How to Enroll at Advanced Learning Academy
Advanced Learning Academy is a charter school and does not enroll by attendance area. The school posts a 2027-28 Interest Form for current and new students, one form per student; submitting the form does not guarantee enrollment, and the school sends an acceptance letter by mail or email, after which no further steps are required. The school's published process includes no entrance exam. TK-8 is located at 408 East Santa Clara Avenue, and the Círculos high school is at 811 East Bishop Street.
District residents who want a school other than their assigned one, and students from outside the district who want to attend Advanced Learning Academy, apply through Santa Ana Unified's School of Choice transfer request in the Aeries Parent Portal. Families may list up to two schools (a preferred school and an optional school), and only one request per student per year is allowed; it cannot be changed or withdrawn after submission. The 2026-27 window ran from 8 a.m. on January 8 to 4 p.m. on January 23, 2026; the district emailed decisions between January 26 and February 6, and families offered a seat had 10 calendar days to accept, with no late responses. The district has not yet posted the 2027-28 window. On the district's 2026-27 availability list, both Advanced Learning Academy and Circulos High are listed with all grades available. The school's website does not explain how the Interest Form and the School of Choice process fit together, so families should follow the school's instructions.
When requests exceed space, the district first places priority groups such as victims of violent crime on campus, children of active-duty military parents, siblings of continuing students and children of staff assigned to the school; remaining requests are decided by random lottery, not by order of submission, and academic and athletic performance are not considered. Out-of-district students must first obtain a release from their district of residence before applying, and they must reapply every year. Approved transfer students may not move to another district school during that year, and the district does not provide transportation for transfer students.
Courses and Signature Programs at Advanced Learning Academy
In the 2026-27 University of California A-G course list, Advanced Learning Academy has 62 approved courses, including 9 AP courses and 13 UC-approved honors courses (courses that receive extra weight in the UC GPA). See the full A-G list.
- Santa Ana College Dual Enrollment
- High school students take Santa Ana College (SAC) courses on campus for both high school and college credit. The 2026-27 course sequence lists U.S. history (HIST 120/121) and composition (ENGLC1000) in grade 11, and political science (POLSC1000), economics (ECON 120) and critical thinking and writing (ENGLC1001) in grade 12; the school states that students can work toward an associate degree (AA) or IGETC, the general education pattern accepted by UC and CSU for transfer.
- Project-Based Learning and Círculos
- At every grade level, students learn through hands-on projects tied to real-world problems, set their own goals and take ownership of their learning. Students meet regularly in circles to share successes, reflect and support one another, which gives the high school its name, Círculos (Spanish for circles).
- Honors and Advanced Placement Sequence
- According to the 2026-27 course sequence, English, algebra, geometry, biology and chemistry are taught at the honors level in grades 9 and 10; grades 10 to 12 add AP World History, AP U.S. History, AP English Language, AP English Literature and AP Government and Economics, with AP Precalculus or AP Calculus AB in math and AP Biology in science in the upper grades.
- AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)
- AVID is an academic elective that prepares students to complete college-preparatory coursework and become eligible for four-year universities. The course sequence lists AVID I, II and III and Senior AVID across grades 9 to 12.
- Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways
- The course sequence lists two CTE pathways, Art Graphics with Advanced Art Graphics, and Entrepreneurship; students in grades 9 and 10 may also take Navy Junior ROTC (NJROTC) in place of physical education.
Academic Results at Advanced Learning Academy: CAASPP and Graduation
In the 2024-25 California state tests (CAASPP), 63% of Advanced Learning Academy 11th graders met or exceeded the English language arts standard and 3.6% met or exceeded the math standard; the statewide figures for 11th graders were 57% and 30.5%. For the class of 2025, 97.7% of the 44 students in the four-year cohort graduated, and 79.1% of graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU admission.
| Advanced Learning Academy | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 ELA met or exceeded | 63% | 57% |
| Grade 11 math met or exceeded | 3.6% | 30.5% |
Twelve Years of UC Application Data at Advanced Learning Academy: Applicants, Admit Rates and GPA
The University of California publishes applicants, admits and enrollees for every California high school. Combined 2023–2025, 34 of 55 applications from Advanced Learning Academy to the UC system were admitted (62%). Categories with fewer than five students are not published by UC and appear as "—", not zero.
