Mira Costa High School

Posted: June 9, 2026

My student was discriminated against by a teacher and when she took action and wrote a complaint about him. They said they would take action and they didn’t.

Posted: June 9, 2026

Posted: June 9, 2026

Posted: June 9, 2026

Posted: June 9, 2026

Posted: June 9, 2026

Posted: June 9, 2026

Posted: June 9, 2026

Posted: August 31, 2022

Mira Costa Highschool is a great school experience to learn different and unique topics for your student.As a student I can tell you that the work load won't be easy but if you strive hard and are determined to reach your goal you will be fine.

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: January 3, 2020

It is super inconsistent. Some of the teachers are very good at what they do, but others force me to self-learn the material.

Posted: January 3, 2020

Posted: January 3, 2020

Model United Nations has been a wonderful opportunity for me to develop leadership and I have really developed from it. I used to be shy, but now I feel that I can comfortably speak in front of an audience.

Posted: January 3, 2020

Posted: January 3, 2020

Overall, I thought it was good, but the administration is a joke.

Posted: January 3, 2020

Posted: January 15, 2019

Overall, MCHS is a pretty average school with a well-below-average administration. Like anywhere, there are some very good teachers and some not-so-good. When your school is composed of students from families who take school VERY seriously, you are bound to test well (certainly above the state average). The high test scores are seen by the administration and school board as signs that things are great and "Mira Costa is Special." But the high scores actually hide the fact that the school is very poorly led and administered. Because there is almost no real leadership, things like curricula, teacher quality, and teacher compliance with rules are very erratic - and the quality of education your student receives depends a lot on who your student has for his/her classes. Moreover, when major problems come up (like the unavailability of textbooks due to an asbestos problem), you find out how strong leadership is. For nearly the whole Fall '18 semester, many MCHS students took classes like Biology, Chemistry, Algebra, and Geometry without access to textbooks. Instead of leading a solution (like borrow/renting books and/or purchasing new books out of the district's $20M education foundation), the administration told teachers and students to work things out for themselves - taking pictures of the teacher's textbook pages, finding online curricula, etc. Overall, the principal and administration acts as if they have no authority to set standards, enforce rules, or solve problems - which isn't what I would expect from a "top-notch" high school.

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: November 30, 2018

I spent six years as parent at Mira Costa. As there were challenging times with teachers, the school offers a great opportunity for students with varying interest to find their place. Visual and Performing Arts, Model UN, and core curriculum resulting in a high school score in the State of California. Since my students graduated in 2014, class rigor has increased as well as STEM programs. We are blessed with a school district with so much support to keep teachers and programs intact. Would recommend MCHS to any MB, Hb or RB parent.

Posted: November 30, 2018

Posted: November 30, 2018

Posted: November 30, 2018

Posted: November 30, 2018

Posted: November 30, 2018

Posted: November 30, 2018

Posted: January 14, 2018

Costa's Model United Nations program is very successful. My daughter loves it and has blossomed there.

Posted: January 14, 2018

Posted: January 14, 2018

Posted: January 14, 2018

Posted: January 14, 2018

Posted: January 14, 2018

Posted: January 14, 2018

Posted: August 26, 2017

Posted: August 26, 2017

Posted: August 26, 2017

Posted: August 26, 2017

Posted: August 26, 2017

Posted: August 26, 2017

I would rate my experience at Costa - top notch! I have had one child go through Costa and is a junior in college and another child who currently is in 10th grade. My older child had an amazing experience at Costa -- she was well prepared for a 4 year private university and she was able to follow the passion she found at Costa into her college years. My younger child is having a very similar experience! 5 stars Costa!

Posted: August 26, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

Mira Costa has been a great school for my kids. They have had the opportunity to explore their passions and receive a quality education. Teachers are creative and administration is forward thinking. Love it!

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: May 8, 2017

My children have lots of opportunities by attending Mira Costa. They enjoy their classes and are challenged. They have made many friends. The teachers, admin and staff are very approachable.

Posted: May 8, 2017

Posted: September 20, 2016

Posted: September 20, 2016

Posted: September 20, 2016

Posted: September 20, 2016

It would be very helpful if some more recent reviews could be posted. Thank you.

Posted: September 1, 2015

Posted: September 1, 2015

After four days of taking off work to accompany my son to try to register for school (as directed by both the website and the few people on campus who would speak to us) he still had an incomplete and incorrect schedule. On the first day of school he was unable to locate his first class and no one was available anywhere to ask for help. He spent four days of school time trying to meet his counselor to get a complete schedule. In the meantime, one of his teachers was fired so two classes (over 30 students in each) had to be combined (no substitute). This is the most unorganized ridiculously over -rated school we've ever experienced. Yes, there's a lot of people here with money. But that, apparently, doesn't make it better. On the contrary.

Posted: April 16, 2014

I am very impressed with this school. I have no complaints. My son is in the 10th grade and he's happy. That is most important to me.

Posted: January 29, 2014

Both of my children attend Mira Costa. My son transferred rom a private school his junior year and it was the best decision he ever made. It was clear, however, that if you are an academic student and want to take AP and Honors classes, this school is much more rigorous than other private and Catholic schools (we learned this from peers, my son, parents of other transfer students and from two tutors who liken Costa's rigor to Marlborough and Poytech. The kids are friendly, down to earth and are interested in learning and getting involved in music, the arts, politics, etc. The students here appear to more worldly, intellectual and advance than those I know from other schools. Top music, top MUN team, top sports, top news (paper and newscasting). The teachers have been incredible -- so passionate, well-educated, caring and prepare your child for the real world. My kids appreciate that there is no handholding and coddling -- it prepares them for life. Excellent school.

Posted: October 23, 2013

This is an excellent public school that prepares the students for college. The focus on college prep is outstanding. My only issue is that there tends to be too much emphasis on the top 10% and bottom 10% of each class. Some additional focus on the dynamic 80% may yield even more outstanding results for the school. I also agree with another comment noted that their annual registration process and class scheduling is horribly managed. The administration would do well to pay attention to how the cross town rival - Redondo Beach High School - registers its students and utilizes block scheduling to help support and optimize student class selection and performance.

Posted: September 3, 2013

Outstanding education, amazing teachers, and great athletics and music programs. However, despite these things there are other elements of the school that are not so positive. The administration is HORRIBLY unorganized. Every year I have attended this school registration has been a nightmare. The lines, hours of waiting, and not to mention the messed up schedules are a huge issue. Especially this school year almost every student had to wait hours the day after registration to change their schedules. Even after schedules were changed many of the students did not get classes they wanted, for example people who had signed up for an AP were moved to CP and vice versa. There has also been a great issue of changing schedules AFTER the school year has started. Many people signed up to take AP English this year, and because the administration could not foresee the quantity of people attending it and organize a extra AP English class before school, they randomly selected people from the existing AP English classes and put them into a new one, messing up their schedules. If the administration doesn't change I wouldn't be surprised if there are future lawsuits in the making.