La Quinta High School is located in the city of Westminster in Orange County. Founded in 1963, it is one of seven comprehensive high schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) and serves grades 9 to 12. Its attendance area covers parts of Garden Grove, Westminster, Santa Ana, and Fountain Valley. Enrollment in the 2026-27 school year is 1,892 students, 70.4% of whom are Asian. The school is No. 7 in Orange County (U.S. News 2026-27) among public high schools, and the same rankings place it No. 75 in California and No. 512 in the nation. This page does not rate the school. It answers one question: how a student at this school should plan the four high school years.
How La Quinta High School Is Structured for College Admissions
Public data point to four features of this school.
First, AP is the only advanced system. The school offers 27 AP courses and has no IB or Cambridge courses. In May 2026, 985 students took 2,302 AP exams; the School Profile reports that 86.5% of test takers earned a 3 or higher on at least one exam. Calculated from the 2,296 exams totaled in the subject table, 83.1% of exams earned a 3 or higher. Results vary widely by subject: AP Precalculus had 145 exams with 97.9% earning a 3 or higher, while AP Statistics had 174 exams with only 53.4%.
Second, there are very few honors courses. The school has only 8 honors courses. English 1 Honors and English 2 Honors are unweighted, and the other 6 honors courses, which are weighted, are Vietnamese 4 Honors and four Career Technical Education (CTE) courses. Math, science, and social science have no honors level; AP comes directly after the regular College Prep level.
Third, career technical education carries significant weight. The school offers five CTE pathways, Biotechnology, Business Management, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and Design and Media Arts, and 227 of the 511 graduates in the Class of 2026 completed at least one pathway, or 44%. Some pathways offer dual enrollment courses in partnership with Coastline College and Golden West College.
Fourth, graduates go mainly to public institutions. In the Class of 2026, 46.0% of graduates enrolled in four-year universities and 43.4% in two-year colleges. Official UC data show that for fall 2025, 254 students applied to the University of California and 205 were admitted to at least one campus, including 87 admitted by UC San Diego and 49 by UC Irvine.
How to Get Into This School
The conclusion first: this is a comprehensive attendance-area high school. Students who live within the attendance area enroll directly, with no exam and no magnet program that requires a separate application.
Route 1: Students Within the Attendance Area
- Enroll based on home address, with no exam and no application
- In the spring of grade 8, high school counselors visit the middle school to complete preregistration, and the math starting point is set by the District Placement Matrix
- During the second semester, all grade 8 students visit their assigned attendance-area high school
Route 2: Students Within the District but Outside This Attendance Area
- Enter the Parental Choice Transfer lottery. For the 2026-27 school year, the application window ran from January 12 to February 13, 2026
- Or apply for an intra-district transfer for a designated reason: child care, siblings at the same school, completion of the school year, special programs, or parent place of employment
- After approval, parents are responsible for transportation; a new application must be submitted when moving from grade 8 to grade 9 or after a change of address
Route 3: Students From Outside the District (Including Irvine)
- Apply for an inter-district transfer, which is available only for one of five designated reasons; approval depends on available space at the requested school
- Approved continuing students must also obtain a release from their district of residence, and they may register and attend school while the release is being processed
- The move from grade 8 to grade 9 is a transition year, and the inter-district transfer must be resubmitted
- Inter-district students may not ride district school buses, and parents are responsible for transportation to and from school
| Attendance area and enrollment | La Quinta High School is a comprehensive attendance-area high school in the Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD). Students who live within its attendance area enroll based on home address, with no exam and no magnet program that requires an application. The district course catalog states that in the spring, high school counselors visit the middle schools to preregister in-district grade 8 students, and during the second semester all grade 8 students visit their assigned attendance-area high school |
|---|---|
| Grade 9 placement | The school has no admission exam. Grade 9 course placement follows districtwide rules: English 1 Honors placement is based on multiple objective district measures, and the math starting point is determined by the District Placement Matrix |
