Graduated in four years
64%
California alternative high schools: 35%
Alternative school · SBE - Altus Schools East County · El Cajon, California
Altus Schools East County
El Cajon · 7–12 · 287 students (2024–25)
Altus Schools East County is an alternative school: students are enrolled through a placement, application, or referral process specific to the program.
Compared only with other alternative schools: higher than 76 of the 97 other scored California alternative high schools.
77thpercentileStrong
The dots are California’s 98 scored alternative high schools, placed by Scope Score on spring 2025 tests. Why not spring 2026? High school scores include graduation and college-readiness records, which the state publishes a year after the tests. How it’s built →
Scope Score
33
Weighted composite · 2024–25
A weighted mix of seven measures.
Altus Schools East Countyhigher than 76 of the 97 other schools
California’s alternative high schools · 1 dot each
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
Altus Schools East Countyhigher than 76 of the 97 other schools
California’s alternative high schools · 1 dot each
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
Altus Schools East Countyhigher than 76 of the 97 other schools
California’s alternative high schools · 1 dot each
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
In 2024–25, 64% of the class graduated in four years (67 of 104); across California’s alternative high schools, 35%.
Source
- Source
- CDE four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), 2024–25
- Students
- students who started 9th grade together: 104
- Comparison
- Alternative high schools with a graduation record: graduates divided by students who started 9th grade together, across 122 public schools’ rows (our combination, not CDE’s published state rate; 8,737 of 24,956). It counts every school with a graduation record, so it can differ from the number of schools we rank.
How to enroll
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Campus map · © OpenStreetMap
Drawn from OpenStreetMap, inside the campus outline from the California School Campus Database (2025). Volunteers map it, so a new building may be missing. Buildings with no mapped height are drawn one storey high.
A picture of the campus, not an attendance boundary or a rating.
Schools maintain a closed campus policy. For students’ safety, visitors may enter a campus only with the school’s official permission; this drawing implies no permission to enter.
Common questions
How do I get in?
Ask Altus Schools East County how it admits students. Charter schools set their own enrollment steps and dates. Evidence ↓
Is Altus Schools East County a good alternative school?
Altus Schools East County scores higher than 77 in 100 of the 98 California alternative high schools we score, compared only within that group: 77th percentile, Strong, spring 2025. Why alternative schools are ranked separately. Evidence ↓
What could my child study here?
31 students took a college course for credit in 2023–24, by the federal Civil Rights Data Collection. Evidence ↓
More questions (3)
Where do students go after finishing high school here?
34% of the class of 2023 enrolled in college within 12 months, by CDE’s college-going records. Evidence ↓
What does its own plan pay for?
In its 2026–27 plan, $6.2 million is planned for 20 funded actions in 5 goals. These are planned amounts; the charter school reports what it spent in a later plan. Evidence ↓
What should I ask on a visit?
The questions drawn from this page are under Next steps, ready to copy. Evidence ↓
What you can do
Who can act on Altus Schools East County’s results?
The state has Altus Schools East County in its most intensive support; its own board decides its plan.
What has the state flagged?
2025–26 is its 4th year in a row in this support. The state named it for its graduation rate. This support comes with a school improvement plan, which must use approaches with evidence behind them and look at how money and staff are divided among schools. Ask the principal to see the school improvement plan.
Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26. Source
Where is its yearly plan?
Grossmont Union High authorized this charter; its current term ends June 30, 2030.
Authorizer from the California Department of Education’s charter term file; term from its Charter School Database, checked October 22, 2026. Source
Life at school
How many students here graduate, and where do they go next?
64% of students graduated in four years in 2024–25.
State graduation, readiness, college-going and attendance records
That compares with 35% at California alternative high schools. 26% were ready for college or career (state measure) in 2024–25. 34% of the class of 2023 enrolled in college within 12 months.
Preparation · each measure describes a different student group
Ready for college or career (state measure)
26%
California alternative high schools: 11%
Finished the UC/CSU course list
24%
California alternative high schools: 19%
Destinations · class of 2023
Where students who finished high school went
34% enrolled in college within 12 months · 103 students who finished high school
- University of California0 · 0%
- California State University3 · 3%
- California community college28 · 27%
- In-state private1 · 1%
- Out-of-state, 4-year3 · 3%
- Out-of-state, 2-year0 · 0%
- Not enrolled68 · 66%
Source: CDE college-going records, class of 2023. Shares are our arithmetic: each count divided by all high-school completers (graduates and other students who finished), rounded together so they total 100. “Not enrolled” does not describe employment, military service or other routes.
