How to Enroll at Laguna Hills High School
Laguna Hills High School enrolls students by Saddleback Valley Unified attendance area: students who live inside the boundary register by address, with no entrance exam. The district's School Boundaries page is the authority on which school an address is assigned to.
District residents who want a school other than their assigned one must use the School Choice Intra-District Transfer, the only process for changing schools within the district. For 2027-28, the window for students entering grades 7 through 12 runs from November 16 to December 11, 2026; families may list a first and second choice, and some schools may be closed to School Choice because of capacity. Requests are not first-come, first-served: when space is available they are approved by unbiased random lottery, status letters are emailed about one month after the window closes, and no waiting list is kept. Once approved, the choice school remains the student's school through grades 9 to 12 without reapplying, and the district no longer holds a seat at the school of residence.
Students who live outside the district, including Irvine residents, cannot use School Choice. They must start an Inter-District Transfer request with their district of residence; once released, the application is sent to Saddleback Valley Unified, which asks for documents such as the current attendance record and transcript. Inter-district permits are valid for one year and must be renewed annually. Transfers are granted based on space, with priority for students requesting a specific program not available at their resident school and for students in good standing in academics and conduct; approved students are assigned where space is available, and transportation is the family's responsibility.
Laguna Hills High School runs its IB Diploma Programme with open access: any student who wants to pursue the diploma may do so, provided the student can be placed in the IB courses. Under the school's IB admissions policy, candidates take Honors English (Language A: Literature HL 1) and AP U.S. History (History of the Americas HL 1) in grade 11 and must reach level 4 or 5 of a world language by senior year. Before joining, students meet with the IB coordinator to review the two-year course and exam plan, then enroll in the courses and sign an IB DP Registration contract with a parent or guardian.
Courses and Signature Programs at Laguna Hills High School
In the 2026-27 University of California A-G course list, Laguna Hills High School has 155 approved courses, including 13 AP courses, 15 IB courses and 35 UC-approved honors courses (courses that receive extra weight in the UC GPA). See the full A-G list.
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme
- The IB Diploma Programme is a two-year international curriculum for grades 11 and 12 in which students take three higher level (HL) and three standard level (SL) courses and complete Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay, and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS). Subjects offered include English Literature HL, Spanish B, History of the Americas HL, Psychology, Global Politics, Environmental Systems and Societies, Physics, Mathematics, Theatre and Visual Arts.
- Spanish Dual Language Immersion (DLI)
- The program continues the Spanish immersion sequence from Gates Elementary and Los Alisos Intermediate, with Spanish 3 DLI and Biology DLI, Spanish Language 4 AP DLI and World History DLI, Spanish Literature 4 DLI, and Spanish Literature 5 AP DLI in high school. The school is a member of the International Spanish Academies network of Spain's Ministry of Education and a DELE testing center.
- Saddleback College Dual Enrollment
- According to the district's 2026-27 course list, Saddleback College offers Automotive Electrical Systems (AUTO 101), Automotive Engineering Fundamentals (AUTO 207), College Success (COUN 100), Culinary Principles (FN 101), Introduction to Kinesiology (KNES 51) and Fundamentals of Human Movement (KNES 52) at Laguna Hills High School. These courses run under a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) agreement at no cost for tuition, textbooks or materials, and earn both high school and college credit.
- IB Global Politics / Model United Nations
- The district's 2026-27 IB course list pairs IB Global Politics HL1 and HL2 at Laguna Hills High School with Model United Nations, so students train in MUN within an IB social science course.
Academic Results at Laguna Hills High School: CAASPP and Graduation
In the 2024-25 California state tests (CAASPP), 54.5% of Laguna Hills High School 11th graders met or exceeded the English language arts standard and 31.2% met or exceeded the math standard; the statewide figures for 11th graders were 57% and 30.5%. For the class of 2025, 97.3% of the 328 students in the four-year cohort graduated, and 58.3% of graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU admission.
| Laguna Hills High School | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 ELA met or exceeded | 54.5% | 57% |
| Grade 11 math met or exceeded | 31.2% | 30.5% |
Twelve Years of UC Application Data at Laguna Hills High School: Applicants, Admit Rates and GPA
The University of California publishes applicants, admits and enrollees for every California high school. Combined 2023–2025, 166 of 248 applications from Laguna Hills High School to the UC system were admitted (67%). 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 | 49 | 7 | 14% | — | 4.27 |
| UC Los Angeles | 65 | 8 | 12% | 5 | 4.27 |
| UC San Diego | 64 | 23 | 36% | 5 | 4.25 |
| UC Davis | 32 | 14 | 44% | — | 4.28 |
| UC Irvine | 66 | 22 | 33% | 7 | 4.24 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 51 | 20 | 39% | — | 4.28 |
| UC Merced | 20 | 18 | 90% | — | 3.89 |
| UC Riverside | 28 | 25 | 89% | — | 3.95 |
| UC Santa Cruz | 31 | 26 | 84% | — | 4.06 |
Student Body at Laguna Hills High School
In 2025-26, 56.3% of Laguna Hills High School students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and 13.5% were English learners.
Laguna Hills High School: Frequently Asked Questions
Can Irvine families transfer to Laguna Hills High School?
Laguna Hills High School is in Saddleback Valley Unified, so Irvine families live outside the district and cannot use School Choice; they must request an inter-district transfer, starting with a release from Irvine Unified and then review by Saddleback Valley Unified. The district grants transfers based on space and gives priority to students seeking a specific program not offered at their resident school, such as the IB Diploma or Spanish Dual Language Immersion, and to students in good academic and conduct standing. Permits must be renewed every year, and families provide their own transportation.
Does the IB program at Laguna Hills High School require a test or selection, a question Irvine families often ask?
Laguna Hills High School runs its IB Diploma Programme with open access, and its admissions policy includes no entrance exam; the only requirement is placement in the IB courses. Students take Honors English (Language A: Literature HL 1) and AP U.S. History (History of the Americas HL 1) in grade 11 and must reach level 4 or 5 of a world language by senior year. The IB coordinators hold parent information sessions each year, present to students in 10th grade English classes, and then counsel each student on a two-year course plan.
What do students study in the Spanish immersion program at Laguna Hills High School, for Irvine families comparing language options?
Laguna Hills High School's Dual Language Immersion program continues the district's elementary and middle school Spanish immersion sequence. Students take Spanish 3 DLI and Biology DLI in grade 9, Spanish Language 4 AP DLI and World History DLI in grade 10, Spanish Literature 4 DLI in grade 11, and Spanish Literature 5 AP DLI in grade 12. The school is also a DELE testing center for the A2/B1 and B2/C1 levels.
Can Irvine families' students take college courses at Laguna Hills High School?
Laguna Hills High School students can take Saddleback College dual enrollment courses on campus and earn both high school and college credit. For 2026-27 the courses are Automotive Electrical Systems, Automotive Engineering Fundamentals, College Success, Culinary Principles and two kinesiology courses, offered under a CCAP agreement with no cost for tuition, textbooks or materials. The guidance office explains eligibility and enrollment steps.
Other Public High Schools in Laguna Hills
Laguna Hills High School is the only public high school listed for Laguna Hills.
Compare all public high schools in Laguna Hills → · Orange County public high schools by city →
Sources17 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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- hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist/institution/2603
- universityofcalifornia.edu/about-us/information-center/admissions-source-school
