How to read California School Dashboard results
California does not give schools letter grades. The California School Dashboard, run by the California Department of Education (CDE), rates schools and districts on several indicators using five colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue, from lowest to highest. Each color combines the current result with the change from the year before.
- English and math are reported as distance from standard: the average number of points by which students scored above (+) or below (-) the grade-level standard on state tests.
- Graduation rate is the share of students who graduate within four years.
- Chronic absenteeism is the share of K-8 students who missed at least 10% of school days. Lower is better.
All figures on this page come from the CDE's 2025 Dashboard data files for all students. A high district average can hide weaker schools, and a modest average can include some of the strongest schools in the state, so read the school-level results too.
Orange County school districts compared
The Dashboard lists 28 school districts in Orange County plus the county office of education. The table shows the larger unified and high school districts and the top elementary district, sorted by English results. Graduation rates apply only to districts with high schools.
| District | English (distance from standard) | Math | Graduation rate | Chronic absenteeism |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fountain Valley Elementary | +70.8 (Blue) | +57.6 (Blue) | K-8 only | 7.6% |
| Los Alamitos Unified | +62.8 (Green) | +30.4 (Green) | 96.8% | 6.9% |
| Laguna Beach Unified | +62.3 (Blue) | +47.5 (Blue) | 97.5% | 8.8% |
| Irvine Unified | +61.8 (Blue) | +53.1 (Blue) | 95.2% | 8.6% |
| Capistrano Unified | +52.9 (Blue) | +26.4 (Green) | 95.4% | 11.7% |
| Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified | +43.9 (Green) | +14.3 (Green) | 95.6% | 11.4% |
| Tustin Unified | +30.9 (Green) | +4.7 (Green) | 96.0% | 9.9% |
| Garden Grove Unified | +24.9 (Green) | -3.9 (Green) | 92.3% | 12.8% |
| Newport-Mesa Unified | +23.4 (Green) | -5.9 (Green) | 94.8% | 12.3% |
| Saddleback Valley Unified | +20.3 (Green) | -1.4 (Green) | 95.4% | 10.7% |
| Orange Unified | +14.3 (Green) | -22.1 (Yellow) | 97.2% | 12.2% |
| Anaheim Union High | -25.7 (Orange) | -84.1 (Yellow) | 94.4% | 21.4% |
| Santa Ana Unified | -45.5 (Yellow) | -78.2 (Yellow) | 91.6% | 15.4% |
| State of California | -8.1 | -42.4 | 87.8% | 17.1% |
Source: CDE, 2025 California School Dashboard data files, all students. Chronic absenteeism is not reported for most high school districts. Smaller K-8 districts not shown include Huntington Beach City (+50.3 in English), Cypress (+48.0), Centralia (+19.5), Ocean View (+12.8), Westminster (+8.2) and Anaheim Elementary (-49.3).
Orange County high schools with the strongest results
These are the comprehensive and specialist high schools with the highest 2025 English results among those with more than 150 graduates in the cohort.
Oxford Academy (Anaheim Union High)
Oxford Academy scored 153.2 points above standard in English and 148.2 above in math, both Blue, with a 97.6% graduation rate and 1.4% chronic absenteeism. It is a selective admissions school: its admissions page says it accepts applications for incoming seventh graders only, with no entry in grades 8 to 12, and the window for entry in fall 2027 ran from September 30 to November 3, 2026. Living nearby does not guarantee a place.
Troy High and Sunny Hills High (Fullerton Joint Union High)
Troy High scored 128.9 above standard in English (Blue, up 14.4 points) and 100.1 above in math, with a 95.0% graduation rate. Sunny Hills High scored 93.6 above in English and 40.2 above in math, and graduated 98.5% of its cohort.
Tesoro High and Aliso Niguel High (Capistrano Unified)
Tesoro High scored 118.8 above standard in English, up 33.1 points, and 45.7 above in math, both Blue. Aliso Niguel High scored 86.2 above in English (Blue) and 16.1 above in math (Green). Capistrano Valley High (+77.4) and San Juan Hills High (+68.1) were also well above the standard in English.
Beckman, Northwood and Woodbridge (Tustin and Irvine Unified)
Tustin Unified's Arnold O. Beckman High scored 104.2 above standard in English and graduated 96.4%. In Irvine Unified, Northwood High scored 82.3 above in English (Blue, up 18.2) and 60.1 above in math, and Woodbridge High 75.2 above in English. Portola High (+68.2) and Irvine High (+68.0) followed.
La Quinta and Pacifica High (Garden Grove Unified)
La Quinta High scored 101.6 above standard in English and 58.4 above in math, both Blue, one of the strongest pairs of results in the county. Pacifica High scored 72.8 above in English and Garden Grove High 65.8 above.
