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Public high school

Grossmont High

La Mesa, CA · Grades 9-12 · 2,172 students · Grossmont Union High

No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

56% of tested students are Proficient or Advanced in English and 25% in math. 82.4% graduate in four years. Explore the evidence alongside the opportunities your child would use.

SchoolScope archetype

Building Momentum

What this means for your family

This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

How archetypes are assigned →

Contact

Math

25%

Grade 11 · Proficient or Advanced

English

56%

Grade 11 · Proficient or Advanced

Students

2,172

Total enrollment

Graduation

82.4%

Four-year graduation rate

What are you trying to decide?

The overall score is a starting point.

Look at subject results, trends and student groups, then consider the opportunities your child would use.

View school performance →

Academic performance

What do the results tell us?

2025 results · Grade 11 · weighted by students tested within each subject.

Proficient or Advanced combines Levels 3 and 4, formerly Standard Met and Standard Exceeded. California changed the names for 2025–26; the cut scores did not. About the labels →

Share at Proficient or Advanced

0%25%50%75%100%2019: 32%2022: 32%2023: 23%2024: 24%2025: 25%2019: 71%2022: 66%2023: 60%2024: 61%2025: 56%201920222023202420250%25%50%75%100%2019: 32%2022: 32%2023: 23%2024: 24%2025: 25%2019: 71%2022: 66%2023: 60%2024: 61%2025: 56%20192022202320242025
● Math┄ English

Gaps in the lines mark years without annual results.

Exact annual results
YearMathEnglish
201932%71%
202232%66%
202323%60%
202424%61%
202525%56%

Each year describes that year’s tested students. Changes between years do not follow the same children over time. Cohort-growth evidence, when available, is labeled separately below.

Annual results and the full academic record
Is it getting better · CAASPP 2019 to 2025

Has stayed near the 47th percentile since 2019.

Most rating sites would stop at “41% proficient” and call it done. Grossmont deserves a closer read. Three in five of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch (California: 64%) — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

457 tested · 1 of 1 grade published

Grossmont High scores 52 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 47th percentile of 1,647 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 41% meet the standard today, versus 51% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

Percentile among 1,647 high schools statewide
Year detailsYear2019 · 54th percentile · Scope Score 56 of 1002022 · 59th percentile · Scope Score 55 of 1002023 · 49th percentile · Scope Score 52 of 1002024 · 46th percentile · Scope Score 51 of 1002025 · 47th percentile · Scope Score 52 of 100
ELAGreen(Increased)MathYellow(Increased)
ShowHide the by-grade tables, year by year
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1171%66%60%61%56%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1132%32%23%24%25%
Where students land · CAASPP 2024–25

Two in five of students here meet the standard. One in five clear it by a lot.

ELA56% met or exceeded
Exceeded 29%Met 27%Nearly Met 23%Not Met 20%
Math25% met or exceeded
Exceeded 12%Met 13%Nearly Met 22%Not Met 53%
Exceeded Met Nearly Met Not Met
California high schools · average20% exceeded · 43% met or exceeded
This school against the California average
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
Scope% Exceeded% Met+Grad rateCollege readinessAbsenceSuspension
This school5220%41%82.4%58.8%21.9%3.6%
CA average · High School5420%43%92.5%43.0%23.1%3.3%
This schoolCA avg
Scope5254
% Exceeded20%20%
% Met+41%43%
Grad rate82.4%92.5%
College readiness58.8%43.0%
Absence21.9%23.1%
Suspension3.6%3.3%

Students & opportunity

Who shares in the school’s results?

Who it works for · CAASPP 2024–25

Low-income students here meet the ELA standard ahead of the same group statewide.

At Grossmont High in La Mesa, 46.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 43.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Grossmont High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (53.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 48.2 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 280 students tested.

Met or exceeded · reading and math combined
All students at this school: 41% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 41%, district —, state 43%41%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 32%, district 32%, state 32%32% · −9 vs school
MaleMale: this school 39%, district 38%, state 42%39% · −2 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 43%, district 40%, state 44%43% · +2 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 36%, district 32%, state 32%36% · −5 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 49%, district 46%, state 56%49% · +8 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 17%, district 11%, state 15%17% · −24 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 7%, district 5%, state 11%7% · −34 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 47%, district 47%, state 56%47% · +6 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 23%, district 24%, state 26%23% · −18 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 26%, district 37%, state 72%26% · −15 vs school

6 of 17 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
ShowHide California's growth model by student group

No student-group growth record is available for this school in this data release.