| Transfer application windows | In-district Parental Choice Transfers are decided by lottery; the application window for the 2026-27 school year ran from January 12 to February 13, 2026. Intra-district and inter-district transfer requests for designated reasons (child care, siblings at the same school, completion of the school year, special programs, and parent place of employment) have been accepted on a continuing basis since January 12, 2026. The district has not yet announced the window for the 2027-28 school year |
| Information sessions and orientation | The school website has not published dates for 2027-28 new student information sessions. The district course catalog states that each high school holds an orientation for incoming grade 9 students and parents in the spring or before school starts in the fall |
| Students from outside the district | Students who live outside the Garden Grove Unified School District may apply for an inter-district transfer only for a designated reason: child care, siblings at the same school, completion of the school year, special programs, or parent place of employment; approval depends on available space at the requested school. Approved continuing students must also obtain a release from their district of residence and may register and attend school while the release is being processed. The move from grade 8 to grade 9 is a transition year, and inter-district transfers must be resubmitted; inter-district students may not ride district school buses |
| Requirements after enrollment | The school has no requirements for remaining enrolled after admission. AVID requires a separate application; under California rules, students in extracurricular activities and school athletics must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher (4.0 scale) each grading period and remain on track to graduate |
Four Differences From the Five Irvine High Schools
Irvine families most often compare La Quinta High School with the five high schools of the Irvine Unified School District (IUSD). The table below lists only the four rules that most affect course selection and GPA. Every entry in the column for this school comes from the school’s School Profile and the district 2026-27 course catalog.
| Item | This school | Five Irvine high schools |
|---|---|---|
| Admission | Enrollment by Garden Grove Unified School District attendance area, with no entrance exam; students from outside the district may apply for an inter-district transfer only for a designated reason | Enrollment by Irvine Unified School District attendance area |
| Math system (Integrated Math or the traditional algebra sequence) | The traditional algebra sequence: Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 or Algebra 2 & Trigonometry, followed by AP Precalculus and AP Calculus | Integrated Math I, II, and III |
| Whether honors courses are weighted | All AP courses are weighted; English 1 Honors and English 2 Honors are unweighted; Vietnamese 4 Honors and four CTE honors courses are weighted | Honors courses are unweighted; only AP courses and some fourth- and fifth-year world language courses are weighted |
| Whether grade 9 students can take AP | Yes: the district course catalog opens AP Human Geography to grade 9, along with AP Computer Science Principles, AP Spanish Language and Culture, and AP Music Theory | Generally no; only Woodbridge High School opens AP Human Geography to grade 9 |
For Irvine families, the second rule is the easiest to get wrong. Integrated Math spreads algebra and geometry content across three years, while the traditional sequence takes Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 as separate courses, so the course names and grade levels of the two systems cannot be matched one to one. Transfer students should bring their transcript and final exam scores and ask a counselor to confirm the starting point under the District Placement Matrix. The third rule is close to Irvine practice: in both places, core academic honors courses in grades 9 to 10 add no weight, and the weighted GPA comes mainly from AP courses in grades 11 to 12.
Twelve Years of UC Application Data: Applicants, Admit Rates, and GPA
The following data come from UC Infocenter, published by the University of California Office of the President. The data are reported by high school of origin and updated annually. They answer two questions: how many La Quinta High School students apply to and are admitted by the University of California each year, and what GPA admitted students hold. GPA is the UC weighted, capped GPA, which counts only courses taken in grades 10 and 11.
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.
Official UC data · By high school of origin · 2014–2025
Year-by-Year Data for the Top Six UC Campuses
Parents focus most on six campuses: Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Irvine, and Davis. The table lists, by year, the number of La Quinta High School students who applied to, were admitted by, and enrolled at each campus, along with their average GPA. Use the buttons to switch metrics.
From 2014 to 2025, the admit rate for La Quinta High School applicants to UC Los Angeles fell from 15% to 7%; the rate at UC Irvine held steady (21% to 21%).
