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Dana Hills High

Q: Is Dana Hills High a good school?

Dana Hills High ranks 405 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

405^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 81% of California high schools

Summary

Dana Hills High is a public high school serving approximately 1,725 students in grades 9-12 within the affluent coastal community of Dana Point, operating as part of the Capistrano Unified School District.

The school is a well-resourced institution with a strong 94.3% graduation rate, but recent analysis shows it is at an inflection point, having experienced a notable drop in its statewide ranking while nearby comprehensive high schools like San Juan Hills High and Aliso Niguel High have maintained or improved their elite status. A key differentiator is a significant performance gap in mathematics, where Dana Hills' proficiency rate is 10-15 percentage points lower than these peer schools, despite its English Language Arts performance remaining competitive.

Dana Hills serves a slightly higher percentage of students with economic need than some of its direct peers, and it shows unusual year-to-year volatility in performance for specific student subgroups. However, the school's ability to maintain exceptional graduation and low dropout rates suggests it is effective at keeping students engaged and progressing, even as it faces specific challenges in mathematics instruction and consistent support across its diverse student population.

1,725

Students ?

21.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,351

Per pupil spending ?

42%

Free/discounted lunch ?

33333 Golden Lantern
Dana Point, CA 92629-1840

(949) 496-6666

District: Capistrano Unified

Feeder schools for Dana Hills High:

Elementary:	George White Elementary
	Hidden Hills Elementary
	John Malcom Elementary
	Moulton Elementary
	More...
	Richard Henry Dana Elementary
Middle:	Niguel Hills Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.1%

Hispanic:

34.7%

Two or more races:

8.2%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Dana Hills High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 91st percentile in 2015 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (51% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of California high schools

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Capistrano Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school51%

District avg65%

California avg41%

405^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 8High Schools in the Capistrano Unified

193^rd of 1,543Capistrano Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.2	405 of 2162	81.3%	★★★★☆
2024	93.0	161 of 2159	92.5%	★★★★★
2023	86.4	287 of 2170	86.8%	★★★★☆
2022	88.9	214 of 2123	89.9%	★★★★☆
2021	78.3	265 of 1290	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	87.4	232 of 2133	89.1%	★★★★☆
2018	83.3	343 of 2017	83.0%	★★★★☆
2017	86.8	270 of 2021	86.6%	★★★★☆
2016	81.6	357 of 2039	82.5%	★★★★☆
2015	89.9	183 of 1994	90.8%	★★★★★
2013	84.1	85 of 2426	96.5%	★★★★★
2012	85.8	69 of 2354	97.1%	★★★★★
2011	85.7	68 of 2367	97.1%	★★★★★
2010	87.5	54 of 2281	97.6%	★★★★★
2009	86.3	34 of 2238	98.5%	★★★★★
2008	88.6	30 of 2117	98.6%	★★★★★
2007	87.2	53 of 2063	97.4%	★★★★★
2006	79.3	126 of 1968	93.6%	★★★★★
2005	85.8	45 of 1901	97.6%	★★★★★
2004	82.7	55 of 1653	96.7%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.5	313 of 585	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	75.4	147 of 591	75.1%	★★★★☆
2022	60.9	260 of 581	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.2	288 of 582	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.2	192 of 581	67.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	41.3	551 of 1161	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.6	284 of 555	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.7	420 of 1117	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.4	227 of 1052	78.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	47.6	395 of 1085	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	265 of 1064	75.1%	★★★★☆
2022	51.3	309 of 1044	70.4%	★★★★☆
2021	54.7	148 of 467	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.5	549 of 941	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.2	919 of 938	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.5	328 of 1906	82.8%	★★★★☆
2024	92.5	134 of 1915	93.0%	★★★★★
2023	86.7	232 of 1915	87.9%	★★★★☆
2022	89.4	183 of 1858	90.2%	★★★★★
2021	78.9	205 of 1054	80.6%	★★★★☆
2019	85.7	234 of 1833	87.2%	★★★★☆
2018	85.4	252 of 1760	85.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.5	521 of 1900	72.6%	★★★★☆
2024	87.6	179 of 1902	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	75.5	376 of 1917	80.4%	★★★★☆
2022	85.0	191 of 1861	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	82.8	215 of 1814	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	69.8	497 of 1742	71.5%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.3	151 of 410	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	83.5	31 of 328	90.5%	★★★★★
2023	67.1	75 of 299	74.9%	★★★★☆
2022	85.0	23 of 290	92.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.5	428 of 2013	78.7%	★★★★☆
2024	87.6	214 of 2026	89.4%	★★★★☆
2023	75.9	391 of 2030	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	82.7	232 of 1943	88.1%	★★★★☆
2021	68.0	302 of 1126	73.2%	★★★★☆
2019	68.1	499 of 1937	74.2%	★★★★☆
2018	68.3	562 of 1862	69.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.2	403 of 1942	79.2%	★★★★☆
2024	92.0	162 of 1948	91.7%	★★★★★
2023	81.5	348 of 1963	82.3%	★★★★☆
2022	85.8	233 of 1916	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	72.8	277 of 1122	75.3%	★★★★☆
2019	84.5	259 of 1880	86.2%	★★★★☆
2018	75.8	443 of 1834	75.8%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.7	38 of 175	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	77.5	34 of 183	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	36.1	129 of 190	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.5	94 of 168	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.9	302 of 577	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	79.8	107 of 574	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	64.6	192 of 541	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	79.1	83 of 515	83.9%	★★★★☆
2019	60.1	171 of 422	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.9	225 of 366	38.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.6	366 of 1252	70.8%	★★★★☆
2024	56.2	379 of 1216	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.1	314 of 1197	73.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.9	308 of 1155	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	88.4	98 of 1173	91.6%	★★★★★
2023	72.9	303 of 1193	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	79.2	217 of 1204	82.0%	★★★★☆
2019	75.2	253 of 1222	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	73.0	337 of 1173	71.3%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2025)83rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)79th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)79th percentile-3 vs school