AP access · 2020-21 federal civil rights snapshot (structural, dated — newest published; biennial)
Shown, never scored
Hispanic32.1% AP · 42.2% enroll.
American Indian/Alaska Native0.2% AP · 0.3% enroll.
Asian7.9% AP · 3.9% enroll.
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.7% AP · 0.6% enroll.
Black3.1% AP · 6.3% enroll.
White47.2% AP · 39.4% enroll.
Two or more races8.7% AP · 7.4% enroll.
English learners2.2% AP · 11.1% enroll.
Students with disabilities1.5% AP · 15.2% enroll.

● share of AP enrollment vs share of total enrollment, this school only · not part of the Scope Score

Data source: U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2020-21 (biennial; newest published)

Where graduates go

What happens after high school?

76%

Enrolled in college within a year

Class of 2023 · 348 of 459 completers · includes community colleges

459Completers
29%
Other colleges131 completers · Outside the California community college system
47%
California community colleges217 completers · Enrolled within a year
24%
Not recorded enrolled111 completers · No college enrollment in this reporting window

Destination data describes this earlier graduating class, separately from current-year test results and graduation. Percentages are rounded.

College destinations and the full graduate record
2024–25

Where graduates go

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Where the class of 2023 went
76%enrolled in college within a year
  • University of California24 (5%)
  • California State University62 (14%)
  • California community college217 (47%)
  • In-state private11 (2%)
  • Out-of-state, 4-year28 (6%)
  • Out-of-state, 2-year6 (1%)
  • Not enrolled111 (24%)

CDE 12-mo College-Going Rate, class of 2023 · % = count ÷ completers, our arithmetic

See the full roll →

The daily experience

What is it like to be a student here?

Students per teacher

Student–teacher ratio is a schoolwide staffing measure, not an average class size.

The people teaching · CDE staffing 2024–25

About 24 students for every teacher here.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Students per teacher24 · district 23
Teaching staff112 teachers
Avg. experience17.1 years
Fully credentialed80%
First-year teachers4%
Intern / emergency permit1.1%
PrincipalDan Barnes
ShowHide what the district pays
Teacher salary schedule$60,339 – $126,286
Principal salaryUp to $184,237
Superintendent salary$310,000

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course breadth
AP courses offered31 (CCI)
AP exam qualifiers151 studentsCCI, participation not authorization
CTE pathway completers69 students
Attendance & discipline · 2024–25

Kids here show up more, and get suspended more, than the state average.

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 21.9%, district 23.2%, state 23.1%21.9% · −1.1pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 3.6%, district —, state 3.3%3.6% · +0.4pp vs state
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
ShowHide attendance by student group and by grade
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1221.6%

Resources & neighborhood

What sits behind the school experience?

Explore school spending and the district budget
What gets spent · FY 2024–25

It spends $18,785 per student, more than the California average.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

These measure different things: this figure is spending attributed to this campus, while district-wide figures also include central administration, districtwide programs, and the state's pension contributions made on the district's behalf — costs that never get assigned to a single school. The district number runs higher at nearly every school, not just this one.

$630 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $18,785, CA average $14,491$18,785 · spent at this school
Federal share$630 per student
District current expense · FY 2024–25$21,618 per student
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction 59%Instruction support 12%Student services 11%Administration 7%Buildings & maintenance 10%Other 1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

ShowHide the district's spending year by year
district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$15,094 per pupil
2019$14,426 per pupil
2018$14,539 per pupil
2017$10,759 per pupil
2016$10,591 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood

Three in five of students here qualify for free or reduced lunch, versus three in five statewide.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Worth knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 34% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, and it never enters the Scope Score.

Hispanic or Latino45.8% · district 44.5% · CA 56.1%
White32.7% · district 36.9% · CA 19.9%
Asian3.7% · district 3.5% · CA 10.2%
Black7.9% · district 5.8% · CA 4.8%
Other9.8% · district 9.4% · CA 9.0%
Free or reduced lunch64.0% · CA 64%

Culture & philosophy

What is the school’s approach?

