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California College Pipeline

Deep dive: where California's 613,338 high school graduates go to college (2020)

613,338 first-time freshmen from California

87% stay in-state (534,623 students). 57% attend 4-year institutions, 41% attend 2-year colleges. Average graduation rate at California colleges: 58%.

613,338
Total Freshmen
87%
Stay In-State
57%
4-Year Rate
2,196
Destination Colleges
58%
Avg Grad Rate
$47,064
Avg Median Earnings

Enrollment by Sector

Enrollment Trends

Top Destination Colleges for California Students

Where California's high school graduates enroll as first-time freshmen

# College System Sector Freshmen Share Grad Rate Median Earnings
1 California State University-Fullerton in-state Public 4yr 10,710 1.7% 69% $62,951
2 University of California-San Diego in-state Public 4yr 9,610 1.6% 88% $84,943
3 University of California-Davis in-state Public 4yr 9,572 1.6% 85% $80,838
4 University of California-Los Angeles in-state Public 4yr 9,540 1.6% 93% $82,511
5 California State University-Long Beach in-state Public 4yr 9,495 1.5% 70% $64,403
6 University of California-Riverside in-state Public 4yr 9,447 1.5% 77% $67,699
7 University of California-Berkeley in-state Public 4yr 9,071 1.5% 93% $92,446
8 University of California-Irvine in-state Public 4yr 8,971 1.5% 86% $80,735
9 California State Polytechnic University- in-state Public 4yr 8,349 1.4% 67% $71,902
10 University of California-Santa Barbara in-state Public 4yr 8,023 1.3% 85% $74,915
11 San Diego State University in-state Public 4yr 7,972 1.3% 78% $64,909
12 California State University-Los Angeles in-state Public 4yr 7,877 1.3% 53% $59,211
13 University of California-Santa Cruz in-state Public 4yr 7,869 1.3% 74% $68,396
14 California State University-Northridge in-state Public 4yr 7,795 1.3% 56% $59,115
15 California Polytechnic State University- in-state Public 4yr 7,371 1.2% 85% $90,768
16 California State University-Sacramento in-state Public 4yr 7,253 1.2% 56% $64,876
17 California State University-Fresno in-state Public 4yr 7,206 1.2% 55% $61,244
18 Mt San Antonio College in-state Public 2yr 6,862 1.1% — $46,283
19 Santa Monica College in-state Public 4yr 6,854 1.1% 36% $42,193
20 Long Beach City College in-state Public 2yr 6,834 1.1% — $38,870
21 Riverside City College in-state Public 2yr 6,715 1.1% — $41,091
22 Pasadena City College in-state Public 2yr 6,696 1.1% — $43,937
23 San Jose State University in-state Public 4yr 6,394 1.0% 65% $78,988
24 Cerritos College in-state Public 2yr 6,135 1.0% — $41,156
25 Orange Coast College in-state Public 2yr 5,480 0.9% — $47,348
26 San Joaquin Delta College in-state Public 2yr 5,364 0.9% — $43,212
27 San Francisco State University in-state Public 4yr 5,352 0.9% 50% $68,077
28 Palomar College in-state Public 2yr 5,201 0.8% — $42,300
29 Fullerton College in-state Public 2yr 5,129 0.8% — $43,366
30 De Anza College in-state Public 2yr 5,123 0.8% — $56,596
31 American River College in-state Public 2yr 4,936 0.8% — $40,162
32 Sacramento City College in-state Public 2yr 4,899 0.8% — $42,214
33 Modesto Junior College in-state Public 4yr 4,802 0.8% 26% $42,368
34 Chaffey College in-state Public 2yr 4,758 0.8% — $42,975
35 Sierra College in-state Public 2yr 4,664 0.8% — $45,294
36 Fresno City College in-state Public 2yr 4,534 0.7% — $37,361
37 Bakersfield College in-state Public 4yr 4,531 0.7% 23% $37,291
38 California State University-Chico in-state Public 4yr 4,515 0.7% 64% $64,172
39 California State University-San Bernardi in-state Public 4yr 4,493 0.7% 55% $59,977
40 California State University-Dominguez Hi in-state Public 4yr 4,415 0.7% 47% $57,162
41 California State University-San Marcos in-state Public 4yr 4,413 0.7% 54% $62,908
42 Cosumnes River College in-state Public 2yr 4,230 0.7% — $42,446
43 Moorpark College in-state Public 2yr 3,996 0.7% — $49,044
44 Mt San Jacinto Community College Distric in-state Public 2yr 3,978 0.6% — $38,319
45 Southwestern College in-state Public 2yr 3,956 0.6% — $40,060
46 East Los Angeles College in-state Public 2yr 3,889 0.6% — $42,006
47 University of California-Merced in-state Public 4yr 3,881 0.6% 69% $64,368
48 College of the Canyons in-state Public 2yr 3,863 0.6% — $49,022
49 Santa Ana College in-state Public 4yr 3,795 0.6% 32% $43,552
50 San Diego Mesa College in-state Public 4yr 3,757 0.6% 34% $45,120

California High Schools

2023 CCD data

2,783
High Schools
2,132,138
Total HS Enrollment

Largest High Schools

Highlands Community Charter 9,069
River Springs Charter 7,548
Visions In Education 7,009
Blue Ridge Academy 6,931
Granada Hills Charter 6,014
California Virtual Academy @ Los Angeles 5,700
Mission Vista Academy 5,686
Heartland Charter 5,619
Pacific Coast Academy 5,612
California Connections Academy Southern California 5,189

Top Districts by HS Enrollment

District Schools Enrollment
Los Angeles Unified 193 137,383
Kern High 25 42,729
San Diego Unified 32 29,356
Sweetwater Union High 17 24,827
Chaffey Joint Union High 11 22,539
Antelope Valley Union High 13 21,716
Long Beach Unified 14 20,877
Elk Grove Unified 15 20,623
East Side Union High 16 20,236
Fresno Unified 16 19,610
Anaheim Union High 13 19,273
Corona-Norco Unified 12 17,209
Grossmont Union High 15 16,499
Oxnard Union High 12 16,479
Modesto City High 8 15,451