This table has five data views. Use the buttons below to view admits, applicants, enrollees, admit GPA, and applicant GPA; the button for the current view is highlighted in yellow.
| Year | UC Berkeley | UC Los Angeles | UC San Diego | UC Santa Barbara | UC Irvine | UC Davis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025Latest | 14 (13%) | 13 (7%) | 87 (45%) | 31 (31%) | 49 (21%) | 24 (39%) |
| 2024 | 7 (6%) | 13 (7%) | 97 (45%) | 31 (25%) | 70 (28%) | 25 (43%) |
| 2023 | 5 (5%) | 6 (3%) | 21 (11%) | 28 (23%) | 63 (26%) | 25 (43%) |
| 2022 | 12 (15%) | 10 (7%) | 23 (13%) | 28 (31%) | 64 (32%) | 23 (42%) |
| 2021 | 6 (8%) | 6 (3%) | 43 (21%) | 24 (26%) | 31 (13%) | 22 (37%) |
| 2020 | 11 (24%) | 20 (15%) | 63 (35%) | 34 (35%) | 87 (38%) | 14 (33%) |
| 2019 | 5 (9%) | 9 (7%) | 44 (26%) | 23 (20%) | 80 (38%) | 19 (38%) |
| 2018 | 3 (6%) | 8 (7%) | 48 (29%) | 19 (18%) | 62 (27%) | 15 (30%) |
| 2017 | — | 13 (12%) | 44 (32%) | 29 (29%) | 56 (25%) | 15 (29%) |
| 2016 | 7 (14%) | 14 (16%) | 46 (48%) | 47 (48%) | 58 (37%) | 18 (33%) |
| 2015 | 5 (11%) | 8 (12%) | 32 (34%) | 32 (34%) | 57 (38%) | 17 (47%) |
| 2014 | — | 11 (15%) | 28 (27%) | 30 (32%) | 36 (21%) | 18 (31%) |
| Change, 2014–2025 | — | ▼ 15% → 7% | ▲ 27% → 45% | ▼ 32% → 31% | ▼ 21% → 21% | ▲ 31% → 39% |
| Year | UC Berkeley | UC Los Angeles | UC San Diego | UC Santa Barbara | UC Irvine | UC Davis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025Latest | 108 | 175 | 193 | 101 | 235 | 61 |
| 2024 | 111 | 180 | 215 | 123 | 247 | 58 |
| 2023 | 110 | 184 | 191 | 122 | 247 | 58 |
| 2022 | 79 | 150 | 173 | 91 | 200 | 55 |
| 2021 | 73 | 175 | 202 | 91 | 244 | 60 |
| 2020 | 46 | 131 | 182 | 96 | 226 | 42 |
| 2019 | 58 | 134 | 168 | 113 | 211 | 50 |
| 2018 | 47 | 119 | 167 | 105 | 231 | 50 |
| 2017 | 45 | 110 | 139 | 100 | 226 | 52 |
| 2016 | 50 | 89 | 96 | 98 | 155 | 55 |
| 2015 | 44 | 65 | 95 | 94 | 149 | 36 |
| 2014 | 51 | 73 | 103 | 93 | 169 | 58 |
| Change, 2014–2025 | ▲ 51 → 108 | ▲ 73 → 175 | ▲ 103 → 193 | ▲ 93 → 101 | ▲ 169 → 235 | ▲ 58 → 61 |
| Year | UC Berkeley | UC Los Angeles | UC San Diego | UC Santa Barbara | UC Irvine | UC Davis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025Latest | 6 | 7 | 23 | 4 | 29 | — |
| 2024 | — | 11 | 26 | — | 47 | — |
| 2023 | 5 | 3 | — | 12 | 49 | 3 |
| 2022 | — | 3 | 5 | 6 | 53 | 3 |
| 2021 | — | 5 | 17 | 6 | 17 | 6 |
| 2020 | — | 15 | 12 | 4 | 59 | — |
| 2019 | — | 5 | 10 | 3 | 52 | 3 |
| 2018 | — | 6 | 26 | — | 28 | — |
| 2017 | — | — | 18 | 4 | 35 | 4 |
| 2016 | — | 10 | 10 | 13 | 22 | 3 |
| 2015 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 33 | — |
| 2014 | — | 8 | 10 | 9 | 17 | — |
| Change, 2014–2025 | — | ▼ 8 → 7 | ▲ 10 → 23 | ▼ 9 → 4 | ▲ 17 → 29 | — |
| Year | UC Berkeley | UC Los Angeles | UC San Diego | UC Santa Barbara | UC Irvine | UC Davis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025Latest | 4.25 | 4.31 | 4.17 | 4.20 | 4.21 | 4.17 |
| 2024 | 4.26 | 4.25 | 4.13 | 4.18 | 4.15 | 4.08 |
| 2023 | 4.21 | 4.18 | 4.17 | 4.15 | 4.14 | 4.08 |
| 2022 | 4.30 | 4.36 | 4.29 | 4.26 | 4.22 | 4.16 |
| 2021 | 4.25 | 4.19 | 4.18 | 4.12 | 4.23 | 4.09 |
| 2020 | 4.32 | 4.31 | 4.20 | 4.18 | 4.09 | 4.14 |
| 2019 | 4.21 | 4.32 | 4.18 | 4.11 | 4.01 | 4.03 |
| 2018 | — | 4.31 | 4.13 | 4.07 | 4.09 | 4.14 |
| 2017 | — | 4.26 | 4.12 | 4.00 | 4.14 | 4.04 |
| 2016 | 4.12 | 4.16 | 4.04 | 3.91 | 4.04 | 3.97 |
| 2015 | 4.13 | 4.04 | 4.09 | 3.95 | 4.03 | 4.03 |
| 2014 | — | 4.27 | 4.09 | 3.91 | 4.09 | 3.93 |