What could my child study here?
What other courses and pathways are on record?
- College courses in high school (dual enrollment)
- 31 students took one
Ask: How does the school help students who don’t go to college plan what comes next?
Where these figures come fromEach measure’s source, student group and definition
- Graduated in four years
- 2024–25 · 67 of 104 students who started 9th grade together. California Department of Education, adjusted cohort graduation records. Comparison is SchoolScope’s combination of graduates and cohort counts across the reference schools, not CDE’s published state rate.
- Ready for college or career (state measure)
- 2024–25 · 27 of 105 students in the state’s measure. California Department of Education, College/Career Indicator (CCI), overall “Prepared” rate, among the students in the indicator’s group. Prepared is CDE’s overall classification, not AP participation or a college admission rate. Comparison is SchoolScope’s combination of Prepared students and indicator students across California alternative high schools, not a CDE figure.
- Finished the UC/CSU course list
- 2024–25 · 16 of 67 graduates finished the UC/CSU course list. California Department of Education, A–G completion records (graduates who met the UC/CSU course requirements). Course completion is separate from college enrollment. Comparison is SchoolScope’s combination of graduates who finished the list across California alternative high schools, not a CDE figure.
- Where students who finished high school went
- CDE college-going records, class of 2023. College enrollment is counted for 12 months after finishing high school and matched to college records, so this runs about two years behind. A dash is unavailable, not zero.
How often do students miss school?
23 in 100 students were chronically absent in 2024–25. That means they missed 10% or more of school days.
Source
- Source
- CDE chronic absenteeism file, 2024–25
- Students
- chronic absence: 96 of 425 students counted for it
Chronically absent, 2024–25
23 in 100This school
96 of 425 students were chronically absent, meaning they missed 10% or more of school days.
Ask: When a child starts missing school, who calls the family, and how soon?
Ask families and staff yourselfWhat to ask the people at Altus Schools East County
Ask current families how the school keeps them informed, and what happened when their child needed help. Ask staff how long teachers tend to stay.
Every learner
Who goes here?
Students, families and teachers
Who are the families and teachers?
73%of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25, 210 of 287.
8teachers, 2024–25
17 yearsaverage experience, 2024–25
0%in their first year, 2024–25
12%of teaching positions with proper credential and placement, 2021–22
Are English learners moving up on the state’s English test?
56% of English learners here moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top, spring 2025 to spring 2026.
Spring 2025 to spring 2026 · English learners with state English test (ELPAC) scores in both years
This school · 24 of 43 English learners56%
It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent. Data source: California Department of Education, 2026 Dashboard ↗.
Ask: How does the school help English learners reach the top level of the state’s English test?
How the credential rate is counted
CDE SARC report 2024–25, measured 2021–22: 12% of teaching positions, 1 properly credentialed teaching-position FTE out of 8.9 total position FTE (FTEs as rounded by the source; the share is CDE’s own). This measures positions, not individual teachers.
In its own words
What does Altus Schools East County’s own plan commit to?
Its 2026–27 plan
The plan lists what the school commits to spend and measure.
Next steps
How do I get in?
Ask Altus Schools East County how it admits students. Charter schools set their own enrollment steps and dates.
Before you apply
Confirm this school’s current process directly.
- Eligibility and entry grades
- Which grades are accepting applications, and who is eligible?
- Application and lottery
- What are the deadlines, enrollment priorities, and lottery or waitlist steps?
- The daily logistics
- What transportation and before- or after-school options are available?
Location and visiting
Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)Directory location · Explore nearby schools on the map. Confirm enrollment with the school.
Questions for your visit
- How does the school help students who don’t go to college plan what comes next?
- When a child starts missing school, who calls the family, and how soon?
- How does the school help English learners reach the top level of the state’s English test?
- How do you support kids who arrive ahead, and kids who arrive behind?
- Which courses and career pathways does the school run, and who can enroll?
- What support is available when a student falls behind on graduation requirements?
Office (858) 678-2020111 Fletcher Parkway, directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Nearby high schoolsClosest first, by straight-line distance
The closest high schools, by straight-line distance from this campus. Distance isn’t an attendance boundary. Each percentile listed compares a school with California high schools; Altus Schools East County’s compares it only with California alternative high schools.
Nearby high schoolsPercentile among California high schools, 2025
- El Cajon Valley HighGrossmont Union High · 1.0 mi
- IDEA CenterGrossmont Union High · 1.2 mi
- Literacy First CharterSan Diego County Office of Education · 1.5 mi · Charter school. Check how it admits students.
