Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School: Full Guide

Location: Aliso Viejo, CA

Are you a student or parent at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?

We've written the best guide to Capistrano Connections Academy Charter available. Here we'll cover:

Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
How safe Capistrano Connections Academy Charter is to attend
SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Capistrano Connections Academy Charter students
Which AP/IB classes you can take at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter
Every sports team you can join at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter

Let's get started!

Basic Information

Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School is a public school, supporting grades 0 to 12 . It's located in Aliso Viejo, CA in Orange County.

Based on its location, Capistrano Connections Academy Charter is classified as a school in a large suburb. Here's the location on a map:

Contact Information

Mailing address:

Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School
26800 Aliso Viejo Pkwy.
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-2625

Phone number: 9494611667

Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School homepage: http://www.connectionsacademy.com/california-online-school/about/contact-us

Principal: Richard Savage
Email the principal: [email protected]

Student Demographics

Student Enrollment

The total enrollment at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School is 2106 students, making it a large high school, in the top 25% of all California high schools by size.

Attending Capistrano Connections Academy Charter will feel like attending a small college. You'll have a few hundred students in your class, enough to provide an interesting set of activities, sports, and classes to try. But compared to the largest high schools in California, the student body size won't be overwhelming.

Growth in Student Body Size

Is Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.

From our calculations, the enrollment at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter has increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.

	Male Students	Female Students	All Students
9^th grade	143	157	300
10^th grade	88	152	240
11^th grade	100	148	248
12^th grade	90	106	196

As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 104 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.

There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of Aliso Viejo could be growing in population, thus sending more students into Capistrano Connections Academy Charter. Alternatively, Capistrano Connections Academy Charter could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.

Gender Split

Are there more boys or girls at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School?

From our statistics, Capistrano Connections Academy Charter has a 43:57 split between male and female students in the high school grades.

There is a large female majority at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter, and the imbalance is greater than you would expect from the general population in Orange County. As a result, it'll feel like there are a lot more girls than boys in your classes.

Sometimes this imbalance can result from random chance and may not suggest anything about Capistrano Connections Academy Charter. In other cases, the school might preferentially select for females (if it has its own admissions criteria), or parents with female kids might prefer to send them to Capistrano Connections Academy Charter. In yet other cases, other neighboring schools might attract male students, drawing them away from Capistrano Connections Academy Charter.

If this gender imbalance is a concern for you, we suggest contacting Capistrano Connections Academy Charter administration and asking if they have any thoughts about why there's a female majority. Their phone number is 9494611667.

Ethnicity Breakdown

What's the racial diversity at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?

From our statistics, Capistrano Connections Academy Charter has a diverse student body. No single ethnicity composes more than 50% of all students, which means you'll be surrounded by a diverse set of students in class. Only a third of California schools show this much diversity.

The most common ethnicity at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter is white. In California, white students make up 26.3% of all California students, and are the second most common ethnicity after Hispanic students.

	Percentage	Number
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.5%	12
Asian	5.0%	107
Hispanic	30.7%	648
Black	10.0%	211
White	40.6%	857
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander	0.1%	4
Two or more races	12.6%	267

High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Aliso Viejo. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.

Income Level of Capistrano Connections Academy Charter Families

What are the family incomes of students at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.

To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.

To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.

The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.

At Capistrano Connections Academy Charter, 11.8% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 29.6% qualify for free lunches.

This means Capistrano Connections Academy Charter has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, Capistrano Connections Academy Charter is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Aliso Viejo is thus likely to be relatively high.

	Number	Percent
Reduced-price lunches	250	11.8%
Free lunches	624	29.6%
Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches	1232	58.4%

As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Aliso Viejo and doesn't speak much about the school itself.

Capistrano Connections Academy Charter is in the middle 50% of schools by income level. Generally, higher income level schools are better-funded and have a higher quality range of classes and activities. Capistrano Connections Academy Charter is likely in the middle of the pack in this regard and will give you a good set of options to try.

If you have any interests that Capistrano Connections Academy Charter doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.

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School Safety

How safe is Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?

To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.

