How safe is the school, really — beyond what the marketing says?
Based on state discipline data and the school’s handbook, El Toro’s recorded discipline looks light: for 2024–25 the state counted 13 of its 1,983 students (0.7%) as suspended, against 3.2% at the average California high school. The campus is closed, and the 2025–26 handbook has visitors check in at the front office and wear an ID sticker, with students carrying ID at all times.
Grades 9 and 10 may not leave campus at lunch, phones may be used only before and after school and at snack and lunch, and the handbook lists weapons, drugs, threats, assault and fighting as major offences that can bring suspension, expulsion or police involvement.
The only third-party safety item we found is a March 2018 local news report of a lockdown that lasted under five minutes and was lifted after sheriff’s deputies advised there was no threat. We found no school-climate survey result and no published safety plan for El Toro, so this answer rests on discipline records and the handbook. The principal’s message links families to Say Something, an anonymous reporting system, and to mental-health resources.
A campus visit shows the entrance flow and sightlines better than any record can.
How do students perform on state assessments in reading and math?
Based on state test results as relayed by SchoolScope, 64% of El Toro’s 11th-graders met or exceeded the state standard in English language arts in 2024–25 and 40% in math, against 57% and 30% for California as a whole.
| Subject | El Toro | California |
|---|---|---|
| English, met or exceeded | 64% | 57% |
| English, exceeded | 31% | 27% |
| Math, met or exceeded | 40% | 30% |
| Math, exceeded | 18% | 14% |
Grade 11 only. On the California Science Test, schoolwide, 12% exceeded the standard and 30% met it (452 students tested). We found only the 2024–25 results, so we cannot say whether these figures are rising or falling.
How qualified and stable are the teachers — credentials, average tenure, turnover?
Based on state staffing figures as relayed by SchoolScope, El Toro has 88 teachers who average 18 years of experience, and 5% of them are in their first year (2024–25). We found no published figure for how many hold full credentials, and none for turnover.
What’s the graduation rate, and how college-ready are graduates?
Based on state records as relayed by SchoolScope, 94.7% of El Toro’s 2024–25 cohort graduated within four years (450 of 475), and 61.8% were rated Prepared on California’s College/Career Indicator, against 51.7% for the state. 52.4% completed the UC/CSU “a–g” course list, in line with California’s 52%.
| Measure | El Toro | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation | 94.7% (450 of 475) | 2024–25 |
| UC/CSU “a–g” completion | 52.4% | 2024–25 |
| College/Career Prepared | 61.8% (294 of 476) | 2025 |
| Prepared through an AP pathway | 62.6% (184 of 294) | 2025 |
The school’s 2021–22 profile is the only record we found of where graduates go: of the Class of 2021, 89% attended a post-secondary program — 47% a two-year college and 41% a four-year university. We found no more recent list.
Which future-critical STEM fields is this school genuinely strong in—and which ones are major gaps?
El Toro’s strongest ground is clean energy and computer science, both Developing: a STEAM Academy science sequence that runs from sustainable agriculture to the physics of clean engineering, and an AP Computer Science Principles to AP Computer Science A sequence that the College Board authorises. AI, cybersecurity, robotics, Earth systems, advanced manufacturing and biotechnology are thin, we found nothing for aerospace or battery storage, and no field reaches Excellent.
| Field | Standing | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Clean energy | Developing | 3.0/5 |
| Computer science | Developing | 3.0/5 |
| AI & data | Weak | 2.0/5 |
| Cybersecurity | Weak | 2.0/5 |
| Robotics | Weak | 2.0/5 |
| Earth systems | Weak | 2.0/5 |
| Advanced manufacturing | Weak | 2.0/5 |
| Biotechnology | Weak | 2.0/5 |
| Aerospace | Weak | 0.0/5 |
| Battery storage | Weak | 0.0/5 |
Computer science is the best-evidenced field, because the College Board’s 2025–26 authorisation list includes both Computer Science Principles and Computer Science A. Aerospace and battery storage score zero because we looked and found nothing, not because the school was shown to lack them.
Does the school have a genuine STEM pathway, or just disconnected clubs, projects and competitions?
Based on the school’s published course tables, El Toro’s pathway is a course sequence and not a set of clubs. The STEAM Academy places students in linked core classes — English 1 with Digital Media Arts, mathematics titled “Computing and Robotics”, Biology of the Living Earth and Sustainable Agriculture, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering — and asks for a two-year career pathway in Computer Science, Digital Media Arts, Engineering or Video Production. We found no robotics, cybersecurity or science-competition record around it.
| Requirement | What the school says |
|---|---|
| Career pathway | Two years, with grades of C- or better |
| Industry certification | “exams taken at end of Concentrator and Capstone” |
| Visual and performing arts | One full year |
| Advanced Placement | One full year |
The Academy began at El Toro in 2021–22 as the last stage of a district pathway that starts at Santiago STEAM Magnet and runs through Serrano Intermediate. No page names the industry certification, who sets the exam or how many students pass it, which is the first thing to ask the school.