- Bostonia GlobalCajon Valley Union · 1.8 mi · Charter school. Check how it admits students.
- Grossmont HighGrossmont Union High · 2.2 mi
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.
Source records
Every figure on this page, with its source, grades, year and count.
Score factorssource values and weights · 2024–25 · ranked #22 of 98 California alternative high schools we score
| Factor | School | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 64% | 25% |
| Exceeded standardaverage of English and math | 10% | 22% |
| Ready for college or career (state measure) | 26% | 20% |
| Met or exceededaverage of English and math | 30% | 18% |
| Chronically absent | 23 in 100 | 5% |
| Suspension rate | 0 of 554 | 5% |
| English learners: top level | 31% | 5% |
Altus Schools East County is ranked only among California alternative high schools, so this table sets it beside no other school; the chapters above compare each figure with that class. School values are from 2024–25. Chronic absence and suspension are CDE's all-students school rates; the score uses an adjusted version of each that pulls small schools toward the average.
Scope Score by year2018–19 to 2024–25 · each year’s inputs, and the score for each year we could verify
The 2024–25 Scope Score, in the current-formula row below, uses the state’s college-or-career readiness measure, 2024–25. No verified earlier Scope Scores are available here.
Scope Score
| School year | Scope Score | Percentile | Rank | Comparison group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 33 | 77 | #22 | California alternative high schools · 98 schools · current formula |
2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23 and 2023–24 have records on file but no Scope Score we could verify against that year’s source files, so no score is shown for them.
| School year | Chronic absence | Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | 37 in 100 | 0 of 590 |
| 2021–22 | not on file | not on file |
| 2022–23 | not on file | not on file |
| 2023–24 | 23 in 100 | 0 of 567 |
| 2024–25 | 23 in 100 | 0 of 554 |
Chronic absence and suspension are CDE’s all-students school rates for each year.
Every tested year2018–2025 · rates, tested counts, and each grade
What each level means: California's level descriptions.
A grade the school doesn't teach has no row. “Suppressed” marks a result CDE blanks because fewer than 11 students tested (CDE’s reporting rule); “none tested” marks a grade CDE lists with no students tested; “not on file” marks a result missing from the records we hold. None of them means zero.
English and math by test year · all tested grades
| Year · subject | Students with scores | Exceeded | Met or exceeded |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 · English | 74 | 14% | 39% |
| 2025 · Math | 74 | 3% | 14% |
| 2024 · English | 80 | 15% | 48% |
| 2024 · Math | 80 | 2% | 12% |
| 2023 · English | 61 | 18% | 54% |
| 2023 · Math | 61 | 3% | 16% |
| 2022 · English | 64 | 14% | 52% |
| 2022 · Math | 64 | 5% | 16% |
| 2019 · English | 84 | 21% | 56% |
| 2019 · Math | 84 | 4% | 10% |
| 2018 · English | 63 | 10% | 41% |
| 2018 · Math | 63 | 3% | 10% |
Each year names its school year end (2026 = 2025–26). “Students with scores” counts each subject on its own, so don’t add the English and math counts together. A dash is unavailable, not zero.
Earlier years · grade and subject
| Year · grade · subject | Students with scores | Met or exceeded |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 · Grade 7 · English | 13 | 15% |
| 2025 · Grade 8 · English | 24 | 29% |
| 2025 · Grade 11 · English | 37 | 54% |
| 2025 · Grade 7 · Math | 13 | 15% |
| 2025 · Grade 8 · Math | 24 | 25% |
| 2025 · Grade 11 · Math | 37 | 5% |
| 2024 · Grade 7 · English | 16 | 19% |
| 2024 · Grade 8 · English | 28 | 43% |
| 2024 · Grade 11 · English | 36 | 64% |
| 2024 · Grade 7 · Math | 16 | 12% |
| 2024 · Grade 8 · Math | 28 | 18% |
| 2024 · Grade 11 · Math | 36 | 8% |
| 2023 · Grade 7 · English | 11 | 18% |
| 2023 · Grade 8 · English | 16 | 38% |
| 2023 · Grade 11 · English | 34 | 74% |
| 2023 · Grade 7 · Math | 11 | 18% |
| 2023 · Grade 8 · Math | 16 | 12% |
| 2023 · Grade 11 · Math | 34 | 18% |
| 2022 · Grade 7 · English | 8 | — |
| 2022 · Grade 8 · English | 24 | 46% |
| 2022 · Grade 11 · English | 32 | 59% |
| 2022 · Grade 7 · Math | 8 | — |
| 2022 · Grade 8 · Math | 24 | 17% |
| 2022 · Grade 11 · Math | 32 | 12% |
| 2019 · Grade 7 · English | 14 | 36% |
| 2019 · Grade 8 · English | 21 | 43% |
| 2019 · Grade 11 · English | 49 | 67% |
| 2019 · Grade 7 · Math | 14 | 7% |
| 2019 · Grade 8 · Math | 21 | 0% |
| 2019 · Grade 11 · Math | 49 | 14% |
| 2018 · Grade 7 · English | — | — |
| 2018 · Grade 8 · English | 17 | 41% |
| 2018 · Grade 11 · English | 37 | 46% |
| 2018 · Grade 7 · Math | — | — |
| 2018 · Grade 8 · Math | 17 | 18% |
| 2018 · Grade 11 · Math | 37 | 8% |
“Students with scores” counts the students tested in that grade, subject and year. A missing result is not zero, and each year’s row is a different group of children.
