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Coast High · Fountain Valley

Coast High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Coast posts 27% meeting the standard and 9.8% exceeding it, against 36% and 15.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

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
Scope4344
% Exceeded10%16%
% Met+27%36%
Grad rate97.6%87.6%
College readiness21.1%35.4%
Absence23.5%30.2%
Suspension0.6%3.6%
Scope Score
43
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,193 statewide · #6 of 8 in Huntington Beach Union High

Coast High scores 43 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 45th 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 →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

Most rating sites would stop at “27% proficient” and call it done. Coast deserves a closer read. The school sits in Fountain Valley, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Coast's low-income kids hit 53.1% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has stayed near the 45th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 27% meet the standard today, versus 36% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1157%69%66%56%47%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1115%19%19%23%7%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
27%
State 36%
Graduate
98%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
21%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 27 are proficient by 11th grade → 98 graduate → 21 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

53.1%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Coast's most underrated number

53.1% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

Coast low-income: 53.1%State low-income: 38.2%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
97.6%
State 87.6%
10.0pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
9.8%
State 15.8%
6.0pp below state avg
College readiness
21.1%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
26.9%
State 35.7%
8.8pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
23.5%
State 30.2%
6.7pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.6%
State 3.6%
3.0pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
18.2%
State 18.0%
0.2pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

  • Ask whether extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • Ask what share of students complete the full college-prep course sequence, and who gets steered into it.
  • 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 Coast High in Fountain Valley, 53.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 60.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Coast High trails its district average for low-income students by 7.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (10.0% Math proficient); White students (44.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 4.6 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 33 students tested.

All students at this school: 28% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 28%, district —, state 36%28%
WhiteWhite: this school 25%, district 56%, state 56%25% · −2 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 32%, district 60%, state 44%32% · +5 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 33%, district 49%, state 32%33% · +5 vs school
MaleMale: this school 21%, district 54%, state 42%21% · −7 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 25%, district 38%, state 32%25% · −3 vs school

5 of 11 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 23.5%, district 24.5%, state 30.2%23.5% · −6.7pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.6%, district —, state 3.6%0.6% · −3.0pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1221.9%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 20:1, district 23:120:1
Teaching staff9 teachers
Avg. experience11.8 years
Fully credentialed71%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$68,649 – $145,704
Principal salary$0 – $193,370
Superintendent salary$377,761

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered0
AP exam qualifiers4 students
CTE pathway completers1 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $26,040, CA average $14,815$26,040 · spent at this school
District current expense · FY 2024–25$18,559 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
Instruction57%
Instruction support12%
Student services9%
Administration9%
Buildings & maintenance10%
Other2%

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$13,062 per pupil
2019$12,471 per pupil
2018$12,816 per pupil
2017$12,190 per pupil
2016$11,795 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White50.9%
District 31.0% · CA 19.9%
Hispanic32.1%
District 32.1% · CA 56.1%
Asian10.7%
District 28.1% · CA 10.2%
Other5.7%
District 8.1% · CA 9.0%
Black0.6%
District 0.7% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 31.4% (32pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$105K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.03M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+40% · CA 35%
ZIP population59,047
Median age38 years

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

Worth Knowing

At 159 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).

On the state's science test (CAST), 18% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Coast High a good high school?

Coast High has a Scope Score of 43 out of 100, placing it in the 45th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,193 statewide. 9.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 6.0 percentage points below 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 Coast High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 26.9% of students at Coast High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 9.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 17.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 9.8% 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. 148 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Coast High rank in California?

Coast High ranks #1,193 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 45th 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 Coast High?

23.5% of students at Coast High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 0.6%, 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 Coast High compare to other schools in Fountain Valley?

Coast High scores 43/100 (45th 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 159 students. Use the schools in Fountain Valley page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Coast High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Coast High in Fountain Valley, 53.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 60.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Coast High trails its district average for low-income students by 7.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (10.0% Math proficient); White students (44.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 4.6 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 33 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

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%
97.6%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 62th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
9.8%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 44th pctile
College readiness · 20%
21.1%
↓ vs CA 35.4% · 42th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
26.9%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 44th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
23.5%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 55th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.6%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 64th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
18.2%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 53th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 117718%29%32%21%47%−0
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 11711%6%31%62%7%−16
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11831%17%71%11%

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
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged3353.1%−7+15
White5144.0%−21−18
Hispanic/Latino1942.1%−9+3
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Coast High ←439.8%26.9%0.6%
La Quinta High2.2 mi7249.6%76.0%3.1%
Fountain Valley High0.3 mi7041.0%71.4%1.7%
Early College High2.7 mi6860.0%85.0%1.0%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
97.6%
AP Exam Prepared
21.1%
A-G Completion
21.3%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
58.8%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20194649#103210.4%36.0%15.5%1.4%
20224657#89713.2%43.8%49.7%1.2%
20234555#97412.2%42.3%38.5%1.6%
20244655#95513.6%39.6%28.9%1.8%
20254345#11939.8%26.9%23.5%0.6%
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
Female6.0%26.5%+20.5pp
Male20.5%15.6%-4.9pp
Asian16.3%17.9%+1.6pp
Hispanic/Latino14.9%31.0%+16.1pp
Two or More Races7.1%25.0%+17.9pp
Students with Disabilities50.7%2.3%-48.4pp
English Learners30.4%7.7%-22.7pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged9.0%24.3%+15.3pp
All Students12.4%21.9%+9.5pp
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