How strong is this school in AI, data science and computer science compared with other schools?
El Toro’s computing is a short, structured ladder and not an AI program: AP Computer Science Principles, open from Grade 9 with an Algebra 1 prerequisite, leads to AP Computer Science A, alongside Introduction to Data Science and AP Statistics in Grades 11–12. We found no AI or machine-learning course, club or competition, so our review rates computer science Developing and AI & Data Weak; every school on this platform is read on the same ladder.
| Course | Grades |
|---|---|
| AP Computer Science Principles | 9–12 |
| AP Computer Science A | 10–12 |
| Introduction to Data Science | 11–12 |
| AP Statistics | 11–12 |
Computer Science A requires the Principles course and Algebra 2. The College Board’s 2025–26 list includes Computer Science Principles, Computer Science A and Statistics. Introduction to Data Science comes from the district’s 2024–25 guide to its high schools and not from an El Toro page, and we did not find a later guide. We found no exam results for any of these courses and no computer-science club or competition record, which is why computer science stops at Developing.
How much of what the school claims can actually be independently verified?
Based on the records we could reach, El Toro’s recognitions mostly check out and its course claims need a question. The College Board’s 2025 list names it an AP School Honor Roll Silver school, as the school says, and the California Department of Education’s 2025 list names it a Green Ribbon School at the Bronze level. We could not check the school’s claim of a 2024 U.S. News ranking as the district’s first, and no page names the industry certification the STEAM Academy requires.
| Claim | What we found | Status |
|---|---|---|
| AP School Honor Roll, Silver | On the College Board’s 2025 California list | Verified |
| California Green Ribbon School | Bronze level, on the state’s 2025 list | Verified |
| First in the district, U.S. News 2024 | The U.S. News page was closed to us | Not checked |
| “Computing and Robotics” mathematics | Course titles only; no robotics course, team or competition found | Not substantiated |
| Industry certification | No certification named on any page | Not substantiated |
“Not substantiated” means we looked and found nothing, not that we found the claim false.
Will your child be ready for jobs that don’t exist yet?
Here’s what the evidence actually shows for El Toro — not what the brochure claims.
50/100 — Developing overall. El Toro’s clean-energy and computer-science provision is structured: a STEAM Academy science sequence that runs from sustainable agriculture in Grade 9 through environmental engineering to the physics of clean engineering, and an AP Computer Science Principles to AP Computer Science A sequence that the College Board authorises.
But: aerospace and battery storage are absent, and AI is thin.
Best positioned forNone
Underdeveloped inAerospace, Batteries, AI & Data
Future-critical exposure2/15 domains
Very strong
- None
Strong
- None
Limited
- Clean Energy
- Computer Science
Little / no pathway
- AI & Data
- Cybersecurity
- Robotics
- Earth & Geospatial
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Biotechnology
- Aerospace
- Batteries
Less ideal for
Where the marketing exceeds the evidence
No robotics course, team or competition record identified.
Where the school is stronger than its marketing suggests
Curriculum
- Introduction to Data Science (Grades 11–12) and AP Statistics
- AP Computer Science Principles, open from Grade 9 with an Algebra 1 prerequisite
Evidence seen
- The district’s 2024–25 High School Registration Guide course tables
- El Toro’s AP authorisations as SchoolScope reports them from the College Board list: Statistics, Computer Science Principles and Computer Science A
What's missing
- No AI or machine-learning course identified
- No data-science or AI club, and no competition record, found
Curriculum
- A two-year cybersecurity pathway (Computer Information Management) of online Saddleback College courses plus four classes at the home school, leading to a college certificate and transferable credits, with tuition, fees and books waived
- Cyber Security (Saddleback College & ROP) listed among the STEAM Academy’s CTE electives
Evidence seen
- The SVUSD Virtual Academy’s Early College Pathways page, which still shows a 2022 start date
- The STEAM Academy flyer of September 2024
- The district’s 2026–27 dual-enrolment notice, which lists a cybersecurity pathway through Saddleback Virtual Academy
What's missing
- No cybersecurity course taught on the El Toro campus identified
- No club, CyberPatriot or CTF record found
- No figure for how many El Toro students take the pathway
Curriculum
- STEAM Academy mathematics courses titled “Computing and Robotics”: Algebra 1, Geometry (regular and Honors) and Algebra 2 (regular and Honors)
Evidence seen
- The STEAM Academy page and the Grade 9 STEAM registration document
- The district’s 2024–25 registration guide, which lists the same courses as STEAM Academy only
What's missing
- No robotics course, team or competition record identified
- The course descriptions do not say what the robotics content of the mathematics courses is
Curriculum
- In the STEAM Academy: Biology of the Living Earth and Sustainable Agriculture, then Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, then Green Up and Go, a physics course on clean engineering (Grades 11–12)
- AP Environmental Science (Grades 11–12)
Evidence seen
- The STEAM Academy page and the registration documents
- AP Environmental Science on the College Board authorisation list as SchoolScope reports it
- California Green Ribbon School, Bronze level, on the California Department of Education’s 2025 selectee list
What's missing
- No energy-systems, solar or grid project and no competition record identified
- No named industry credential in the field
Curriculum
- Biology of the Living Earth in Grade 9, then AP Biology and Anatomy/Physiology in Grades 11–12
- Sports Medicine, a CTE course (Grades 9–12), and a STEAM Academy chemistry course labelled MedSci (Grade 10)
Evidence seen
- The district’s 2024–25 High School Registration Guide course tables
- AP Biology on the College Board authorisation list as SchoolScope reports it
What's missing
- No biotechnology course identified
- No laboratory-technique record, research placement or competition record found
Creativity cannot be graded the way a course can. It can only be evidenced through what students made.