| Change, 2014–2025 | — | ▲ 4.27 → 4.31 | ▲ 4.09 → 4.17 | ▲ 3.91 → 4.20 | ▲ 4.09 → 4.21 | ▲ 3.93 → 4.17 |
| Year | UC Berkeley | UC Los Angeles | UC San Diego | UC Santa Barbara | UC Irvine | UC Davis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025Latest | 4.06 | 3.98 | 3.93 | 3.91 | 3.91 | 3.88 |
| 2024 | 3.93 | 3.90 | 3.85 | 3.83 | 3.85 | 3.84 |
| 2023 | 4.00 | 3.93 | 3.88 | 3.92 | 3.86 | 3.86 |
| 2022 | 4.05 | 4.02 | 3.95 | 3.93 | 3.94 | 3.97 |
| 2021 | 3.98 | 3.87 | 3.81 | 3.80 | 3.79 | 3.73 |
| 2020 | 4.08 | 3.98 | 3.87 | 3.89 | 3.81 | 3.81 |
| 2019 | 3.97 | 3.89 | 3.80 | 3.73 | 3.76 | 3.74 |
| 2018 | 3.95 | 3.85 | 3.74 | 3.64 | 3.70 | 3.73 |
| 2017 | 3.81 | 3.82 | 3.71 | 3.63 | 3.61 | 3.70 |
| 2016 | 3.89 | 3.79 | 3.80 | 3.70 | 3.68 | 3.66 |
| 2015 | 3.91 | 3.86 | 3.69 | 3.59 | 3.64 | 3.75 |
| 2014 | 3.90 | 3.78 | 3.71 | 3.51 | 3.55 | 3.55 |
| Change, 2014–2025 | ▲ 3.90 → 4.06 | ▲ 3.78 → 3.98 | ▲ 3.71 → 3.93 | ▲ 3.51 → 3.91 | ▲ 3.55 → 3.91 | ▲ 3.55 → 3.88 |
Applications and Admissions by Campus, Most Recent Year
| UC campus (fall 2025) | Applicants | Admits | Admit rate | Enrollees | Admit GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | 108 | 14 | 13% | 6 | 4.25 |
| UC Los Angeles | 175 | 13 | 7% | 7 | 4.31 |
| UC San Diego | 193 | 87 | 45% | 23 | 4.17 |
| UC Davis | 61 | 24 | 39% | — | 4.17 |
| UC Irvine | 235 | 49 | 21% | 29 | 4.21 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 101 | 31 | 31% | 4 | 4.20 |
| UC Merced | 87 | 87 | 100% | — | 3.96 |
| UC Riverside | 167 | 155 | 93% | 12 | 3.92 |
| UC Santa Cruz | 34 | 26 | 76% | 3 | 3.95 |
GPA Weighting Rules: Only AP and a Few Honors Courses Add Weight
| Weighting rule | The School Profile states that standard courses are graded on a 4.0 scale (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0) and that all AP courses are weighted, with 1 additional grade point for each grade. The district 2026-27 course catalog marks the weighting of each course: among the honors courses the school offers, Vietnamese 4 Honors, Accounting with QuickBooks Honors, Digital Media and Design Honors, Advanced Multimedia Design Honors, and Cybersecurity I and II Honors are marked as weighted, while English 1 Honors and English 2 Honors are marked as unweighted |
|---|---|
| Weighted courses | All 27 AP courses; Vietnamese 4 Honors; Accounting with QuickBooks Honors; Digital Media and Design Honors; Advanced Multimedia Design Honors; Cybersecurity I Honors; Cybersecurity II Honors |
| Unweighted honors courses | English 1 Honors; English 2 Honors |
| Treatment of D and F | The school math department page states that weighted courses such as AP Calculus earn the additional grade point only with a C or higher; D and F grades receive no weighting |
| Class rank | The School Profile does not publish class rank or decile GPA ranges, so college admission officers can judge a student's standing within the school only from the transcript and course levels |
| Repeating a course | District rules allow students to repeat a course in which they earned a D, but credit is not granted twice; after the repeat, the higher grade counts in the GPA, and the original course remains on the transcript. UC and CSU require a C or higher in A-G courses, and the school also offers APEX online courses after school during the semester specifically for making up courses with a D |