Student groups: the state’s growth measureCalifornia School Dashboard 2025 · points above or below what the state expected · shown, not part of the score
| Group | English | n | CDE category | Math | n | CDE category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All students | +14 | 25 | Accelerated | +3 | 25 | Average |
| Low-income | +13 | 19 | Accelerated | +5 | 19 | Accelerated |
| English-only students | +19 | 18 | not categorized | −1 | 18 | not categorized |
| Hispanic or Latino | +21 | 17 | Exceptional | +16 | 17 | Accelerated |
CDE reports scale-score points against the state’s expected score — not a percentage or percentile. The table keeps the group records SchoolScope imported for this school, including rows below our narrative display threshold. Muted rows have fewer than 30 students with a valid growth score. SchoolScope uses that threshold for the shorter narrative view; the reported values stay visible here. “Not categorized” means this imported CDE row has a growth value without a performance category. At least one estimate here is a CDE weighted estimate; that describes how CDE combines years, not a year-over-year trend. A group absent from this table has no imported record shown here. Its absence alone does not establish its size or performance. CDE growth covers grades 4–8. SchoolScope does not use these CDE figures in its Scope Score.
Growth recordsthe state’s student-by-student measure
California growth model · points vs expected
State model · English+14 pts vs expected
matched students, grades 4–8California growth model, English: +14 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, CDE category Accelerated, against SchoolScope's +1-point median for California high school records.State model · math+3 pts vs expected
matched students, grades 4–8California growth model, math: +3 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, CDE category Average, against SchoolScope's −6-point median for California high school records.Chronic absence by student groupState records · this school and each student group · 2018–19 and 2024–25
| Group | 2018–19 | 2024–25 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 37 in 100 | 23 in 100 | −14 in 100 |
| Male | 37 in 100 | 22 in 100 | −15 in 100 |
| Black or African American | 36 in 100 | 24 in 100 | −12 in 100 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 38 in 100 | 25 in 100 | −13 in 100 |
| Two or more races | 37 in 100 | 12 in 100 | −25 in 100 |
| White | 33 in 100 | 20 in 100 | −13 in 100 |
| Students with disabilities | 36 in 100 | 21 in 100 | −15 in 100 |
| English learners | 36 in 100 | 26 in 100 | −10 in 100 |
| Homeless | 41 in 100 | 36 in 100 | −5 in 100 |
| Low-income | 40 in 100 | 24 in 100 | −16 in 100 |
| All students | 37 in 100 | 23 in 100 | −14 in 100 |
Two reported school years only; no intervening-year result is implied. Source: CDE school-level chronic absenteeism by student group.
Graduation and readinessstate records · each rate for its own year and class of students
| Measure | Source record |
|---|---|
| This school · CCI overall Prepared | CDE College/Career Indicator · CCI source year 2025 · all students · all students in the current four-year graduation cohort, plus only Prepared fifth-year graduates from the prior cohort. Overall CCI Prepared rate 26% · numerator 27 students classified Prepared · denominator 105 CCI students. |
AP pathway among CCI Prepared studentsCDE College/Career Indicator · CCI source year 2025 · all students · AP pathway rate 4% · AP-pathway numerator 1 · denominator 27 (CCI Prepared students). This measure uses Prepared students as its denominator, not the whole CCI cohort; it is not an AP exam-taking rate or a count of AP courses offered. That cohort includes all students in the current four-year graduation cohort plus only Prepared fifth-year graduates from the prior cohort. In 2025 the pathway accepts two qualifying AP exams, two qualifying AP courses, or a combination of one of each in different subjects.
