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Dana Hills High · Dana Point

Dana Hills High: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Dana Hills posts 55% meeting the standard, and 25.0% going well past it. Most kids here keep up. Fewer get pushed further. Ask the school what it does for a child who already finds the work easy.

33333 Golden Lantern, 92629 (opens in new tab)·Capistrano Unified·Dana Point·Grades 9-12·1,725 students·42% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(949) 496-6666·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5944
% Exceeded25%16%
% Met+55%36%
Grad rate94.3%86.6%
College readiness69.7%33.9%
Absence19.5%30.2%
Suspension1.3%3.6%
Scope Score
59
💪 Strong All-Around · Solid
ranked #376 statewide · #6 of 10 in Capistrano Unified

Dana Hills High scores 59 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 83rd 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 →

💪 Strong All-Around — Ask about what we don't score — class size, electives, the feel of a classroom — strong numbers everywhere on paper don't mean every classroom feels the same.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “55% proficient” and call it done. Dana Hills deserves a closer read. The school sits in Dana Point, where two in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Dana Hills's low-income kids hit 66.1% 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 held the 83rd-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

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

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 55% meet the standard today, versus 59% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1173%74%66%80%71%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1146%43%39%49%40%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
55%
State 36%
Graduate
94%
State 87%
Pass an AP exam
70%
State 34%

Of 100 students here: 55 are proficient by 11th grade → 94 graduate → 70 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

66.1%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Dana Hills's most underrated number

66.1% 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.

Dana Hills low-income: 66.1%State low-income: 38.2%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
94.3%
State 86.6%
7.7pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
25.0%
State 15.8%
9.2pp above state avg
College readiness
69.7%
State 33.9%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
55.4%
State 35.7%
19.7pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
19.5%
State 30.2%
10.7pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.3%
State 3.6%
2.3pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
17.0%
State 18.0%
1.0pp 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 extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • 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 Dana Hills High in Dana Point, 66.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 55.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Dana Hills High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 10.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.3% Math proficient); White students (76.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 51.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 175 students tested.

All students at this school: 56% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 56%, district —, state 36%56%
MaleMale: this school 54%, district 66%, state 42%54% · −2 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 63%, district 74%, state 56%63% · +7 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 47%, district 49%, state 32%47% · −8 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 58%, district 69%, state 44%58% · +3 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 41%, district 45%, state 32%41% · −15 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 16%, district 32%, state 15%16% · −39 vs school
Military-ConnectedMilitary-Connected: this school 60%, district 60%, state 46%60% · +4 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 58%, district 76%, state 56%58% · +3 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 29%, district 32%, state 22%29% · −27 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 14%, district 14%, state 11%14% · −42 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 70%, district 86%, state 72%70% · +15 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: too few students to report‹11
FilipinoFilipino: too few students to report‹11
American Indian/Alaska NativeAmerican Indian/Alaska Native: too few students to report‹11
this school district, same group California, same group
AP access · 2020-21 federal civil rights snapshot (structural, dated — newest published; biennial)
Shown, never scored
Hispanic22.7% AP · 31.1% enroll.
American Indian/Alaska Native0.0% AP · 0.2% enroll.
Asian6.0% AP · 4.4% enroll.
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.0% AP · 0.0% enroll.
Black0.3% AP · 0.7% enroll.
White62.4% AP · 57.5% enroll.
Two or more races8.6% AP · 6.2% enroll.
English learners0.6% AP · 4.5% enroll.
Students with disabilities0.0% AP · 13.6% enroll.

● share of AP enrollment vs share of total enrollment, this school only · not part of the Scope Score

Data source: U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2020-21 (biennial; newest published)

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 19.5%, district 13.9%, state 30.2%19.5% · −10.7pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.3%, district —, state 3.6%1.3% · −2.3pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1219.0%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Dana Hills High
59/100
This school

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

Where graduates go

Context — none of this enters the Scope Score

In fall 2025, 36 of Dana Hills's 411 graduates enrolled in the University of California system — San Diego the most common landing, with 9 enrollees.

Applied115fall 2025, universitywide
Admitted79
Enrolled36
Where they landed (fall 2025)
San Diego 9Los Angeles 8Santa Barbara 8Irvine 4Santa Cruz 3Berkeley ‹3Davis ‹3Merced ‹3Riverside ‹3

campuses never sum to the universitywide figure — students apply to several

College destination mix, class of 2023

Class of 2023: 537 completers, 83% enrolled somewhere within a year

University of California 32 (6%)California State University 50 (9%)California community college 240 (45%)In-state private 16 (3%)Out-of-state, 4-year 106 (20%)Out-of-state, 2-year 2 (0%)Not enrolled 91 (17%)

Percentages are computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers) from CDE-reported counts, not a CDE-native rate.

Data source: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort — the newest published; National Student Clearinghouse match.

