Saddleback High, Santa Ana CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Saddleback High

Saddleback High serves grades seven through twelve as a regular public school in Santa Ana, a dense, working urban core in Orange County. The school sits in a city shaped by Mexican-American and Vietnamese communities, with government and manufacturing as dominant employers and active mixed-use redevelopment reshaping downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

The academic picture shows substantial challenges. State proficiency data from the most recent testing cycle reveals low proficiency rates across all subjects: in English language arts, overall proficiency stands well below half, with seventh-grade results higher than eighth-grade. In math, proficiency is notably lower still, around one-sixth across the tested grades. Science proficiency is even lower. Positioned against other districts in Orange County, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among county schools. Only one year of testing data is available, so trend information cannot be assessed.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of Santa Ana families. Small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic groups are present. State data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available. The school's enrollment is mid-sized for a grades seven through twelve campus, distributed across the six grades.

Saddleback High is part of Santa Ana Unified, a district that in November 2024 won voter approval for a major facilities bond funded through increased property taxes. This reflects the district's commitment to repairing and modernizing aging schools over a multi-year period. More recently, the district discontinued three contested high school ethnic studies courses following a lawsuit and will rebuild them with fresh public input. These curriculum shifts shape the educational environment for families considering the school.

Santa Ana itself is undergoing active redevelopment with significant housing construction, including major mixed-use projects downtown and a large planned urban village development. The city maintains a genuine downtown with civic institutions, market activity, and transit connectivity. Housing values in the area are substantial relative to the state median, and rental costs are moderately high. Walkability is strongest downtown but limited in outlying residential neighborhoods, where a car is necessary for daily life.

A parent weighing Saddleback High should recognize that academic performance is well below county benchmarks across tested subjects, with proficiency rates indicating that most students are not meeting grade-level standards. The school serves a predominantly lower-income, predominantly Hispanic student population. For families prioritizing school turnaround or strong test outcomes, this would warrant deeper conversation with school leadership about remediation strategies, support structures, and recent changes in teaching or programming. For others, the school's location in an actively revitalizing urban neighborhood with diverse employment and cultural life, and its connection to a district making visible facility investments, represent part of the fuller picture.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

93.0%Cohort of 270 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 739%

School 39% · District 20% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 21% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 33% · ▲ 13 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 31% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Science

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 15% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

This schoolSanta Ana 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.