As of October 2026: Laguna Beach High School posts a UC Reach Score of 47 and a 26.1% UC admit rate, while nearby Laguna Hills High School scores 28 with a 28.7% UC admit rate. Those two measures are what our data set reports for these schools, and a steady 6-12 week prep window is how we help local students plan around them.
Two local high schools, two UC Reach Scores, and what the numbers mean for a Laguna family planning test prep.
By Nick Standlea, Test Prep Gurus. Figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
Laguna Beach High School carries a UC Reach Score of 47 The UC Reach Score counts top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors, with each campus counted on its own. Laguna Beach High School sits at 47. That means the school earns about 47 top-6 UC admits for every 100 seniors in the class. One student who gets into three top UC campuses adds three to that count. So the score is a measure of depth at the top, not a head count of students. A 47 tells us the school has a real record at the most selective UC campuses, and that a Laguna Beach student is competing inside a strong pool.
Laguna Hills High School admits at 28.7%, the higher of the two rates Laguna Hills High School posts a 28.7% UC admit rate, above the 26.1% rate at Laguna Beach High School. The admit rate and the Reach Score answer different questions. The rate tells you how often an application from that school turns into an offer. The Reach Score tells you how many top-6 UC offers the whole class brings home. Laguna Hills scores 28 on the Reach Score with the higher admit rate. Our data set does not say why, so we read the two numbers side by side and leave it there.
Only 2 schools sit in this local group, and both report UC admit rates Our table covers 2 schools across Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills. Both report a UC admit rate and a UC Reach Score. Neither reports a senior count, a top-6 admit count, or a college-going rate in this data set. Our records flag a matriculation list for Laguna Beach High School marked C/O 2026, with no colleges named. Laguna Hills High School carries no such flag in our records. So a family comparing the two has two solid numbers per school and one list flag on one side only.
Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills high schools: UC outcomes side by side
Both local high schools in our data set, with UC Reach Score, UC admit rate, and whether our records flag a college list. Blank cells are not reported.
| High school | City | UC Reach Score | UC admit rate | Seniors | Top-6 UC admits | College-going rate | College list | List year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Beach High School | Laguna Beach | 47 | 26.1% | -- | -- | -- | matriculation | C/O 2026 |
| Laguna Hills High School | Laguna Hills | 28 | 28.7% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
UC Reach Score = top-6 UC admits (counted at each campus) per 100 seniors; it can exceed 100. Source: UC Information Center (Fall 2025 admits by school), CDE College-Going Rate, and each school's own published matriculation list, via highschoolreach.com.
Where do Laguna Beach High School graduates go to college?
Our data set reports two things for Laguna Beach High School: a 26.1% UC admit rate and a UC Reach Score of 47. Those two numbers are the clearest picture we have of this school's college results.
Our records also carry a college list flag for this school, marked C/O 2026. The flag tells us a matriculation list is on record for that class. It does not carry any college names, so we will not guess at them here.
What the UC numbers tell us is simple. A UC Reach Score of 47 means the class earns about 47 top-6 UC admits for every 100 seniors. Each campus is counted on its own, so one strong student with three offers adds three. A score that high points to a core group of students who apply wide and get in at the most selective campuses.
For a parent, the practical read is this. We do not know from this data where most graduates enroll, because the college-going rate is not reported and no colleges are named in our records. What we do know is that UC offers come to this class in real numbers.
If your student is aiming at that core UC group, the competition sits in the same hallway. A 47 means classmates are getting in at the top campuses. Planning early matters more in a school like this, not less.
How many Laguna Beach students get into the top UC campuses?
Laguna Beach High School posts a UC Reach Score of 47, which counts top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors. Our data set does not report the raw count of top-6 admits or the number of seniors, so 47 is the number to use.
The six campuses in that group are the ones most families name first when they say UC. The score counts each admit at each campus. That is why the note says the score can go above 100. A class with many students holding offers from three or four top campuses will push the number up fast.
Compare that to Laguna Hills High School at 28. The gap between 47 and 28 is real, but it is not a ranking of the students. It reflects how many students apply to the top campuses, how many apply to several at once, and how the class is sized.
A family should read 47 as a signal about the pool, not a promise. It says the school has a strong record at the top UC campuses. It does not say your student is in or out. Grades, course load, essays, and a test score all still shape the file.
We also want to be plain about what is missing. Seniors and top-6 admits are not reported for either school in this data set. Any claim that a set number of students got into a named campus would be a guess, and we do not make those.
Which Laguna school has the higher UC admit rate?
Laguna Hills High School has the higher UC admit rate at 28.7%, compared to 26.1% at Laguna Beach High School. Both figures come from the same UC source.
That surprises some parents, because Laguna Beach carries the higher UC Reach Score at 47 against 28. The two numbers measure different things. The admit rate asks how often an application from that school becomes an offer. The Reach Score asks how much top-6 UC admission the whole class brings home.
A school can have a high admit rate and a lower Reach Score when its students apply to a wider mix of UC campuses. A school can have a lower admit rate and a higher Reach Score when more of its students aim at the hardest campuses and many of them hit.
