Huntington Beach Union High, CA

Original Research by School Decision on Huntington Beach Union High

Huntington Beach Union High School District serves a large swath of Orange County high school students across eight schools, all operating as comprehensive or alternative campuses. The district spans from Seal Beach to Garden Grove and Westminster, covering a demographically mixed coastal and suburban area where Asian, Hispanic, and white families each represent a significant share of the population.

The district reported overall proficiency in English language arts in the most recent state testing cycle, though mathematics and science proficiency ran substantially lower across all students. Only one year of results is available in the data, so trend direction cannot be assessed. A parent looking at this district would want to seek out more detailed school-by-school breakdowns, since results reported at the district level mask real variation among the eight campuses.

Enrollment across the four high school grades is roughly balanced, with a student population that reflects substantial diversity. The district does not report the free-or-reduced-price lunch share or English learner counts, which would provide additional context about economic and language diversity, so parents may want to ask the district directly about those demographics and any targeted supports tied to them.

The housing market across the district's service area is high. Home values cluster in the upper range both regionally and nationally, and rental costs are steep relative to median household income in the surrounding region. Buying here means a major commitment; renting is also costly. This is a district rooted in an expensive real estate market where the vast majority of families have economic means to afford the area.

The district approved Measure C, a general obligation bond, to fund facility repairs and upgrades across all high schools. Most campuses are over three decades old, and the bond addresses deferred maintenance and aging infrastructure. Because the measure is backed by property taxes, it carries lasting implications for homeowners in the district but improves the physical condition of buildings students and staff use daily.

Governance shifted in 2024 after the district settled a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit. The district moved from at-large elections to a by-trustee-area system, dividing itself into five trustee areas with staggered elections. This is a durable change that alters how neighborhood representation works and how families' votes count in school board elections.

The district has implemented an ethnic studies course available across all high schools, a curriculum change that began in fall 2021, ahead of California's statewide ethnic studies graduation requirement. This reflects a deliberate choice by the district to bring that instruction into all campuses early.

Among Orange County's districts, the district sits below the midpoint on chronic absenteeism, meaning its schools see higher rates of students missing substantial school time than half the other districts in the county. Per-pupil spending places the district in the middle-to-upper range for the county, so resource allocation is in line with better-resourced districts but not the highest-spending ones.

A graduation rate figure was not available in the provided data, so a parent should ask the district or individual schools about their four-year graduation rates to understand completion patterns. The district spans eight schools with distinct identities and programs, so outcomes and environment will differ meaningfully across them. The data here reflects the district as a whole; prospective families should evaluate the individual high schools they are assigned to or selecting among.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

14,104

Grades

09–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 31%

Black 1%

White 31%

Asian 30%

Two+ 6%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr ALL

60%

—

Gr 11

60%

—

Math

Gr ALL

37%

—

Gr 11

37%

—

Science

Gr ALL

30%

—

Gr 11

39%

—

Gr 12

16%

—

Gr HS

38%

—

Gr UG_SEC

38%

—

Schools in this District

8 schools are officially reported under this district.

Edison High

Fountain Valley High

Huntington Beach High

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$1.33M

Year-over-year change+3.0%

Range across 12 ZIP codes$795K to $2.1M

vs. state typical1.71x

vs. national typical3.61x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (12 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
92648	Huntington Beach	$1.6M	+4.3%	18.5%
92646	Huntington Beach	$1.4M	+3.7%	17.9%
92647	Huntington Beach	$1.2M	+1.9%	16.8%
92683	Westminster	$1.1M	+2.0%	16.3%
92708	Fountain Valley	$1.4M	+3.0%	12.8%
92649	Huntington Beach	$1.4M	+3.5%	12.3%
92655		$1.1M	+2.6%	2.0%
92844	Garden Grove	$945K	+2.2%	1.5%
90740	Seal Beach	$795K	+1.6%	1.4%
90742	Huntington Beach	$2.1M	+2.7%	0.4%
92841	Garden Grove	$1.0M	+1.0%	0.1%
92626	Costa Mesa	$1.4M	+2.4%	0.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$2,950/mo

Year-over-year change+2.4%

Range across 10 ZIP codes$2,267 to $3,345/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (10 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
92648	Huntington Beach	$3,345	+3.4%	18.5%
92646	Huntington Beach	$3,147	+2.1%	17.9%
92647	Huntington Beach	$2,757	+0.4%	16.8%
92683	Westminster	$2,559	+2.9%	16.3%
92708	Fountain Valley	$2,820	+4.2%	12.8%
92649	Huntington Beach	$2,992	+0.7%	12.3%
92844	Garden Grove	$2,957	—	1.5%
90740	Seal Beach	$2,912	+6.3%	1.4%
92841	Garden Grove	$2,267	+1.5%	0.1%
92626	Costa Mesa	$2,974	+1.9%	0.0%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$6,710/mo

Home price / national median income15.9x

Annual rent / national median income42.3%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$3,760/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$776,233 (-1.1% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Academic Performance
Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.