Location: Mission Viejo, CA
Are you a student or parent at Capistrano Valley High School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to Capistrano Valley High available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe Capistrano Valley High is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Capistrano Valley High students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at Capistrano Valley High
- Every sports team you can join at Capistrano Valley High
Let's get started!
Basic Information
Capistrano Valley High School is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Mission Viejo, CA in Orange County.
Based on its location, Capistrano Valley High is classified as a school in a large suburb. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
Capistrano Valley High School26301 Via Escolar Mission Viejo, CA 92692-3999
Phone number: 9493646100
Capistrano Valley High School homepage: http://www.cvhs.com/
Principal: Josh HillEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at Capistrano Valley High School is 2441 students, making it a very large high school, in the top 10% of all California high schools by size.
Wow! Attending Capistrano Valley High might feel like attending a college. You'll be surrounded by a large group of students (over 500 per class) and have more options for activities and clubs to join, which can be exciting.
On the other hand, you may also find that resources like counseling are spread thin across so many students. Make sure that you can get enough teacher and counselor attention to succeed at Capistrano Valley High, which may require being proactive.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is Capistrano Valley High School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at Capistrano Valley High 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 | 287 | 265 | 552 |
| 10th grade | 312 | 309 | 621 |
| 11th grade | 326 | 337 | 663 |
| 12th grade | 277 | 328 | 605 |
As you can see in the table above, the senior class is 53 students larger than the freshman class. This suggests that Capistrano Valley High is shrinking in size and taking on fewer students.
There are a few reasons this can happen. The population of Mission Viejo could be decreasing, thus sending fewer students into Capistrano Valley High. Alternatively, other schools (like charter or private schools) might be appearing, drawing students away.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at Capistrano Valley High School?
From our statistics, Capistrano Valley High has a 50:50 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
Capistrano Valley High has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in Orange 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 Capistrano Valley High 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 Capistrano Valley High School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, Capistrano Valley High 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 Capistrano Valley High 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 Capistrano Valley High are white. In California, white students make up 26.3% of all California students, and are the second most common ethnicity after Hispanic students. Thus Capistrano Valley High is one of hundreds of schools in the state that have a majority of white students.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.3% | 9 |
| Asian | 8.4% | 207 |
| Hispanic | 28.9% | 706 |
| Black | 1.0% | 26 |
| White | 56.4% | 1377 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 2 |
| Two or more races | 4.6% | 114 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Mission 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 Valley High Families
What are the family incomes of students at Capistrano Valley High 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 Valley High, 4.7% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 19.4% qualify for free lunches.
This means Capistrano Valley High has a low poverty level. The overwhelming majority of students at Capistrano Valley High don't qualify for free or reduced price lunches. Mission Viejo is thus likely to be an affluent community, with quite high family incomes.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 115 | 4.7% |
| Free lunches | 475 | 19.4% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 1851 | 75.8% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Mission Viejo and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
Because Capistrano Valley High is in the top quartile of schools by family income, it's likely to be well-funded relative to other high schools in California. This means you'll likely have access to advanced coursework like AP/IB classes and better-funded extracurriculars and sports.
It's still up to you, though, to take advantage of the resources Capistrano Valley High has to offer. If you work hard and spend your time effectively, you'll likely be well positioned to succeed in college and beyond.
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 Capistrano Valley High 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 Valley High: 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 Valley High students at risk.
In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 8 referrals to law enforcement (6 male, 2 female), and 2 school-related arrests (2 males, 0 females). This is out of a total enrollment of 2615 students.
To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.
This means that 0.3 Capistrano Valley High is a safe school. For every 100 students, there is much fewer than 1 law-enforcement related action. It's not a perfect record, but it happens so infrequently that it might have just been a few bad apples.
With this record, is Capistrano Valley High School significantly different from other schools in the area? It could be that Capistrano Valley High has an especially bad record, or it could be that the local area shows a pattern.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Bridges Community Day | 0 | 0 | 30 |
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 Valley High School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about Capistrano Valley High's academics here.
Graduation Rate
To start off, an important benchmark of academic achievement is graduation rate. For all students who start high school at Capistrano Valley High, the state of California wants as many students to graduate as possible, since a high school diploma can mean a big difference in getting a job.
At Capistrano Valley High, 97% (of 677) Capistrano Valley High students graduated within four years of starting high school.