For a family, neither number should pick your high school for you. Both rates sit in the same range, and both are solid for public schools in Orange County. The sharper question is what your student does inside the school they already attend.
If you want to see how these two compare to the rest of the county, our Orange County rankings page lists every school we track with the same two measures. That is a better way to place your school than a two-school comparison alone.
Do the colleges Laguna graduates attend require an SAT or ACT score?
The University of California system does not use SAT or ACT scores in admission, and that covers the UC campuses behind the 26.1% and 28.7% admit rates on this page. That is the first thing to say plainly.
But UC is not the whole list. Our records flag a Laguna Beach High School college list for C/O 2026, and lists like that often run past the state line. Our data set does not carry the test policy of any school outside UC, so we will not state one here.
So the honest answer is that it depends on the final list your student builds in eleventh grade. A student applying only inside California public systems may never need a score. A student adding schools outside that group should check each college's own current rules before deciding.
Scholarship money is the second reason families test. Some award programs ask for a score. Again, our data set does not name those programs, so we treat each college list one at a time with the family.
Our advice is steady. Take one real practice test early in eleventh grade. If the score is strong, it gives your student one more card to play. If it is not, your student can still apply to UC with no score at all and lose nothing.
What is a UC Reach Score, and why does 47 matter?
A UC Reach Score is the number of top-6 UC admits, counted at each campus, per 100 seniors. Laguna Beach High School sits at 47 and Laguna Hills High School sits at 28.
The key detail is that each campus counts on its own. If one senior is admitted at three top campuses, that senior adds three to the total. This is why the score can go above 100 at some schools. It is a measure of how much top-tier UC admission a class earns, not how many students got in somewhere.
We like the score because it rewards depth. A school with one standout and a quiet class will score low. A school with many students holding several top offers will score high. It gives parents a feel for the strength of the pool their student sits inside.
A 47 at Laguna Beach High School is a strong number for a public high school. It tells us the top of the class applies wide and gets results. It also tells us that a student there who wants a top UC campus is competing with classmates doing the same.
A 28 at Laguna Hills High School is solid and should not be read as weak. Class size and application habits both move this number. Paired with a 28.7% admit rate, it shows a class that applies with care and gets in at a good clip.
When should a Laguna Beach or Laguna Hills student start test prep?
We tell local families to plan on a 6-12 week prep window, and to place that window so the real test lands in the spring of eleventh grade. That timing works at both schools in our table.
Here is why that window works. Six weeks is enough for a student who already knows the math and needs pacing and format practice. Twelve weeks is the right size for a student rebuilding algebra or reading speed. Past twelve weeks, most students lose focus and the gains flatten out.
Back the window up from the test date, not from today. If the target test is in March, prep starts in December or January. If the target is in June, prep starts in March or April. That leaves room for a second sitting in the fall of twelfth grade if the first score is close.
Spring of eleventh grade also keeps prep away from AP exams and finals where it can. At both schools the spring is crowded, so we build around sports seasons and show schedules rather than pretend they do not exist.
The one timing mistake we see most often is waiting until senior fall. By then the college list is set, applications are due, and a student has one shot. Starting in eleventh grade gives you two shots and a lot less stress at the kitchen table.
Does our data set flag a college list for Laguna Hills High School?
No. Our records carry no college list flag for Laguna Hills High School, while Laguna Beach High School carries one marked C/O 2026. That is the clearest difference in the table beyond the scores.
A matriculation list names the colleges a graduating class chose. It is one of the most concrete things a family can read about a high school's results. Our data set records only that such a list exists and the class year it covers. It does not carry the names, so we cannot report them here.
When a school has no flag, we do not fill the gap with guesses. Our data set shows no list for Laguna Hills High School, and no top colleges are reported for either school. We leave those cells blank rather than invent names.
That does not mean Laguna Hills graduates do not attend strong colleges. The school's 28.7% UC admit rate is the higher of the two in our table. It simply means the public record of destinations is thinner in our data.
For a family at Laguna Hills, the UC admit rate and the UC Reach Score of 28 are the two numbers to work with. Both are real and both come from the same UC source, so they compare cleanly against any other California public high school.
How many high schools are in this Laguna area comparison?
Our table covers 2 schools: Laguna Beach High School in Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills High School in Laguna Hills. That is the full set of rows in this data set for the area we cover here.
Two schools is a small sample, and we want parents to know that. A two-school comparison can make a gap look larger than it is. The 47 and 28 Reach Scores sit far apart on this page, but both might look ordinary in a list of every Orange County school.
We built the page this way because families in Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, and Laguna Niguel most often ask about these campuses by name. A short, honest table beats a long one padded with schools no one in the room is considering.
If you want the wider view, the Orange County rankings page carries the same measures for every school we track in the county. That is where a two-school picture turns into a real spread.
The limits of this table matter too. Seniors, top-6 admits, college-going rate, and top colleges are not reported for either school. Those fields are blank on both rows, so read the two UC numbers as the backbone and treat the rest as missing.
What does a strong SAT or ACT score do for a student at these schools?
