How to Enroll at Trabuco Hills High School
Trabuco Hills High School enrolls students by Saddleback Valley Unified attendance area: students who live inside the boundary register by address, with no entrance exam. The district's School Boundaries page is the authority on which school an address is assigned to.
District residents who want a school other than their assigned one must use the School Choice Intra-District Transfer, the only process for changing schools within the district. For 2027-28, the window for students entering grades 7 through 12 runs from November 16 to December 11, 2026; families may list a first and second choice, and some schools may be closed to School Choice because of capacity. Requests are not first-come, first-served: when space is available they are approved by unbiased random lottery, status letters are emailed about one month after the window closes, and no waiting list is kept. Once approved, the choice school remains the student's school through grades 9 to 12 without reapplying, and the district no longer holds a seat at the school of residence.
Students who live outside the district, including Irvine residents, cannot use School Choice. They must start an Inter-District Transfer request with their district of residence; once released, the application is sent to Saddleback Valley Unified, which asks for documents such as the current attendance record and transcript. Inter-district permits are valid for one year and must be renewed annually. Transfers are granted based on space, with priority for students requesting a specific program not available at their resident school and for students in good standing in academics and conduct; approved students are assigned where space is available, and transportation is the family's responsibility.
New students at Trabuco Hills High School register through the district's Aeries Online Enrollment, then email two proofs of address, a transcript, immunization record and birth certificate to the guidance technician assigned by last name. Families interested in Med-Sci can express interest through the school's online form and by contacting their guidance technician; the school website lists no entrance exam for Med-Sci or IB.
Courses and Signature Programs at Trabuco Hills High School
In the 2026-27 University of California A-G course list, Trabuco Hills High School has 177 approved courses, including 27 AP courses, 9 IB courses and 43 UC-approved honors courses (courses that receive extra weight in the UC GPA). See the full A-G list.
- International Baccalaureate (IB)
- IB is a two-year international curriculum for grades 11 and 12. Trabuco Hills High School offers English A Literature HL, History of the Americas HL, Psychology HL, Math Analysis and Approaches SL, Computer Science SL and Film SL/HL; students who complete three standard level (SL) and three higher level (HL) courses plus CAS, Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay can earn the IB Diploma.
- Med-Sci
- Med-Sci is the school's Health Sciences and Career Academy, in which students complete interdisciplinary health-themed projects in math, science and English and explore health science careers through core courses and Regional Occupational Program (ROP) offerings, along with activity days and field trips.
- Saddleback College Business Dual Enrollment
- Students can take up to five Saddleback College business courses during the school day for both high school and college credit, and earn a Saddleback College Business Certificate after completing all five. Courses for 2026-27 are Introduction to Business (BUS 1), E-Commerce (BUS 109), Marketing (BUS 135) and Social Media Marketing (BUS 105), plus College Success (COUN 100), at no cost for tuition, textbooks or materials under a CCAP agreement.
- Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways
- According to the 2026-27 School Profile, CTE pathways include Architectural Design, Business, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Digital Media Arts, Emergency Responder, Engineering Design, Health Science and TV/Video Production, with opportunities to earn technical certification.
- AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)
- AVID is an academic college preparatory program that supports students in becoming eligible for four-year colleges.
Academic Results at Trabuco Hills High School: CAASPP and Graduation
In the 2024-25 California state tests (CAASPP), 76.2% of Trabuco Hills High School 11th graders met or exceeded the English language arts standard and 51.9% met or exceeded the math standard; the statewide figures for 11th graders were 57% and 30.5%. For the class of 2025, 98.2% of the 596 students in the four-year cohort graduated, and 57.8% of graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU admission.
| Trabuco Hills High School | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 ELA met or exceeded | 76.2% | 57% |
| Grade 11 math met or exceeded | 51.9% | 30.5% |
Twelve Years of UC Application Data at Trabuco 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, 328 of 504 applications from Trabuco Hills High School to the UC system were admitted (65%). 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 | 74 | 11 | 15% | 6 | 4.22 |
| UC Los Angeles | 109 | 10 | 9% | 8 | 4.26 |
| UC San Diego | 115 | 20 | 17% | 4 | 4.28 |
| UC Davis | 76 | 29 | 38% | 7 | 4.16 |
| UC Irvine | 134 | 35 | 26% | 13 | 4.20 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 93 | 34 | 37% | 3 | 4.23 |
| UC Merced | 40 | 40 | 100% | — | 3.82 |
| UC Riverside | 87 | 81 | 93% | 9 | 3.93 |
| UC Santa Cruz | 63 | 44 | 70% | 3 | 4.03 |
Student Body at Trabuco Hills High School
In 2025-26, 36.4% of Trabuco Hills High School students were socioeconomically disadvantaged and 4.2% were English learners.
Trabuco Hills High School: Frequently Asked Questions
Can Irvine families transfer to Trabuco Hills High School?
Trabuco Hills High School is in Saddleback Valley Unified, so Irvine families live outside the district and cannot use School Choice; they must request an inter-district transfer, starting with a release from Irvine Unified and then review by Saddleback Valley Unified. The district grants transfers based on space and gives priority to students seeking a specific program not offered at their resident school and to students in good academic and conduct standing. Approved students are assigned where space is available, permits must be renewed every year, and families provide their own transportation.
How do students earn the IB Diploma at Trabuco Hills High School, a question Irvine families often ask?
Trabuco Hills High School requires IB Diploma candidates to complete three standard level (SL) and three higher level (HL) courses plus CAS, Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay, with at least 24 points in total. The school offers world language, mathematics and science at standard level and English, psychology and History of the Americas at higher level; juniors take AP English Language/IB, AP U.S. History/IB, AP Psychology, a world language, IB math and computer science or Environmental Systems and Societies, and seniors take English 4 HL2, History of the Americas HL2 and Psychology HL2. SL exams may be taken in junior year, while all HL exams are taken in senior year.
How does Trabuco Hills High School weight GPA, and does it rank students, for Irvine families reviewing transcripts?
Trabuco Hills High School weights honors and AP courses in the GPA: according to the 2026-27 School Profile, each weighted class is multiplied by 0.2, divided by the number of semesters and added to the GPA. Transcripts show four calculations: academic GPA, CSU GPA, UC GPA and total GPA. Following district board policy, the school does not rank students and instead recognizes the top 10 percent and graduates with a 4.0 or higher GPA as Graduates with Honors.
How can Irvine families' students interested in medicine join the Med-Sci program at Trabuco Hills High School?
Trabuco Hills High School's Med-Sci is a Health Sciences and Career Academy in which students complete health-themed interdisciplinary projects in math, science and English and explore medical careers through ROP courses. Families can express interest through the school's online form and contact their guidance technician, and two coordinators lead the program. The school notes that Med-Sci students get to know their teachers and classmates in advance and take part in activity days and field trips.
Other Public High Schools in Mission Viejo
- Capistrano Valley High SchoolCapistrano Unified School District
- Mission Viejo High SchoolSaddleback Valley Unified School District
Compare all public high schools in Mission Viejo → · 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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