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La Costa Canyon High

Q: Is La Costa Canyon High a good school?

La Costa Canyon High ranks 247 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

247^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 89% of California high schools

Summary

La Costa Canyon High is a large, well-regarded public high school serving about 1,774 students in grades 9-12 within the highly-rated San Dieguito Union High district in affluent Carlsbad, California.

Overall, La Costa Canyon is a strong school that performs well above state averages, with a 93.6% graduation rate and a statewide ranking in the 89th percentile. However, within its own competitive district, it often finds itself in the middle of the pack, academically trailing nearby schools like Torrey Pines High and San Dieguito High School Academy. Its math proficiency, while improving, has shown some year-to-year volatility and lags behind the district average and schools such as Del Norte High.

The school serves a less economically diverse population than some neighbors, with a lower percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. It shows notable strengths in supporting special education and military-connected students but has faced recent challenges in performance for English Language Learners. With a lower student-teacher ratio than many area high schools and moderate per-student spending, La Costa Canyon provides a solid educational foundation, though families focused on peak academic consistency might also consider other high-performing options in the region.

1,774

Students ?

22.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,596

Per pupil spending ?

18.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1 Maverick Way
Carlsbad, CA 92009-8957

(760) 436-6136

District: San Dieguito Union High

Feeder schools for La Costa Canyon High:

Elementary:	Ada W. Harris Elementary
	Capri Elementary
	Cardiff Elementary
	El Camino Creek Elementary
	More...
	Flora Vista Elementary
	La Costa Heights Elementary
	Mission Estancia Elementary
	Ocean Knoll Elementary
	Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary
	Park Dale Lane Elementary
	Paul Ecke-Central Elementary
Middle:	Diegueno Middle
	Oak Crest Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.4%

Hispanic:

17.9%

Two or more races:

6.9%

See top rated California high schools

Compare La Costa Canyon High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 87th percentile in 2015 → 89th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (58% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of California high schools

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

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of San Dieguito Union High's ranking

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school58%

District avg71%

California avg41%

247^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 11%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5High Schools in the San Dieguito Union High

