 Newport
Beach is served by the Newport-Mesa School District which also
serves the City of Costa Mesa and Laguna Beach School District,
two of the most prestigious, high scoring districts in the state
of California. However the success of the schools is a result of
the involvement and support of parents and community members.
Their efforts are evident in a $110 million bond that was passed
to renovate all schools in the district in 2000, as well as a
colorful dress code recently voted in by the parents at Newport
Elementary: students have the option of wearing Navy blue shirts,
white shirts or Hawaiian shirts (the latter being the most
popular), or they can opt out of the code with parental approval.
Scholastically, though, Newport Beach schools shine by scoring in
the 8Oth and 90th percentiles compared to other schools in
California. In 2000, Newport Harbor High won national Blue Ribbon
for running an exceptional program. In 1998, Corona del Mar High
School won Blue Ribbon for excellence for a second time. And the
private schools are no exception: Tarbut V' Torah also won a
national Blue Ribbon for academic excellence.
The University of California at Irvine
greatly enriches the cultural life, and through its extension
program offers a great variety of college-level classes to the
public. |
Recreation
and leisure activities, as well as everyday amenities are abundant
in Newport Beach. A newly established town, Newport Beach is known
for its small shops on Newport Boulevard, and on Balboa Island.
To visit larger stores such as Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and
Neiman Marcus, residents have the choices of Fashion Island
(premier outdoor shopping center) and nearby South Coast Plaza
(one of the busiest and most exclusive shopping malls in Southern
California). Newport Beach also boasts a variety of large and
small hotels, movie theaters, and gourmet restaurants and of
course the harbor. 