Corona Del Mar High, Newport Beach CA

Original Research by School Decision on Corona Del Mar High

Corona del Mar High serves seventh through twelfth grade in Newport Beach, an affluent coastal city where homes command premium prices and the economy centers on health care, finance, and professional services. The school sits on Eastbluff Drive in one of the city's distinct residential villages, not in a downtown core; the area is primarily car-dependent, though walkability within village pockets is higher. The broader Newport Beach community reflects a blend of beachfront neighborhoods, residential villages anchored by shopping and dining, and office parks, with ongoing housing development driven by state mandates adding residential density to areas like Newport Center.

Enrollment runs to roughly two thousand students across the grade span, a substantial school where the student body leans white and Asian, with smaller populations of Hispanic, multiracial, and other backgrounds. About a fifth of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a notably lower rate than is typical statewide. Data on English learner and special education populations are not available.

On the 2024-25 state assessments, Corona del Mar's proficiency aligns above the midpoint when measured against other schools across Orange County's districts. In English language arts, proficiency in the seventh and eighth grades sits in the high range. Math proficiency is markedly lower, with less than three-fifths of students meeting the standard in either grade. Science performance, reflected in the eighth-grade California Science Test, shows roughly two-fifths of students proficient. The most recent comparable data from an earlier state testing system (2012-13) showed strong performance in social studies. Only one year of comparable data exists for ELA and math, so trend analysis is not yet possible.

The school is part of Newport-Mesa Unified, a community-funded district that derives revenue primarily from local property taxes rather than the state's standard funding formula, a structure that typically yields robust per-pupil resources. The district recently implemented a cell phone ban district-wide, with middle schools using Yondr lockable pouches as part of the policy, a change that reshapes the daily classroom rhythm families would encounter. The bond that funded prior facilities modernization has been exhausted, and the district has commissioned a master plan to address aging campuses; funding for upgrades must now come from the district's operating budget rather than voter-approved bonds, a shift that bears on the condition of facilities students will use.

Corona del Mar's housing market is very high-value, with median home prices in the zip code substantially above state and national benchmarks. Rental costs are correspondingly elevated. A family considering this school operates in one of California's most expensive markets, where the school draws from households with considerable economic resources and the local economy supports professional employment in healthcare and finance.

State testing data on graduation rate and chronic absenteeism are not available for this report. The school's website and more granular information on course offerings, extracurricular programs, and campus life would provide fuller texture on daily experience and academic pathways a parent would want to evaluate directly with the school.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

96.0%Cohort of 433 students · Class of 2021

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

2,394 schools plotted. 142 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 45% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 860%

School 60% · District 45% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 58% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 58% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Science

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 36% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grade 883%

School 83% · District 65% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

This schoolNewport-Mesa Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income72%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income44%Higher-income76%31 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income46%Higher-income60%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income66%30 pp gap