How to Enroll at Newport Harbor High School
Newport Harbor High School enrolls students by Newport-Mesa 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.
District residents who want a school other than their assigned one can file a Parent School Choice Transfer on SchoolMint and list up to three schools. For 2026-27 the window ran from January 15 to March 15, 2026; applications were then ranked by random lottery, with siblings of current students given priority. A late window opens in July, and students not offered a seat stay on that year's waiting list. Applications are not screened for grades, attendance or discipline, and waiting lists do not roll over to the next year.
Students who live outside the district, including Irvine residents, must first obtain an inter-district transfer form with a release from their home district and then submit it to Newport-Mesa Unified Student Services. Under incoming inter-district transfers, the district states that Newport Harbor High School is not accepting new student applications for 2026-27. The district also generally approves inter-district permits in only three limited cases: a student whose family moves out mid-year may finish that year; a student may stay with a class that is graduating or promoting that year; and a senior may return to the school attended as a junior after moving out of the district.
Applications to the IB Diploma Programme follow several routes: incoming ninth graders who live in the Newport Harbor zone apply during spring course selection; incoming Newport-Mesa ninth graders from other zones apply through the district; current Newport Harbor sophomores apply online; and sophomores from other schools or districts contact the school's IB Coordinator for application information. Juniors and seniors who are not diploma candidates may take individual IB courses if they meet the prerequisites.
Courses and Signature Programs at Newport Harbor High School
In the 2026-27 University of California A-G course list, Newport Harbor High School has 205 approved courses, including 28 AP courses, 17 IB courses and 47 UC-approved honors courses (courses that receive extra weight in the UC GPA). See the full A-G list.
- International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP)
- The IB Diploma Programme is a two-year course of study in grades 11 and 12: students take one course in each of six subject groups, at least three at Higher Level (HL), and complete Theory of Knowledge, a 4,000-word Extended Essay and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS). IB courses at the school include IB Literature HL, IB History of the Americas HL, IB Physics HL (combined with AP Physics C), IB Business Management HL and IB Film HL.
- Advanced Placement (AP)
- AP is the College Board's program of college-level courses. The school's AP page lists courses in social science, math, science, English, world languages and the arts, including AP European History, AP Calculus AB and BC, and AP Physics C: Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism, open to all students who meet the prerequisites.
- AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)
- AVID is an elective that meets every other day, teaching organization and study skills with help from peer and college tutors; it mainly serves students in the academic middle who aim for a four-year college, and the school states that it is open to all students.
- Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways
- According to the 2026-27 Academic Planning Guide, the school's CTE pathways include Business Management, Digital Media Arts, Film/Video Production, Culinary, Software and Systems Development, and Technical Theatre; students may also complete pathways by taking courses at other Newport-Mesa schools.
- Coastline ROP and Dual Enrollment
- Coastline Regional Occupational Program (ROP) partners with the district to offer career courses that can meet graduation requirements in applied curriculum or the arts, and students can take dual enrollment courses at community colleges such as Coastline College after submitting an outside course approval request.
Academic Results at Newport Harbor High School: CAASPP and Graduation
In the 2024-25 California state tests (CAASPP), 68.7% of Newport Harbor High School 11th graders met or exceeded the English language arts standard and 42.8% met or exceeded the math standard; the statewide figures for 11th graders were 57% and 30.5%. For the class of 2025, 96.8% of the 538 students in the four-year cohort graduated, and 60.5% of graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU admission.
| Newport Harbor High School | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 ELA met or exceeded | 68.7% | 57% |
| Grade 11 math met or exceeded | 42.8% | 30.5% |
Twelve Years of UC Application Data at Newport Harbor High School: Applicants, Admit Rates and GPA
The University of California publishes applicants, admits and enrollees for every California high school. Combined 2023–2025, 325 of 484 applications from Newport Harbor 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 | 66 | 8 | 12% | 3 | 4.11 |
| UC Los Angeles | 102 | 12 | 12% | 9 | 4.19 |
| UC San Diego | 100 | 27 | 27% | 4 | 4.26 |
| UC Davis | 43 | 19 | 44% | — | 4.07 |
| UC Irvine | 75 | 27 | 36% | 12 | 4.16 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 107 | 41 | 38% | 12 | 4.26 |
| UC Merced | 29 | 29 | 100% | — | 3.82 |
| UC Riverside | 46 | 45 | 98% | 4 | 3.86 |
| UC Santa Cruz | 68 | 53 | 78% | 9 | 3.96 |
Student Body at Newport Harbor High School
In 2025-26, 41.8% of Newport Harbor High School students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and 6.7% were English learners.
Newport Harbor High School: Frequently Asked Questions
Can Irvine families transfer to Newport Harbor High School?
Newport Harbor High School is in Newport-Mesa Unified, and the district states that the school is not accepting new inter-district transfer applications for 2026-27. Irvine families live outside the district, and even in other years the district generally approves inter-district permits in only three limited cases: finishing the school year after moving out mid-year, staying with a class that is graduating or promoting that year, and returning as a senior after moving out during junior year.
How can students from Irvine families apply to the IB Diploma Programme at Newport Harbor High School?
Newport Harbor High School's IB Diploma Programme accepts applications from its own students and from sophomores at other schools and districts, who contact the school's IB Coordinator for application information; an Irvine student would still need approval to attend a Newport-Mesa Unified school. The school advises interested students to start a second language early, take honors English where possible, and take an AP history course in grade 10.
How does Newport Harbor High School weight GPA, a question Irvine families often ask?
Newport Harbor High School weights AP and IB courses. According to the 2026-27 Academic Planning Guide, AP and IB courses earn A=5, B=4 and C=3, Honors Chemistry and Honors Enhanced Math III earn A=4.5, and regular courses earn A=4; PE is not counted in the GPA. The school does not report class rank for college and scholarship applications.
Can Newport Harbor High School students take both IB and AP courses, as Irvine families often ask?
Newport Harbor High School students can take both IB and AP courses. The school's IB FAQ explains that most HL classes include at least one AP class, and IB diploma candidates typically take AP World History or AP European History and AP English Language as sophomores. IB and AP courses carry no tuition, but each exam has a fee, and families who need financial help can contact the Counseling Office.
Other Public High Schools in Newport Beach
- Corona del Mar High SchoolNewport-Mesa Unified School District · in-depth guide
Compare all public high schools in Newport Beach → · Orange County public high schools by city →
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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