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Tustin High · Tustin

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

Tustin posts 42% meeting the standard against 36% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

1171 El Camino Real, 92780 (opens in new tab)·Tustin Unified·Tustin·Grades 9-12·1,627 students·87% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(714) 730-7414
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5244
% Exceeded20%16%
% Met+42%36%
Grad rate95.8%87.6%
College readiness50.0%35.4%
Absence15.0%30.2%
Suspension3.1%3.6%
Scope Score
52
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #656 statewide · #4 of 6 in Tustin Unified

Tustin High scores 52 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 70th 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 “42% proficient” and call it done. Tustin deserves a closer read. The school sits in Tustin, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Tustin's low-income kids hit 58.3% 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 70th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAOrange(Declined Significantly)MathYellow(Declined Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 42% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1157%58%63%65%60%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1130%21%22%24%24%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
42%
State 36%
Graduate
96%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
50%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 42 are proficient by 11th grade → 96 graduate → 50 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

58.3%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Tustin's most underrated number

58.3% 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.

Tustin low-income: 58.3%State low-income: 38.2%Tustin EL: 15.1%State EL: 10.4%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
95.8%
State 87.6%
8.2pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
19.8%
State 15.8%
4.0pp above state avg
College readiness
50.0%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
42.2%
State 35.7%
6.5pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
15.0%
State 30.2%
15.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
3.1%
State 3.6%
0.5pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
19.3%
State 18.0%
1.3pp above 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 Tustin High in Tustin, 58.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 45.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Tustin High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (58.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 45.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 355 students tested.

All students at this school: 42% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 42%, district —, state 36%42%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 39%, district 40%, state 32%39% · −3 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 39%, district 36%, state 32%39% · −3 vs school
MaleMale: this school 42%, district 58%, state 42%42% · −1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 42%, district 58%, state 44%42% · +0 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 9%, district 14%, state 11%9% · −33 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 11%, district 21%, state 15%11% · −31 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 59%, district 67%, state 56%59% · +17 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 57%, district 86%, state 72%57% · +15 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 30%, district 20%, state 22%30% · −12 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 46%, district 76%, state 56%46% · +4 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: too few students to report‹11
FilipinoFilipino: 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 15.0%, district 13.0%, state 30.2%15.0% · −15.2pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 3.1%, district —, state 3.6%3.1% · −0.5pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1214.4%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path

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 24:1, district 26:124:1
Teaching staff68 teachers
Avg. experience14.6 years
Fully credentialed86%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$63,595 – $136,551
Principal salary$169,736 – $200,209
Superintendent salary$406,467

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered29
AP exam qualifiers115 students
CTE pathway completers45 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $17,957, CA average $14,815$17,957 · spent at this school
Federal share$309 per student

$309 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$16,539 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
Instruction61%
Instruction support10%
Student services11%
Administration7%
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$12,042 per pupil
2019$11,529 per pupil
2018$11,031 per pupil
2017$10,848 per pupil
2016$10,328 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic82.1%
District 46.0% · CA 56.1%
White6.5%
District 19.5% · CA 19.9%
Asian4.4%
District 23.0% · CA 10.2%
Other4.3%
District 10.0% · CA 9.0%
Black2.7%
District 1.5% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 86.8% (23pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$101K · CA $85K
Median home value$862K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+38% · CA 35%
ZIP population54,374
Median age36 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 30% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Tustin High a good high school?

Tustin High has a Scope Score of 52 out of 100, placing it in the 70th percentile of California high schools and ranked #656 statewide. 19.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.0 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 Tustin High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 42.2% of students at Tustin High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 19.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 22.4% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 19.8% 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. 815 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Tustin High rank in California?

Tustin High ranks #656 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 70th 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 Tustin High?

15.0% of students at Tustin 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 3.1%. 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 Tustin High compare to other schools in Tustin?

Tustin High scores 52/100 (70th 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 1,627 students. Use the schools in Tustin page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

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

At Tustin High in Tustin, 58.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 45.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Tustin High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (58.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 45.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 355 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%
95.8%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 60th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
19.8%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 54th pctile
College readiness · 20%
50.0%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 58th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
42.2%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 55th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
15.0%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 62th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.1%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 52th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
19.3%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 55th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1140528%32%23%17%60%+13
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1141011%13%20%55%24%+1
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/114255%26%60%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 Disadvantaged35558.3%+12+20
Hispanic/Latino33258.4%+16+20
English Learners8615.1%+2+5
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Tustin High ←5219.8%42.2%3.1%
Arnold O. Beckman High2.3 mi7349.1%72.0%1.8%
Irvine High3 mi6840.0%67.9%1.3%
Foothill High2.3 mi6129.9%55.8%1.6%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
95.8%
AP Exam Prepared
50.0%
A-G Completion
52.9%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
73.4%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195467#66916.8%43.2%11.0%4.9%
20225170#63115.4%39.5%19.1%3.2%
20235272#60817.3%42.4%19.2%3.4%
20245372#59018.0%44.5%14.8%3.4%
20255270#65619.8%42.2%15.0%3.1%
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
Female10.8%16.6%+5.8pp
Male10.3%12.5%+2.2pp
Asian5.2%9.0%+3.8pp
Black/African American2.6%13.6%+11.0pp
White5.9%3.3%-2.6pp
Hispanic/Latino11.0%15.1%+4.1pp
Pacific Islander25.0%
Two or More Races7.9%12.9%+5.0pp
Students with Disabilities18.1%22.3%+4.2pp
English Learners12.7%17.5%+4.8pp
Foster Youth50.0%37.9%-12.1pp
Homeless35.6%21.7%-13.9pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged11.5%15.3%+3.8pp
All Students10.5%14.4%+3.9pp
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