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Rio Mesa High · OxnardPublic

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

Rio Mesa posts 33% meeting the standard and 14.7% exceeding it, against 36% and 15.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

545 Central Avenue, 93030 (opens in new tab)·Oxnard Union High·Oxnard·Grades 9-12·1,951 students·73% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 278-5500·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4647
% Exceeded15%16%
% Met+33%36%
Grad rate93.2%86.6%
College readiness24.5%33.9%
Absence22.0%30.2%
Suspension4.5%3.6%
Scope Score
46
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,196 statewide · #5 of 11 in Oxnard Union High

Rio Mesa High scores 46 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.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “33% proficient” and call it done. Rio Mesa deserves a closer read. The school sits in Oxnard, where two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has stayed near the 45th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAOrange(Maintained)MathYellow(Increased Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 33% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1147%43%50%46%46%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1124%16%16%15%20%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
33%
State 36%
Graduate
93%
State 87%
Pass an AP exam
25%
State 34%

Of 100 students here: 33 are proficient by 11th grade → 93 graduate → 25 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
93.2%
State 86.6%
6.6pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
14.7%
State 15.8%
1.1pp below state avg
College readiness
24.5%
State 33.9%
AP course or exam readiness below state avg
Met or exceeded
33.3%
State 35.7%
2.4pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
22.0%
State 30.2%
8.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
4.5%
State 3.6%
0.8pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
12.4%
State 18.0%
5.6pp below 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 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 Rio Mesa High in Oxnard, 42.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Rio Mesa High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (42.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 43.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 332 students tested.

All students at this school: 33% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 33%, district —, state 36%33%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 29%, district 27%, state 32%29% · −4 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 29%, district 26%, state 32%29% · −4 vs school
MaleMale: this school 31%, district 31%, state 42%31% · −3 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 36%, district 33%, state 44%36% · +3 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 1%, district 3%, state 11%1% · −32 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 6%, district 6%, state 15%6% · −27 vs school
FilipinoFilipino: this school 63%, district 59%, state 65%63% · +29 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 54%, district 55%, state 56%54% · +21 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 18%, district 15%, state 22%18% · −16 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: too few students to report‹11
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: too few students to report‹11
AsianAsian: too few students to report‹11
Foster YouthFoster Youth: 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

In the 2020-21 federal collection — the newest there is — Students with disabilities students were 16% of Rio Mesa's enrollment but 1% of its AP seats; ask the school what's changed since.

Hispanic71.4% AP · 83.1% enroll.
American Indian/Alaska Native0.0% AP · 0.0% enroll.
Asian10.2% AP · 5.5% enroll.
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.4% AP · 0.3% enroll.
Black2.5% AP · 2.3% enroll.
White9.5% AP · 6.1% enroll.
Two or more races6.0% AP · 2.6% enroll.
English learners4.2% AP · 17.5% enroll.
Students with disabilities0.7% AP · 16.4% 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 22.0%, district 26.4%, state 30.2%22.0% · −8.2pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 4.5%, district —, state 3.6%4.5% · +0.8pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1221.7%

Where the path goes

The path below is estimated from nearby schools in the same district — scores shown for each next step.

Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Camarillo Academy of Prog…
71
→
Middle
Camarillo Academy of Prog…
71
→
High
Rio Mesa High
46
This school

Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Where graduates go

Context — never part of the Scope Score
79%
College-going rate, class of 2023

Where they went after graduation

Of Rio Mesa's class of 2023, 79% enrolled in college somewhere within a year — a CSU, a community college, a UC, or out of state.

College destination mix, class of 2023

Class of 2023: 451 completers, 79% enrolled somewhere within a year

University of California 23 (5%)California State University 31 (7%)California community college 287 (64%)In-state private 4 (1%)Out-of-state, 4-year 11 (2%)Out-of-state, 2-year 1 (0%)Not enrolled 94 (21%)

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 application funnel — one destination of six, tracked in detail because UC is the only source with 30 years of history

In fall 2025, 17 of Rio Mesa's 437 graduates enrolled in the University of California system — Santa Barbara the most common landing, with 4 enrollees.