| Outside grades | The district course catalog does not state whether grades from outside or community college courses count in the high school GPA; before enrolling, students must complete the district Non-GGUSD Course Enrollment Request Form (Form 9802.110) and confirm with a counselor how the course will be recorded |
This rule shapes course selection. At La Quinta High School, few academic courses in grades 9 to 10 can raise the weighted GPA: honors English courses add no weight, and math, science, and social science have no honors level. The weighted option in grade 9 social science is AP Human Geography, and the district course catalog also opens AP Computer Science Principles and AP Spanish Language and Culture to grade 9; in grade 10, students may choose AP World History: Modern and, for students ahead in math, AP Precalculus. The other source of weighting is CTE honors courses: Cybersecurity I Honors and Digital Media and Design Honors are open from grade 9 and count toward UC A-G. Note that the school math department states that weighted courses add 1 grade point only with a C or higher, so students should not force themselves into AP courses they are unsure of for the weighting alone.
Four-Year Timeline
Grade 8
- January-FebruaryIn-district Parental Choice Transfer lottery applications (January 12 to February 13 for the 2026-27 school year); intra-district and inter-district transfers for designated reasons are accepted from January 12
- SpringHigh school counselors visit the middle schools for preregistration and course selection presentations; the math starting point is set by the District Placement Matrix
- Second semesterAll in-district grade 8 students visit their assigned attendance-area high school
- SpringStudents interested in AVID 9 submit applications
Grade 9
- Full yearEnglish 1 or English 1 Honors; AP Human Geography is an option
- Full yearStudents may begin with the first-level course of a CTE pathway, such as Exploring Computer Science, Cybersecurity I Honors, or Fundamentals of Business
- SpringAnnual Registration; update the four-year plan on CaliforniaColleges.edu
Grade 10
- Full yearWorld History or AP World History; students who are ahead in math take AP Precalculus
- SpringAnnual Registration, which determines the grade 11 AP combination and the second-level CTE course
Grade 11
- Full yearUS History or AP US History, and AP English Language
- SummerSummer internship opportunities in CTE pathways (listed in the School Profile as a grade 11 program)
- SpringAnnual Registration, which sets grade 12 AP Calculus, AP English Literature, and AP Government / Macroeconomics
Grade 12
- SeptemberReview graduation and A-G progress with a counselor
- October-DecemberUC and CSU application season; application workshops are held in English classes, and counselors help launch applications through CCGI
- From DecemberFAFSA / CADAA financial aid applications open, with the deadline in early March
- May 1Confirm the college choice and submit the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR); take AP exams in May
Three milestones actually determine the direction: math placement in the spring of grade 8, which decides whether the student can enter Geometry or Algebra 2 & Trigonometry in grade 9; course selection in the spring of grade 10, which decides whether the student can enter AP Precalculus or AP Calculus in grade 11; and course selection in the spring of grade 11, which decides the grade 12 AP combination, the last set of courses the transcript can show at the time of the UC application.
