How to Enroll at Mission Viejo High School
Mission Viejo 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.
The Mission Viejo High School website states that students must live within the school's boundaries to enroll unless they have an approved transfer on file. Registration requires two current gas, electric or water bills as proof of residence, plus a birth certificate, immunization record and current transcript or grade report.
Mission Viejo High School offers open access to its IB Diploma Programme. Under the school's IB Access and Admissions Policy, the IB coordinator presents the program in 9th grade biology classes and hands out an application signed by both student and parent; motivation is the primary requirement, and grades and current courses are checked to confirm the student can move into the 11th and 12th grade IB courses. Students opt in at the end of grade 10 or the start of grade 11, and the final commitment comes in November of grade 11, when parents pay IB registration and exam fees.
Courses and Signature Programs at Mission Viejo High School
In the 2026-27 University of California A-G course list, Mission Viejo High School has 168 approved courses, including 18 AP courses, 16 IB courses and 41 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 include English Literature, French and Spanish B, Ab Initio language, History of the Americas HL, Psychology SL, Environmental Systems and Societies, Biology and Physics SL/HL, Math Applications and Interpretation SL, Music SL, Theatre Arts and Visual Arts.
- Agriculture Science
- Students learn on the school farm. According to the school's 2023-24 CTE flowchart, the Animal Science pathway runs over four years through Biology and Sustainable Agriculture, Agriculture and Soil Chemistry, Veterinary Science and Agriculture Economics; the first three meet the UC A-G D lab science requirement, and Agriculture and Soil Chemistry articulates with Saddleback College.
- Engineering
- The engineering sequence is Principles of Engineering Design, Product Design and Engineering, Engineering 3 and Engineering 4. Students take part in the Popsicle Bridge Contest and JPL Invention Challenge held at UCI, as well as Robot OC, the OC Maker Challenge and VEX robotics.
- Other Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways
- The 2023-24 CTE flowchart also lists Automotive, Computer Science, Health Science (Sports Medicine), Photography, TV/Video Production and Digital Media Arts pathways. The school website states that students who earn at least a B in three CTE classes in one pathway receive the CTE Graduation Medallion.
- AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)
- AVID is an academic elective scheduled during the school day, with a level for each of grades 9 to 12 and a senior seminar in grade 12, including tutor-facilitated study groups and college tours.
Academic Results at Mission Viejo High School: CAASPP and Graduation
In the 2024-25 California state tests (CAASPP), 69.4% of Mission Viejo High School 11th graders met or exceeded the English language arts standard and 45.6% met or exceeded the math standard; the statewide figures for 11th graders were 57% and 30.5%. For the class of 2025, 96.9% of the 389 students in the four-year cohort graduated, and 60.5% of graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU admission.
| Mission Viejo High School | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 ELA met or exceeded | 69.4% | 57% |
| Grade 11 math met or exceeded | 45.6% | 30.5% |
Twelve Years of UC Application Data at Mission Viejo High School: Applicants, Admit Rates and GPA
The University of California publishes applicants, admits and enrollees for every California high school. Combined 2023–2025, 202 of 325 applications from Mission Viejo High School 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 | 46 | 5 | 11% | 3 | 4.29 |
| UC Los Angeles | 65 | 5 | 8% | 4 | 4.24 |
| UC San Diego | 70 | 14 | 20% | — | 4.29 |
| UC Davis | 41 | 14 | 34% | — | 4.14 |
| UC Irvine | 73 | 9 | 12% | 3 | 4.26 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 52 | 13 | 25% | 4 | 4.26 |
| UC Merced | 27 | 27 | 100% | — | 3.94 |
| UC Riverside | 35 | 33 | 94% | 5 | 3.89 |
| UC Santa Cruz | 31 | 22 | 71% | 4 | 4.00 |
Student Body at Mission Viejo High School
In 2025-26, 41.2% of Mission Viejo High School students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and 6.3% were English learners.
Mission Viejo High School: Frequently Asked Questions
Can Irvine families transfer to Mission Viejo High School?
Mission Viejo 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, and to students in good academic and conduct standing. Approved students are assigned where space is available, permits must be renewed every year, and families provide their own transportation.
How do students join the IB program at Mission Viejo High School, a question Irvine families often ask?
Mission Viejo High School opens its IB Diploma Programme to any student who wishes to pursue the diploma, with no entrance exam. The IB coordinator introduces the program to 9th graders, hands out applications, checks grades and course sequencing, and builds three-year plans for applicants; students can decide to join as late as the start of grade 11. The formal commitment comes in November of grade 11, when parents pay IB registration and exam fees.
How does Mission Viejo High School weight GPA and rank students, for Irvine families reviewing transcripts?
Mission Viejo High School weights honors, AP and IB courses in the GPA. According to the Fall 2025 School Profile, each weighted class is multiplied by 0.2, divided by the number of semesters and added to the GPA. The district has used a decile ranking system since the Class of 2023 that does not give students a numeric rank, and students in the top 10 percent graduate with High Honors and wear a medallion.
What do students study in the agriculture science pathway at Mission Viejo High School, for Irvine families exploring it?
Mission Viejo High School's agriculture science program is taught on the school farm. According to the school's 2023-24 CTE flowchart, the Animal Science pathway runs through Biology and Sustainable Agriculture, Agriculture and Soil Chemistry, Veterinary Science and Agriculture Economics, with the first three meeting the UC A-G D lab science requirement. Students who complete two years of a pathway with grades of C- or better earn a CTE certificate, with three years required for agriculture pathways.
Other Public High Schools in Mission Viejo
- Capistrano Valley High SchoolCapistrano Unified School District
- Trabuco Hills High SchoolSaddleback Valley Unified School District
Compare all public high schools in Mission Viejo → · Orange County public high schools by city →
Sources23 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
- svusd.org/departments/student-support-services/student-services/school-choice-intra-district-transfer
- svusd.org/departments/student-support-services/student-services/inter-district-transfers
- svusd.org/about/school-boundaries
- svusd.org/uploaded/SVUSD_Department_Files/Educational_Services/Documents/2026-27/ANTP/English/16._Dual_Enrollment_Opportunities-IB.pdf
- svusd.org/showcase
- svusd.org/schools/high-schools/mission-viejo
- svusd.org/schools/high-schools/mission-viejo/about/general-information
- svusd.org/schools/high-schools/mission-viejo/about/procedures
- svusd.org/uploaded/High_Schools/Mission_Viejo/Documents/2025-26/MVHS_School_Profile_2025-26.pdf
- svusd.org/schools/high-schools/mission-viejo/academics/international-baccalaureate-ib
- docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQO1zUIm2AYJxLuqF6AaGrgTi8kMHJhLxPbwRZV6FZ1EQI4IzGXyVDYWqUpApF1dQ/pub
- svusd.org/schools/high-schools/mission-viejo/academics/career-technical-education
- svusd.org/uploaded/High_Schools/Mission_Viejo/Documents/2023-24/MISSION_VIEJO-COMBINED_FLYER_FLOWCHART_1-24-24.pdf
- svusd.org/schools/high-schools/mission-viejo/academics/agriscience
- svusd.org/schools/high-schools/mission-viejo/academics/engineering
- svusd.org/schools/high-schools/mission-viejo/academics/avid
- dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus/EnrGrdLevels.aspx?cds=30736353034956&agglevel=school&year=2025-26
- dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus/EnrEthLevels.aspx?cds=30736353034956&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=73635-000&lstSchool=3034956
- dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus/CohRate.aspx?cds=30736353034956&agglevel=school&year=2024-25
- hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist/institution/2607
- universityofcalifornia.edu/about-us/information-center/admissions-source-school