CDE's overall Prepared rate is the college-readiness factor in the Scope Score (20% of the high school score). The school rate is 27 of 105 CCI students, not the AP-only pathway or A–G completion rate. The school CCI rate has its own student cohort and source year.
Graduation rate
64%
AP route, among those ready for college or career
4%
Finished the UC/CSU course list (A–G)
24%
College-going rate
34%
These source periods and populations differ: graduation uses an adjusted cohort, while A–G completion and college-going use separately reported groups. The rates are shown individually, without a shared performance tier.
Advanced coursework, federal snapshot2023–24 · Civil Rights Data Collection · dated historical snapshot
| Measure | This school |
|---|---|
| AP offered | offered |
| AP course count | 10 |
| AP enrollment (male/female) | 2 |
| IB participation | not reported |
| Dual enrollment | offered · 31 enrolled |
| Algebra I in grade 8 | offered |
| Calculus sections | 0 |
| Physics sections | 0 |
| Chemistry sections | 3 |
| Reported male/female enrollment (CRDC) | 259 |
These counts aren’t part of the Scope Score. “Not reported” means the federal record has no value for that item; it isn’t a zero. Enrollment counts add the male and female students the survey reports.
College destinationsclass of 2023 · state college-going records, 12 months after graduation
| Destination | Completers | % (derived) |
|---|---|---|
| University of California | 0 | 0% |
| California State University | 3 | 3% |
| California community college | 28 | 27% |
| In-state private | 1 | 1% |
| Out-of-state, 4-year | 3 | 3% |
| Out-of-state, 2-year | 0 | 0% |
| Not enrolled | 68 | 66% |
103 students who finished high school, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 34% · % column is computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ all who finished high school; CDE calls them completers), not a CDE-native rate · an unavailable or suppressed cell is marked as missing; a reported zero remains distinct · source: CDE 12-mo CGR, 2023 cohort (the newest published), National Student Clearinghouse match.
Fundingschool and district spending, from state and federal finance records · each row names its fiscal year and measure
Per-pupil spending
District · current expense$13,492 per pupil
NCES F-33 · FY 2020–21 (2021) · fall district membership: 331 pupils
California · selected district mean$14,491 per pupil
NCES F-33 · FY 2020–21 (2021) · SchoolScope’s unweighted mean across 818 selected California district finance records
School-level federal expenditures$2,819 per pupil
CDE ESSA · school-attributed per-pupil record · FY 2023–24 (2024) · source denominator: 260
54% of district spending reaches instruction — CA average is 60%.
NCES F-33 district fiscal-year history, 2019–2021; latest district record shown: 2021
2021$13,492 per pupil
2020$11,757 per pupil
2019$11,490 per pupil
Staffing recordsstate teacher credential-and-placement and district salary records · each for its own year
Additional workforce records
Properly assigned intern credential holders0.0%
CDE 2024–25 SARC, Teacher Preparation and Placement table; measured school year 2021–22. Share of reported school teaching-position full-time equivalents assigned to properly assigned intern credential holders. A reported 0.0% is shown; unavailable rates are omitted. This is a position share, not a count of current teachers or of emergency permits.
The surrounding ZIP codeCensus Bureau survey, 2020–2024 · ZIP 92020 · not the school’s students
| Measure | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $76,032 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) | 27% |
| ZIP-area population | 57,842 |
| Median age | 37.0 years |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Median household income covers the past 12 months and is reported in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars. Bachelor's degree or higher uses adults age 25 and over as its population. A dash is unavailable, not zero; a reported zero remains zero. ZIP-area figures do not establish the school's attendance area or describe its enrolled students. These figures are not part of the Scope Score. See all schools in ZIP code 92020 →
Downloads, embed and methodologyCSV · embed code · sources · corrections
- Each percentile compares it only with California alternative high schools.
- No student group comparison is shown for this school this year: either no group had 30 or more students tested in each subject, or no same-grade district or state rate was available for its groups.
Data sources: public data sources, including the California Department of Education · state tests (CAASPP) 2025–26 · Scope Score from 2024–25 results, compared across 98 alternative high schools · attendance and suspensions by student group from 2018–19 and 2025–26 · district finance for the year each row names · Census survey (ACS) 2020–2024 · federal civil rights data (CRDC) 2023–24, a past snapshot · state college-going records, class of 2023, matched to National Student Clearinghouse enrollment · Data updated October 15, 2026
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