University High School Charter
Charter school · Los Angeles
74
DevelopingScope Score · 47th percentile
Compare · high
University High School Charter and Santa Monica High
Santa Monica High scores 89 and University High School Charter 74 among California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). Santa Monica High’s English (reading and writing) and math results are clearly higher.
Santa Monica High
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
89
StrongScope Score · 93rd percentile
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Biggest differences
What are the biggest differences?
The biggest difference in test results is in English. Santa Monica High has the highest share and University High School Charter has the lowest.
Biggest difference
34points
in English. 83% of Santa Monica High students scored Proficient or Advanced. At University High School Charter it was 49%.
Lowest absence
21in 100
students at Santa Monica High missed 10% or more of school days. It was 28 in 100 at University High School Charter.
Low-income families
72%
of University High School Charter’s students are from low-income families. At Santa Monica High it is 35%.
Each tile is read from the figures below, for the schools scored among California high schools. Chronic absence is the 2025–26 school year. Students from low-income families are students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, 2024–25.
Test results
How do their test results compare?
The dark part of each bar is students who scored Advanced. The light part is students who scored Proficient. The dashed line is California for the same grades.
English: Proficient or Advanced
Reading and writing
University High School Charter49%Advanced: 22%
Santa Monica High83%Clearly aheadAdvanced: 52%, clearly ahead
California57%Advanced: 27%
Math: Proficient or Advanced
Share of students tested
University High School Charter27%Advanced: 12%
Santa Monica High56%Clearly aheadAdvanced: 31%, clearly ahead
California32%Advanced: 16%
Grade 11, spring 2026. From spring 2026, the state calls its top two levels “Proficient or Advanced” (formerly “Met or Exceeded”). Source: California’s state tests (CAASPP), California Department of Education.
Year by year
How have their results changed?
University High School Charter’s English results changed the most. In 2017, 67% of its students were in the state’s top two test levels. In 2026 it was 49%.
Share of students in the state’s top two test levels, 2017 to 2026
Grade 11. Each year is a different group of students.
English
25%50%75%No comparable tests2017201820192022202320242025202649%University High School Charter83%Santa Monica High57%California
Math
25%50%No comparable tests2017201820192022202320242025202627%University High School Charter56%Santa Monica High32%California
The lines break across the COVID years, when state testing was waived or optional. Each figure is our combination of the grades’ published results, weighted by students tested. Source: California’s state tests (CAASPP), California Department of Education.
Life at school
Do students show up and stay in class?
A shorter bar is better here. The dashed line is the average California high school we score.
Chronically absent
Students in 100 who missed 10% or more of school days
University High School Charter28 in 100368 of 1,326 students
Santa Monica High21 in 100Clearly ahead546 of 2,618 students
Average school22 in 100
Suspended at least once
Share of students enrolled at any point in the year
University High School Charter0.4%6 of 1,364 students
Santa Monica High1.8%47 of 2,641 students
Average school2.9%
2025–26 school year. Average school: the average California high school we score. Source: California Department of Education.
Culture
How does each school describe itself?
Each school in its own words, with the outside list behind a named approach.
University High School Charter
“A school where each student is prepared for higher education and/or technical training, which will lead to productive careers consistent with the demands of the 21st century workforce;”
- Math, Art, Science, and Technology
- Advanced Placement and AP Capstone
- Theater and jazz ensemble
From its website ↗, read October 28, 2026
Santa Monica High
We have not read this school’s website yet.
Culture, side by side
What do the school, its families and the records say?
