Newport-Mesa Unified Schools Ranked Ninth Best In Orange County

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Newport Beach and Costa Mesa schools are the ninth-best in the Orange County area, according to Niche's 2022 rankings.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District shined in categories related to academics, diversity, college prep, teachers and sports, but struggled in categories like resources and facilities, clubs and food.

The 2022 Niche rankings considered multiple factors and data from the U.S. Department of Education for a comprehensive look at a district. This year’s analysis considered state testing scores, SAT and ACT testing scores, racial and economic diversity, surveys of student and parent experiences, athletic opportunities and more.

The most heavily weighted category was academics, accounting for 50 percent of a school’s score. Newport-Mesa Unified School District didn’t perform as well in the academic category with 63 percent of students proficient in reading and 52 percent proficient in math.

The average SAT score for Newport-Mesa students was 1180 and the ACT was 20, placing students at schools like UCLA, UCI and USC.

The district also had an average graduation rate of 92 percent and a student-teacher ratio of 26 to one.

The top-scoring district in the area was the Irvine Unified School District, with a student-teacher ratio of 23 to one and a high level of student proficiency in math and reading, according to Niche.

See the full rankings on Niche.

Patch Editor Emily Rahhal contributed to this report.