How to Enroll at Esperanza High School
Esperanza High School enrolls students by PYLUSD attendance area: students who live inside the boundary register by address, with no entrance exam.
Both PYLUSD residents and out-of-district students submit a School Choice Transfer Request through the district Parent Portal, choosing Intra District or Inter District. For 2027-28 the priority window ran from October 12 to November 6, 2026, with notification on or before November 13, 2026; requests received after the window are considered on a rolling basis through the first week of school. All approvals depend on capacity at the requested school.
An approved choice transfer remains in effect through the highest grade offered at the school, families provide transportation, and requests cannot be changed after submission. Out-of-district students, including Irvine residents, must also apply for a release from their home district and attach it to the online application if available.
PYLUSD runs a single application for the academies at its four comprehensive high schools. For 2027-28 the academy application opened on September 22, 2026, closed on October 23, and acceptance notifications went out on November 2; applying commits a student to at least one full year of academy coursework. A student accepted into an academy is automatically transferred to the high school that offers it, with no separate School Choice Transfer Request.
Courses and Signature Programs at Esperanza High School
In the 2026-27 University of California A-G course list, Esperanza High School has 208 approved courses, including 29 AP courses and 47 UC-approved honors courses (courses that receive extra weight in the UC GPA). See the full A-G list.
- Medical Sciences Academy (MSA)
- Established in 2008. The Patient Care pathway runs from Medical Careers to Body Systems, Diseases, and Disorders (a UC A-G "D" lab science) and Medical Assisting, with an externship at a local clinic and preparation for the National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA) exam; a Sports Medicine pathway is also offered.
- Aztec Engineering & Manufacturing Academy (AEM)
- A three-year sequence covering design, prototyping, machining, welding and CNC fabrication; the intermediate course prepares students for National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) credentials and introduces SolidWorks CAD. The academy holds P.R.I.M.E. (Partnership Response In Manufacturing Education) status.
- AP Capstone
- Offered starting with the Class of 2024. Students take AP Seminar and AP Research, which culminates in a 5,000-word paper and a 20-minute presentation; students who pass both and four additional AP exams earn the AP Capstone Diploma.
- CollegeLink Dual Enrollment
- Tuition-free Fullerton College courses taught on the Esperanza High School campus, with credit transferable to the CSU and UC; counselor approval is required to use a course for high school credit or to take more than one, and grades appear on the Fullerton College transcript.
- Dual Language Academy (DLA)
- PYLUSD's dual language program, in which native English and native Spanish speakers learn together to speak, read and write in both languages.
- Army JROTC and Other Pathways
- The school has a U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program, plus Computer Science, Culinary Arts and Digital, Visual & Media Arts pathways.
Academic Results at Esperanza High School: CAASPP and Graduation
In the 2024-25 California state tests (CAASPP), 70.7% of Esperanza High School 11th graders met or exceeded the English language arts standard and 44.8% met or exceeded the math standard; the statewide figures for 11th graders were 57% and 30.5%. For the class of 2025, 97.8% of the 356 students in the four-year cohort graduated, and 55.5% of graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU admission.
| Esperanza High School | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 ELA met or exceeded | 70.7% | 57% |
| Grade 11 math met or exceeded | 44.8% | 30.5% |
Twelve Years of UC Application Data at Esperanza High School: Applicants, Admit Rates and GPA
The University of California publishes applicants, admits and enrollees for every California high school. Combined 2023–2025, 161 of 216 applications from Esperanza High School to the UC system were admitted (75%). 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 | 36 | 4 | 11% | — | — |
| UC Los Angeles | 57 | 6 | 11% | 4 | 4.28 |
| UC San Diego | 71 | 18 | 25% | 6 | 4.24 |
| UC Davis | 37 | 13 | 35% | — | 4.17 |
| UC Irvine | 73 | 14 | 19% | 5 | 4.24 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 41 | 11 | 27% | — | 4.28 |
| UC Merced | 17 | 16 | 94% | — | 3.95 |
| UC Riverside | 51 | 46 | 90% | 9 | 3.96 |
| UC Santa Cruz | 20 | 15 | 75% | — | 4.02 |
Student Body at Esperanza High School
In 2025-26, 47.8% of Esperanza High School students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and 5.2% were English learners.
Esperanza High School: Frequently Asked Questions
Can Irvine families transfer to Esperanza High School?
Esperanza High School belongs to PYLUSD, and a family living in Irvine can file an Inter District School Choice Transfer Request through the district Parent Portal while applying for a release from its home district, such as Irvine Unified. For 2027-28 the priority window ran from October 12 to November 6, 2026, and later requests are considered on a rolling basis through the first week of school; an approved transfer stays in effect through the school's highest grade, and families provide transportation.
How do students apply to the Esperanza High School academies, a question Irvine families often ask?
Esperanza High School's Medical Sciences Academy and Engineering & Manufacturing Academy admit students through PYLUSD's academy application. For 2027-28 the application opened on September 22, 2026, closed on October 23, and acceptances were sent on November 2; applying commits a student to at least one full year of academy coursework, and accepted students are automatically transferred to Esperanza High School without a separate School Choice Transfer Request.
How does Esperanza High School weight GPA, and does it rank students, for Irvine families asking?
Esperanza High School, according to its 2026-27 School Profile, counts regular courses as A=4, B=3, C=2 and D=1, and adds one grade point for AP, honors and dual enrollment college courses. The school does not rank students; graduation requires 230 credits and 40 hours of community service.
What is CollegeLink dual enrollment at Esperanza High School, for Irvine families exploring it?
Esperanza High School's CollegeLink offers tuition-free Fullerton College courses on the high school campus, so students do not need to travel to the college, and the credits are transferable to the CSU and UC. Students complete the application, dual enrollment form and parent authorization with help from the College and Career Center, and the college registers them; students who previously withdrew from or failed a CollegeLink course are not recommended by counselors to continue.
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Sources19 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.
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