| Criterion | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art + technology | ||||
| Design | ||||
| Architecture | ||||
| Engineering design | ||||
| Media / digital production | ||||
| Maker learning | ||||
| Interdisciplinary projects |
One strand runs for three years or more, and it is the only artefact found. 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 are level, each at 2 of 7 criteria, all from that one publication.
The record — 1 artefact
Students write, lay out and publish El Toro’s student magazine, which has an issue archive for every school year from 2017–18 to 2026–27. The 2023–24 and 2025–26 archive pages each list nine themed issues — Greek mythology, ocean layers, a Minecraft bonus issue — with promotional entries, and the staff list includes a design editor.
The BullETin Magazine issue archive · thebulletinmag.com
Nothing found for
No student work was found evidencing these. For a school this well documented, an unrecorded programme is unlikely to be a large one.
What a family should ask about directly
- No cybersecurity course is taught on the campus: the pathway is a Saddleback College certificate taken online, and no club, CyberPatriot or CTF record was found. Ask how many El Toro students complete it.
- Aerospace & Space and Batteries & Energy Storage have no course, club or competition record at all — treat them as absent, not just thin.
- Robotics appears in the titles of the STEAM Academy’s mathematics courses and in no robotics course, team or competition record; no AI or machine-learning course and no biotechnology course was identified either.
- The STEAM Academy asks for an industry certification at the end of its pathway, and no page names one. Ask which certification, who sets the exam and how many students pass it.
- Searches under El Toro’s name for FIRST, CyberPatriot, Science Olympiad and science-fair results found none, so the review rests on course provision and on College Board and state records. The College Board list has Physics C: Mechanics but no AP Physics 1 or 2.
| Domain | Evidence class | Key sources |
|---|---|---|
| AI & Data | Verified · Corroborated | District registration guide (2024–25), College Board authorisations as SchoolScope reports them; no AI or machine-learning course, club or competition found |
| Cybersecurity | School-reported | SVUSD Virtual Academy pathway page (shows a 2022 start date), STEAM Academy flyer; no on-campus course, club or competition record found |
| Robotics | School-reported | Course titles on the STEAM Academy page; no robotics course, team or competition record found |
| Clean Energy | Verified · Officially recorded | STEAM Academy page, registration documents, California Green Ribbon list (Bronze, 2025), College Board authorisations as SchoolScope reports them |
| Computer Science | Verified · Corroborated | CTE page, STEAM Academy flyer, College Board authorisations as SchoolScope reports them (Computer Science Principles and A); no exam results found |
| Earth & Geospatial | Verified | AP Environmental Science and the STEAM Academy environmental courses; no GIS provision found |
| Aerospace | Unsubstantiated | No coursework, club or competition record found |
| Advanced Manufacturing | Verified · School-reported | Engineering and automotive CTE sequences; a laser cutter is mentioned once, on the learning-centre page; no fabrication course or equipment record found |
| Batteries & Energy Storage | Unsubstantiated | No coursework, club or competition record found |
| Biotechnology | Verified · Corroborated | District registration guide (2024–25), College Board authorisations as SchoolScope reports them; no biotechnology course found |
Academics
Our goal is to provide a rigorous, innovative, and accessible education that prepares all students for success in college, careers, and their community.
