Costa Mesa High

Costa Mesa High is a secondary school of substantial scale in Costa Mesa, California, operated by Newport-Mesa Unified, works with 1,730 students in grades 7 through 12. That puts it 106% bigger than the typical public school in California, which averages around 838 students.

Newport-Mesa Unified comprises 31 schools with combined enrollment of 17,540 students; Costa Mesa High is among them.

Demographically, Costa Mesa High lists that Hispanic students make up the majority at 70%. Other groups include 15% White, 6% Asian, 6% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 34% Hispanic, putting the school's mix visibly more Hispanic than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Costa Mesa High reports 89 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 19.5:1. The state averages around 18.2:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 73% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Orange County runs at roughly 55%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, Costa Mesa High sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 35.9%; this one delivers 38.0%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Orange County) shows that median household income runs about $116,289, 44% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Orange County's 649 public schools (combined enrollment of about 430,458 students), Costa Mesa High is one campus in the mix.

Maude B. Davis Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Costa Mesa High at 5th of 6; the average score across the group is 48.8%.

Costa Mesa High operates from an inner-city location.

Five-year trend. Costa Mesa High's enrollment has declined 7% since 2018, when it stood at 1,861 (now 1,730). White enrollment moved from 24% to 15% across the same window. Class-load math has narrowed: from 22.6:1 in 2018 to 19.5:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.