Military Connected (2025)78th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)73rd percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)73rd percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)71st percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)64th percentile-29 vs school

Homeless (2025)63rd percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2022)53rd percentile-37 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)48th percentile-34 vs school

Asian (2025)46th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy71%+22 vs state

Science43%+10 vs state

Mathematics40%+3 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Sunday, February 20, 2022

Going to this school was hell on earth. Glad I survived the elitist attitudes, exclusion of anyone different, extreme classism, and white dominated culture. Run. Close Quote

Schools Near Dana Hills High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dana Hills High	Public	9-12	33333 Golden Lantern	Dana Point	92629	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 496-6666	1,725	80	21.5	42.0%	898 (52.1%)	11 (0.6%)	599 (34.7%)	68 (3.9%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	141 (8.2%)	80.2	405^th of 2162 public high schools	81.3%		93	161^st of 2159 public high schools	92.5%	244		44.9	8.7	42.8				71.0	71.0				39.8	39.8	$19,351	$1,203	$18,148
California Preparatory Academy	Public, Virtual	9-12	32972 Calle Perfecto	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(949) 234-5317	198	9	22.9	22.7%	139 (70.2%)	2 (1.0%)	25 (12.6%)	6 (3.0%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	23 (11.6%)	74.4	501^st of 2162 public high schools	76.8%		90.9	201^st of 2159 public high schools	90.7%	300		44.4		45.6				69.8	69.8				28.6	28.6	$19,916	$979	$18,937
College and Career Advantage	Public	8-12	33122 Valle Rd.	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	College and Career Advantage	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(949) 234-9464	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Opportunities for Learning - Capistrano	Public, Charter	7-12	31878 Del Obispo St. Ste. 105	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Opportunities for Learning - Capistrano District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 248-1282	185	9	20.5	52.4%	80 (43.2%)	3 (1.6%)	59 (31.9%)	11 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (14.1%)	54.4	941^st of 2162 public high schools	56.5%		55.4	867^th of 2159 public high schools	59.8%	74			25.9	23.3				57.5	56.0				17.0	18.0	$26,624	$00	$26,624
Capistrano Union High	Public	9-12	31422 Camino Capistrano	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 489-7216	103	12	8.6	84.5%	22 (21.4%)	3 (2.9%)	75 (72.8%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.9%)	16.5	1756^th of 2162 public high schools	18.8%		13	1888^th of 2159 public high schools	12.6%	132		12.9		15.2				24.2	24.2				0.0	0.0	$36,441	$2,943	$33,498
Bridges Community Day	Public	6-12	31576 El Camino Real	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5302	12	3	3.7	25.0%	6 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (33.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (8.3%)								(n/a)															$29,701	$1,310	$28,391
OCASA College Prep	Public, Charter	6-12	31522 El Camino Real	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	OCASA College Prep District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 269-3290	83	7	11.9	33.7%	42 (50.6%)	1 (1.2%)	28 (33.7%)	3 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (10.8%)								(n/a)	14.3			13.3	55.6	57.1	14.3		43.9	38.9	33.3	35.7		35.1	$22,470	$3,144	$19,326
San Juan Hills High	Public	9-12	29211 Stallion Ridge	San Juan Capistrano	92675	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 234-5900	2,641	114	23.2	38.1%	1,317 (49.9%)	19 (0.7%)	900 (34.1%)	164 (6.2%)	3 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	230 (8.7%)	93.3	137^th of 2162 public high schools	93.7%		94	131^st of 2159 public high schools	93.9%	6		58.5		57.9				79.7	79.7				55.9	55.9	$17,915	$1,173	$16,742
Capistrano Valley High	Public	9-12	26301 Via Escolar	Mission Viejo	92692	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 364-6100	1,991	91	21.7	40.5%	894 (44.9%)	27 (1.4%)	621 (31.2%)	204 (10.2%)	4 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	233 (11.7%)	90.7	187^th of 2162 public high schools	91.4%		87	280^th of 2159 public high schools	87.0%	93		57.2		57.0				74.8	74.8				50.8	50.8	$18,586	$1,221	$17,365
San Clemente High	Public	9-12	700 Avenido Pico	San Clemente	92673	Orange County	Capistrano Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 492-4165	2,740	116	23.6	37.6%	1,649 (60.2%)	12 (0.4%)	760 (27.7%)	62 (2.3%)	8 (0.3%)	7 (0.3%)	238 (8.7%)	91.4	175^th of 2162 public high schools	91.9%		88	261^st of 2159 public high schools	87.9%	86		59.8	24.0	58.3				74.0	74.0				55.0	55.0	$17,968	$1,137	$16,831

Frequently Asked Questions about Dana Hills High

Is Dana Hills High a good school?

Dana Hills High ranks 405^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Dana Hills High?

Students at Dana Hills High are 52% White, 35% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What district is Dana Hills High in?

Capistrano Unified

How many students attend Dana Hills High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,725 students attended Dana Hills High.

What schools feed into Dana Hills High?

Dana Hills High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : George White Elementary
Elementary : Hidden Hills Elementary
Elementary : John Malcom Elementary
Elementary : Moulton Elementary
Elementary : Richard Henry Dana Elementary
Middle : Niguel Hills Middle

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.