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What's one thing Portola High gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,693
High
DISTRICT 1,662 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·IRVINE UNIFIED·NCES 068450013995
Portola High
1001 Cadence, Irvine, CA 92618 · (949) 936-8200 · Orange County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL2,693 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 75% of California public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- FThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public high schools
Student : Teacher
26.4:1
102 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.9:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
18%
475 students
DISTRICT 22% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 737 | 27% |
| Grade 10 | 665 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 667 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 624 | 23% |
Student demographics
56%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
75.2%
CA avg 49.1% . +1.4pp since 2018
Math
62.9%
CA avg 37.7% . -6.8pp since 2018
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 75 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 63 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 1 points since 2018, while math scores are down about 7 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 43.9% | 31.3% | 13.7% | 11.2% |
| Math | 38.3% | 24.6% | 18.6% | 18.5% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 75.2% | 62.9% |
| 2023-24 | 81.1% | 68.3% |
| 2022-23 | 81.9% | 68.2% |
| 2021-22 | 86.6% | 68.0% |
| 2020-21 | 84.9% | 76.4% |
| 2018-19 | 73.7% | 69.7% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
71.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
69.2%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 72% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 69% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Portola High
Portola High's state test result (71.9% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portola High this school | 2,693 | 17.6% | 71.9% |
| Northwood High Irvine | 2,244 | 18.8% | 72.3% |
| Dublin High Dublin | 2,771 | 16.9% | 73.9% |
| Mountain House High Mountain House | 2,428 | 10.8% | 70.4% |
| Irvine High Irvine | 1,964 | 22.6% | 66.8% |
| Arcadia High Arcadia | 2,939 | 25.5% | 64.5% |
Matched among California high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Portola High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Orange County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 71.9% | #73 of 1,052 | #10 of 68 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 62.9% | #70 of 1,056 ▼ 32 | #8 of 69 ▼ 4 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 75.2% | #156 of 1,056 ▼ 68 | #19 of 69 ▼ 12 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -8.3pp | #64 of 1,044 | #5 of 68 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,693 | #66 of 2,093 | #5 of 105 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 26.4:1 | #1,291 of 1,352 | #81 of 85 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 56.4% | #504 of 1,351 | #36 of 85 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 17.6% | #1,505 of 1,575 | #91 of 95 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +212.1% | #1 of 327 | #1 of 8 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
2,693
+1,830 (+212%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
26.4:1
was 22.9:1
% White
18%
was 22%
% Hispanic
10%
was 7%
% Black
2%
was 2%
% Asian
62%
was 64%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 2,693 | 102.2 | 26.4:1 | 18% (475) |
| 2023-24 | 2,503 | 95.4 | 26.3:1 | 18% (452) |
| 2022-23 | 2,293 | 83.2 | 27.6:1 | 16% (377) |
| 2017-18 | 863 | 37.7 | 22.9:1 | 16% (134) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Portola High.
Since 2017-18: students up 212% (863 to 2,693); teachers up 171% (37.7 to 102.2).
About Portola High
Portola High is a large high school serving families in Irvine, California. It enrolled 2,693 students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2024-25 school year. Statewide, high schools in California average about 838 students each.
Enrollment across the 44 schools in Irvine Unified totals 37,948 students.
A majority of students at Portola High, 62%, are Asian. The rest of enrollment is 18% White, 10% Hispanic, and 8% multiracial. Among all residents of Orange County, the Asian share is about 22%. By the diversity index, Portola High comes in at 56%.
Its teaching staff equals 102.2 full-time positions, a ratio of 26.4:1. For comparison, high schools in California average 18.2:1. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 18%. That is 37 points below the 55% average for public schools in Orange County.
The allk12 Grade for Portola High is A-. Compared with California public high schools, the school scored higher than 75% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
After adjusting for student poverty, Portola High lands between the top and bottom 10% of California schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 71.9%; the prediction is 69.2%.
Orange County has about 3,165,820 residents, and median household income is about $116,289, about 44% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 7% of residents are in poverty. Federal data list 649 public schools in Orange County, with a combined enrollment of about 430,458.
The closest public school to Portola High is Solis Park, about 0.3 miles away. Within five miles of Portola High, there are at least 8 other public schools. Of 7 schools in the immediate area with test results, Portola High ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
In the federal locale system, Portola High is coded City: Large, for schools inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
Reported enrollment: 863 (2017-18) and 2,693 (2024-25). These figures may describe different sets of grades. The percentage of White students decreased from 22% to 18% between 2017-18 and 2024-25. There were more students per teacher in 2024-25 (26.4:1) than in 2017-18 (22.9:1).
Topics for discussion here include school safety, transportation, and start times. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Orange County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
3,165,820
Census ACS
Median income
$116,289
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
44%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
649
430,458 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Irvine Unified
- University HighHigh · 2,307 students
- Northwood HighHigh · 2,244 students
- Woodbridge HighHigh · 2,232 students
- Irvine HighHigh · 1,964 students
- Sierra Vista MiddleMiddle · 1,282 students
- Woodbury ElementaryElementary · 1,095 students
Other schools in Irvine
- Arnold O. Beckman HighHigh · 2,776 students
- University HighHigh · 2,307 students
- Northwood HighHigh · 2,244 students
- Woodbridge HighHigh · 2,232 students
- Irvine HighHigh · 1,964 students
- Orchard HillsElementary · 1,373 students
Nearby schools
- Solis Park0.3 mi · 972
- Cadence Park0.8 mi · 965
- Portola Springs Elementary1.5 mi · 948
- Beacon Park1.7 mi · 1,065
- Loma Ridge Elementary1.8 mi · 766
- Excel Academy Charter2.1 mi · 1,069
Frequently asked questions
About Portola HighHow many students attend Portola High?
Portola High enrolls approximately 2,693 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Portola High serve?
Portola High serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Portola High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Portola High is approximately 26.4:1 (102 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Portola High?
Portola High reports a student body of 18% White, 10% Hispanic, 2% Black, 62% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is Portola High public or private?
Portola High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Irvine Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.