Canyon High School
California Distinguished School · International Baccalaureate School · Gold Ribbon School
Counseling 714.628.5335
School & Community
Canyon High School sits on a 40-acre campus and is one of four comprehensive high schools in the Orange Unified School District. Located in Anaheim Hills in Southern California, OUSD encompasses 128 square miles and serves communities in Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange, Santa Ana, and Villa Park.
Anaheim Hills is an upper-middle socioeconomic community. Orange County employers include Walt Disney, University of California Irvine, UCI Medical Center, and St. Joseph Health System, alongside technology and entertainment-related businesses.
Student Population
Academic Program
Canyon operates a rotating even/odd block schedule. Students are typically enrolled in six year-long courses and attend three block classes per day. Each course earns 5 credits per semester, for 30 credits per semester. Zero-period and seventh-period courses, when available, meet daily. The average block is 100 minutes.
Advanced Placement
2D Art & Design; Art History; Biology; Calculus AB; Calculus BC; Chemistry; Computer Science A; Computer Science Principles; Drawing; English Language and Composition; English Literature and Composition; European History; French Language & Culture; Human Geography; Macroeconomics; Music Theory; Physics 1; Physics 2; Pre-Calculus; Psychology; Spanish Language & Culture; Spanish Literature & Culture; Statistics; U.S. Government & Politics; U.S. History.
Advanced Placement is an open-access program.
International Baccalaureate
Biology HL 1 & 2; English HL 1 & 2; French IV SL, HL 1 & 2; History of the Americas HL 1 & 2; Math SL; Psychology SL; Spanish IV SL, HL 1 & 2; Sports SL; Environmental Systems SL; Philosophy; Theory of Knowledge.
Honors
Biology; Chamber Singers; Chemistry; English 9 & 10; French 3; Math 1; Math 2; Math 3; Orchestra; Physics; Physiology; Spanish 3; UCCI Spanish 4.
Understanding the Canyon Transcript
Grading
Administrative staff reviews grading criteria and practices annually; course expectations are communicated at the start of each semester.
Rank
A decile rank is calculated for seniors using weighted academic GPA earned in grades 9-11.
Honors
Summa Cum Laude: cumulative GPA 4.7+. Magna Cum Laude: cumulative GPA 4.5-4.699.
GPA Weighting
OUSD uses an Add-On Weighted GPA. AP, IB, and Honors courses passed in a semester add 0.2 to GPA. GPA is computed in January and June.
Class of 2026
GPA Distribution
College-Level Programs
AP: In May 2026, 879 students took 1,791 exams in 25 subjects; 84% of exams received a score of 3 or higher.
IB: In May 2026, 20 students received IB Diplomas; 80% of IB certificate students passed their exams.
Post-High School Placement
Awards & Distinctions
Colleges Attended by Canyon Graduates in Recent Years
- Abilene Christian College
- Air Force Academy
- Arizona State University
- Azusa Pacific University
- Baylor University
- Biola University
- Boston College
- Boston University
- Brandeis University
- Brigham Young University
- California Baptist University
- California Institute of Technology
- California State University
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Chapman University
- Colgate University
- Colorado State University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Dominican College
- Duke University
- Florida State University
- Georgetown University
- Harvard College
- Harvey Mudd College
- Johns Hopkins University
- M.I.T.
- Michigan State University
- Naval Academy
- New York University
- Northern Arizona University
- Northeastern University
- Northwestern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Pepperdine University
- Pomona College
- Portland State University
- Purdue University
- Rice University
- Rutgers University
- Scripps College
- Seattle University
- Skidmore College
- Soka University
- Stanford University
- Tennessee State University
- Texas Christian University
- University of Alabama
- University of Alaska
- University of Arizona
- University of California
- University of Chicago
- University of Florida
- University of Houston
- University of Kentucky
- University of La Verne
- University of Michigan
- University of Missouri
- University of Montana
- University of New Hampshire
- University of Nevada
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Oregon
- University of the Pacific
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Redlands
- University of San Diego
- University of San Francisco
- University of Southern CA
- University of Southern Vermont
- University of Wyoming
- Utah State University
- Vanderbilt University
- Vassar College
- Wesleyan University
- Westmont College
- West Point
- Whittier College
- Yale University
Transcript note: Canyon High School does not send official transcripts or test scores. Students request test scores through College Board and ACT and official transcripts through Parchment.