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Laguna Hills High · Laguna Hills

Laguna Hills High: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

Laguna Hills posts 43% meeting the standard against 36% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

25401 Paseo de Valencia, 92653 (opens in new tab)·Saddleback Valley Unified·Laguna Hills·Grades 9-12·1,317 students·59% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(949) 770-5447
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5544
% Exceeded19%16%
% Met+43%36%
Grad rate97.3%87.6%
College readiness59.8%35.4%
Absence16.5%30.2%
Suspension1.4%3.6%
Scope Score
55
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #552 statewide · #4 of 6 in Saddleback Valley Unified

Laguna Hills High scores 55 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 74th 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.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “43% proficient” and call it done. Laguna Hills deserves a closer read. The school sits in Laguna Hills, where more than half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 16.5% 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

Slipped from the 84th to the 74th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAYellow(Declined Significantly)MathOrange(Declined Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 43% meet the standard today, versus 54% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1168%66%66%54%55%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1140%31%34%32%31%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
43%
State 36%
Graduate
97%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
60%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 43 are proficient by 11th grade → 97 graduate → 60 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
97.3%
State 87.6%
9.7pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
19.4%
State 15.8%
3.5pp above state avg
College readiness
59.8%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
42.9%
State 35.7%
7.2pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
16.5%
State 30.2%
13.7pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.4%
State 3.6%
2.2pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
15.8%
State 18.0%
2.2pp 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 Laguna Hills High in Laguna Hills, 43.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Laguna Hills High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (46.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 51.4 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 196 students tested.

All students at this school: 43% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 43%, district —, state 36%43%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 29%, district 38%, state 32%29% · −14 vs school
MaleMale: this school 39%, district 55%, state 42%39% · −4 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 31%, district 36%, state 32%31% · −12 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 48%, district 56%, state 44%48% · +5 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 51%, district 65%, state 56%51% · +8 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 28%, district 26%, state 22%28% · −15 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 15%, district 23%, state 15%15% · −28 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 2%, district 8%, state 11%2% · −41 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 61%, district 72%, state 56%61% · +18 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 78%, district 82%, state 72%78% · +35 vs school
FilipinoFilipino: this school 50%, district 69%, state 65%50% · +7 vs school
Military-ConnectedMilitary-Connected: too few students to report‹11
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: too few students to report‹11
Foster YouthFoster Youth: too few students to report‹11
this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 16.5%, district 16.0%, state 30.2%16.5% · −13.7pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.4%, district —, state 3.6%1.4% · −2.2pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1215.8%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Laguna Hills High
55/100
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.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 22:1, district 24:122:1
Teaching staff66 teachers
Avg. experience17.4 years
Fully credentialed83%
First-year teachers5%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$30,000 – $133,169
Principal salary$162,720 – $187,915
Superintendent salary$356,227

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered26
AP exam qualifiers149 students
CTE pathway completers68 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $21,284, CA average $14,815$21,284 · spent at this school
Federal share$3 per student

$3 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$17,633 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
Instruction65%
Instruction support12%
Student services9%
Administration5%
Buildings & maintenance8%
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$12,689 per pupil
2019$11,164 per pupil
2018$11,797 per pupil
2017$10,660 per pupil
2016$10,377 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic54.3%
District 39.4% · CA 56.1%
White30.1%
District 36.6% · CA 19.9%
Other9.6%
District 13.2% · CA 9.0%
Asian5.1%
District 9.7% · CA 10.2%
Black1.0%
District 1.1% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 58.5% (5pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$133K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.06M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+55% · CA 35%
ZIP population29,624
Median age42 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 36% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Laguna Hills High a good high school?

Laguna Hills High has a Scope Score of 55 out of 100, placing it in the 74th percentile of California high schools and ranked #552 statewide. 19.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 3.5 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 Laguna Hills High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 42.9% of students at Laguna Hills High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 19.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 23.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 19.4% 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. 686 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Laguna Hills High rank in California?

Laguna Hills High ranks #552 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 74th 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 Laguna Hills High?

16.5% of students at Laguna 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 1.4%, 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 Laguna Hills High compare to other schools in Laguna Hills?

Laguna Hills High scores 55/100 (74th 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 1,317 students. Use the schools in Laguna Hills page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

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

At Laguna Hills High in Laguna Hills, 43.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Laguna Hills High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (46.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 51.4 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 196 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 Laguna Hills →

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%
97.3%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 62th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
19.4%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 54th pctile
College readiness · 20%
59.8%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 64th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
42.9%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 55th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
16.5%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 61th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.4%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 60th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
15.8%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 49th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1134325%29%22%23%55%+7
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1134314%17%23%45%31%+8
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1134811%25%54%10%

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 Disadvantaged19643.4%+1+5
Hispanic/Latino17346.2%+5+7
White11858.5%−11−3
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Laguna Hills High ←—5519.4%42.9%—1.4%
Aliso Niguel High2.5 mi6842.1%65.3%—1.4%
Mission Viejo High1.7 mi6029.4%57.5%—1.0%
Silverado High2.1 mi240.8%8.2%—8.0%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
97.3%
AP Exam Prepared
59.8%
A-G Completion
58.3%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
80.2%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20196384#32528.7%54.3%13.6%0.7%—
20225882#37523.1%48.2%19.1%1.6%—
20235984#35024.9%49.9%16.4%0.7%—
20245576#51417.2%42.8%14.8%2.0%—
20255574#55219.4%42.9%16.5%1.4%—
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
Female14.1%18.9%+4.8pp
Male11.8%13.3%+1.5pp
Asian9.3%9.0%-0.3pp
Black/African American20.0%6.7%-13.3pp
White10.5%5.0%-5.5pp
Hispanic/Latino15.1%20.2%+5.1pp
Two or More Races6.7%12.2%+5.5pp
Students with Disabilities27.2%30.4%+3.2pp
English Learners23.0%27.2%+4.2pp
Homeless35.3%27.2%-8.1pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged17.7%21.8%+4.1pp
All Students13.0%15.8%+2.8pp
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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