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Early College High

Public Grades 9-12

21^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 99% of California high schools

Summary

Early College High is a small, high-performing public high school of about 177 students in grades 9-12 within the Newport-Mesa Unified district in Costa Mesa, known for its unique "early college" model that allows students to earn college credits.

The school is a state leader, ranking 21st out of over 2,100 California high schools with a 100% graduation rate, near-perfect attendance, and exceptional test scores—95% proficient in English and 75% in Math and Science. Remarkably, it achieves these top-tier results while serving a student body where 65% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, demonstrating that its model successfully supports all students toward high achievement.

When compared to nearby schools, Early College High's performance is in a different league. It dramatically outperforms other local high schools like Fountain Valley High and Estancia High in academics and graduation rates, and it operates with greater efficiency than some alternative schools in the area, such as Back Bay High, which spend significantly more per student. This contrast within the same district highlights the profound impact of the school's focused design and culture on student success.

177

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$33,548

Per pupil spending ?

65%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2990 Mesa Verde Dr.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626-3636

(714) 424-7990

District: Newport-Mesa Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

59.3%

White:

27.1%

Asian:

7.9%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 91st percentile in 2015 → 99th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (82% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of California high schools

✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school82%

District avg53%

California avg41%

21^st of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	98.7	21 of 2162	99.0%	★★★★★
2024	98.3	33 of 2159	98.5%	★★★★★
2023	98.3	38 of 2170	98.2%	★★★★★
2022	97.7	51 of 2123	97.6%	★★★★★
2021	89.3	139 of 1290	89.2%	★★★★☆
2019	96.9	57 of 2133	97.3%	★★★★★
2018	97.3	43 of 2017	97.9%	★★★★★
2017	94.6	94 of 2021	95.3%	★★★★★
2016	87.6	238 of 2039	88.3%	★★★★☆
2015	90.5	173 of 1994	91.3%	★★★★★
2013	87.3	53 of 2426	97.8%	★★★★★
2012	89.1	39 of 2354	98.3%	★★★★★
2011	92.9	12 of 2367	99.5%	★★★★★
2010	85.6	72 of 2281	96.8%	★★★★★
2009	73.2	214 of 2238	90.4%	★★★★★
2008	82.5	94 of 2117	95.6%	★★★★★
2007	70.1	258 of 2063	87.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.0	19 of 1906	99.0%	★★★★★
2024	97.4	34 of 1915	98.2%	★★★★★
2023	97.6	41 of 1915	97.9%	★★★★★
2022	93.2	131 of 1858	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	77.4	220 of 1054	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	89.6	163 of 1833	91.1%	★★★★★
2018	94.1	73 of 1760	95.9%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.1	17 of 1900	99.1%	★★★★★
2024	99.1	23 of 1902	98.8%	★★★★★
2023	99.4	15 of 1917	99.2%	★★★★★
2022	99.3	18 of 1861	99.0%	★★★★★
2019	90.9	113 of 1814	93.8%	★★★★★
2018	98.2	26 of 1742	98.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.3	13 of 2013	99.4%	★★★★★
2024	99.1	20 of 2026	99.0%	★★★★★
2023	99.4	18 of 2030	99.1%	★★★★★
2022	98.0	41 of 1943	97.9%	★★★★★
2021	84.5	133 of 1126	88.2%	★★★★☆
2019	96.4	54 of 1937	97.2%	★★★★★
2018	98.5	23 of 1862	98.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.6	26 of 1942	98.7%	★★★★★
2024	98.5	38 of 1948	98.0%	★★★★★
2023	98.2	44 of 1963	97.8%	★★★★★
2022	99.1	24 of 1916	98.7%	★★★★★
2021	93.5	77 of 1122	93.1%	★★★★★
2019	98.2	44 of 1880	97.7%	★★★★★
2018	98.4	25 of 1834	98.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.1	10 of 1155	99.1%	★★★★★
2023	96.4	26 of 1193	97.8%	★★★★★
2022	93.2	47 of 1204	96.1%	★★★★★
2019	99.0	2 of 1222	99.8%	★★★★★
2018	95.7	20 of 1173	98.3%	★★★★★

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)99th percentile~ school

White (2025)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)99th percentile~ school

Male (2025)99th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy95%+46 vs state

Mathematics75%+38 vs state

Science75%+42 vs state

★

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Schools Near Early College 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)				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	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
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
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
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
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)
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
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
Fountain Valley High	Public	9-12	17816 Bushard	Fountain Valley	92708	Orange County	Huntington Beach Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 962-3301	3,171	116	27.3	52.5%	637 (20.1%)	21 (0.7%)	552 (17.4%)	1,786 (56.3%)	4 (0.1%)	17 (0.5%)	153 (4.8%)	94.7	103^rd of 2162 public high schools	95.2%		96.2	83^rd of 2159 public high schools	96.2%	20		61.0	36.4	60.3			80.6	80.6			62.2	62.2	$22,999	$21,950	$1,049
Valley Vista High	Public	9-12	9600 Dolphin St.	Fountain Valley	92708	Orange County	Huntington Beach Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 964-7766	263	14	18.7	77.2%	71 (27.0%)	2 (0.8%)	157 (59.7%)	24 (9.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)	19.7	1697^th of 2162 public high schools	21.5%		18.9	1722^nd of 2159 public high schools	20.2%	25		18.7		18.1			17.3	17.3			4.6	4.6	$36,157	$34,216	$1,941
Los Amigos High	Public	9-12	16566 Newhope St.	Fountain Valley	92708	Orange County	Garden Grove Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 663-6288	1,430	72	19.9	92.4%	23 (1.6%)	13 (0.9%)	1,194 (83.5%)	181 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.3%)	14 (1.0%)	64.7	694^th of 2162 public high schools	67.9%		62.5	710^th of 2159 public high schools	67.1%	16		33.7	0.0	31.5			62.7	62.7			29.8	29.8	$28,641	$26,052	$2,589
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Early College High

Is Early College High a good school?

Yes! Early College High is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 21^st of 2162 California high schools.

How many students attend Early College High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 177 students attended Early College High.

What is the racial makeup of Early College High?

Students at Early College High are 59% Hispanic, 27% White, 8% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 1% Not Specified.

What district is Early College 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.