We have a rich tradition of academic excellence and offer a wide range of highly regarded curricular and co-curricular programs. Our primary focus remains high quality instruction for students across all disciplines, in concert with a commitment to college and career readiness.
STEAM Academy
The STEAM Academy at El Toro High School is designed for students who want a 21st century education that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math while allowing access to our other distinguished programs and extracurricular activities.
- Changing Hearts and Minds: English 1 and Digital Media Arts Honors
- Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2, each with Computing and Robotics
- Biology of the Living Earth and Sustainable Agriculture
- Chemistry and Environmental Engineering
- Green Up and Go: Physics of “Clean” Engineering
AP Capstone
AP Capstone is an innovative program that allows students to engage in rigorous college-level study of the critical skills necessary for success in college.
- AP Seminar
- AP Research
- Four additional AP courses taken throughout Grades 9–12
Career Technical Education
Career Technical Education (CTE) provides students with the academic and technical skills, knowledge and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners. The CTE Graduation Medallion is awarded to those who have received a minimum grade of B in three CTE classes taken in a chosen pathway.
- Architecture 1, 2 and 3
- Engineering Drafting/Design, Engineering Design, Engineering Drafting 3 and 4
- Computer Science: AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A
- Auto Tech 1 and 2, Advanced Auto, and Saddleback College dual-enrollment auto courses
- Digital Media Arts, Photography, Study of TV/Film and Broadcast News
Tutorial
Our Tutorial period is every Tuesday through Friday between Period 2 and Period 3. It is a 45-minute period in which students can visit any of their own teachers to ask questions, complete assignments, read, or make up an assessment such as a quiz, test, or lab.
- Visit any of your own teachers
- Reserve a spot with the FlexTime app
- Make up a quiz, test or lab
AP courses offered
Ask about academics
Calendar
Our year at El Toro, October 2026 to May 2027.
Key dates from our school calendar and bell schedules, soonest first. Regular days run 7:35am to 3:45pm, Tuesday through Friday; Mondays are late start, 8:20am to 3:40pm; minimum days run 7:50am to 12:50pm.
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
Ask about the calendar
Our Story
At El Toro High School, we strive to create a positive and inclusive culture by fostering respect, responsibility, and kindness.
The Charger Family thrives on generosity, compassion, and service before self. We are truly a community high school with rich tradition, pride, compassion, and spirit, and these are our four Charger Student Learning Outcomes.
Engaged Citizens
Contribute to the community with Responsibility, Respect, Kindness, and Cultural Awareness.
Thoughtful Problem Solvers
Solve real-world challenges with creativity, critical thinking, perseverance, and adaptability.
Healthy Individuals
Pursue lifelong well-being through physical and mental health.
Strong Collaborators & Communicators
Lead, work in teams, and communicate clearly across disciplines.
Milestones
Our campus opened.
Our stadium opened in fall 2013 with a 56-13 win over Trabuco Hills’ frosh team.
The Chargers collected an incredible 105,156 cans of food.
The Chargers brought in a whopping 116,675 cans of food, a new record!
In collaboration with the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) and the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), we opened The rETreat, our wellness center.
We celebrated our 50th anniversary on September 16, 2023.
Leadership
Jimmy Martin, EdD
“This year, we’re continuing our focus on student achievement and wellness by fostering positive relationships.”
Rod Hosseinzadeh
Coby Lindsey
Ashley Stift
Steve Hardy
We have been recognized four times as a California Distinguished School · We are a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and a National School of Distinction · U.S. News & World Report named us a Best High School in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020 · We are a College Board AP School Honor Roll (Silver) recipient and a California Green Ribbon School · We are fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Ask about our story
News
What is happening on our campus.
Recent announcements from our school, newest first.
Future Ready: Seniors College Application Day
Our seniors have a college application day on October 8 and 9, with special Future Ready bell schedules on both days.
“She Loves Me” on stage
Our VAPA production of “She Loves Me” ran on October 1, 2 and 3.
eNews: September 25, 2026
Our September 25 eNews is on our home page.
A message from our principal for 2026–27
This year, we’re continuing our focus on student achievement and wellness by fostering positive relationships. Simply put, we’ll work hard and have fun together!
Ask about the news
For You
Schools we’ve independently assessed and think are worth comparing against this one. View all schools
El Toro High School hasn’t added its side of this page.
The independent STEM assessment is built from public sources and runs regardless. The school’s own pages — academics, calendar, story and news — are still empty.
Looking for a school?
There’s nothing here for you yet. Schools that match what you’ve asked about this session are in For You, and those reviews are complete.
Are you from El Toro High School?
This review is already live, and the assessment publishes from public sources whether or not you take part. Claiming it is how your own account appears beside ours.
Free, and no account needed — we follow up with the contact details you leave.