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Back Bay High

Q: Is Back Bay High a good school?

Back Bay High ranks in the bottom 20.6% 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

1696^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,137 California High Schools

Better than 21% of California high schools

Summary

Back Bay High is a 143-student high school serving grades 9–12 in Costa Mesa, within Newport-Mesa Unified. Its 2025–26 graduation rate was 76%, compared with 88% statewide and 95% districtwide. Most concerning, its reported chronic absenteeism rate was 95%, versus 18% statewide and 12% in the district.

Test proficiency was low across all three subjects in 2025–26. Back Bay’s English language arts result was 9%, compared with 61% in the district, 49% statewide, and a 58% average among nearby schools; it was the lowest nearby, with Monte Vista Independent Study next at 42%. In science, Back Bay had 13%, versus 43% in the district, 36% statewide, and a nearby-school average of 38%; it was also lowest nearby, below Saddleback High at 19%. Math was its strongest subject in the local comparison, at 17%—above Monte Vista’s 13% but second-lowest among nearby schools. It still trailed the district’s 52%, the state’s 38%, and the nearby-school average of 35%.

Results have improved since 2022–23: proficiency rose by 7 points in ELA, 17 points in math, and 13 points in science, though ELA fell 4 points in the latest year. SchoolDigger’s standing rose from the 1st percentile in 2023–24 to the 21st in 2025–26, but Back Bay remains a 1-star school and below every nearby school; Saddleback is next-lowest at the 25th percentile. The student-teacher ratio was 8.1 in 2024–25, the second-lowest nearby, and 80% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. In SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness rankings, homeless students ranked at the 41st percentile in 2024–25, above the school’s overall 12th-percentile standing; English learner students’ ranking fell from the 31st percentile in 2022–23 to the 13th in 2023–24, while the overall ranking was at the 1st percentile in both years.

143

Students ?

8.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$62,670

Per pupil spending ?

79.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

390 Monte Vista Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1495

(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 — 18th percentile in 2016 → 21st in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (13% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (76% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school13%

District avg54%

California avg42%

1,696^th of 2,137

California public high schools ?

Bottom 21%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

229^th of 968Newport-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
2026	17.6	1696 of 2137	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	20.2	1510 of 1865	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	23.5	1442 of 1880	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	14.4	1680 of 1999	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	12.7	1654 of 1932	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
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 (2026)23rd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)19th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)16th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile-6 vs school

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

White (2023)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics17%-21 vs state

Science13%-23 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy9%-41 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)			CSA Spanish Listening (2026)			CSA Spanish Writing (2026)			CSA Spanish Reading (2026)			CSA Spanish Speaking (2026)		CAST Science (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Overall 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 10th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 10th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 10th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 10th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CSA Spanish Speaking 9th Grade	CSA Spanish Speaking 10th 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	92626	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%)	17.6	1696^th of 2137 public high schools	20.6%		12.1	1908^th of 2162 public high schools	11.7%	212																9.1		12.8			8.6	8.6			17.1	17.1	$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%)	46.7	1104^th of 2137 public high schools	48.3%		19.6	1700^th of 2162 public high schools	21.4%	596																37.5		24.0			50.0	41.9			12.5	12.9
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%)	50.1	1031^st of 2137 public high schools	51.8%		62.4	752^nd of 2162 public high schools	65.2%	279															28.3	27.9		28.0	39.9	37.1	51.7	42.6	32.9	28.6	26.4	29.2	$22,919	$21,618	$1,301
Corona del Mar High	Public	7-12	2101 Eastbluff Dr.	Newport Beach	92626	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%)	89.1	225^th of 2137 public high schools	89.5%		87.7	252^nd of 2162 public high schools	88.3%	27															38.8	55.8		47.4	71.9	58.7	74.2	68.4	66.9	57.0	55.3	59.5	$21,193	$20,450	$743
Newport Harbor High	Public	9-12	600 Irvine Ave.	Newport Beach	92626	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%)	77.2	465^th of 2137 public high schools	78.2%		82	383^rd of 2162 public high schools	82.3%	82		29.6	29.7		22.2	21.6		18.5	16.2		11.1	13.5		74.1		45.6	9.1	44.8			65.1	65.1			43.7	43.7	$21,718	$20,922	$796
Estancia High	Public	9-12	2323 Placentia Ave.	Costa Mesa	92626	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%)	55	917^th of 2137 public high schools	57.1%		59.2	845^th of 2162 public high schools	60.9%	72																34.7		34.7			55.4	55.4			24.2	24.2	$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%)	94.8	96^th of 2137 public high schools	95.5%		98.7	21^st of 2162 public high schools	99.0%	75																63.8		63.8			83.0	83.0			66.0	66.0	$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%)	65.5	699^th of 2137 public high schools	67.3%		67	657^th of 2162 public high schools	69.6%	42																40.8		40.4			64.5	64.5			27.6	27.6	$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 20.6% of California high schools.

What district is Back Bay High in?

Newport-Mesa Unified

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Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

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.