El Modena High School

How to Enroll at El Modena High School

El Modena High School enrolls students by Orange Unified attendance area: students who live inside the boundary register by address, with no entrance exam. The district's School Locator is the authority on which school an address is assigned to.

Students who want a school other than their school of residence can apply through the district's Open Enrollment: the online application goes directly to the school of choice, one application per school, and families check its status with that school's office. The district's 2026-27 page states that applications submitted after the closing date are placed on a waitlist and processed as openings become available.

Students who live outside the district, including Irvine residents, must first obtain a signed release from their district of residence and take it to the school they wish to attend; the school verifies space in the school or program, notifies the family, and forwards the request to the district's Office of Student and Community Services. Inter-district requests for 2026-27 began on February 2, 2026. Reasons the district lists for approval include a sibling already attending school in the district, finishing the school year after moving out mid-year, staying with a graduating class, and valid interest in an educational program not offered by the district of residence. Denials can be appealed to the district's Executive Director of Student and Community Services, then the Assistant Superintendent, and finally the Orange County Board of Education.

According to the 2024-25 School Profile, El Modena High School draws students from Orange, Tustin, Silverado Canyon, Modjeska Canyon and parts of Santa Ana. The Digital Marketing Collaborative (DMC) requires a separate application, and its students take classes together from grade 10 through grade 12.

Courses and Signature Programs at El Modena High School

In the 2026-27 University of California A-G course list, El Modena High School has 212 approved courses, including 36 AP courses and 48 UC-approved honors courses (courses that receive extra weight in the UC GPA). See the full A-G list.

AP Capstone and Advanced Placement (AP)

AP Capstone is the College Board diploma program built on AP Seminar and AP Research, and El Modena High School offers it. The school's AP page lists courses in English, math, science, social science, world languages and visual arts, including AP Precalculus, AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Microeconomics and AP Spanish Literature.

Digital Marketing Collaborative (DMC)

DMC is a California Partnership Academy that combines college-preparatory English, social science and math with a CTE marketing pathway, using project-based work in social media, web design, marketing and entrepreneurship, with job shadows and college visits. Students take DMC classes from grade 10 through grade 12 and must apply.

Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways

According to the 2024-25 School Profile, the school's CTE pathways cover arts, media and entertainment (digital photography, graphic design, TV and video production, professional dance), health science (sports medicine, EMR first responder), computer science, education and child development, culinary arts, business management, engineering and public safety.

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)

AVID uses research-based strategies to teach the skills and habits of academic success, with tutorials and strong student-teacher relationships, and focuses on preparing students traditionally underrepresented in higher education for college.

Dual Enrollment

Students can take college courses at community colleges such as Santiago Canyon College with prior approval from a counselor or administrator and the college's high school special admit form. Under the school's dual enrollment guidance, 3 college units equal 10 high school credits, college courses do not receive honors weighting in the high school GPA, and high school students are exempt from enrollment fees but pay health, material and other fees.

Academic Results at El Modena High School: CAASPP and Graduation

In the 2024-25 California state tests (CAASPP), 60.4% of El Modena High School 11th graders met or exceeded the English language arts standard and 24.6% met or exceeded the math standard; the statewide figures for 11th graders were 57% and 30.5%. For the class of 2025, 98.5% of the 460 students in the four-year cohort graduated, and 51.2% of graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU admission.

Twelve Years of UC Application Data at El Modena High School: Applicants, Admit Rates and GPA

The University of California publishes applicants, admits and enrollees for every California high school. Combined 2023–2025, 159 of 254 applications from El Modena High School to the UC system were admitted (63%). Categories with fewer than five students are not published by UC and appear as "—", not zero.

Campuses are listed in order of the U.S. News national university rankings. UC leaves a category blank when it has fewer than five applicants or fewer than three admits or enrollees.

Student Body at El Modena High School

In 2025-26, 69.6% of El Modena High School students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and 7.5% were English learners.

• Hispanic or Latino75.1%
• White15.1%
• Asian4.7%
• Two or more races1.8%
• Filipino1.5%

Other Public High Schools in City of Orange

• Orange High SchoolOrange Unified School District

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