715	97.5	7.3	n/a
1989	678	87.2	7.7	n/a
1990	703	90.8	7.7	n/a
1991	729	99.8	7.3	n/a
1992	746	101.4	7.3	n/a
1993	732	89.0	8.2	0
1994	487	69.5	7.0	0
1995	486	77.3	6.3	0
1996	486	77.3	6.3	0
1997	526	77.1	6.8	0
1998	557	82.8	6.7	0
1999	539	89.2	6.0	0
2000	578	84.0	6.9	0
2001	569	76.6	7.4	0
2002	610	84.2	7.2	0
2003	610	84.2	7.2	0
2004	600	88.1	6.8	0
2005	600	88.0	6.8	18.4
2006	614	88.8	6.9	15.3
2007	635	84.1	7.6	19.1
2008	603	122.6	4.9	20.2
2009	588	77.7	5.2	17.9
2010	545	70.6	7.7	15.2
2011	503	n/a	n/a	19.9
2012	478	59.9	7.9	0
2013	457	56.9	8.0	21.4
2014	426	45.0	9.4	15.7
2015	438	45.0	9.7	16
2016	408	50.0	8.1	14.7
2017	362	52.8	6.8	19.6
2018	368	41.0	8.9	28.3
2019	376	41.0	9.1	31.4
2020	366	n/a	n/a	22.1
2021	383	47.0	8.1	29
2022	364	47.0	7.7	38.7
2023	347	47.0	7.3	42.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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