Summary:
Zip code 92620 has one listed high school, Northwood High, serving grades 9–12, with 2,244 students. It is part of Irvine Unified. In 2025–2026, Northwood’s all-grades proficiency rates were 78% in English language arts (ELA), 71% in math, and 71% in science. The school exceeded California’s rates in every subject, by 28 percentage points in ELA, 33 in math, and 35 in science—the clearest overall finding for families considering this area.
There is no meaningful top-versus-bottom comparison among schools in the ZIP code: Northwood is the only school listed, so it is both the highest and lowest in the local list. Its results do stand out against state figures, especially in science; among grade 11 students, its advantage over the state was 39 points in math, 33 in science, and 20 in ELA. SchoolDigger gives Northwood 5 stars and ranks it 90th of 2,137 California schools, in the 96th percentile. Its graduation rate was 99%, compared with 88% statewide; its dropout and chronic absenteeism rates were 1% and 7%, respectively, compared with 8% and 18% statewide.
Northwood’s proficiency advantage over California narrowed in all three subjects from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, even as its science score improved: school results changed by about −1 percentage point in ELA, −1 in math, and +2 in science. The state’s science gain was larger, while state ELA and math results rose as Northwood’s fell. Northwood has 25.9 students per teacher (2024–2025) and reported 19% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025; California’s all students receive free meals (Community Eligibility) context means that figure should not be treated as directly comparable with schools using another measure. With only one listed school, the data cannot show local school-to-school differences.
Thank you for your feedback!