San Clemente High School

How to Enroll at San Clemente High School

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

District residents can apply through School of Choice: current students apply during the annual application window, students new to the district apply at enrollment, and each student may apply only once per school year. Requests are approved on a space-available basis after in-boundary students are placed; an approval remains in effect for the student's years at that school without reapplying. There is no appeal for denials, transportation is the parent's responsibility, and School of Choice students are not eligible for district buses.

Students who live outside the district, including Irvine residents, must first apply through their district of residence for an inter-district release and then mail or deliver the original application and supporting documents to the Capistrano Unified district office; scanned or emailed copies are not accepted. Approved inter-district transfers are valid for one school year and must be renewed annually; the district grants them based on space after all resident students are placed and assigns students to schools with space at its discretion. Capistrano Unified does not participate in the Allen Bill (the parent-employment transfer provision). A denial can be appealed to the district within 10 calendar days, and a denial upheld by the district can be appealed to the Orange County Department of Education.

The Automotive Technology Partnership Academy selects students in the second semester of grade 9: students and parents attend an information meeting, interested students apply, and the academy weighs school records, teacher and counselor input and an individual interview; the class closes once 35 students have accepted, and other qualified students go on a waiting list. IB courses are open to all students, not only diploma candidates.

Courses and Signature Programs at San Clemente High School

In the 2026-27 University of California A-G course list, San Clemente High School has 258 approved courses, including 20 AP courses, 14 IB courses and 97 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 curriculum for academically prepared, highly motivated students that leads to international examinations and the diploma; the school encourages all students to take IB courses, not only diploma candidates. According to the 2026-27 School Profile, IB courses include IB Literature, IB French and Spanish (HL and SL), IB Biology HL, IB Marine Science SL, IB Physics HL, IB Design Technology SL, IB Global Politics HL, IB Psychology SL and Theory of Knowledge.

Automotive Technology Partnership Academy

The academy is a California Partnership Academy that began in 1998: a three-year school-within-a-school for grades 10 to 12 that combines automotive coursework with academic classes, with business partners providing financial, technical and advisory support as well as mentoring, field trips and work experience.

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)

AVID is a four-year college readiness program that supports underrepresented students with academic potential in reaching their post-secondary goals.

College and Career Advantage (CCA)

CCA is the career technical education partnership of Capistrano Unified and Laguna Beach Unified. According to the 2026-27 School Profile, the school offers in-bell CCA courses such as culinary arts, auto, digital photography, video production, sports broadcasting, theater, stagecraft, game design, architectural design, robotics and engineering design, and students may also take after-school CCA courses.

Spanish Two-Way Immersion (TWI)

Students in the district's K-12 dual immersion program continue Spanish immersion coursework in high school.

Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC)

JROTC combines classroom learning with service to the school and community and teaches leadership, teamwork and self-discipline.

Academic Results at San Clemente High School: CAASPP and Graduation

In the 2024-25 California state tests (CAASPP), 74% of San Clemente High School 11th graders met or exceeded the English language arts standard and 55% met or exceeded the math standard; the statewide figures for 11th graders were 57% and 30.5%. For the class of 2025, 95.3% of the 727 students in the four-year cohort graduated, and 66.7% of graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU admission.

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

The University of California publishes applicants, admits and enrollees for every California high school. Combined 2023–2025, 351 of 583 applications from San Clemente High School to the UC system were admitted (60%). 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 San Clemente High School

In 2025-26, 34.3% of San Clemente High School students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and 5.1% were English learners.

• White60.3%
• Hispanic or Latino28%
• Two or more races5.7%
• Asian1.5%

Other Public High Schools in San Clemente

San Clemente High School is the only public high school listed for San Clemente.

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