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California Preparatory Academy · San Juan Capistrano

California Preparatory Academy: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

California Preparatory Academy posts 49% meeting the standard against 36% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

32972 Calle Perfecto, 92675 (opens in new tab)·Capistrano Unified·San Juan Capistrano·Grades 9-12·198 students·23% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(949) 234-5317·Website
Alternative school — serves students who benefit from a non-traditional educational setting. Scores are not directly comparable to comprehensive schools.
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5644
% Exceeded22%16%
% Met+49%36%
Grad rate95.8%87.6%
College readiness51.2%35.4%
Absence10.8%30.2%
Suspension0.7%3.6%
Scope Score
56
🤝 Culture First · Solid
ranked #497 statewide · #8 of 10 in Capistrano Unified

California Preparatory Academy scores 56 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 77th percentile of 2,160 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🤝 Culture First — Ask whether the low absenteeism and suspension numbers come from what the school does or from the community it serves — both can produce the same numbers, and only a visit tells you which.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “49% proficient” and call it done. California Preparatory Academy deserves a closer read. It sits at the 77th percentile of 2,160 California high schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The headline number: 10.8% chronic absenteeism — versus 30.2% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has held the 77th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELARed(Declined Significantly)MathRed(Declined Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 49% meet the standard today, versus 56% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1173%85%71%78%70%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1139%62%38%46%29%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
49%
State 36%
Graduate
96%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
51%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 49 are proficient by 11th grade → 96 graduate → 51 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 6 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
95.8%
State 87.6%
8.2pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
22.1%
State 15.8%
6.3pp above state avg
College readiness
51.2%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
49.2%
State 35.7%
13.5pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
10.8%
State 30.2%
19.4pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.7%
State 3.6%
2.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At California Preparatory Academy in San Juan Capistrano, 67.5% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 78.3% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. California Preparatory Academy trails its district average for white students by 10.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (25.7% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 40 students tested.

All students at this school: 50% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 50%, district —, state 36%50%
WhiteWhite: this school 48%, district 74%, state 56%48% · −2 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 56%, district 69%, state 44%56% · +6 vs school
MaleMale: this school 44%, district 66%, state 42%44% · −7 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 75%, district 49%, state 32%75% · +25 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 41%, district 45%, state 32%41% · −10 vs school

8 of 14 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 10.8%, district 13.9%, state 30.2%10.8% · −19.4pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.7%, district —, state 3.6%0.7% · −2.9pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–125.6%

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
California Preparatory Academy
56/100
This school

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 25:1, district 23:125:1
Teaching staff15 teachers
Avg. experience20.2 years
Fully credentialed88%
First-year teachers7%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$65,219 – $130,638
Principal salary$185,421 – $206,216
Superintendent salary$348,333

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered5
AP exam qualifiers21 students
CTE pathway completers3 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $21,114, CA average $14,815$21,114 · spent at this school
District current expense · FY 2024–25$17,166 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction64%
Instruction support10%
Student services10%
Administration5%
Buildings & maintenance9%
Other1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$12,431 per pupil
2019$11,341 per pupil
2018$10,665 per pupil
2017$9,388 per pupil
2016$8,875 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White70.7%
District 51.0% · CA 19.9%
Other13.1%
District 14.2% · CA 9.0%
Hispanic12.6%
District 26.7% · CA 56.1%
Asian2.5%
District 7.4% · CA 10.2%
Black1.0%
District 0.7% · CA 4.8%
GenderFemale 57.6%Male 41.9%Non-binary 0.5%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 22.7% (41pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$129K · CA $85K
Median home value$994K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+43% · CA 35%
ZIP population35,095
Median age46 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

At 198 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).

On the state's science test (CAST), 46% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is California Preparatory Academy a good high school?

California Preparatory Academy has a Scope Score of 56 out of 100, placing it in the 77th percentile of California high schools and ranked #497 statewide. 22.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 6.3 percentage points above the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are California Preparatory Academy's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 49.2% of students at California Preparatory Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 22.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 27.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 22.1% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 119 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does California Preparatory Academy rank in California?

California Preparatory Academy ranks #497 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 77th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

What is the attendance and school culture like at California Preparatory Academy?

10.8% of students at California Preparatory Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 0.7%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does California Preparatory Academy compare to other schools in San Juan Capistrano?

California Preparatory Academy scores 56/100 (77th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 198 students. Use the schools in San Juan Capistrano page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does California Preparatory Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At California Preparatory Academy in San Juan Capistrano, 67.5% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 78.3% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. California Preparatory Academy trails its district average for white students by 10.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (25.7% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 40 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

Your other options

All schools in San Juan Capistrano →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
95.8%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 60th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
22.1%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 57th pctile
College readiness · 20%
51.2%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 59th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
49.2%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 60th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
10.8%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 66th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.7%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 63th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 116332%38%25%5%70%+23
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 115613%16%30%41%29%+5
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11577%39%54%0%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
White4067.5%−11+6
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
California Preparatory Academy ←—5622.1%49.2%—0.7%
San Juan Hills High1.2 mi6737.8%67.8%—1.2%
Dana Hills High1.5 mi5925.0%55.4%—1.3%
Opportunities for Learning - Capistrano1.2 mi4718.1%37.2%—0.9%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
95.8%
AP Exam Prepared
51.2%
A-G Completion
55.9%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
85.7%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20196283#35131.2%56.3%14.2%1.5%—
20226591#18236.3%73.4%16.4%0.9%—
20235781#41822.1%54.5%9.2%0.8%—
20246186#29430.3%62.0%9.9%1.0%—
20255677#49722.1%49.2%10.8%0.7%—
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female9.8%5.6%-4.2pp
Male9.2%5.6%-3.6pp
Hispanic/Latino16.7%6.3%-10.4pp
Two or More Races18.2%4.3%-13.9pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged13.8%6.3%-7.5pp
All Students9.6%5.6%-4.0pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

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