A score gives a student at Laguna Beach High School or Laguna Hills High School one more piece of evidence to send to colleges that read scores. It is an option, not a hurdle.
Inside California, the UC system reads no scores. With a 26.1% admit rate at Laguna Beach and 28.7% at Laguna Hills, many local students will be admitted on grades and coursework alone. That is a real path and we never talk families out of it.
The moment a student adds a college outside that system, the picture can change. Some colleges ask for a score and some do not. Our data set does not carry those policies, so we check each school on the student's own list as it takes shape.
Merit money is the part parents ask about most. Some award programs use a score. A student with no score may not be able to apply for those, so we plan the test early and keep the option open.
So we frame the test as insurance. Your student may never need the score for UC. If the list grows in twelfth grade, having the score already in hand saves a scramble.
Should a student take the SAT or the ACT?
We start every student with one free mock SAT and one free mock ACT, then pick the test where the score comes in stronger. There is no single right answer for all students.
The two tests reward different habits. The ACT moves faster and leans on quick reading and a science section that is really data reading. The SAT gives more time per question and leans harder on careful thinking in math and in text.
Students who read fast and think fast often post better ACT scores. Students who work with care and want time to check often post better SAT scores. A diagnostic settles the question in one Saturday morning, and it costs nothing with us.
Colleges treat the two tests as equal. We have not seen an admissions office that prefers one over the other. So the only question is which test shows your student at their best.
Once the test is chosen, the 6-12 week prep window applies the same way. We do not switch tests midstream unless the first set of practice scores says something clearly different from the mock.
How do these UC numbers compare across Orange County?
Laguna Beach High School's UC Reach Score of 47 and Laguna Hills High School's 28 both come from the same UC source, so they compare directly against every other school we track in Orange County.
The admit rates line up the same way. Laguna Beach reports 26.1% and Laguna Hills reports 28.7%. Any Orange County school in our data set can be read against those two figures without a change.
What a county-wide view adds is context about spread. Some Orange County schools post Reach Scores above 47 and some post numbers under 28. Seeing where your school sits in that range tells you more than a neighbor comparison does.
We never call a school weak. A Reach Score reflects class size, how many students apply to UC, and how many apply to several top campuses at once. Schools with different missions produce different numbers for honest reasons.
Our rankings page for Orange County carries the full list. We built it so parents can find their school, read the two numbers, and then ask the practical question: what does my student need to do this year.
What is the next step for a Laguna family this year?
The next step is a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT, which takes one morning and gives you a real baseline. You can reach our office at 949.229.5359 to set it up.
We sit at 23 Corporate Plaza Drive, Suite 150, in Newport Beach, a short drive up the coast from both schools. Nick Standlea runs the program and meets with families after the mock tests are scored.
After the mocks, we build a plan around the 6-12 week prep window and the school calendar. That means working around spring sports, AP exams, and finals rather than stacking prep on top of them.
We also talk through the college list in plain terms. If your student is aiming only at UC, we will say so and keep the prep light. If the list includes colleges that read scores, the plan gets firmer.
Both Laguna Beach High School and Laguna Hills High School post real UC results, at 47 and 28 on the Reach Score. Our job is to make sure the test is never the reason a door closes. One morning of testing tells you where you stand, and the rest of the plan follows.
Questions parents ask
What is the UC admit rate at Laguna Beach High School?
Our data set reports two things for Laguna Beach High School: a 26.1% UC admit rate and a UC Reach Score of 47.
Which Laguna school has the higher UC admit rate?
Laguna Hills High School has the higher UC admit rate at 28.7%, compared to 26.1% at Laguna Beach High School.
What does a UC Reach Score of 47 mean?
A UC Reach Score is the number of top-6 UC admits, counted at each campus, per 100 seniors.
Does UC require an SAT or ACT score?
The University of California system does not use SAT or ACT scores in admission, and that covers the UC campuses behind the 26.1% and 28.7% admit rates on this page.
When should my student start test prep?
We tell local families to plan on a 6-12 week prep window, and to place that window so the real test lands in the spring of eleventh grade.
Does our data set flag a college list for Laguna Hills High School?
Our records carry no college list flag for Laguna Hills High School, while Laguna Beach High School carries one marked C/O 2026.
Should my student take the SAT or the ACT?
We start every student with one free mock SAT and one free mock ACT, then pick the test where the score comes in stronger.
How many schools are in this comparison?
Our table covers 2 schools: Laguna Beach High School in Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills High School in Laguna Hills.
Method and sources: The school rows come from the UC Information Center's Fall 2025 admits-by-school file, the California Department of Education college-going rate file, and each school's own published matriculation list, shown on highschoolreach.com. The UC Reach Score counts top-6 UC admits per campus per 100 seniors, so a single student with several offers counts more than once and the score can pass 100. This page covers only the 2 high schools in our Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills set; private schools and schools in neighboring cities are not included. Senior counts, top-6 admit counts, college-going rates, and named top colleges are not reported for either school, and we leave those cells blank rather than estimate; the college list field is only a flag with a class year, not a list of college names. The table lists both schools in the data set, so no ranking order is applied.
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