UC enrollees, universitywide, 2014–2025

Peak: 82 enrolled, 2014

UC publishes this trend back to 1994 — no other destination has a comparable multi-year record

UC is one road of many — the full destination mix for the class of 2023 is below. And who applied isn't who the school taught: the ratio between the two reflects the self-selected pool of students who chose to apply, not what happened in the classroom. By the state's 2023 count, 83% of this class's predecessors enrolled in college somewhere within a year. More of the class of 2023 enrolled at community colleges (240) than at UC (32).

Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle · college-going rate: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 22:1, district 23:122:1
Teaching staff109 teachers
Avg. experience16.7 years
Fully credentialed85%
Intern / emergency permit0.5%
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 exam qualifiers191 studentsCCI, participation not authorization
CTE pathway completers77 students
Advanced Coursework

Dana Hills's teachers are authorized to teach 18 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers — above the 14-subject median among California schools that offer AP at all — including Calculus BC, Calculus AB, and Physics C: Mechanics.

AP subjects taught18
Math & Computer Science (4)Calculus AB · Calculus BC · Computer Science Principles · Statistics
Sciences (4)Biology · Chemistry · Environmental Science · Physics C: Mechanics
English (2)English Language and Composition · English Literature and Composition
History & Social Science (5)European History · Psychology · U.S. Government and Politics · United States History · World History: Modern
World Languages & Cultures (2)Spanish Language and Culture · Spanish Literature and Culture
Arts (1)Art History

Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, 2025 - 2026 audit year (authorization, not enrollment) · IB World Schools directory, name-matched · structural depth: 2020-21 federal snapshot, table 09

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $19,172, CA average $14,491$19,172 · spent at this school
Federal share$236 per student

$236 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

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

White52.1%
District 51.0% · CA 19.9%
Hispanic34.8%
District 26.7% · CA 56.1%
Other9.4%
District 14.2% · CA 9.0%
Asian3.0%
District 7.4% · CA 10.2%
Black0.6%
District 0.7% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 42.0% (22pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$143K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.35M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+59% · CA 35%
ZIP population25,579
Median age48 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 43% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Dana Hills High a good high school?

Dana Hills High has a Scope Score of 59 out of 100, placing it in the 83rd percentile of California high schools and ranked #376 statewide. 25.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.2 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 Dana Hills High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 55.4% of students at Dana Hills High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 25.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 30.4% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 25.0% 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. 762 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Dana Hills High rank in California?

Dana Hills High ranks #376 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 83rd 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 Dana Hills High?

19.5% of students at Dana Hills 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 1.3%, 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 Dana Hills High compare to other schools in Dana Point?

Dana Hills High scores 59/100 (83rd 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 1,725 students. Use the schools in Dana Point page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Dana Hills High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Dana Hills High in Dana Point, 66.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 55.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Dana Hills High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 10.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.3% Math proficient); White students (76.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 51.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 175 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.

What AP courses are offered at Dana Hills High?

Dana Hills High's teachers are authorized to teach 18 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers, per the 2025 - 2026 AP Course Audit: Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science Principles, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, European History, Physics C: Mechanics, Psychology, Spanish Language and Culture, Spanish Literature and Culture, Statistics, U.S. Government and Politics, United States History, World History: Modern. Authorization means the school may teach a course, not that a section is running this year, and it's separate from AP exam pass rates. Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, analyzed by SchoolScope.

How many students from Dana Hills High go to UC?

In fall 2025, 36 Dana Hills High graduates enrolled at University of California campuses, universitywide. That figure can't be split into a per-campus sum — students apply to several UC campuses at once, so campus-level counts don't add up to the universitywide total. UC is one destination among many: this says nothing about graduates who chose a CSU, a private college, a community college, or work, and it is a count, not a rate or a ranking. Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle.

Your other options

All schools in Dana Point →

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%
94.3%
↑ vs CA 86.6% · 58th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
25.0%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 60th pctile
College readiness · 20%
69.7%
↑ vs CA 33.9% · 70th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
55.4%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 64th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
19.5%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 59th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.3%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 61th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
17.0%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 51th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1138334%37%16%13%71%+24
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1137916%24%28%32%40%+16
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1140412%31%48%9%

