Founded: 1987, the charter class of 216 students graduated in June of 1991
Alumni: 12,079 graduates, approximately 30 graduates are employed at the school
Enrollment: 1,723 students, 51 percent male and 49 percent female
Class size: Average class size of 22 with a student to teacher ratio of 15:1
Faculty: 103 faculty
Tuition: $17,985 for Catholic families and $19,825 for non-Catholic families for the 2022-2023 school year, discounted rate offered for additional students.
Tuition Assistance: One of every three students receives financial assistance. More than $2.9 million to be awarded to families for the 2020-2021 school year.
Accreditation: Accredited by the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA) and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), Certified as an International Baccalaureate World School (IB), Member of the College Board.
Overall awards: No. 1 Catholic coed high school in Southern California
for STEM education (Newsweek), A+ overall grade (Niche.com), Ranked Among the Top 40 most influential high schools in the U.S. (Academic Influence)
Geographically Diverse: Our students live in 55 different communities; SMCHS is home to international students from 13 different countries.
Transportation: Santa Margarita offers three bus routes serving North and South Orange County and an active carpool group.
Closed Campus: Safety measures include a closed campus, partnership with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Text-a-Tip/TIPS incident reporting program, security personnel, emergency preparedness procedures and comprehensive visitor policy.
SAT Score (2023 average): 1316 compared to the state average of 1115 and national average of 1105. Of the 101 students who took the SAT.
ACT Score (2023 average): 31, compared to the state average of 23.3 and national average of 20.6. Of the 28 students who took the ACT.
AP Scholars: 174 AP Scholars in 2020
AP Testing: 83 percent of students in 2020 scored a 3 or higher on AP exams, well above the national average.
National Merit Scholar Finalists: Three in 2022, Three Semi-Finalists, 17 commended. More than any other Catholic high school in Orange County; these students scored in the top 1 percent in the U.S.
Counselors: Seventeen full-time counselors provide comprehensive counseling support. Students partner with an academic/social-emotional counselor and then acquire an additional college counselor their junior year.
Higher Level Courses: 117 courses
IB World School: 52 full IB candidates in the Class of 2022.The only Catholic International Baccalaureate high school in the county. SMCHS offers both the rigorous full diploma program and the opportunity for students to take IB courses.
Auxiliary Studies Program: Comprehensive academic support to assist students with specialized learning needs. A school psychologist supports student learning.
Learning Strategies Course: For students who need to strengthen their study skills.
Options Program: Provides an inclusive Catholic education for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Model United Nations (MUN): Award-winning programwith students participating in mock meetings of the UN across the globe.
College Bound: 99 percent of the class of 2022 attends college; the class earned $53 million in scholarship offers with average combined scholarship offers per graduate totaling $100,000. Members of the Class of 2022 attend 131 different colleges across 40 states and two countries. College acceptances for the class tallied 2,148 with a 100 percent acceptance rate at 199 schools. 113 graduates accepted at every college they applied. 199 attending a Top 50 National Ranked University (US News).
Director of College Relations Dedicated to building strong partnerships with universities across the nation.
Annual College Fair & College Rep Visits: More than 200 colleges attend the annual college fair; approximately 150 college representatives visit campus annually.
Courses in both visual andperforming arts: Including film, broadcast journalism, screenwriting, sculpture, painting, drawing, photography, orchestra, choir, dance, theater, theater tech, band, steel drums, classical guitar and handbells. The school offers 63 visual and performing arts courses.
Orange County Cappies: Student-critic program gives students the opportunity to review other high school productions and have their work published.
Talon Theatre Productions: Recognized by the Spirit of the MACY Awards, the Orange County Cappies and the International Thespian Society.
Domestic and abroad travel opportunities: The performing arts program has performed at St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Carnegie Hall and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and attended festivals across the nation and in Europe.
Eagle TV: Student-run news program produced in state-of-the-art digital media studio.
Juried Art Exhibitions: Student artwork is featured in juried art shows including the Festival of Arts.
Talon Academy of the Arts: After school program provides specialized training with guest artists and industry professionals.
ComedySports: Improv training program strengthens communication skills.
Students Participating in Athletics:81 percent of students participate in athletics; all teams emphasize sportsmanship and character building.
State-of-the-Art Facilities: A three-story athletic center with a 5,800 square-foot fitness and weight room center provides unmatched training opportunities for student athletes. The center earned LEED silver certification for its eco-friendly design and includes team and film rooms. The campus also includes tennis courts, an Aquatics Center complete with stadium seating, an Olympic-sized pool, athletic fields, all-weather track and recently installed FieldTurf.
37 students from the Class of 2021 committed to universities for athletics
75 CIF championships, 237 league champions, 133 individual/relay championships and 11 state championships, more than any other school since Santa Margarita opened in 1987.
Ten-time recipient of the CIF Commissioner’s Cup honoring the top athletic program in the 570-member CIF Southern Section.
No-Cut Sports: Football, swimming, diving, cross country, girls basketball, track and field, wrestling and water polo all follow a no-cut policy.
Competitive: Santa Margarita competes in the Trinity League, touted as one of the top leagues in the nation.
Clubs and Activities: More than 90% of the student body participates in over 90 different campus clubs and activities.
Link Crew eases the transition into high school with upperclassmen serving as mentors to the freshman class.
Eagles Edge provides “real-world” growth and networking opportunities.
Library Media Center provides a technology-based collaborative learning environment as well as quiet study space.
Leadership Opportunities: Through extracurricular activities, clubs, honor societies, campus ministry programs, the arts and athletic teams, SMCHS students develop leadership and management skills.
Partnership With Harvard's Making CaringCommon Project & Stanford's Challenge Success: Supports students' well-being and learning engagement through research-based strategies and a culture of compassion.
Diversity Inclusion Vision Equity
(D.I.V.E.) Committee: The student lead D.I.V.E. Committee works to strengthen diversity, inclusion and equity across SMCHS.(There is also the student lead club: Sacred Heart Climate Committee).
Wellness Program: Expanded support services include a wellness director and wellness coordinator. The program provides mental health education, training, resources and referrals to support students and their families in meeting the challenges of adolescence.
Masses: All-school Masses are celebrated throughout the year. Daily Mass is offered in the school’s Sacred Heart Chapel. Confession is also offered on Wednesday's during lunch.
Peer Ministry: Students serve as faith leaders by coordinating Masses, retreats and service opportunities.
Retreats and Fellowship: Offered for all grade levels, praise and worship gatherings build community and strengthen faith.
Community Service: Christian service is an integral part of an SMCHS education and shapes the character of our students. All students engage in service through a class project. Immersion opportunities allow students to live out their faith.
Campus Chaplain: Santa Margarita has a chaplain on campus providing pastoral care and serving as a witness of religious life. We are welcoming a new chaplain, Father Florante Moren. Stop by the Caritas Christi Center to meet him. He is available Tues-Friday during school hours.
Microsoft Showcase School: Nine consecutive years, one of 39 schools in the nation recognized for transforming the educational experience providing student-centered immersive learning.
Technology-Centered Electives:
Including TV and digital media production, graphic design and computer programming.
STREAM: Integrates science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math to bridge a better understanding of curriculum across disciplines.
Robotics: The competitive team took top honors in the county in 2018 and has competed at the world championships three times.
eSports: Competitive video gaming fostering problem-solving and communication skills.
MAC Lab: A fully equipped Mac lab for graphic design and multimedia design classes.