Fountain Valley, Laguna Beach and Canyon High
Fountain Valley High (Huntington Beach Union High) scored 83.6 above in English with a 96.8% graduation rate. Laguna Beach High scored 86.1 above in English and graduated 98.0%. Orange Unified's Canyon High scored 81.5 above in English and graduated 97.9%, though its math result was 13.7 below standard.
Orange County middle schools
Middle schools in Irvine and Capistrano Unified
Among middle schools in these two districts with more than 100 students tested, the highest English results were at Capistrano Unified's Arroyo Vista Middle (+89.0) and Irvine Unified's Rancho San Joaquin Middle (+86.1) and Sierra Vista Middle (+83.9). The two Irvine schools also scored more than 94 points above standard in math. Ladera Ranch Middle (+80.0) and Esencia Middle (+72.8) in Capistrano Unified and Lakeside Middle (+75.3) in Irvine were also Blue in both subjects.
Middle and intermediate schools in Fountain Valley, Garden Grove and Los Alamitos
Fountain Valley Elementary's Fulton Middle (+88.4) and Masuda Middle (+73.1) scored Blue in English and math. Garden Grove Unified's Sarah McGarvin Intermediate (+79.9) and Hilton D. Bell Intermediate (+79.5) did the same. Los Alamitos Unified's Oak Middle scored 73.3 above standard in English, with 5.8% chronic absenteeism.
Orange County elementary schools
Elementary schools above 100 points in English
Six elementary schools with more than 100 students tested scored at least 100 points above standard in English on the 2025 Dashboard: Jack L. Weaver Elementary in Los Alamitos Unified (+114.3), Golden Elementary in Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified (+111.7), Ethan B. Allen Elementary in Garden Grove Unified (+107.1), Santiago Hills Elementary in Irvine Unified (+103.6), Margaret Landell Elementary in Cypress Elementary (+101.4) and Robert C. Fisler Elementary in Fullerton Elementary (+100.3). Santiago Hills and Golden also scored more than 100 above in math. Other high results included Eastshore (+97.0) and Turtle Rock (+91.0) in Irvine and Canyon Vista (+94.2) in Capistrano Unified.
Santa Ana Unified School District results
Santa Ana Unified high schools
Santa Ana Unified scored 45.5 points below standard in English and 78.2 below in math on the 2025 Dashboard, both Yellow, and improved its English result by 6.1 points. Its graduation rate was 91.6%, above the state's 87.8%. Results differ widely by school. Middle College High, a small school with 99 students tested, scored 117.5 above standard in English and graduated 100%. Hector G. Godinez Fundamental High scored 40.2 above in English with a 98.8% graduation rate, and Segerstrom High 21.2 above with 98.5%. The district's largest comprehensive high schools, including Santa Ana High (-31.5), Valley High (-41.6) and Saddleback High (-41.6), scored below standard in English.
Santa Ana Unified elementary and intermediate schools
John Muir Fundamental Elementary scored 14.1 above standard in English and 2.9 above in math, both Green. Douglas MacArthur Fundamental Intermediate was close to the standard in English (-0.6, Green) with 8.7% chronic absenteeism. Several charter schools in the district's data, including El Sol Santa Ana Science and Arts Academy, were also near or above the English standard.
School choice in Orange County: specialist, charter and transfer options
Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA)
OCSA, a charter school listed under the Orange County Department of Education in the Dashboard data, scored 90.2 above standard in English and graduated 98.7%. Its admissions page says places are offered by a public random drawing (lottery) by conservatory and grade, and applicants must complete the conservatory placement activity and, for most conservatories, meet a minimum proficiency level to enter the lottery.
Transfers between and within districts
Most districts let families apply to attend a school outside their home attendance area, space permitting, and Irvine Unified publishes interdistrict attendance permit rules on its site. Transfers are never guaranteed, so do not buy a home on the assumption that one will be approved. The Orange County neighborhoods guide shows which cities sit where, and the Orange County homes guide covers prices.
How to check which schools serve an Orange County address
We never state that a home is zoned for a school. Attendance areas follow district lines, not city limits or ZIP codes, and they change. One city can be split between several districts, and listing descriptions are often wrong. Before you buy:
- Irvine Unified: use the School Boundaries and Assignments page on iusd.org.
- Capistrano Unified: use the School Locator on capousd.org.
- Santa Ana Unified: use the Residency Locator on the enrollment page at sausd.us. If the address is not found, the district says it may be outside Santa Ana Unified boundaries.
- Every other district: call the district enrollment office with the full address and ask for the assigned schools in writing.
Then look up each school on the California School Dashboard and read several years of results, not one.