Clubs and Academic Competitions
The clubs and activities page on the school website lists 57 entries. The academic and college-related clubs among them are listed below.
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Robotics Club
- STEM Club
- WiSTEM
- HOSA Club
- Future Medical Leaders
- Business DECA Club
- Mock Trial
- History
- Creative Writing Club
- Computer Graphics Club
- California Scholarship Federation (CSF)
- National Honor Society (NHS)
- Library Advisory Board (L.A.B.) Club
Programs tied directly to competitions operate mainly under career technical education pathways rather than as school teams.
- HOSA-Future Health Professionals: part of the Biotechnology pathway; the school pathway page shows student awards in events such as CERT, CPR, and Forensic Science
- DECA business competition: the Business Department lists DECA as the companion competition for its business and digital media courses, and students compete against business students from across California
- Mock Trial: listed on the school club list
It should be noted separately: The club list on the school website does not include Science Olympiad, Speech and Debate, Model UN, FBLA, or a math competition team; The club page on the school website still contains older entries such as Tet Celebration 2024, so the list may not be updated every year; confirm with the list published by the Associated Student Body (ASB) for the current year.
Signature Programs
- Five Career Technical Education Pathways (CTE Pathways): Five pathways, Biotechnology, Business Management, Software and Systems Development (Computer Science), Cybersecurity, and Design, Visual, and Media Arts, each with two course levels. The School Profile reports that 227 of the 511 graduates in the Class of 2026 completed at least one pathway, or 44%. Most pathway courses count toward UC A-G, and five of them, Cybersecurity I and II, Digital Media and Design, Advanced Multimedia Design, and Accounting with QuickBooks, are weighted honors courses. The School Profile also lists summer internship opportunities for grade 11 students
- Dual Enrollment (Coastline College and Golden West College): The school partners with Coastline College and Golden West College, and some CTE pathways include dual enrollment courses through which students earn high school and college credit at the same time; the courses can transfer to the CSU or UC systems. Enrollment requires a college application and a special admit form signed by a parent
- AVID: AVID 9 through AVID 12 correspond to grades 9 through 12, count as UC A-G category g electives, and require an application. Every Tuesday and Thursday, college student tutors lead study groups covering note-taking, time management, college and major research, the Personal Insight Questions (PIQ), and financial aid applications
- State Seal of Biliteracy and State Seal of Civic Engagement: In the Class of 2026, 186 students earned the State Seal of Biliteracy and 186 earned the State Seal of Civic Engagement. The school course list marks AP Spanish Language and Culture and Vietnamese 4 Honors as courses related to the Seal of Biliteracy
- Credit Recovery and APEX: During the semester, Credit Recovery courses are offered after school so that students who failed a course can make up graduation credits; APEX online courses, guided by credentialed teachers, allow students with a D to make up the course and meet A-G requirements. The school notifies eligible students of both options based on need
How to Use the Counseling Office
| Counselors and platform | Five counselors divide students by last name, and there is also a registrar. The district partners with the California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI), and students build four-year course plans on CaliforniaColleges.edu; in grade 12, counselors help launch UC and CSU applications through that platform, and transcripts are uploaded automatically. The school also has College Boost mentors who help with application and financial aid materials |
|---|---|
| On-campus testing | The school AP exam page links only to the College Board exam schedule and does not publish the school's registration deadlines or fees; the school website also does not publish on-campus arrangements for the PSAT or SAT. The district course catalog states that UC does not consider the SAT / ACT and that CSU uses them only for placement |
| Schedule changes after school starts | After school starts, schedule changes are accepted only in five cases: a scheduling error, an incomplete prerequisite, a missing graduation or college requirement course, a special program, or a course already completed in summer school. Dropping a course after the first three weeks of school results in a semester grade of W/F |
| Transcripts | Graduates from the Class of 2015 onward request transcripts online through Parchment, with the link on the district Records page; students who graduated before 2015 submit a request form to the district Records office |
| Dual enrollment and community colleges | Dual enrollment courses are offered in partnership with Coastline College and Golden West College; taking other community college courses requires the district Form 9802.110 |
For the grades offered and prerequisites of each course, see Courses and Course Selection; for math pathways, see Math Pathways; for the grades offered and pass rates of each AP course, see AP Course List and Pass Rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Irvine families have their student transfer to La Quinta High School?
