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Best Schools in Costa Mesa, CA
Costa Mesa, CA has 54 public schools (10 high, 4 middle, 33 elementary) serving 35,383 students. On average they score 45% on state proficiency tests against a projected 42%, so schools in Costa Mesa exceed expectations. Rankings below compare each school’s actual results with the projection for its socioeconomic context.
Best High Schools in Costa Mesa, CA
The top high schools in Costa Mesa, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Early College High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 201 Students
2. Fountain Valley High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Huntington Beach Union High • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 3180 Students
3. Edison High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Huntington Beach Union High • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2034 Students
4. Newport Harbor High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2268 Students
5. Segerstrom High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Ana Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2489 Students
6. Estancia High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1040 Students
7. Costa Mesa High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 12 • 1776 Students
8. Saddleback High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Ana Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 12 • 1597 Students
9. Century High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Santa Ana Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1708 Students
10. Back Bay High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 135 Students
Best Middle Schools in Costa Mesa, CA
The top middle schools in Costa Mesa, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Talbert (samuel E.) Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Fountain Valley Elementary • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 712 Students
2. Isaac L. Sowers Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Huntington Beach City Elementary • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 753 Students
3. Horace Ensign Intermediate
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 915 Students
4. Charles W. Tewinkle Middle
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades 7 - 8 • 506 Students
Best Elementary Schools in Costa Mesa, CA
The top elementary schools in Costa Mesa, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Ralph E. Hawes Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Huntington Beach City Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 482 Students
2. Oka (isojiro) Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Fountain Valley Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 518 Students
3. International School For Science And Culture
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
International School For Science And Culture District • Charter • Grades KG - 8 • 130 Students
4. Gisler (robert) Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Fountain Valley Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 475 Students
5. Newport Heights Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 461 Students
6. Mariners Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 524 Students
7. John H. Eader Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Huntington Beach City Elementary • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 386 Students
8. Maude B. Davis Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 545 Students
9. Heinz Kaiser Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades 3 - 6 • 553 Students
10. Newport Elementary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Newport-mesa Unified • Public • Grades KG - 6 • 313 Students
Education & Community Snapshot in Costa Mesa, CA
City-level factors that shape the learning environment around local schools.
Community Factors
Costa Mesa, CA has a total population of 113,576 with 23% of that population attending schools. The adult high school graduation rate is 88%, and 44% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Students in Costa Mesa, CA
K-12 Students
High School Graduates
Adults 25+ with HS diplomas
College Graduates
Adults 25+ with a Bachelor’s degree or higher
Demographics statistics provided by Best Neighborhood Costa Mesa, CA.
Safety
Crime Grades summarize reported incidents per 1,000 residents. Use them as neighborhood context, not a school rating.
Overall Crime Grade
23.28 per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crime Grade
5.42 per 1,000 Residents
Property Crime Grade
17.86 per 1,000 Residents
Crime statistics provided by CrimeGrade in Costa Mesa, CA.
Connectivity
Connectivity influences learning at home. We summarize internet infrastructure, typical download speed, and a digital connectivity index for Costa Mesa, CA.
ISP Report Card
Internet Infrastructure Grade
Average Download Speed
Speed Most Residents Can Get
Digital Connectivity Index
ISP Connectivity Demand Report
To read more about these statistics, please visit Costa Mesa, CA Internet Health Assessment.
Questions About Schools in Costa Mesa, CA
How many schools are in Costa Mesa, CA?
Costa Mesa, CA has 54 public schools: 10 high schools, 4 middle schools and 33 elementary schools, serving 35,383 students in total.
How do schools in Costa Mesa perform on state tests?
On average, 54 schools in Costa Mesa score 45% proficient on state assessments. Given the socioeconomic context of their students we project 42%, so on average schools in Costa Mesa exceed expectations.
How does SchoolGrade rank the best schools in Costa Mesa?
Every public school gets a SchoolGrade from A+ to F based on the share of students at or above the state proficiency bar. The Impact Grade compares that result with what we would expect given the school’s student and community context, so schools that outperform their circumstances stand out. Schools cannot pay to change a grade. Read the full methodology.
Best Schools in Cities Near Costa Mesa, CA
Explore nearby cities to widen your school search.
- Actual: 56%
- Projected: 52%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 52%
- Projected: 43%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 63%
- Projected: 62%
- Impact Grade: Doesn't Meet Expectations
- Actual: 55%
- Projected: 50%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 32%
- Projected: 30%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 66%
- Projected: 65%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 49%
- Projected: 41%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 61%
- Projected: 58%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 51%
- Projected: 47%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 52%
- Projected: 40%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
Every school in Costa Mesa
25 of 26 schools in Costa Mesa carry a SchoolGrade (1 have no school-level proficiency results in our source data). Grade distribution:
A: 6B: 7C: 4D: 6F: 2
All 26 public schools we grade in Costa Mesa. The ranked lists above show the top ten per level; every school has its own page.
High schools (4)
Middle and junior high schools (1)
Elementary and primary schools (14)
- Adams Elementary
- California Elementary
- College Park Elementary
- Everett A Rea Elementary
- Heinz Kaiser Elementary
- Killybrooke Elementary
- Maude B Davis Elementary
- Paularino Elementary
- Pomona Elementary
- Sonora Elementary
- Victoria Elementary
- Whittier Elementary
- Wilson Elementary
- Woodland Elementary
Other schools and academies (7)
- Access County Community
- Access Juvenile Hall
- California Pacific Charter Los Angeles
- California Pacific Charter San Diego
- International School For Science And Culture
- Monte Vista Highcloud Campus
- Orange County Special Education
Private schools (9)
Private schools have a SchoolGrade only where their state publishes their test results.