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Kearny Eng Innov & Design

Grades 9-122024–25 data
San Diego UnifiedSan Diego, San Diego County92111
📍 1954 Komet Way📞 (858) 221-5300🌐 Website
Solid
55/100
Solid — 64th percentile statewide
#628 of 1,739 CA high schools
↓ 8.9 pts since 2019
🌱 Building Momentum

Every school has strengths the data doesn’t fully capture. Visit and see for yourself. Resources alone aren't driving results yet — deeper challenges may be at play

School Climate
85% of students attend consistently
Chronic absenteeism: 14.7% (state avg: 32.1%)
"Attend consistently" means missing ≤10% of school days (the chronic absenteeism threshold).
Moderate suspension rate
2.5% suspension rate (state avg: 4.0%)
Share of students who received at least one suspension during the year.
Source: California Dept. of Education, 2024–25See breakdown by student group →

What the numbers actually mean

Most rating sites report "57% proficient" and stop there. We think that number deserves more context — here's what we found when we looked deeper:

30.4% of students exceeded standard? Level 4 on California's CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment — the state defines four levels: Not Met, Nearly Met, Met, and Exceeded. while 26.8% met it. That exceeded rate is 14.9 points above the state average of 15.5%. That's 6.0 points above the San Diego Unified district average of 24.4%. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

CDE CAASPP 2025
Kearny Eng Innov & Design
30%
27%
California average
15%
19%
ExceededMet onlyBelow

The graduation rate is 95.2% — above the state target. 74.6% of students complete A-G requirements ? A-G refers to 15 courses across 7 subject areas (History, English, Math, Science, Language, Visual/Performing Arts, and College Prep Electives) required for UC and CSU admission eligibility. for UC/CSU eligibility. 57.4% of graduates go on to college within a year.

Chronic absenteeism? Missing 10%+ of enrolled school days. This is an official California Dashboard accountability indicator. is 14.7%, better than the state average of 32.1%.

CDE Attendance 2025

Data you won't find on other sites: School-level per-pupil spending (not just district averages) · Current-year 2025 data direct from CDE · The exceeded vs. met split that most rating sites collapse into one number

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters → · Scope Score is SchoolScope's analysis of CDE data — not an official CDE rating. How we built this score (and what it misses) →

No single score captures a school. This is a starting point — visit, ask questions, trust your instincts.

▸ What this score doesn't capture
  • — Teaching quality, classroom culture, and how teachers connect with students
  • — Arts, athletics, extracurriculars, and enrichment programs
  • — How well the school serves students with IEPs or gifted learners
  • — Parent community engagement and satisfaction
  • — Whether the curriculum aligns with your family's values
  • — Growth data unavailable for this school — the score overweights proficiency, which tends to correlate with household income

Most of our data is updated once per year and may reflect the prior school year.

Before you visit
Questions worth asking and signals worth checking
What to verify
✓64th percentile performance with 63% economically disadvantaged students — this is genuinely hard to achieve and reflects real school quality, not demographic advantage.
Who this school is great for
✓Families where consistent attendance and school culture matter — absenteeism is well below state average
✓Families who value a smaller school community — 296 students
△Worth checking: Limited data to generalize from — a school visit matters more here than the score
These reflect data patterns, not guarantees. Your child's experience will depend on their teacher, grade, and classroom — things no score captures.
Score Factors
Academic Performance
✓Graduation rate: 95.2%
7.6pp above state avg (state avg 87.6%)
25% weight

Graduation rate is the most fundamental high school outcome measure.

Limitation: Adjusted cohort method may not capture students who transfer or complete via alternative paths.

CDE Graduation 2025
✓Exceeded standard: 30.4%
14.9pp above state avg (state avg 15.5%)
22% weight

Exceeded rate gets the highest weight because it separates schools that clear the bar from those that raise it.

Limitation: Reflects tested students only — opt-out rates are not published by CDE.

CDE CAASPP 2025
✓Met or exceeded: 57.2%
22.6pp above state avg (state avg 34.6%)
18% weight

Overall proficiency provides the broadest measure of academic achievement.

Limitation: Combines ‘met’ and ‘exceeded’ — the gap between them matters more than either alone.

CDE CAASPP 2025
Holding back
▼College readiness: 0.0%
AP exam pass rate below state avg (state avg 35.5%)
20% weight

College readiness shows how well a school prepares students for post-secondary success.

Limitation: Uses AP pass rate or A-G completion as proxy — doesn’t capture trade or vocational readiness.

CDE College/Career 2025
School Climate
✓Chronic absenteeism: 14.7%
17.3pp below state avg (state avg 32.1%)
5% weight

Absenteeism reflects school culture and family engagement — an official CA Dashboard accountability indicator.

Limitation: 10% threshold is the same for all schools regardless of demographics or geography.

CDE Attendance 2025
✓Suspension rate: 2.5%
1.5pp below state avg (state avg 4.0%)
5% weight

Low suspension rates correlate with positive school culture and restorative practices.

Limitation: Schools may differ in reporting practices — some underreport to improve metrics.

CDE Discipline 2025
Holding back
▼EL proficiency (ELPAC): 10.0%
6.8pp below state avg (state avg 16.8%)
5% weight

ELPAC Level 4 measures how well a school develops English proficiency — a school-quality signal for its EL population.

Limitation: Only available for schools with English Learner students. Weight redistributes to other dimensions when not applicable.

