How does Garfield High compare to other high schools in San Diego?

Garfield High has a Scope Score of 15.7/100, ranked #1559 among California high schools. 1% of students exceed standard, with a total of 84 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Garfield High?

1.2% of students at Garfield High exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 7.1% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Garfield High?

58.4% of students at Garfield High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in the Scope Score.

Garfield High

High School

San Diego Unified San DiegoSan Diego County92101

📍 1255 16th Street

Scope Score

out of 100

State Rank

of 1,649 California high schools

🌱

Building Momentum

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Scope Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

School overview

Enrollment

220 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

10:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

95%

Teachers

21 full-time

College & career readiness

Graduation Rate

38.0%

AP Exam Prepared

Not offered

This school may not offer AP courses

A-G Completion

29.6%

College-Going Rate

32.5%

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

Dashboard indicators

How this school's scores changed from last year to this year

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+146.4 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+95.2 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

7.3%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 55 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic87.7%

White3.6%

Asian0.9%

Black5.0%

Other2.7%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Garfield High
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	1.2%
Met Standard	5.9%
Below Standard	92.9%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Suspension rate: 0.0%

4.1pp below state avg (state avg 4.1%)

5% weight

Holding Back

▼Graduation rate: 38.0%

49.4pp below state avg (state avg 87.4%)

25% weight

▼Exceeded standard: 1.2%

14.5pp below state avg (state avg 15.7%)

20% weight

▼College readiness: 0.0%

AP exam pass rate below state avg (state avg 35.3%)

20% weight

▼Met or exceeded: 7.1%

27.6pp below state avg (state avg 34.8%)

15% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 58.4%

24.1pp above state avg (state avg 34.3%)

10% weight

▼Baseline proficiency: 7.1%

Below state baseline (state avg 34.8%)

5% weight

Unlike traditional school ratings, we show our work. Every factor, its weight, and how this school compares to the state average — so you can decide what matters most to your family. The high school Scope Score is weighted across 7 dimensions. See full methodology →

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "7% proficient" for Garfield High and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

1.2% of students exceeded standard while 5.9% met it. That exceeded rate is 14.5 points below the state average of 15.7%. That's 23.2 points below the San Diego Unified district average of 24.4%. The 3 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 25.9% exceeded — 24.8 points higher. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

The graduation rate is 38.0%. 29.6% of students complete A-G requirements for UC/CSU eligibility. 32.5% of graduates go on to college within a year.

Chronic absenteeism is 58.4%, above the state average of 34.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

1.2%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

7.1%

Students meeting standard

Chronic Absenteeism

58.4%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

0.0%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

Across all grades & subjects

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
11th	42	2.4%	9.5%	35.7%	52.4%	11.9%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
11th	42	0.0%	2.4%	11.9%	85.7%	2.4%

Estimated K-12 PathEstimate

Elementary

Home & Hosp/Transition Su…

No score

→

Middle

Home & Hosp/Transition Su…

No score

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High

Garfield High

15.7

This school

Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.