School-stated approach · questions for your visit

Look beyond the brochure

A source-reviewed culture summary is not available for this profile yet. Ask how teaching, student support and family communication work day to day.

Read the school’s own website ↗

Family voices

What would you want another family to know about the daily experience here?

Ask a current family: “When your child needs help, how does the school respond?”

Educator voices

What should families understand about teaching, support and the school community?

Ask an educator: “How do you adapt a typical day for children with different needs?”

Bring these questions on a visit →

Compare nearby schools

What are the alternatives?

Compare schools serving the same grade stage. Private schools have no comparable state-test score.

2025 · high schools · combined reading and math measures. Percentiles compare schools within their enrollment group.

Private options →
SchoolTypePerformance bandAdvancedProficient or AdvancedDistanceSelect
Grossmont HighPublicDeveloping20%41%School being viewed
Grossmont Middle College HighPublicStrong53%90%2.7 mi
El Cajon Valley HighPublicNeeds Support6%20%2.6 mi
Altus Schools East Countyalternative comparison groupCharterSolid9%30%2.2 mi
Open the comparison tool →
More nearby public and private options
Your other options

Your other options

Nearby public schools across grade levels, plus private options within 10 miles.

All schools in La Mesa →

Private schools do not receive a Scope Score or statewide ranking on SchoolScope.

5 private schools within 10 miles
Not scored
What should I check before applying?
District public
Confirm the attendance boundary and any permit options.
Charter
Check applications, priorities and deadlines with each school.
Private
Confirm admission requirements, tuition and financial aid.

Moving & enrollment

Which schools could serve my child?

Check your address with the district

School location and nearby schools do not establish attendance eligibility. Confirm boundaries and permit requirements with Grossmont Union High.

District information →School website →

Schools across the K–12 journey

Schools are grouped by grade stage. Nearby schools are not confirmed feeder links or address assignments. Verify the current path and eligibility with the district.

Plan your next step

What should I do next?

Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Grossmont High a good high school?
Grossmont High has a Scope Score of 52 out of 100, placing it in the 47th percentile of California high schools and ranked #874 statewide. 20.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near the California average of 19.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Grossmont High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 40.6% of students at Grossmont High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 20.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 20.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 20.5% went beyond it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it shows how many students go beyond the standard rather than only meeting it. 887 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Grossmont High rank in California?
Grossmont High ranks #874 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 47th 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 Grossmont High?
21.9% of students at Grossmont High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 23.1%. The suspension rate is 3.6%. 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 Grossmont High compare to other schools in La Mesa?
Grossmont High scores 52/100 (47th 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 2,172 students. Use the schools in La Mesa page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Grossmont High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Grossmont High in La Mesa, 46.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 43.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Grossmont High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (53.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 48.2 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 280 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.

Use the published evidence to prepare questions, then verify fit and access with the school.

Behind the evidence

Inspect the full record

Public sources, visible methods and the underlying school record. Source years and limitations stay attached to the evidence.

How the Scope Score is calculated

On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to see the state comparison and weights.

What the score weighs · CAASPP 2024–25

The 7 things our score weighs

What the score weighs
What we weighHereStateWeight
Graduation rate82.4%92.5%25%
Exceeded standard20.5%19.8%22%
College readiness58.8%43.0%20%
Met or exceeded40.6%43.2%18%
Chronic absenteeism21.9%23.1%5%
Suspension rate3.6%3.3%5%
EL proficiency (ELPAC)14.1%18.0%5%

Source CAASPP 2025 · California Department of Education. Measures graduation, test performance, college readiness, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How the score is built

A closer look at the evidence

Grossmont High: reading the evidence

Grossmont posts 41% meeting the standard and 20.5% exceeding it, against 43% and 19.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

Subject proficiency describes tested students, while graduation describes a graduating cohort. These figures are not successive stages followed by the same students.

This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

Explore the underlying data →
Every number: score factors, grades, student groups and downloads
Every number · For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.