CDE ELPAC 2025
We make judgment calls about what matters. We believe exceeded scores reveal more than proficiency alone, and that growth matters more than raw test results. Reasonable people could weight these differently — and that's fine. The factors above show exactly what we weighted and why, so you can decide where you agree and where you'd adjust. The high school Scope Score uses 7 dimensions. How we built this score (and what it misses) →

The Scope Score emphasizes academic performance. It weights test proficiency, the exceeded-vs-met gap, and growth trajectory most heavily. If your family prioritizes arts, athletics, school culture, or teaching philosophy, this score captures some of that indirectly (through absenteeism and suspension) but not all of it. Different families should weight these dimensions differently — the score factors above let you see exactly what drives this number.

How to use this
  • –Use for long-term academic patterns, not this week's classroom experience
  • –Verify with a recent visit — scores can't capture a school mid-transformation
  • –Combine with local context — talk to parents, attend a school board meeting, trust your gut
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic49.7%
White15.5%
Asian10.1%
Black9.5%
Other15.2%
GenderFemale 19.6%Male 80.1%Non-binary 0.3%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
296
1,154 below CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
63%
1pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
27:1
6 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$21,228
District avg: $15,976 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
10.0% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$55,375 – $124,275
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Kearny Eng Innov & Design in San Diego, 64.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Kearny Eng Innov & Design outperforms its district average for low-income students by 21.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (31.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (72.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 38.2 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 42 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+4.7pp
19.4% vs 14.7% overall · n=62
Suspension · Black+3.8pp
6.3% vs 2.5% overall · n=32
ELA · Disabilities−38.2pp
35.3% vs 73.5% overall · n=17
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−26.5pp
11.8% vs 38.2% overall · n=17
Math · Disabilities−17.3pp
23.5% vs 40.9% overall · n=17
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−10.8pp
11.8% vs 22.5% overall · n=17

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income45 tested
ELA 64.3%·Math 31.1%· +21.7pp vs district
Hispanic39 tested
ELA 72.2%·Math 33.3%· +31.2pp vs district
Disabilities17 tested
ELA 35.3%·Math 23.5%· +11.8pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 60%Support 36%Other 4%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$95K
$10K above CA median
Median Home Value
$681K
$22K above CA median
Bachelor's+
43%
8pp above CA avg
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
13.1 years avg experience
17 teachers · 6% first-year
Teacher Credentials
89% fully credentialed
CTE Pathway Completers
34 completed a career pathway

Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →

5-year trend

6455'19'22'23'24'25
↓ 8.9 points since 2019
Rank: #562 → #653 → #521 → #612 → #628Exceeded: 28% → 21% → 38% → 18% → 30%
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · No testing 2020–21 (COVID) · Scope Score based on CAASPP, absenteeism & suspension data

College & career readiness

Graduation Rate
95.2%
AP Exam Prepared
Not offered
This school may not offer AP courses
A-G Completion? A-G refers to 15 courses across 7 subject areas (History, English, Math, Science, Language, Visual/Performing Arts, and College Prep Electives) required for UC and CSU admission eligibility.
74.6%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
57.4%

Data source: California Department of Education — ACGR, CCI, CGR reports

How Kearny Eng Innov & Design compares

Kearny Eng Innov & Design vs. California averages — 2025 CAASPP data
MetricThis schoolCA avg
Exceeded Standard30.4%15.5%
Met or Exceeded57.2%34.6%
Chronic Absenteeism14.7%32.1%
Suspension Rate2.5%4.0%

Source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025 · Analyzed by SchoolScope

Test scores — 11th

SubjectTestedExceededMetNearly MetNot MetMet+Above
ELA6838.2%35.3%13.2%13.2%73.5%
Math7122.5%18.3%21.1%38.0%40.9%
Science8416.7%21.4%46.4%15.5%38.1%

84 students tested · CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually like ELA/Math. Not included in the Scope Score. · Data source: CDE CAST 2025

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Kearny Eng Innov & Design
55/100
This school

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Schools nearby

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

San Diego Center for Children Academy
Armstrong St · Nonsectarian · Grades 2-12 · 62 students
7:1Private0.4 mi
Cook Education Center
Camino Del Rio S · Nonsectarian · Grades 9-12 · 49 students
5:1Private2.4 mi
Fusion San Diego
Shoreham Pl Ste 130 · Nonsectarian · Grades 6-12 · 34 students
5:1Private3.9 mi
Banyan Tree Foundations Academy
Roosevelt Rd Ste 104 · Nonsectarian · Grades 7-12 · 32 students
6:1Private5.2 mi
Aseltine School
Normal St · Nonsectarian · Grades 4-12 · 29 students
9:1Private3.3 mi

Frequently asked questions

Is Kearny Eng Innov & Design a good high school?
Kearny Eng Innov & Design has a Scope Score of 55 out of 100, placing it in the 64th percentile of California high schools and ranked #628 statewide. 30.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 14.9 percentage points above the California average of 15.5%. The Scope Score weights five dimensions: the exceeded-vs-met split (45%), proficiency (25%), grade-level growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Kearny Eng Innov & Design's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 57.2% of students at Kearny Eng Innov & Design met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 30.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 26.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 30.4% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 139 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Kearny Eng Innov & Design rank in California?
Kearny Eng Innov & Design ranks #628 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 64th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Kearny Eng Innov & Design?
14.7% of students at Kearny Eng Innov & Design are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 32.1%. The suspension rate is 2.5%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Kearny Eng Innov & Design compare to other schools in San Diego?
Kearny Eng Innov & Design scores 55/100 (64th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 296 students. Use the schools in San Diego page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Kearny Eng Innov & Design serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Kearny Eng Innov & Design in San Diego, 64.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Kearny Eng Innov & Design outperforms its district average for low-income students by 21.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (31.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (72.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 38.2 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 42 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.
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Data source: California Department of Education (2025 test year) · How we score · Explore all schools · Blog