The ten lines are hard to tell apart where they overlap. Hover over any campus name below to highlight that campus’s trend; click to keep it highlighted, and click again to clear it.Tap any campus name below to highlight that campus’s trend; tap again to clear it.
| UC campus (fall 2025) | Applicants | Admits | Admit rate | Enrollees | Admit GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | 14 | — | — | — | — |
| UC Los Angeles | 12 | — | — | — | — |
| UC San Diego | 11 | 3 | 27% | — | — |
| UC Davis | 8 | 4 | 50% | — | — |
| UC Irvine | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| UC Santa Barbara | 9 | — | — | — | — |
| UC Merced | 5 | 5 | 100% | — | 3.58 |
| UC Riverside | 13 | 10 | 77% | 3 | 3.66 |
| UC Santa Cruz | 9 | 3 | 33% | — | — |
Student Body at Advanced Learning Academy
In 2025-26, 88.3% of Advanced Learning Academy students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and 23.9% were English learners.
Advanced Learning Academy: Frequently Asked Questions
Can Irvine families apply to Advanced Learning Academy?
Advanced Learning Academy is a charter school within Santa Ana Unified, so Irvine families are out of district; they can submit the school's Interest Form and, under district rules, obtain a release from Irvine Unified and then file a School of Choice request in the January window, reapplying every year. The district's 2026-27 availability list shows all grades available at the school, and the district does not provide transportation for transfer students. The website does not explain how the two routes fit together, so families should contact the school before applying.
How are Advanced Learning Academy and Círculos related, a question Irvine families often ask?
Advanced Learning Academy is a single TK-12 charter school, and Círculos is its grade 9-12 high school. TK-8 is located at 408 East Santa Clara Avenue with the website ala.sausd.us, and Círculos is at 811 East Bishop Street with the website circulos.sausd.us. Santa Ana Unified's Schools and Programs page lists them as a TK-8 charter and a 9-12 charter.
Can students from Irvine families take college courses at Advanced Learning Academy?
Advanced Learning Academy high school students can take Santa Ana College dual enrollment courses for both high school and college credit. The 2026-27 course sequence lists U.S. history and composition in grade 11 and political science, economics and critical thinking and writing in grade 12, and the school states that students can work toward an associate degree (AA) or IGETC transfer coursework.
Which AP courses does Advanced Learning Academy offer, for Irvine families comparing options?
Advanced Learning Academy's 2026-27 high school course sequence lists AP World History, AP U.S. History, AP English Language, AP English Literature, AP Government and Economics, AP Human Geography, AP Precalculus, AP Calculus AB and AP Biology. English, math and science in grades 9 and 10 are taught mainly at the honors level.
Other Public High Schools in Santa Ana
- Century High SchoolSanta Ana Unified School District
- Ednovate - Legacy College Prep.Orange County Department of Education
- Foothill High SchoolTustin Unified School District · in-depth guide
- Hector G. GodinezSanta Ana Unified School District
- Magnolia Science Academy Santa AnaSBE - Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana · in-depth guide
- Nova Academy Early College High SchoolSanta Ana Unified School District
- OCSAOrange County Department of Education · in-depth guide
- Saddleback High SchoolSanta Ana Unified School District
- Samueli AcademyOrange County Department of Education
- Santa Ana High SchoolSanta Ana Unified School District
- Segerstrom High SchoolSanta Ana Unified School District
- Valley High SchoolSanta Ana Unified School District
- Vista Meridian Global AcademyOrange County Department of Education
Compare all public high schools in Santa Ana → · Orange County public high schools by city →
Sources16 sources · checked 2026-11-14
Enrollment, student body, CAASPP and graduation data come from the California Department of Education. UC admissions data come from the University of California Information Center public data tables, downloaded Nov 2026.
- services3.arcgis.com/fdvHcZVgB2QSRNkL/arcgis/rest/services/SchoolSites2425/FeatureServer/0
- circulos.sausd.us/parents/interest-form
- circulos.sausd.us
- resources.finalsite.net/images/v1790088014/sausdus/glc9pslsuzqfs70uzh72/2026-2027CourseOfferings.pdf
- ala.sausd.us
- sausd.us/departments/educational-services/support-services/schools-and-programs
- sausd.us/departments/educational-services/support-services/enrollment
- sausd.us/departments/educational-services/support-services/school-of-choice-transfers
- sausd.us/departments/educational-services/support-services/school-of-choice-transfers/school-of-choice-procedures-and-information
- sausd.us/departments/educational-services/support-services/school-of-choice-transfers/timeline-for-school-of-choice-transfers
- dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus/EnrGrdLevels.aspx?cds=30666700135897&agglevel=school&year=2025-26
- dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus/EnrEthLevels.aspx?cds=30666700135897&agglevel=school&year=2025-26
- caaspp-elpac.ets.org/caaspp/DashViewReportSB?ps=true&lstTestYear=2025&lstTestType=B&lstGroup=1&lstSubGroup=1&lstGrade=11&lstSchoolType=A&lstCounty=30&lstDistrict=66670-000&lstSchool=0135897
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- hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist/institution/5354
- universityofcalifornia.edu/about-us/information-center/admissions-source-school