These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other Capistrano Connections Academy Charter students at risk.

In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 0 referrals to law enforcement, and 0 school-related arrests. This is out of a total enrollment of 1597 students.

To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.

Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:

Capistrano Unified School District Safety

School Name	Total Referred	Total Arrests	Enrollment
Capistrano Valley High	8	2	2615
Dana Hills High	10	0	2766
San Clemente High	0	0	2878
Junipero Serra High	6	6	72
Aliso Niguel High	0	0	2869
Tesoro High	0	0	2419

Academic Performance

Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?

We've compiled everything we could find about Capistrano Connections Academy Charter's academics here.

Standardized Testing

Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.

Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.

SAT Scores

As you probably know, the SAT is a critical test used for college admissions. The higher the score you get, the better your academic performance compared to students nationwide, and the easier it is to get into top colleges.

We did in-depth research and found the average Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School SAT scores.

The average composite SAT score is a 1590 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 80 at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter take the SAT.

This is an above-average SAT score, putting Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School in the top 25% of all California high schools and well above the national average (71% of students score above the national average). This is a notable academic achievement that distinguishes Capistrano Connections Academy Charter as a high-achieving school.

This is a good indication that you'll receive an above-average education at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter. While your school isn't in the very top echelon of all California public schools, you're still in a great environment.

Keep in mind, however, that only 8% of all students at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter took the SAT, so the results could be skewed by the small sample size.

Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:

Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)

Source	Critical Reading	Math	Writing	Composite
Capistrano Connections Academy Charter	547	526	525	1590
California	498	510	496	1504
United States	495	511	484	1490

Note that the SAT has since changed to a 1600 scale, but the trends above for your high school are likely to continue. Just use this guide to convert between the old 2400 scale and the new 1600 scale.

To learn more about SAT percentile rankings, read our guide on what SAT percentiles really mean.

How good is 1590 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1590 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1590 or any other SAT score!

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ACT Scores

In California, the ACT is less popular than the SAT. Fewer students take the ACT, and typically these students are more motivated and academically prepared for college. Therefore, it's harder to compare Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School ACT scores with the rest of the country.

At Capistrano Connections Academy Charter, the average ACT composite score was 23, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 26 out of 984 total students take the ACT.

This is above average performance, putting Capistrano Connections Academy Charter in the top 50% of California high schools. Since the ACT tests what you learn in school, these ACT scores are a good indication that you'll get an above-average education at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter.

Here are the average English, Math, Reading, and Science scores for Capistrano Connections Academy Charter compared to California and the US:

Average ACT Scores

Source	English	Math	Reading	Science
Capistrano Connections Academy Charter	24	23	23	22
California	21.8	22.8	22.3	21.7
United States	20.3	20.9	21.3	20.8

Scores provided are for the 2013-14 school year.

Find out more about percentile rankings and the ACT in this article.

Every individual is different. What counts as a good ACT score for you? Learn more with this article!

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Advanced Placement (AP)

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School students credit for college.

Here's what we're looking for: high average AP test scores as well as high AP passing rates.

AP Scores

Every year, roughly 35 students in grades 9-12 at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter take 60 AP exams. It's important to understand how students score on the AP - earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP test means passing the test and often earning college credit.

The average score of all AP exams taken at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter is 2.6 out of 5.

This score puts Capistrano Connections Academy Charter at average performance. For AP tests, the passing score is considered a 3, and the number of students who pass and don't pass are roughly even. This performance places Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School in the top 50% of schools for AP tests.

It's great that Capistrano Connections Academy Charter offers an AP program so you have the opportunity to take courses at a college level. Even though roughly half of all AP students here don't get a passing grade, half do - so with motivated studying throughout the year, you'll be able to beat the average.

We have specific data on how many students got a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (out of 5) on AP exams in the chart below:

AP Test-Taking Statistics

Another way to gauge the quality of a school's AP program is to see how many AP students actually took AP exams at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School. If a lot of students enroll in AP courses but don't actually take the AP tests, it can be a sign that students don't feel adequately prepared to take the test, or the school isn't encouraging students to take the exams enough.

