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School Profile · San Diego

High Tech High Mesa: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

High Tech High Mesa posts 42.4% exceeding the standard — versus 15.8% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.

5331 Mount Alifan, 92111 (opens in new tab)·SBC - High Tech High·San Diego·Grades 9-12·435 students·40% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(619) 795-1810·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
74
💪 Strong All-Around · Strong
ranked #67 statewide · #1 of 3 in SBC - High Tech High

High Tech High Mesa scores 74 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 97th percentile of 2,160 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “69% proficient” and call it done. High Tech High Mesa deserves a closer read. The school sits in San Diego, where two in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 42.4% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 15.8%.

As a charter, High Tech High Mesa enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.

77.5%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

High Tech High Mesa's most underrated number

77.5% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

High Tech High Mesa low-income: 77.5%State low-income: 38.2%

The 4 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
42.4%
State 15.8%
26.5pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
69.4%
State 35.7%
33.7pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
18.7%
State 30.2%
11.5pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.1%
State 3.6%
2.5pp below state avg
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.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
High Tech High Mesa
74/100
This school

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

Your other options

All schools in San Diego →

Private alternatives nearby

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

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic38.9%
White37.9%
Asian11.3%
Black3.7%
Other8.3%
GenderFemale 43.0%Male 57.0%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 40.5% (23pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
435
1,015 below CA avg (~1,450)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
At High Tech High Mesa in San Diego, 77.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025 and 38.2% statewide. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (30.0% Math proficient); White students (91.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 12.3 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 40 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Math · Hispanic−30.2pp
18.8% vs 49.0% overall · n=32
3 more gaps by subject
ELA · Low-Income−12.3pp
77.5% vs 89.8% overall · n=40
ELA Exceeded · Hispanic−18.5pp
40.6% vs 59.2% overall · n=32
Math Exceeded · Hispanic−22.4pp
3.1% vs 25.5% overall · n=32

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income40 tested
ELA 77.5%·Math 30.0%
White36 tested
ELA 91.7%·Math 61.1%
Hispanic32 tested
ELA 81.3%·Math 18.8%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$100K
$15K above CA median
Median Home Value
$818K
$159K above CA median
Bachelor's+
46%
11pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
5.3 years avg experience
25 teachers · 20% first-year · 12% second-year

Source: CDE SARC, 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 →
For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 22%
42.4%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 78th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
69.4%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 74th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
18.7%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 59th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.1%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 61th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 119859%31%4%6%90%+43
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 119826%23%22%29%49%+26
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/119711%34%40%14%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged4077.5%—+39
White3691.7%—+30
Hispanic/Latino3281.3%—+42
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
High Tech High Mesa ←—7442.4%69.4%—1.1%
School for Entrepreneurship and Technology2 mi7138.8%69.0%—3.2%
Kearny School of Biomedical Science and Technology1.7 mi5220.6%49.4%—0.6%
Kearny College Connections1.7 mi5231.8%56.5%—1.3%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
AP Exam Prepared
Not offered
This school may not offer AP courses
Scope Score history
55%74%'22'23'24'25
2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · rank #470 → #446 → #134 → #67
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
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Frequently asked questions

Is High Tech High Mesa a good high school?
High Tech High Mesa has a Scope Score of 74 out of 100, placing it in the 97th percentile of California high schools and ranked #67 statewide. 42.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 26.5 percentage points above the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are High Tech High Mesa's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 69.4% of students at High Tech High Mesa met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 42.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 27.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 42.4% 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. 196 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does High Tech High Mesa rank in California?
High Tech High Mesa ranks #67 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 97th 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 High Tech High Mesa?
18.7% of students at High Tech High Mesa are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 1.1%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. 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 High Tech High Mesa compare to other schools in San Diego?
High Tech High Mesa scores 74/100 (97th 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 435 students. Use the schools in San Diego page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does High Tech High Mesa serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At High Tech High Mesa in San Diego, 77.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025 and 38.2% statewide. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (30.0% Math proficient); White students (91.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 12.3 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 40 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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