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Back Bay High

Q: Is Back Bay High a good school?

Back Bay High ranks in the bottom 11.7% of California high schools.

Q: How many students attend Back Bay High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 143 students attended Back Bay High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Back Bay High?

Students at Back Bay High are 72% Hispanic, 22% White, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races.

Public Grades 9-12

1908^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 12% of California high schools

Summary

Back Bay High is a small public high school serving 143 students in grades 9-12 within the Newport-Mesa Unified district in Costa Mesa, characterized by a high level of economic need among its student population.

The school faces significant challenges, most notably an extremely high chronic absenteeism rate of 82.7%, which is many times higher than other local high schools like Estancia High (10.6%) or Corona del Mar High (8.0%). This is coupled with very low academic proficiency rates, with only 12.5% of students proficient in English and 4.26% in math, placing its performance far below district and state averages and ranking it in the bottom 12% of California high schools.

Despite these academic struggles, the school is exceptionally well-resourced, spending over $44,000 per student—nearly double the district average—and maintaining a very low student-teacher ratio of 8-to-1. Interestingly, its graduation rate has shown strong improvement, reaching 87.5%, which matches the state average, suggesting the school can effectively support students to completion. Its performance patterns are most similar to the alternative Monte Vista Independent Study program, though even that school achieves higher test scores.

143

Students ?

8.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$62,670

Per pupil spending ?

79.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

390 Monte Vista Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92627-1495

(949) 515-6900

District: Newport-Mesa Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.0%

White:

21.7%

African American:

2.8%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Back Bay High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2015 → 12th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (7% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (83% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school7%

District avg53%

California avg41%

1,908^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 12%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 8% (2015) to bottom 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 7High Schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified

437^th of 1,543Newport-Mesa 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	12.1	1908 of 2162	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.7	2134 of 2159	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	2142 of 2170	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.1	2050 of 2123	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.3	1258 of 1290	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.3	1959 of 2133	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.3	1827 of 2017	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.2	1614 of 2021	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.3	1673 of 2039	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	10.3	1828 of 1994	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	25.9	1446 of 2426	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	27.2	1383 of 2354	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	43.4	961 of 2367	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	35.9	1106 of 2281	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	45.0	883 of 2238	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	36.3	1006 of 2117	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	32.1	1086 of 2063	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	23.6	1290 of 1968	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	24.2	1231 of 1901	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	31.4	896 of 1653	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	26.2	945 of 1085	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.4	735 of 1064	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.0	975 of 1044	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.0	428 of 467	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	713 of 941	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	928 of 938	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.6	1714 of 1906	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.9	1894 of 1915	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.4	1887 of 1915	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.2	1828 of 1858	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.1	1035 of 1054	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.8	1750 of 1833	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.9	1644 of 1760	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.3	1649 of 1900	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.3	1883 of 1902	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.6	1889 of 1917	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	1840 of 1861	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	1728 of 1814	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.0	1673 of 1742	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.9	243 of 410	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.0	1754 of 2013	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	2006 of 2026	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.2	2002 of 2030	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.3	1916 of 1943	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.0	1101 of 1126	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	1867 of 1937	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.5	1793 of 1862	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	1709 of 1942	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	1916 of 1948	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.4	1959 of 1963	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.4	1832 of 1916	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.6	1103 of 1122	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.3	1709 of 1880	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	1661 of 1834	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	2.6	1190 of 1193	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.1	1132 of 1222	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.0	1122 of 1173	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)41st percentile+29 vs school

Hispanic (2025)13th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)13th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)13th percentile~ school

Male (2025)12th percentile~ school

Female (2025)10th percentile~ school

White (2023)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy12%-36 vs state