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 Disadvantaged17566.1%+11+28
White19876.8%−2+15
Hispanic/Latino13058.5%+7+20
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Dana Hills High ←—5925.0%55.4%—1.3%
San Juan Hills High1.7 mi6737.8%67.8%—1.2%
California Preparatory Academy1.5 mi5622.1%49.2%—0.7%
Opportunities for Learning - Capistrano2.6 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
94.3%
AP Exam Prepared
69.7%
A-G Completion
57.9%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
83.1%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20196486#27830.0%59.2%12.0%2.5%—
20226389#23433.3%58.9%26.2%2.9%—
20235984#34125.8%52.6%23.3%2.5%—
20246490#20834.6%64.7%20.3%2.5%—
20255983#37625.0%55.4%19.5%1.3%—
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
Female11.5%22.1%+10.6pp
Male11.7%16.5%+4.8pp
Asian5.3%9.6%+4.3pp
Black/African American5.9%33.3%+27.4pp
Filipino27.8%21.6%-6.2pp
White14.8%12.5%-2.3pp
Hispanic/Latino12.2%22.7%+10.5pp
Two or More Races8.1%20.6%+12.5pp
Students with Disabilities22.4%26.3%+3.9pp
English Learners17.5%31.7%+14.2pp
Homeless17.2%23.2%+6.0pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged15.0%25.1%+10.1pp
All Students11.6%19.0%+7.4pp
06UC admissions, universitywide2014–2025 · summed across CEEB codes at query time
YearAppliedAdmittedEnrolledGPA (applied)GPA (admitted)GPA (enrolled)
202511579363.964.024.19
202413581433.904.124.21
202315494323.894.054.15
202216079393.964.074.11
2021188106523.884.014.07
202014797473.934.074.16
2019175103503.914.034.09
2018192101643.864.074.08
2017181107553.783.954.00
2016200130693.823.954.01
201517490493.774.004.07
2014194135823.874.004.02

‹n = UC masks counts below n · a missing year means zero or masked — never assume zero · GPA cells blank for years with more than one contributing CEEB code (a summed GPA would be fabricated math) · GPAs live here and nowhere else on this page · Applied/Admitted/Enrolled reflect who applied, not what the school taught — no admit rate is computed or implied by this table. Series shown from 2014; full record to 1994 at the UC Infocenter.

07UC admissions by campuslatest falls on file
CampusYearAppliedAdmittedEnrolled
Berkeley2025636‹3
Berkeley202474137
Berkeley2023766‹3
Berkeley2022868‹3
Berkeley202194187
Davis20254614‹3
Davis202457253
Davis20236317‹3
Davis202258174
Davis20216423‹3
Irvine202578114
Irvine202482226
Irvine202392208
Irvine202286193
Irvine202196173
Los Angeles202589108
Los Angeles202498139
Los Angeles2023112105
Los Angeles20221121312
Los Angeles20211241611
Merced20252121‹3
Merced202464‹3
Merced20231313‹3
Merced20221515‹3
Merced20211919‹3
Riverside20253734‹3
Riverside20242716‹3
Riverside20233321‹3
Riverside202234243
Riverside202147368
San Diego202593239
San Diego2024104324
San Diego2023125213
San Diego2022120204
San Diego2021124337
Santa Barbara202568268
Santa Barbara202493379
Santa Barbara2023110255
Santa Barbara2022115257
Santa Barbara2021122296
Santa Cruz202536333
Santa Cruz202460384
Santa Cruz202371517
Santa Cruz202267223
Santa Cruz202170297
Universitywide20251157936
Universitywide20241358143
Universitywide20231549432
Universitywide20221607939
Universitywide202118810652

Σ campuses ≠ universitywide — students apply to several campuses; the Universitywide row (muted) is its own independent count, never a sum of the rows above it.

08AP course catalog2025 - 2026
SubjectTaught by
Art Historythis school
Biologythis school
Calculus ABthis school
Calculus BCthis school
Chemistrythis school
Computer Science Principlesthis school
English Language and Compositionthis school
English Literature and Compositionthis school
Environmental Sciencethis school
European Historythis school
Physics C: Mechanicsthis school
Psychologythis school
Spanish Language and Culturethis school
Spanish Literature and Culturethis school
Statisticsthis school
U.S. Government and Politicsthis school
United States Historythis school
World History: Modernthis school

Authorization ≠ a section running this year — the Ledger records what the school may teach, not seat counts.

09Advanced coursework — 2020-21 federal civil-rights snapshotstructural, dated — newest published; biennial
MeasureThis school
AP offeredoffered
AP course count19
AP enrollment700
IB participationnot offered
Dual enrollmentoffered · 260 enrolled
Algebra I in grade 8not reported
Calculus sections2
Physics sections3
Chemistry sections11
Total enrollment (CRDC)2,215

Shown, never scored — no entry to any composite. NULL/reserve codes render "not reported," never a fabricated zero. The equity block above this table (§4) is the per-subgroup view of this same collection.

10College destinationsclass of 2023 · CDE 12-mo College-Going Rate
DestinationCompleters% (derived)
University of California326.0%
California State University509.3%
California community college24044.7%
In-state private163.0%
Out-of-state, 4-year10619.7%
Out-of-state, 2-year20.4%
Not enrolled9116.9%

537 completers, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 83% · % column is computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers), not a CDE-native rate · a missing cell is CDE suppression, never a fabricated zero · source: CDE 12-mo CGR, 2023 cohort (the newest published), National Student Clearinghouse match — a different, older vintage than the fall 2025 UC admissions rows in tables 06-07 above.

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 · UC Infocenter (annual refresh, summer) — ‹5/‹3 = masked, never summed across campuses · AP Course Ledger 2025 - 2026 (November refresh; authorization not enrollment) · CRDC 2020-21 (biennial; next expected 2021-22) · CDE 12-mo CGR 2023 cohort, National Student Clearinghouse match · 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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