Applied59fall 2025, universitywide
Admitted43
Enrolled17
Where they landed (fall 2025)

7 of 9 campuses are masked below UC's privacy floor — a protection, not a verdict.

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

UC enrollees, universitywide, 2014–2025

Peak: 30 enrolled, 2024

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, 79% of this class's predecessors enrolled in college somewhere within a year. More of the class of 2023 enrolled at community colleges (287) than at UC (23).

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 23:1, district 24:123:1
Teaching staff96 teachers
Avg. experience16.3 years
Fully credentialed77%
First-year teachers1%
Intern / emergency permit2.3%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$70,895 – $166,909
Principal salaryUp to $187,571
Superintendent salary$274,065

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP exam qualifiers51 studentsCCI, participation not authorization
CTE pathway completers78 students
Advanced Coursework

Rio Mesa's teachers are authorized to teach 7 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers — including Calculus AB, Physics 1, and Statistics.

AP subjects taught7
Math & Computer Science (3)Calculus AB · Precalculus · Statistics
Sciences (1)Physics 1
History & Social Science (2)Human Geography · World History: Modern
World Languages & Cultures (1)Spanish Language and Culture
IBMiddle Years (MYP) · Diploma Programme (DP) · Career-related (CP)

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

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $19,580, CA average $14,491$19,580 · spent at this school
Federal share$1,780 per student

$1,780 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$20,875 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
Instruction55%
Instruction support11%
Student services14%
Administration7%
Buildings & maintenance11%
Other3%

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$13,649 per pupil
2019$13,355 per pupil
2018$13,175 per pupil
2017$12,248 per pupil
2016$11,577 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Hispanic87.6%
District 80.9% · CA 56.1%
Other6.0%
District 6.4% · CA 9.0%
White4.4%
District 9.7% · CA 19.9%
Asian1.0%
District 2.0% · CA 10.2%
Black1.0%
District 1.1% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 72.6% (9pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$93K · CA $85K
Median home value$688K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+17% · CA 35%
ZIP population58,192
Median age34 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 32% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, and it never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Rio Mesa High a good high school?

Rio Mesa High has a Scope Score of 46 out of 100, placing it in the 45th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,196 statewide. 14.7% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near 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 Rio Mesa High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 33.3% of students at Rio Mesa High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 14.7% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 14.7% 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. 946 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Rio Mesa High rank in California?

Rio Mesa High ranks #1,196 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 Rio Mesa High?

22.0% of students at Rio Mesa 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 4.5%. 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 Rio Mesa High compare to other schools in Oxnard?

Rio Mesa High scores 46/100 (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 1,951 students. Use the schools in Oxnard page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Rio Mesa High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Rio Mesa High in Oxnard, 42.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Rio Mesa High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (42.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 43.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 332 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 Rio Mesa High?

Rio Mesa High's teachers are authorized to teach 7 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers, per the 2025 - 2026 AP Course Audit: Calculus AB, Human Geography, Physics 1, Precalculus, Spanish Language and Culture, Statistics, 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 Rio Mesa High go to UC?

In fall 2025, 17 Rio Mesa 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 Oxnard →

Private alternatives nearby

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

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
93.2%
↑ vs CA 86.6% · 57th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
14.7%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 49th pctile
College readiness · 20%
24.5%
↓ vs CA 33.9% · 45th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
33.3%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 48th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
22.0%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 57th pctile
▲ 1.7pp higher vs 2024
Suspension rate · 5%
4.5%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 46th pctile
▼ 2.0pp lower vs 2024
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
12.4%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 44th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1147021%25%23%30%46%−2
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 114768%12%22%58%20%−4

We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, no valid result was published, or the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.

Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Schoolwide4898%24%61%8%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged33242.6%+4+4
Hispanic/Latino40642.5%+2+4
English Learners702.9%−2−8
03Nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score · Grade gap = grade 3 vs grade 5, this year, different students; Cohort growth = the same students tracked across grades, in scale-score points — that's the measurement the Scope Score weights
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+Grade gapCohort growthSusp
Rio Mesa High ←—4614.7%33.3%——4.5%
Pacifica High2.8 mi427.1%23.8%——3.6%
Condor High2.5 mi293.6%15.8%——0.5%
California average—4715.8%35.7%——3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
93.2%
AP Exam Prepared
24.5%
A-G Completion
30.9%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
79.2%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrade gap
20194747#109113.9%35.5%13.8%7.1%—
20224444#118110.3%29.5%31.0%5.1%—
20234748#111813.0%32.9%24.9%4.6%—
20244544#120211.3%30.6%20.3%6.4%—
20254645#119614.7%33.3%22.0%4.5%—
Grade gap = this year's grade 3 vs grade 5 result, two different sets of students, not a trend for any one child — it is not the measurement the Scope Score's growth dimension uses. See §01 above and /methodology#verdicts for the school's actual scored (cohort) growth.
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%21.5%+7.4pp
Male12.7%21.7%+9.0pp
Asian12.5%0.0%-12.5pp
Black/African American14.5%4.8%-9.7pp
White5.7%1.4%-4.3pp
Hispanic/Latino13.0%23.0%+10.0pp
Two or More Races13.5%16.3%+2.8pp
Students with Disabilities27.4%36.6%+9.2pp
English Learners12.9%26.4%+13.5pp
Foster Youth33.3%——
Homeless15.6%29.1%+13.5pp
Military-Connected7.3%22.2%+14.9pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged15.1%23.9%+8.8pp
All Students13.4%21.7%+8.3pp
06UC admissions, universitywide2014–2025 · summed across CEEB codes at query time
YearAppliedAdmittedEnrolledGPA (applied)GPA (admitted)GPA (enrolled)
20255943173.683.783.99
20247647303.824.014.10
20238956243.904.044.11
20229761253.833.954.06
20216540173.793.943.98
20205534153.844.014.18
20198649213.773.974.02
20188244253.874.064.17
20177041203.824.134.19
20166542213.803.984.05
20156333133.794.024.16
20146845273.834.064.11

‹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
Berkeley2025144‹3
Berkeley202438106
Berkeley202345124
Berkeley20223664
Berkeley2021234‹3
Davis2025238‹3
Davis202424133
Davis20233821‹3
Davis2022297‹3
Davis202136144
Irvine2025377‹3
Irvine20244313‹3
Irvine2023515‹3
Irvine20224973
Irvine2021364‹3
Los Angeles20253643
Los Angeles20245264
Los Angeles20235064
Los Angeles20226033
Los Angeles2021393‹3
Merced20252020‹3
Merced202415143
Merced202311113
Merced202224243
Merced20211514‹3
Riverside20252620‹3
Riverside20241511‹3
Riverside202323203
Riverside202225193
Riverside20212015‹3
San Diego20253111‹3
San Diego202436157
San Diego2023378‹3
San Diego2022568‹3
San Diego20213410‹3
Santa Barbara202535144
Santa Barbara202454224
Santa Barbara202366226
Santa Barbara202269184
Santa Barbara202149133
Santa Cruz2025127‹3
Santa Cruz20243019‹3
Santa Cruz20232813‹3
Santa Cruz20222813‹3
Santa Cruz2021118‹3
Universitywide2025594317
Universitywide2024764730
Universitywide2023895624
Universitywide2022976125
Universitywide2021654017

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
Calculus ABthis school
Human Geographythis school
Physics 1this school
Precalculusthis school
Spanish Language and Culturethis school
Statisticsthis 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 count5
AP enrollment283
IB participationoffered · 344 enrolled
Dual enrollmentoffered · 251 enrolled
Algebra I in grade 8not reported
Calculus sections4
Physics sections2
Chemistry sections36
Total enrollment (CRDC)2,384

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 California235.1%
California State University316.9%
California community college28763.6%
In-state private40.9%
Out-of-state, 4-year112.4%
Out-of-state, 2-year10.2%
Not enrolled9420.8%

451 completers, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 79% · % 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.

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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) · IB World Schools directory (name-matched, 0.90 gate) · 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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