How to Enroll at Santiago High School
Santiago High School enrolls students by Garden Grove Unified attendance area: students who live inside the boundary register by address, with no entrance exam. The district's Find Your 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 apply for a Parental Choice Transfer; the district sets the number of seats at each school and fills them by random lottery. For 2026-27 the application window ran from January 12 to February 13, 2026. The district also accepts Specified Reason transfers for childcare, siblings, completing the school year, a special program, or parent/guardian employment. Parents must provide transportation for approved transfers, and students must reapply when moving from 8th to 9th grade.
Students who live outside the district, including Irvine residents, must first obtain a release from their home district and then submit an inter-district transfer application on the Garden Grove Unified website with the release attached. The district accepts inter-district requests only for childcare, siblings, completing the school year, a special program, or parent/guardian employment, and decides based on space at the requested school; 2026-27 applications have been accepted on a rolling basis since January 12, 2026. New applicants placed on a waitlist must plan to attend their school of residence until they receive an approval email, and inter-district students are not eligible for district transportation.
Santiago High School's Early College Academy (ECA) admits a new cohort each year, but neither the school nor the district website publishes the application process or deadline, so interested families should check with the school's counseling office. According to the district course catalog, dual enrollment requires a college application and a special admit form with parental consent.
Courses and Signature Programs at Santiago High School
In the 2026-27 University of California A-G course list, Santiago High School has 159 approved courses, including 19 AP courses and 23 UC-approved honors courses (courses that receive extra weight in the UC GPA). See the full A-G list.
- Early College Academy (ECA)
- The ECA is a dual enrollment program run by Santiago High School with Santa Ana College (SAC) since 2019-20: students take courses on campus that earn both high school and college credit, at no cost. The district states that participants have the opportunity to transfer to a UC or CSU as juniors after high school, and the school's 2025-26 School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) says graduating seniors can earn up to 40 college credits.
- AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)
- Santiago High School is an AVID National Demonstration School and a Schoolwide Site of Distinction, and according to its SPSA it re-earned demonstration status in 2023-24. AVID places students in the academic middle in a rigorous college-prep curriculum with peer and trained college tutors, and guides families through college applications, scholarships and financial aid.
- Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AJROTC)
- According to the district's 2026-27 course catalog, Santiago High School is the only district high school offering AJROTC. The program, known as the Cavalier Battalion, follows the mission "To Motivate Young People to be Better Citizens," and cadets take part in team activities such as Raiders competitions.
- Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways
- The school offers several CTE pathways, with some students earning Santa Ana College dual enrollment credit or industry certification; according to the SPSA, a Criminal Justice pathway was added in 2025-26.
Academic Results at Santiago High School: CAASPP and Graduation
In the 2024-25 California state tests (CAASPP), 57.8% of Santiago High School 11th graders met or exceeded the English language arts standard and 29.3% met or exceeded the math standard; the statewide figures for 11th graders were 57% and 30.5%. For the class of 2025, 90.6% of the 459 students in the four-year cohort graduated, and 56.3% of graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU admission.
| Santiago High School | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 ELA met or exceeded | 57.8% | 57% |
| Grade 11 math met or exceeded | 29.3% | 30.5% |
Twelve Years of UC Application Data at Santiago High School: Applicants, Admit Rates and GPA
The University of California publishes applicants, admits and enrollees for every California high school. Combined 2023–2025, 281 of 352 applications from Santiago High School to the UC system were admitted (80%). 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 | 45 | 9 | 20% | 6 | 4.25 |
| UC Los Angeles | 72 | 9 | 13% | 6 | 4.25 |
| UC San Diego | 63 | 22 | 35% | 5 | 4.24 |
| UC Davis | 28 | 9 | 32% | — | 4.15 |
| UC Irvine | 100 | 29 | 29% | 12 | 4.18 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 43 | 16 | 37% | — | 4.12 |
| UC Merced | 37 | 37 | 100% | — | 3.83 |
| UC Riverside | 74 | 64 | 86% | 6 | 3.86 |
| UC Santa Cruz | 20 | 12 | 60% | — | 3.86 |
Student Body at Santiago High School
In 2025-26, 92.1% of Santiago High School students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and 30.2% were English learners.
Santiago High School: Frequently Asked Questions
Can Irvine families transfer to Santiago High School?
Santiago High School belongs to Garden Grove Unified, so a family living in Irvine is out of district: the student must first obtain a release from the home district, such as Irvine Unified, and then submit an inter-district transfer application to Garden Grove Unified. The district accepts such requests only for childcare, siblings, completing the school year, a special program, or parent/guardian employment, and decides based on space at the school; Irvine students who do not fit one of these reasons have limited chances of approval. Approved students are not eligible for district transportation.
What is the Early College Academy at Santiago High School, a question Irvine families often ask?
Santiago High School's Early College Academy (ECA) is a dual enrollment program with Santa Ana College in which students take courses on campus that count for both high school and college credit, at no cost. It began in 2019-20, and the district states that students who complete it may transfer to a UC or CSU as juniors. The school website does not publish an application process or say whether out-of-district students may join, so Irvine families should confirm with the school first.
What sets the AVID program at Santiago High School apart, a question Irvine families often ask?
Santiago High School is an AVID National Demonstration School and a Schoolwide Site of Distinction, and it re-earned demonstration status in 2023-24. The AVID elective serves students in the academic middle who aim for four-year colleges, with peer and college tutoring and guidance on college applications, scholarships and financial aid.
Are AP and honors grades weighted at Santiago High School, a question Irvine families often ask?
Santiago High School follows Garden Grove Unified policy, under which AP courses earn weighted GPA credit and the district course catalog marks each weighted course as a "Weighted Class." The school website does not post a separate School Profile or AP course list, so the counseling office is the authority on current offerings.
Other Public High Schools in Garden Grove
- Bolsa Grande High SchoolGarden Grove Unified School District
- Garden Grove High SchoolGarden Grove Unified School District
- Pacifica High SchoolGarden Grove Unified School District
- Rancho Alamitos High SchoolGarden Grove Unified School District
Compare all public high schools in Garden Grove → · Orange County public high schools by city →
Sources18 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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