Best Public Schools in Zip Code 92627

Zip code 92627 in Costa Mesa, CA, is served by 10 public schools—eight elementary and two high schools—all within the highly-rated Newport-Mesa Unified district except for one standout charter school.

This area features a wide range of school performance, with top performers like the International School for Science and Culture (a charter K-8) and Heinz Kaiser Elementary achieving state rankings in the 87th percentile, while others such as Whittier Elementary and the alternative Back Bay High struggle academically. The charter school is particularly notable for having the highest test scores and lowest chronic absenteeism while spending the least per student, whereas Back Bay High has the district's highest spending and smallest class sizes but the lowest test scores and a severe absenteeism rate over 80%.

Key takeaways for parents include a significant math proficiency gap across all schools compared to English, with Estancia High showing a stark 63% English versus 22% math proficiency. School sizes vary greatly, from under 100 to nearly 1,000 students, and while most schools have chronic absenteeism near or below the district average of 13.5%, Back Bay High is a major outlier. The data suggests that families in this zip code have access to both exceptional and challenged schools, making individual school research crucial.