105^th of 1,543San Dieguito Union High 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	88.0	247 of 2162	88.6%	★★★★☆
2024	82.3	369 of 2159	82.9%	★★★★☆
2023	93.3	155 of 2170	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	64.0	631 of 2123	70.3%	★★★★☆
2021	91.3	112 of 1290	91.3%	★★★★★
2019	85.0	277 of 2133	87.0%	★★★★☆
2018	83.6	340 of 2017	83.1%	★★★★☆
2017	90.3	186 of 2021	90.8%	★★★★★
2016	87.8	236 of 2039	88.4%	★★★★☆
2015	86.0	257 of 1994	87.1%	★★★★☆
2013	69.7	309 of 2426	87.3%	★★★★☆
2012	64.1	435 of 2354	81.5%	★★★★☆
2011	63.5	430 of 2367	81.8%	★★★★☆
2010	65.7	380 of 2281	83.3%	★★★★☆
2009	71.4	234 of 2238	89.5%	★★★★☆
2008	67.6	313 of 2117	85.2%	★★★★☆
2007	75.6	181 of 2063	91.2%	★★★★★
2006	80.4	115 of 1968	94.2%	★★★★★
2005	75.0	164 of 1901	91.4%	★★★★★
2004	87.1	36 of 1653	97.8%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.9	282 of 585	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.9	216 of 573	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	84.2	69 of 591	88.3%	★★★★☆
2019	75.4	142 of 582	75.6%	★★★★☆
2018	59.3	277 of 581	52.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	65.8	231 of 1161	80.1%	★★★★☆
2019	67.1	223 of 1117	80.0%	★★★★☆
2018	70.7	193 of 1052	81.7%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	27.0	909 of 1085	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.6	454 of 1064	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.0	621 of 1044	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.7	740 of 941	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.2	487 of 938	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.3	108 of 1906	94.3%	★★★★★
2024	84.2	291 of 1915	84.8%	★★★★☆
2023	91.7	161 of 1915	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	67.6	495 of 1858	73.4%	★★★★☆
2021	90.7	93 of 1054	91.2%	★★★★★
2019	85.4	240 of 1833	86.9%	★★★★☆
2018	81.7	321 of 1760	81.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.2	275 of 1900	85.5%	★★★★☆
2024	67.8	515 of 1902	72.9%	★★★★☆
2023	74.4	402 of 1917	79.0%	★★★★☆
2022	47.1	895 of 1861	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.4	631 of 1814	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.8	693 of 1742	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.3	561 of 2013	72.1%	★★★★☆
2024	68.4	528 of 2026	73.9%	★★★★☆
2023	84.4	264 of 2030	87.0%	★★★★☆
2022	55.2	739 of 1943	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	91.2	73 of 1126	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	54.3	802 of 1937	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.6	997 of 1862	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.8	376 of 1942	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	77.9	399 of 1948	79.5%	★★★★☆
2023	92.7	151 of 1963	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	57.9	685 of 1916	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	87.2	152 of 1122	86.5%	★★★★☆
2019	80.2	321 of 1880	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	81.8	326 of 1834	82.2%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	75.3	36 of 183	80.3%	★★★★☆
2023	62.3	65 of 190	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	20.6	136 of 168	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.4	226 of 577	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.0	224 of 574	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	83.2	77 of 541	85.8%	★★★★☆
2022	46.3	284 of 515	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.8	268 of 422	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.8	206 of 366	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.3	217 of 1252	82.7%	★★★★☆
2024	71.5	220 of 1216	81.9%	★★★★☆
2023	90.5	76 of 1197	93.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.6	266 of 1155	77.0%	★★★★☆
2024	66.7	387 of 1173	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	84.6	151 of 1193	87.3%	★★★★☆
2022	47.6	624 of 1204	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.7	355 of 1222	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	71.5	351 of 1173	70.1%	★★★★☆

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)94th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)86th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)83rd percentile-6 vs school

Male (2025)81st percentile-8 vs school

Military Connected (2024)80th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)80th percentile+10 vs school

White (2025)77th percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)72nd percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)61st percentile-28 vs school

Asian (2025)52nd percentile-37 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)16th percentile-67 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy74%+25 vs state