Here's how this stacks up to other schools. The California state government has defined 90% as a target rate. The state average is around 80-85%.
Capistrano Valley High is in the 96th percentile of all public high schools in California for graduation rate. This is extremely good. Generally, a graduation rate of above 90% is considered good and well above average, and below 75% is well below average.
Note: This data comes from a few years back, but the trends are likely to stay the same, since schools don't get significantly better or worse within a short period of time.
Standardized Testing
Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Capistrano Valley High 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 Valley High School SAT scores.
The average composite SAT score is a 1620 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 455 at Capistrano Valley High take the SAT.
This is an above-average SAT score, putting Capistrano Valley High School in the top 25% of all California high schools and well above the national average (66% of students score above the national average). This is a notable academic achievement that distinguishes Capistrano Valley High as a high-achieving school.
This is a good indication that you'll receive an above-average education at Capistrano Valley High. While your school isn't in the very top echelon of all California public schools, you're still in a great environment.
Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:
Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)
| Source | Critical Reading | Math | Writing | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capistrano Valley High | 537 | 552 | 532 | 1620 |
| 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 1620 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1620 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1620 or any other SAT score!
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.
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 Valley High School ACT scores with the rest of the country.
At Capistrano Valley High, the average ACT composite score was 25, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 209 out of 2441 total students take the ACT.
This is very good performance, putting Capistrano Valley High in the top 25% of high schools in California by ACT score. Nationwide, a 24 on the ACT is 74th percentile, so most ACT test takers at Capistrano Valley High are well above average.
Since the ACT is designed to gauge what you learn in school, high ACT scores are are a good indication that you'll get a great education and be surrounded by other students who value academic achievements.
Here are the average English, Math, Reading, and Science scores for Capistrano Valley High compared to California and the US:
Average ACT Scores
| Source | English | Math | Reading | Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capistrano Valley High | 26 | 25 | 26 | 25 |
| 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!
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 ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give Capistrano Valley High 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 681 students in grades 9-12 at Capistrano Valley High take 1179 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 Valley High is 3.2 out of 5.
This is a solid achievement showing above average performance. The majority of students get a passing grade of 3 or above, placing them above the national average. This performance places Capistrano Valley High School in the top 25% of schools for AP tests.
Capistrano Valley High therefore has a robust AP program with classes that will help you pass the AP exam. Furthermore, a sizable number of students still earn a 4 or a 5 on their AP tests, so if you're motivated to do well, you can still get a great AP score.
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 Valley High 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 Valley High, there is a total enrollment of 898 in AP courses (a student taking more than one AP course counts more than once).
Of AP-taking students, 652 took AP tests for ALL AP courses. 19 students took AP tests for SOME AP Courses, and 59 took AP courses but took NO tests.
This is good test participation. Most AP students at Capistrano Valley High School take the AP test for every one of their AP courses, outnumbering the students who take some or no AP exams. This is a good sign that students feel confident enough to take tests for all AP courses available to them, which reflects well on the teachers and course material. Capistrano Valley High can continue to improve by reducing the number of students who take AP exams for some or none of their courses, but it's in a good state.
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 Valley High 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, 452 students passed every AP test they took, which is a fantastic job. 63 students passed some but not all AP exams, and 152 students didn't pass ANY AP exam they took.
This is very strong performance. The majority of Capistrano Valley High School students pass ALL the AP tests they take - an impressive feat, especially if students take multiple AP exams each year!
Overall, this points to a strong AP program at Capistrano Valley High: across all AP course offerings, teachers are able to prepare students well for the exam. There are still some students who fail some or all of their exams, but this is a good starting point to improve from. You'll have a strong foundation to learn from throughout high school.
To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at Capistrano Valley High 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 Valley High 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 Valley High 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 Valley High.
English/Language Arts
At Capistrano Valley High School, 65% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered good and puts Capistrano Valley High in the top 25% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Most Capistrano Valley High 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 Valley High School, 47% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Capistrano Valley High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Capistrano Valley High 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 Valley High 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 Valley High. 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 Valley High. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.
Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Capistrano Valley High 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 Valley High School offer?
AP Courses
Capistrano Valley High School offers AP courses in 22 subjects.
This is a huge number of AP subjects, putting Capistrano Valley High School in the top 5% of California schools in AP offerings. You'll be able to choose from the most popular AP courses as well as your pick of broader interests.