A school’s words are its claims. The district’s survey and the staffing records are evidence.
| Measure | University High School Charter | Santa Monica High |
|---|---|---|
| From each school’s website | ||
| Teaching themesOur tags on the school’s own statements | University High School Charter
| Santa Monica HighNot read yet |
| Languages | University High School CharterFrench French 1 French 2 French 3Read October 26, 2026 | Santa Monica HighNot read yet |
| LAUSD School Experience Survey, 2025–26The share of students, families and staff who agreed. The mark on each bar is the district. | ||
| Students: Safety | University High School Charter62%LAUSD 65% · 928 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Students: Belonging | University High School Charter58%LAUSD 61% · 886 to 925 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Students: Caring adults | University High School Charter58%LAUSD 61% · 865 to 926 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Families: Safety | University High School Charter86%LAUSD 81% · 353 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Families: Belonging | University High School Charter87%LAUSD 87% · 354 to 373 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Staff: Safety | University High School Charter97%LAUSD 93% · 128 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| From the staffing records | ||
| Average years of teaching experience2024–25 school year | University High School Charter16 | Santa Monica High12 |
| Teachers in their first year2024–25 school year | University High School Charter7% | Santa Monica High8% |
Show every subject in the survey
| Measure | University High School Charter | Santa Monica High |
|---|---|---|
| LAUSD School Experience Survey, 2025–26 | ||
| Students: Engagement | University High School Charter61%LAUSD 61% · 874 to 899 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Students: High expectations | University High School Charter66%LAUSD 68% · 875 to 888 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Students: Bullied 2 or more times in the past 30 daysLower is better | University High School Charter12%LAUSD 10% · 900 to 912 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Families: Caring adults | University High School Charter84%LAUSD 86% · 366 to 367 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Families: Engagement | University High School Charter79%LAUSD 83% · 367 to 373 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Families: High expectations | University High School Charter91%LAUSD 89% · 347 to 350 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Families: Bullying reports taken seriously | University High School Charter68%LAUSD 78% · 364 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Staff: Caring adults | University High School Charter76%LAUSD 83% · 124 to 129 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Staff: High expectations | University High School Charter96%LAUSD 90% · 123 to 124 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
| Staff: Bullying called a mild or insignificant problem | University High School Charter86%LAUSD 81% · 128 answers | Santa Monica HighNo survey on file |
School statements are from each school’s own website on the date shown. A survey figure averages the questions on that subject: the share who agreed, or for student bullying the share it happened to. Teacher records are from the California Department of Education. Nothing here is about a named person.
Who attends
Who attends, and how big are they?
The table shows how many students each school has and how many are from low-income families.
| Measure | University High School Charter | Santa Monica High |
|---|---|---|
| StudentsFederal school directory, 2024–25 | University High School Charter1,385 | Santa Monica High2,588 |
| Students from low-income familiesEligible for free or reduced-price meals, 2024–25. California: 63% | University High School Charter72%1,001 of 1,385 students | Santa Monica High35%916 of 2,588 students |
| Students per teacherA staffing ratio, not class size | University High School Charter19 | Santa Monica High20 |
Show grades and who runs each school
| Measure | University High School Charter | Santa Monica High |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | University High School Charter9–12 | Santa Monica High9–12 |
| Who runs the school | University High School CharterLos Angeles Unified (an affiliated charter) | Santa Monica HighSanta Monica-Malibu Unified |
| Charter approved byThe approver decides whether the charter is renewed when its term ends | University High School CharterLos Angeles UnifiedTerm ends June 30, 2031 | Santa Monica HighNot a charter |
Sources
Sources and definitions
75 is the typical California school. 100 is the best result in the state. How we score schools
Test results are from California’s state tests (CAASPP), spring 2026. Each figure is the share of students tested in the level’s grades who scored Proficient or Advanced, for one subject. California’s figure is our combination of the state’s published rows for the same grades.
“Clearly ahead” marks a figure that is ahead of the others by more than twice the margin of error. On chronic absence, ahead means lower.
Chronic absence and suspensions are the California Department of Education’s 2025–26 counts. “Chronically absent” means a student missed 10% or more of school days. The average school is the average California school we score at these schools’ level, with each school counted once.
The year-by-year chart shows each spring’s results for grade 11. Each year is a different group of students, so the chart does not show how the same students changed.
Students and students per teacher are from the federal school directory, 2024–25. Students from low-income families are students counted as eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the California Department of Education’s 2024–25 count.
Teacher experience is the California Department of Education’s staffing file for the school year shown (teachers only). A charter’s approver is from CDE’s charter term file and its term end from CDE’s Charter School Database. LAUSD’s affiliated charters are the ones its 2027–28 Choices brochure lists.