Sonora High School

How to Enroll at Sonora High School

Sonora High School enrolls students by Fullerton Joint Union High School District attendance area: students who live inside the boundary register by address, with no entrance exam.

District residents who want a school other than their school of residence can apply through the district's Open Enrollment. For 2026-27 the window ran from January 12 to 3:00 p.m. on January 30, 2026, for students entering grades 9 to 12. Parents had to apply in person at the school of residence with a gas, water or electricity bill and a rental agreement or mortgage statement, and could apply to only one school. Applications are not first-come, first-served: a lottery is held when applications exceed available seats. Acceptance letters went out by February 20, and registration had to be completed by March 13. The district notes that parents choose a school, not a program; an approved Open Enrollment is valid for four years with a minimum of one year of attendance, and no transportation is provided.

Students who live outside the district, including Irvine residents, cannot use Open Enrollment. They must first obtain an inter-district release from their district of residence, and Fullerton Joint Union High School District then approves permits based on space. A permit is valid only for the school year granted and must be renewed every year; it can be revoked for excessive tardiness or absence, behavior or academic problems, lack of space or false information, although students entering grade 11 or 12 the following year will not have their agreements rescinded. Parents provide transportation.

Every 8th grader who plans to take honors, AP or pre-IB courses in grade 9 must complete the Honors & IB Application. Students from district feeder schools only complete the application, while out-of-district and private school students must also take an online entrance exam; the 2025-26 test dates were December 20, 2025, and January 10 and January 24, 2026. The Academy of Nursing and Medical Careers, the agriculture pathways, Culinary Arts, Media Production and JROTC use the school's Special Program Application, which opened for 2026-27 on November 12, 2025; the school emails a decision within five business days. AVID has its own application. Accepted out-of-district students take the acceptance letter to their home district to start the permit process, which typically takes two to three weeks after the release.

Courses and Signature Programs at Sonora High School

In the 2026-27 University of California A-G course list, Sonora High School has 132 approved courses, including 14 AP courses, 20 IB courses and 38 UC-approved honors courses (courses that receive extra weight in the UC GPA). See the full A-G list.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

IB is the curriculum of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). At Sonora High School the IB Diploma Programme begins in grade 11: over two years students take three Standard Level (SL) and three Higher Level (HL) courses and complete the three core requirements, Theory of Knowledge (TOK), the Extended Essay (EE) and Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS). Juniors and seniors who do not pursue the full diploma can take individual IB courses for IB Course Certificates.

Pre-IB Honors and AP

Students in grades 9 and 10 can apply for honors and AP courses that prepare them for IB, such as English 1 Honors, AP Human Geography and Biology Honors. The school states that these courses are not a required prerequisite for the IB Diploma Programme.

Academy of Nursing and Medical Careers

The academy prepares students for the healthcare field, with students earning Medical Assisting certification upon graduation; its goal is for every student to complete at least 120 hours of supervised clinical experience. Admission requires the school's Special Program Application.

Agriculture

The agriculture program combines classroom instruction, Supervised Agriculture Experiences and hands-on farm and shop lab work, and students take part in Future Farmers of America (FFA). The Special Program Application lists Agriculture Floral, Agriculture Mechanics, Agri Science and Animal Science.

Arts Manufacturing Production

This three-year Career Technical Education (CTE) Arts and Manufacturing pathway teaches graphic design, drawing, photography, print and product production. The first-year course is open to grades 9 to 12 and earns arts credit; students with a C+ or better can join the second- and third-year pathway classes, operate equipment such as laser cutters, large-format printers and 3D printers, and earn equipment and Adobe software certifications.

AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)

AVID is an academic elective that prepares students for college. At Sonora High School, AVID requires its own application and contact with the program teacher rather than the Special Program Application.

Academic Results at Sonora High School: CAASPP and Graduation

In the 2024-25 California state tests (CAASPP), 68.1% of Sonora High School 11th graders met or exceeded the English language arts standard and 36.9% met or exceeded the math standard; the statewide figures for 11th graders were 57% and 30.5%. For the class of 2025, 96.5% of the 457 students in the four-year cohort graduated, and 60.1% of graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU admission.

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

The University of California publishes applicants, admits and enrollees for every California high school. Combined 2023–2025, 189 of 270 applications from Sonora High School to the UC system were admitted (70%). 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 Sonora High School

In 2025-26, 65.6% of Sonora High School students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and 6.1% were English learners.

• Hispanic or Latino74.9%
• White10.7%
• Asian8.6%
• Two or more races2.5%
• Filipino1.9%
• African American1.2%

Other Public High Schools in La Habra

• La Habra High SchoolFullerton Joint Union High School District

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