At Capistrano Connections Academy Charter, there is a total enrollment of 62 in AP courses (a student taking more than one AP course counts more than once).

Of AP-taking students, 2 took AP tests for ALL AP courses. 26 students took AP tests for SOME AP Courses, and 60 took AP courses but took NO tests.

This is bad test participation. Most AP students at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School take the AP exam for NONE of their AP courses. This is an unusual situation, as the goal of an AP course is typically to take the standardized national AP test.

What you want to figure out is why so many students take AP courses but end up not taking the course. Do they not feel comfortable enough taking the AP test, knowing they may not pass? Or is it hard for Capistrano Connections Academy Charter students to take AP courses? Good people to ask are your counselors and AP teachers.

Hopefully, you may find that there are just logistical issues with taking AP tests that you might be able to overcome. However, you may also learn that the AP courses at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter don't prepare students well enough for the test, which reflects poorly on the AP program at your school. If the AP resources available to you don't give you confidence, consider self-studying to prepare for the AP test.

Note: The most recent data we have available is from 2012, so the statistics may have changed since then. Most likely, however, the trends are likely to continue - above average schools are likely to stay above average, and below average schools are likely to stay below average.

AP Passing Rates

For AP students at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School who take the exam, it's important to know how they do. Here we have specific data on how many students got a passing grade (a 3 or above) on all, some, or none of the AP exams that they took.

Of all AP test takers, 8 students passed every AP test they took, which is a fantastic job. 0 students passed some but not all AP exams, and 4 students didn't pass ANY AP exam they took.

To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School, you'll have to talk to your guidance counselor (who can then help you find that information). For instance, one AP Calculus teacher may have an above-90% passing rate, while another might only have a 50% passing rate. If you can, you'll want to take the class with the teacher who has more students get a 3 or above on the AP exam.

Find out more about the average score for each AP subject here.

State Tests

As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.

If Capistrano Connections Academy Charter students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter.

English/Language Arts

At Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School, 72% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.

This is considered good and puts Capistrano Connections Academy Charter in the top 25% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Most Capistrano Connections Academy Charter students pass or exceed state standards, though there is also a sizable portion of students who fail to meet state standards.

English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)

Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.

Math

The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.

At Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School, 23% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Capistrano Connections Academy Charter in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Capistrano Connections Academy Charter students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.

Math Test Results (2015)

Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.

Academic Offerings

In addition to the standard high school curriculum, many high schools like Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School offer advanced coursework as part of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

Brief Intro to AP/IB

AP and IB courses are designed at the difficulty level of college introductory classes. There are several important benefits to taking advanced coursework at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter. First, taking more advanced classes shows colleges that you're committed to challenging yourself academically, and that you're one of the more advanced students at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.

Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Capistrano Connections Academy Charter AP/IB coursework as college coursework. In some cases, you'll be able to skip introductory-level classes and move to more advanced classes. In other cases, you'll be able to avoid having to take required courses and might even be able to graduate earlier than the standard 4 years. Often this will require you to pass the AP test, getting a score of 3 or above.

So what advanced courses does Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School offer?

AP Courses

Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School offers AP courses in 16 subjects.

This is an impressive number of AP subjects, putting Capistrano Connections Academy Charter School in the top 25% of California schools in AP offerings. You'll likely have all of the most popular AP courses available to you, as well as some broader interests.

The total number of AP subjects is 38, so Capistrano Connections Academy Charter is missing a good number of subjects, but these are likely the least popular subjects, like less popular foreign languages. If there are any AP courses you want to take that aren't being offered at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter, ask your counselor for other options.

Of course, keep in mind that quality matters even more than quantity - it's important that your AP courses are taught well by engaging teachers. But the strong AP program at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter likely means you'll be in good hands.

The following AP courses were offered at Capistrano Connections Academy Charter during 2015-2016:

Course Title
Art History
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Computer Science A
English Language and Composition
English Literature and Composition
Environmental Science
Human Geography
Macroeconomics
Microeconomics
Psychology
Spanish Language and Culture
Statistics
United States Government and Politics
United States History

Sports Teams

What’s Next?

Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!

Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.

Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.

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