San Juan Hills High School

How to Enroll at San Juan Hills High School

San Juan Hills 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.

San Juan Hills High School's grade 9 AVID class requires a separate application, and the school asks incoming freshmen to maintain a GPA of at least 2.5.

Courses and Signature Programs at San Juan Hills High School

In the 2026-27 University of California A-G course list, San Juan Hills High School has 239 approved courses, including 28 AP courses and 88 UC-approved honors courses (courses that receive extra weight in the UC GPA). See the full A-G list.

Advanced Placement (AP)

AP is the College Board's program of college-level courses. According to the 2026-27 School Profile, students took AP exams in 2026 in subjects including AP Art History, AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Physics C, AP European History, AP Spanish Literature and Culture, and AP Music Theory.

Spanish Language Immersion

The Language Immersion program continues the district's dual immersion pathway, with high school courses such as Two Way Immersion Spanish III, and it received a Golden Bell Award in 2022-23.

Building and Industrial Technology (BITA)

BITA is a four-year construction trades curriculum whose courses and support services are provided at no cost by the California Homebuilding Foundation, and BITA 1 through 3 meet the UC A-G "G" elective requirement. According to the School Profile, students can earn tiered carpentry certificates based on instructional hours and project participation.

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 courses such as graphic design, digital photography, video production, TV broadcast journalism, acting, dance, stagecraft, Virtual Enterprise, sports medicine, medical core, forensic science and criminal psychology; some are honors courses with GPA weighting, and some are dual enrollment with Saddleback College.

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)

AVID helps students who plan to attend a four-year college complete college-preparatory coursework, with four-year academic planning, community service and leadership opportunities, and scholarship information. The grade 9 AVID class requires an application, and AVID students take it in place of CCP or Geography.

Saddleback College Concurrent Enrollment

Capistrano Unified students can take Saddleback College courses at no charge for high school credit. These courses count only as electives and do not replace required English, history, math or science; students must enroll in at least 3 units per semester, PE courses do not qualify, and each semester unit equals 3 1/3 high school credits.

Academic Results at San Juan Hills High School: CAASPP and Graduation

In the 2024-25 California state tests (CAASPP), 79.7% of San Juan Hills High School 11th graders met or exceeded the English language arts standard and 55.9% met or exceeded the math standard; the statewide figures for 11th graders were 57% and 30.5%. For the class of 2025, 96.2% of the 693 students in the four-year cohort graduated, and 73.9% of graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU admission.

Twelve Years of UC Application Data at San Juan 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, 434 of 643 applications from San Juan 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.

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 Juan Hills High School

In 2025-26, 37.3% of San Juan Hills High School students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and 6.8% were English learners.

• White50.6%
• Hispanic or Latino34.4%
• Two or more races5.1%
• Asian5%
• Filipino1.3%
• African American1%

Other Public High Schools in San Juan Capistrano

San Juan Hills High School is the only public high school listed for San Juan Capistrano.

Compare all public high schools in San Juan Capistrano → · Orange County public high schools by city →