Mathematics51%+13 vs state

Science50%+17 vs state

★

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Schools Near La Costa Canyon 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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	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
La Costa Canyon High	Public	9-12	1 Maverick Way	Carlsbad	92009	San Diego County	San Dieguito Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 436-6136	1,774	80	22.1	18.3%	1,232 (69.4%)	19 (1.1%)	318 (17.9%)	72 (4.1%)	7 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	123 (6.9%)	88	247^th of 2162 public high schools	88.6%		82.3	369^th of 2159 public high schools	82.9%	122	51.1	7.7	49.8	73.7	73.7	50.6	50.6	$15,596	$375	$15,221
Sunset High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	684 Requeza St.	Encinitas	92024	San Diego County	San Dieguito Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 753-3860	87	7	12.4	33.3%	49 (56.3%)	2 (2.3%)	25 (28.7%)	5 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (6.9%)	53.6	957^th of 2162 public high schools	55.7%		56	854^th of 2159 public high schools	60.4%	103	26.5		25.7	62.5	62.5	18.4	18.4	$37,968	$4,773	$33,195
San Dieguito High School Academy	Public	9-12	800 Santa Fe Dr.	Encinitas	92024	San Diego County	San Dieguito Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 753-1121	1,843	75	24.4	24.9%	1,125 (61.0%)	7 (0.4%)	466 (25.3%)	74 (4.0%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	155 (8.4%)	90.9	186^th of 2162 public high schools	91.4%		92.1	177^th of 2159 public high schools	91.8%	9	60.8		60.8	72.8	72.8	51.2	51.2	$14,809	$335	$14,474
San Marcos High	Public	9-12	1615 San Marcos Blvd.	San Marcos	92078	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2200	3,067	121	25.3	32.0%	1,281 (41.8%)	40 (1.3%)	1,288 (42.0%)	231 (7.5%)	3 (0.1%)	10 (0.3%)	214 (7.0%)	62.8	745^th of 2162 public high schools	65.5%		70.3	564^th of 2159 public high schools	73.9%	181	39.2	26.3	38.9	49.0	49.0	30.7	30.7	$14,780	$882	$13,898
High Technical High North County	Public, Charter	9-12	1420 San Marcos Blvd.	San Marcos	92078	San Diego County	High Technical High North County District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 759-2700	409	21	19.4	41.6%	126 (30.8%)	10 (2.4%)	210 (51.3%)	41 (10.0%)	6 (1.5%)	4 (1.0%)	10 (2.4%)	84	332^nd of 2162 public high schools	84.6%		85.2	324^th of 2159 public high schools	85.0%	8		37.5	37.5	81.3	81.3	36.5	36.5	$15,435	$839	$14,596
Rancho Buena Vista High	Public	9-12	1601 Longhorn Dr.	Vista	92081	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 727-7284	1,949	103	18.9	70.1%	414 (21.2%)	32 (1.6%)	1,300 (66.7%)	79 (4.1%)	8 (0.4%)	10 (0.5%)	101 (5.2%)	68.2	632^nd of 2162 public high schools	70.8%		73.6	513^th of 2159 public high schools	76.2%	119	31.5	3.5	29.6	62.3	62.3	39.1	39.1	$18,573	$2,843	$15,730
Sage Creek High	Public	9-12	3900 Bobcat Blvd.	Carlsbad	92010	San Diego County	Carlsbad Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 331-6600	1,289	52	24.7	29.8%	622 (48.3%)	15 (1.2%)	330 (25.6%)	173 (13.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	143 (11.1%)	94.7	101^st of 2162 public high schools	95.3%		97	69^th of 2159 public high schools	96.8%	32		59.8	59.8	76.9	76.9	59.5	59.5	$14,077	$442	$13,635
Mission Hills High	Public	9-12	1 Mission Hills Ct.	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2700	2,751	111	24.7	44.6%	776 (28.2%)	23 (0.8%)	1,533 (55.7%)	216 (7.9%)	5 (0.2%)	6 (0.2%)	191 (6.9%)	65.4	680^th of 2162 public high schools	68.5%		71	551^st of 2159 public high schools	74.5%	129	40.2	6.7	39.4	58.1	58.1	27.0	27.0	$14,971	$1,119	$13,852
Del Norte High	Public	9-12	16601 Nighthawk Ln.	San Diego	92127	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 487-0877	2,557	107	23.8	9.5%	909 (35.5%)	29 (1.1%)	221 (8.6%)	1,137 (44.5%)	3 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	255 (10.0%)	97.5	44^th of 2162 public high schools	98.0%		97.7	51^st of 2159 public high schools	97.6%	7		65.2	65.2	84.4	84.4	74.3	74.3	$13,962	$576	$13,386
Del Lago Academy - Campus of Applied Science	Public	9-12	1740 Scenic Trail Way	Escondido	92029	San Diego County	Escondido Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 291-2500	765	29	26.7	72.8%	144 (18.8%)	19 (2.5%)	513 (67.1%)	76 (9.9%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (0.8%)	84.5	320^th of 2162 public high schools	85.2%		81.5	387^th of 2159 public high schools	82.1%	67		53.7	53.7	73.2	73.2	34.1	34.1	$21,692	$2,329	$19,363

Frequently Asked Questions about La Costa Canyon High

How many students attend La Costa Canyon High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,774 students attended La Costa Canyon High.

What is the racial makeup of La Costa Canyon High?

Students at La Costa Canyon High are 69% White, 18% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% African American.

Is La Costa Canyon High a good school?

La Costa Canyon High ranks 247^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into La Costa Canyon High?

What district is La Costa Canyon High in?

San Dieguito Union High

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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.