Location: Hesperia, CA
Are you a student or parent at Mirus Secondary School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to Mirus Secondary available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe Mirus Secondary is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Mirus Secondary students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at Mirus Secondary
- Every sports team you can join at Mirus Secondary
Let's get started!
Basic Information
Mirus Secondary School is a public school, supporting grades 7 to 12 . It's located in Hesperia, CA in San Bernardino County.
Based on its location, Mirus Secondary is classified as a school in a large suburb. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
Mirus Secondary School10170 Huennekens St. San Diego, CA 92121-4675
Phone number: 7602443764
Mirus Secondary School homepage: http://www.altus-mirus.net/
Principal: Lynne AlipioEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at Mirus Secondary School is 345 students, making it a somewhat large high school, in the top half of all California high schools by size.
As a mid-sized high school, Mirus Secondary strikes the balance between size and comfort. There will be enough students to provide a diversity of experiences, like clubs and sports, for you to join. But it'll be small enough that you'll likely get to know most people in your class.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is Mirus Secondary School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at Mirus Secondary has decreased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
| Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th grade | 41 | 29 | 70 |
| 10th grade | 18 | 15 | 33 |
| 11th grade | 40 | 63 | 103 |
| 12th grade | 55 | 39 | 94 |
As you can see in the table above, the senior class is 24 students larger than the freshman class. This suggests that Mirus Secondary is shrinking in size and taking on fewer students.
There are a few reasons this can happen. The population of Hesperia could be decreasing, thus sending fewer students into Mirus Secondary. Alternatively, other schools (like charter or private schools) might be appearing, drawing students away.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at Mirus Secondary School?
From our statistics, Mirus Secondary has a 52:48 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
Mirus Secondary has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in San Bernardino County. Since the student body is roughly half and half, it should feel like there are equal numbers of boys and girls in your classes.
This usually means that Mirus Secondary doesn't strongly select for either males or females, unlike other schools that have a large majority of males or females.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at Mirus Secondary School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, Mirus Secondary has a somewhat homogenous student body, with the majority of students identifying as one ethnicity, but not representing over 70% of the student body. Most schools in California fit this profile, so Mirus Secondary isn't out of the ordinary. Most students attending class with you will be of the predominant ethnicity, but there will be meaningful diversity from other races.
The majority of students at Mirus Secondary are Hispanic. In California, Hispanic students make up the majority of all students at 51.5%, and are thus the most common ethnicity. Predominantly Hispanic schools are the most common type of homogenous school, and Mirus Secondary fits within this category.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.8% | 3 |
| Asian | 1.1% | 4 |
| Hispanic | 62.6% | 216 |
| Black | 6.3% | 22 |
| White | 28.6% | 99 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 1 |
| Two or more races | 0.0% | 0 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Hesperia. 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 Mirus Secondary Families
What are the family incomes of students at Mirus Secondary 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 Mirus Secondary, 19.4% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 64.0% qualify for free lunches.
This means Mirus Secondary has a high percentage of students at or near poverty. Almost a third of all schools in California show this level of poverty, and by National Center for Education Statistics standards, Mirus Secondary can be classified as a high poverty school. The income level of families in Hesperia is thus likely to be low.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 67 | 19.4% |
| Free lunches | 221 | 64.0% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 57 | 16.5% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Hesperia and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
Unfortunately, schools in areas of lower income levels are likely to be more poorly funded. As a result, they might feature less advanced coursework like AP/IB classes, and you may not have a full range of sports and extracurriculars to draw from. Because Mirus Secondary is an especially high poverty-level school, it might not have the resources you need to meet your full potential.
You definitely don't have control over the city, the school, or other families, but you can structure your own learning to be more productive. If you'd like to open yourself to more opportunities, you can look into whether it's possible to transfer to a nearby school with higher income levels.
If not, don't be alarmed - it's possible that Mirus Secondary has all that you need for your ambition. And you can definitely be proactive about learning outside of your school, looking to your community or to the Internet to find more resources.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
School Safety
How safe is Mirus Secondary 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 Mirus Secondary: 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 Mirus Secondary 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 226 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:
Hesperia Unified School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sultana High | 0 | 0 | 2200 |
| Shadow Ridge | 0 | 0 | 128 |
| Hesperia Community Day | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| Hesperia High | 0 | 0 | 1963 |
| Mojave High | 0 | 0 | 267 |
| Summit Leadership Academy-high Desert | 0 | 0 | 193 |
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 Mirus Secondary School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about Mirus Secondary's academics here.
Standardized Testing
Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Mirus Secondary School students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.
State Tests
As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Mirus Secondary 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 Mirus Secondary 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 Mirus Secondary.
English/Language Arts
At Mirus Secondary School, 24% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered below average and puts Mirus Secondary in the bottom 50% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. The majority of Mirus Secondary students do not pass state standards, and only a small percentage pass.
This specific percentage isn't much cause for concern - because the Common Core is new, the pass rate at Mirus Secondary will likely rise over time. But it still reflects Mirus Secondary's below average standing among California high schools.
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 Mirus Secondary School, 11% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Mirus Secondary in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Mirus Secondary 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 Mirus Secondary 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 Mirus Secondary. 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 Mirus Secondary. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.
Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Mirus Secondary 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 Mirus Secondary School offer?
AP Courses
Mirus Secondary School offers AP courses in 4 subjects.
This is a relatively low number of AP subjects, putting Mirus Secondary School in the bottom 50% of California schools offering AP courses. You'll likely be able to take the most popular courses like Calculus, English, and US History, but you won't have most other subjects available.
The total number of AP subjects is 38, so Mirus Secondary is missing most. If you want to take any AP courses not being offered at Mirus Secondary, ask your counselor for ideas on how to cover the gap. If you're a strong student, you might consider transferring schools to access a more advanced curriculum.
Of course, keep in mind that even though Mirus Secondary doesn't offer many AP courses, it might teach the ones it does offer quite well. You can see student performance in the AP score analysis section above.
The following AP courses were offered at Mirus Secondary during 2015-2016:
| Course Title |
|---|
| English Language and Composition |
| English Literature and Composition |
| Human Geography |
| Psychology |
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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Sources
The data on this page is drawn from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):
- National Center for Educational Statistics CCD 2013-2014
- "Free or reduced price lunch: A proxy for poverty?", NCES Blog
- CRDC 2011-2012 school year data
- California Department of Education SAT, ACT, and AP Test Results
- California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System Results
- IBO.org