Only through an inter-district transfer from the Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD). La Quinta High School has no exam-based magnet program, and students from outside the district may apply only for one of five designated reasons: child care, siblings at the same school, completion of the school year, special programs, or parent place of employment. Approval depends on available space at the school. Approved students must also obtain a release from their district of residence (for example, the Irvine Unified School District), must reapply when moving from grade 8 to grade 9, and may not ride district school buses.
Irvine families should note: are honors courses weighted at La Quinta High School?
It depends on the course. The School Profile states that all AP courses are weighted, with 1 additional grade point for each grade; however, English 1 Honors in grade 9 and English 2 Honors in grade 10 are explicitly unweighted. The district 2026-27 course catalog marks Vietnamese 4 Honors and four career technical education (CTE) honors courses as weighted. In this respect the school is close to the Irvine Unified School District: core academic honors courses in grades 9 to 10 add no weight, and the weighted GPA is separated mainly by AP courses in grades 11 to 12.
What GPA do La Quinta High School students admitted to the University of California have?
According to official data from the University of California Office of the President, reported by high school of origin, the average GPA of La Quinta High School students admitted for fall 2025 was: UCLA 4.31, UC Berkeley 4.25, UC Irvine 4.21, UC Santa Barbara 4.20, UC San Diego 4.17, and UC Davis 4.17. This is the UC weighted, capped GPA for grades 10 to 11. It reflects the actual level of admitted students; it is not an admission cutoff.
Where do La Quinta High School graduates go?
According to the school's 2026-27 School Profile, of the 511 graduates in the Class of 2026, 235 enrolled in four-year universities (46.0%), 222 enrolled in two-year colleges (43.4%), 24 entered employment, were undecided, or joined the military, and 2 enrolled in vocational or technical schools. The same class had a UC and CSU A-G course completion rate of 78.8% and a graduation rate of 93.3%. Because the share going to two-year colleges is high, community college transfer is the actual route for a substantial portion of families at this school.
Does La Quinta High School offer an IB program or Chinese courses?
Neither. La Quinta High School offers only one advanced course system, AP, with 27 courses, and has no IB or Cambridge courses. Its world languages are limited to Spanish, French, and Vietnamese; there is no Chinese course and therefore no AP Chinese. Students who want to take AP Chinese or continue studying Chinese need to take courses outside school and register for the exam on their own.
Can grade 9 students at La Quinta High School take AP courses?
Yes, and this is one difference from Irvine high schools. The Garden Grove Unified School District 2026-27 course catalog opens AP Human Geography to grades 9 and 12, and the sample schedule on the school website lists it as a grade 9 social science option; in 2026, 56 exams were taken schoolwide in this subject, and 96.4% earned a 3 or higher. The district course catalog also opens AP Computer Science Principles, AP Spanish Language and Culture, and AP Music Theory to grade 9.