Grossmont High is ranked #874 statewide · #8 of 14 in Grossmont Union High.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Score factors
FactorSchoolStateWeight
Graduation rate82.4%92.5%25%
Exceeded standard20.5%19.8%22%
College readiness58.8%43.0%20%
Met or exceeded40.6%43.2%18%
Chronic absenteeism21.9%23.1%5%
Suspension rate3.6%3.3%5%
EL proficiency (ELPAC)14.1%18.0%5%
Graduation rate
↓ vs CA 92.5% · index 45 · 50 = CA high-school midpoint
Exceeded standard
↑ vs CA 19.8% · index 55 · 50 = CA high-school midpoint
College readiness
↑ vs CA 43.0% · index 64 · 50 = CA high-school midpoint
Met or exceeded
↓ vs CA 43.2% · index 53 · 50 = CA high-school midpoint
Chronic absenteeism
↑ vs CA 23.1% · index 57 · 50 = CA high-school midpoint · ▲ 0.2pp higher vs 2024
Suspension rate
↓ vs CA 3.3% · index 50 · 50 = CA high-school midpoint · ▼ 0.7pp lower vs 2024
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
↓ vs CA 18.0% · index 46 · 50 = CA high-school midpoint
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ShowHide table 02 — By grade & subgroup
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1145729%27%23%20%56%+8
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1143012%13%22%53%25%+1

We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, that we hold no valid result for it, or that the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.

Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Schoolwide4658%26%59%7%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged28046.4%+3+8
Hispanic/Latino18553.5%+9+15
White16863.7%+5+2
03Nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+Susp
Grossmont High ←—5220.5%40.6%3.6%
Grossmont Middle College High2.7 mi7653.3%90.0%1.8%
El Cajon Valley High2.6 mi345.8%19.5%7.4%
California average—5419.8%43.2%3.3%
Altus Schools East Countyscored within its class, not statewide2.2 mi299.5%29.7%1.1%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
ShowHide table 04 — More measures
Graduation Rate
82.4%
AP Exam Prepared
58.8%
A-G Completion
55.2%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
75.8%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSusp
20195654#69420.3%51.5%14.1%3.1%
20225559#65321.7%48.9%28.7%4.6%
20235249#82617.5%41.4%23.4%4.8%
20245146#88014.8%42.5%21.7%4.3%
20255247#87420.5%40.6%21.9%3.6%
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
ShowHide table 05 — Climate by student group
Group20192025Δ
Female14.6%21.6%+7.0pp
Male12.9%21.6%+8.7pp
Asian6.9%12.8%+5.9pp
Black/African American19.4%22.4%+3.0pp
Filipino11.1%16.7%+5.6pp
Hispanic/Latino13.9%22.6%+8.7pp
American Indian/Alaska Native35.7%——
Pacific Islander12.5%14.3%+1.8pp
Two or More Races15.2%23.5%+8.3pp
White12.4%21.2%+8.8pp
Students with Disabilities23.2%31.6%+8.4pp
English Learners17.2%28.9%+11.7pp
Homeless32.1%55.0%+22.9pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged16.3%25.3%+9.0pp
All Students13.7%21.6%+7.9pp
06Advanced coursework — 2020-21 federal civil-rights snapshotstructural, dated — newest published; biennial
ShowHide table 06 — Advanced coursework — 2020-21 federal civil-rights snapshot
MeasureThis school
AP offeredoffered
AP course count16
AP enrollment542
IB participationnot offered
Dual enrollmentnot offered
Algebra I in grade 8not reported
Calculus sections3
Physics sections6
Chemistry sections16
Total enrollment (CRDC)2,272

Shown, never scored — no entry to any composite. NULL/reserve codes render "not reported," never a fabricated zero. The equity block above this table (§4) is the per-subgroup view of this same collection.

07College destinationsclass of 2023 · CDE 12-mo College-Going Rate
ShowHide table 07 — College destinations
DestinationCompleters% (derived)
University of California245.2%
California State University6213.5%
California community college21747.3%
In-state private112.4%
Out-of-state, 4-year286.1%
Out-of-state, 2-year61.3%
Not enrolled11124.2%

459 completers, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 76% · % column is computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers), not a CDE-native rate · a missing cell is CDE suppression, never a fabricated zero · source: CDE 12-mo CGR, 2023 cohort (the newest published), National Student Clearinghouse match — a different, older vintage than the fall 2025 UC admissions rows in tables 06-07 above.

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EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,647 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · CRDC 2020-21 (biennial; next expected 2021-22) · CDE 12-mo CGR 2023 cohort, National Student Clearinghouse match · Data updated 2026-09-18

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

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