Overview
About Highland Light
Highland Light covers 39 acres in the Marblehead Inland Specific Plan area and holds 95 addresses on 99 parcels, at a median parcel of 0.29 acres. Four streets serve it. Avenida Oliva and Avenida Platanar carry 61 of the addresses between them, with Via Gavilan and Calle Cidra taking the rest. It is the 37th largest of the fifty San Clemente communities mapped here.
Residential Low Density land accounts for 30.9 acres inside the boundary and public right of way for 8. The state fire hazard severity map places 36.5 acres in its High class and the remaining 2.5 in Moderate. Capistrano Unified's own school locator returned San Clemente High, Shorecliffs Middle and Clarence Lobo Elementary at all five interior points tested.
View available homes in Highland LightHistory
How Highland Light was built
Highland Light was one of the first residential pieces of Marblehead Inland. The city approved a development plan for the inland Marblehead property in 1979, and the 95 houses here were built between 1982 and 1985. The Lusk Company reworked parts of the approved plan and the city signed off on the revision in 1984. Every owner belongs to a Highland Light association and to the Marblehead Community Association above it, which is why architectural requests go through two desks before they reach the city.
The name is borrowed from the other coast. Highland Light is the lighthouse at North Truro on Cape Cod, the oldest and tallest on the Cape, its present tower standing since 1857. The plan area around it takes its name from Marblehead, the Massachusetts seaport that is often called the birthplace of the American Navy, and the neighborhoods that followed kept the accent: Faire Harbor, New Providence, Signal Pointe, Lanesboro and The Summit at Highland Light. Inside the gates the streets stay Spanish, so an address here reads Avenida Oliva, Avenida Platanar, Calle Cidra or Via Gavilan inside a neighborhood named for a New England light. Because the whole value of this ridge is what can be seen from it, the plan carries a height restriction written specifically for Highland Light, tightened again in 1991.
By the Numbers
Highland Light by the numbers
Lifestyle
The Highland Light lifestyle
San Clemente keeps ten beaches of its own along the shore, from North Beach past the pier to Riviera, and the city's Marine Safety division staffs them. The pier itself carries restrooms, metered parking, fire rings and the Amtrak and Metrolink platform at its foot.
The city publishes five trail networks that run from the sand up into the canyons and along the ridgelines. Bikes are welcome on all of them, electric bikes are not allowed on the Beach Trail, dogs are welcome on a leash, and horses are permitted on the Forster Ridgeline, Prima Deshecha and Cristianitos trails. City parks are open from 6 am to 10 pm without a reservation unless a group needs a permit.
Schools
Schools serving Highland Light
Capistrano Unified assigns Highland Light to San Clemente High, Shorecliffs Middle and Clarence Lobo Elementary. The district's own school locator returned the same assignment at every point tested inside the boundary, and enrollment comes from the federal count for 2024-25.
9-12 · 2,740 students
6-8 · 634 students
K-5 · 328 students
FAQs
Common questions about Highland Light
How big is Highland Light?
The boundary the city publishes covers 39 acres, with 95 addresses on 99 parcels at a median of 0.29 acres. It is the 37th largest of the fifty San Clemente communities mapped here.
Which schools serve Highland Light?
Capistrano Unified's school locator returned San Clemente High, Shorecliffs Middle and Clarence Lobo Elementary at all five points tested inside the boundary. Confirm the assignment for a specific address with the district before you rely on it.
When was Highland Light built?
Tracts 10685 and 10862 were recorded on February 29, 1980, and the Marblehead Inland Specific Plan gives construction dates of 1982 to 1985. The county assessor carries a year built on 94 parcels here, all of them 1983 to 1985.
How many homes are in Highland Light?
The specific plan approved 95 dwelling units for Area 1, and the city address layer records exactly 95 addresses inside the boundary today.
What is the fire hazard rating?
36.5 of the 39 acres sit in the state's High fire hazard severity class and the remaining 2.5 in Moderate. Raise it with an insurer early.