The total number of AP subjects is 38, so Capistrano Valley High is missing some subjects, but these are likely the least popular subjects, like some foreign languages and the new AP Research and Seminar courses. If there are any AP courses you want to take that aren't being offered at Capistrano Valley High, ask your counselor for other options.
Of course, keep in mind that quantity doesn't automatically mean quality - it's important that the courses are taught well by effective teachers. But the strong AP program at Capistrano Valley High likely means the classes are of high quality.
The following AP courses were offered at Capistrano Valley High during 2015-2016:
| Course Title |
|---|
| Art History |
| Biology |
| Calculus AB |
| Calculus BC |
| Chemistry |
| Computer Science A |
| English Language and Composition |
| English Literature and Composition |
| Environmental Science |
| European History |
| French Language and Culture |
| German Language and Culture |
| Physics 1: Algebra-Based |
| Physics 2: Algebra-Based |
| Physics C: Mechanics |
| Psychology |
| Spanish Language and Culture |
| Statistics |
| Studio Art: 2-D Design |
| United States Government and Politics |
| United States History |
| World History |
IB Courses
The International Baccalaureate program is less popular in the United States than the Advanced Placement program (there are around 850 diploma schools in the country and 100 in California). But Capistrano Valley High School is one of the lucky few to have an IB program!
For college application purposes, the IB and AP programs are basically equivalent. So don't worry about being advantaged or disadvantaged either way if you participate in IB vs AP. What colleges care about first is academic achievement, and AP and IB classes are seen as equally challenging.
Capistrano Valley High School has been an IB school since 4/8/05. Questions about the IB program at Capistrano Valley High? You can contact the IB Diploma Programme coordinator, Mrs Dina Kubba, by phone at (1) 949 364 6100.
The following IB courses were offered at Capistrano Valley High during 2015-2016:
| Course Title | HL/SL |
|---|---|
| German B | HL + SL |
| Spanish B | HL + SL |
| Biology | HL + SL |
| Physics | HL + SL |
| Mathematical studies | SL |
| Psychology | HL + SL |
| Computer Science | HL + SL |
| Environmental systems and societies | SL |
| Theory of Knowledge | |
| French B | HL + SL |
| English A Literature | HL + SL |
| Music | HL + SL |
| Mathematics | HL + SL |
| History | HL + SL |
| Visual Arts |
You can find out more about the IB testing schedule by going here.
We've also written the best study and test guides to International Baccalaureate.
Sports Teams
Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at Capistrano Valley High School. Sports are an integral part of many students' high school experiences. The more sports that are available, and the more levels supported (Frosh, JV, Varsity), the more likely you'll be able to participate in a sport at Capistrano Valley High.
By the way, the Capistrano Valley High mascot is the Cougars. Go Cougars!
Capistrano Valley High School fields 20 teams for girls' sports. This is an impressively high number that puts Capistrano Valley High in the top 10% of California schools that offer girls' sports. If you're a female, you'll have plenty of options of sports and levels to try out for. Furthermore, schools that offer more teams typically have a strong sports culture and field competitive teams.
And now for the boys: Capistrano Valley High School fields 26 teams for boys' sports. Clearly Capistrano Valley High has a strong sports culture - Capistrano Valley High is in the top 10% of California schools that offer boys' sports. Boys will find plenty of options of sports at different levels to try out for. Because more teams usually also means more resources devoted to sports, you can also expect Capistrano Valley High sports teams to be competitive.
| Boys Teams | Girls Teams |
|---|---|
| Lacrosse
Var
JV
|
Lacrosse
Var
JV
|
| Basketball
Var
JV
Fr
|
Basketball
Var
JV
Fr
|
| Golf
Var
|
Golf
Var
|
| Tennis
Var
|
Tennis
Var
|
| Football
Var
JV
Fr
|
|
| Wrestling
Var
JV
Fr
|
|
| Volleyball
Var
JV
Fr
|
Volleyball
Var
JV
Fr
|
| Baseball
Var
JV
Fr
|
|
| Softball
Var
JV
Fr
|
|
| Waterpolo
Var
JV
Fr
|
Waterpolo
Var
|
| Trackfield
Var
|
Trackfield
Var
|
| Crosscountry
Var
JV
|
|
| Soccer
Var
JV
Fr
|
Soccer
Var
JV
|
| Fieldhockey
Var
|
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
- AP Course Ledger
- IBO.org