Science5%-27 vs state

Mathematics4%-33 vs state

★

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Schools Near Back Bay High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)		CSA Spanish Listening (2025)		CSA Spanish Writing (2025)		CSA Spanish Reading (2025)		CSA Spanish Speaking (2025)	CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	CSA Spanish Overall 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CSA Spanish Speaking 9th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 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
Back Bay High	Public	9-12	390 Monte Vista Ave.	Costa Mesa	92627	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6900	143	18	8.1	79.7%	31 (21.7%)	4 (2.8%)	103 (72.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.8%)	12.1	1908^th of 2162 public high schools	11.7%		8.7	2134^th of 2159 public high schools	1.2%	226											6.3		5.4			12.5	12.5			4.3	4.3	$62,670	$60,494	$2,176
Central Orange County CTE Partnership (CTEp)	Public	10-12	2910 Red Hill Ave. Ste. 200	Costa Mesa	92626	Orange County	Central Orange County CTE Partnership (CTEp)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(714) 966-3528	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Monte Vista Independent Study	Public	7-12	1003 Presidio Sq.	Costa Mesa	92626	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6690	48	9	5.4	66.7%	19 (39.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (50.0%)	1 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (8.3%)	19.6	1700^th of 2162 public high schools	21.4%		33.9	1396^th of 2159 public high schools	35.3%	304										12.5	11.8		14.7		12.5	33.3	23.1		12.5	0.0	7.7
Coastline Regional Occupational Program	Public	9-12	1001 Presidio Sq.	Costa Mesa	92626	Orange County	Coastline Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(714) 979-1955	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Costa Mesa High	Public	7-12	2650 Fairview Rd.	Costa Mesa	92626	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 424-8700	1,730	89	19.4	73.2%	261 (15.1%)	20 (1.2%)	1,215 (70.2%)	109 (6.3%)	3 (0.2%)	23 (1.3%)	98 (5.7%)	62.4	752^nd of 2162 public high schools	65.2%		56.6	847^th of 2159 public high schools	60.8%	95										31.4	35.2		33.3	42.4	50.2	58.3	49.9	27.3	34.0	26.4	29.4	$22,919	$21,618	$1,301
Corona del Mar High	Public	7-12	2101 Eastbluff Dr.	Newport Beach	92660	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6000	2,106	96	21.8	22.9%	1,295 (61.5%)	17 (0.8%)	297 (14.1%)	277 (13.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.3%)	213 (10.1%)	87.7	252^nd of 2162 public high schools	88.3%		86.6	292^nd of 2159 public high schools	86.5%	40										44.2	48.1	11.1	45.3	66.8	68.8	75.4	70.6	56.5	59.6	53.4	56.4	$21,193	$20,450	$743
Newport Harbor High	Public	9-12	600 Irvine Ave.	Newport Beach	92663	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6300	2,084	92	22.6	42.7%	1,079 (51.8%)	8 (0.4%)	769 (36.9%)	61 (2.9%)	3 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	161 (7.7%)	82	383^rd of 2162 public high schools	82.3%		83.8	347^th of 2159 public high schools	83.9%	36	18.5	18.5	14.8	14.8	14.8	14.8	11.1	11.1	70.4		46.1	21.1	45.2			68.7	68.7			42.8	42.8	$21,718	$20,922	$796
Estancia High	Public	9-12	2323 Placentia Ave.	Costa Mesa	92627	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(949) 515-6500	976	53	18.5	83.9%	105 (10.8%)	5 (0.5%)	819 (83.9%)	14 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	24 (2.5%)	59.2	845^th of 2162 public high schools	60.9%		62.3	714^th of 2159 public high schools	66.9%	131											31.3		31.3			63.0	63.0			22.3	22.3	$25,313	$23,916	$1,397
Early College High	Public	9-12	2990 Mesa Verde Dr.	Costa Mesa	92626	Orange County	Newport-Mesa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 424-7990	177	12	14.9	65.0%	48 (27.1%)	1 (0.6%)	105 (59.3%)	14 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.0%)	98.7	21^st of 2162 public high schools	99.0%		98.3	33^rd of 2159 public high schools	98.5%	12											75.0		75.0			95.0	95.0			75.0	75.0	$33,548	$32,394	$1,154
Segerstrom High	Public	9-12	2301 West MacArthur Blvd.	Santa Ana	92704	Orange County	Santa Ana Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 241-5000	2,376	100	23.8	80.6%	18 (0.8%)	6 (0.3%)	2,206 (92.8%)	123 (5.2%)	2 (0.1%)	5 (0.2%)	13 (0.5%)	67	657^th of 2162 public high schools	69.6%		67.8	600^th of 2159 public high schools	72.2%	57											34.6		34.6			61.7	61.7			31.5	31.5	$23,371	$22,352	$1,019

Frequently Asked Questions about Back Bay High

What is the racial makeup of Back Bay High?

Students at Back Bay High are 72% Hispanic, 22% White, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Back Bay High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 143 students attended Back Bay High.

Is Back Bay High a good school?

Back Bay High ranks in the bottom 11.7% of California high schools.

What district is Back Bay High in?

Newport-Mesa Unified

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.