Graduated in four years
20%
Special education center · Grossmont Union High · El Cajon, California
MERIT Academy
El Cajon · 9–12 · 68 students (2024–25)
A special education school: students are placed here through their IEP team, so we publish its results without a rating.
Shared campus · © OpenStreetMap
MERIT Academy, IDEA Center and Chaparral High share this address in the state’s school directory. The California School Campus Database maps the grounds as one campus. Which buildings each school uses here isn’t mapped.
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 are students placed here?
Students are placed here by an IEP team, not by address and not by lottery. Confirm placement with Grossmont Union High. Evidence ↓
How often do students miss school or get suspended?
64 in 100 students were chronically absent in 2025–26 (56 of 87), meaning they missed 10% or more of school days. 23.7% of students (22 of 93) were suspended at least once in 2025–26. Evidence ↓
How do I visit MERIT Academy?
Call the office at (619) 956-0600 to ask about a visit. Questions to bring are under Next steps. Evidence ↓
Life at school
How many students here graduate in four years?
20% of students graduated in four years in 2024–25.
State graduation, readiness, college-going, attendance and suspension records
The four-year rate counts regular high school diplomas only, not a certificate of completion. Ask how many students here finish with each, and what each one leads to.
Preparation · each measure describes a different student group
Ready for college or career (state measure)
0%
Finished the UC/CSU course list
0%
Ask: How does the school track each student’s IEP goals, and how does it plan the move after high school?
Where these figures come fromEach measure’s source, student group and definition
- Graduated in four years
- 2024–25 · 4 of 20 students who started 9th grade together. California Department of Education, adjusted cohort graduation records.
- Ready for college or career (state measure)
- 2024–25 · 0 of 20 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.
- Finished the UC/CSU course list
- 2024–25 · 0 of 4 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.
How often do students miss school or get suspended?
64 in 100 students were chronically absent in 2025–26. That means they missed 10% or more of school days. 23.7% of students were suspended at least once in 2025–26.
Source
- Source
- CDE chronic absenteeism and suspension files, 2025–26
- Students
- chronic absence: 56 of 87 students counted for it; suspension: 22 of 93 students enrolled during the year
Chronically absent, 2025–26
64 in 100This school
56 of 87 students were chronically absent, meaning they missed 10% or more of school days.
Suspensions, 2025–26
23.7%
of students were suspended at least once (22 of 93).
Ask: How does the school bring back students who are missing school, and what has it changed?
Ask families and staff yourselfWhat to ask the people at MERIT Academy
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.
Teach here? Tell us Grossmont Union High’s email domain so staff can answer our workplace questions.
Every learner
Who goes here?
Hispanic or Latino students are the largest group here: 47%.
Students, families and teachers
Who are the students?
2025–26 · students counted- Hispanic or Latino47%
- White39%
- Asian—
- Black or African American—
- Filipino—
- Two or more races—
- American Indian or Alaska Native—
- Pacific Islander—
- Not reported—
- Unallocated share14%
Who are the families and teachers?
74%of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25, 50 of 68.
8teachers, 2024–25
9 yearsaverage experience, 2024–25
12%in their first year, 2024–25
83%of teaching positions with proper credential and placement, 2021–22
Ask: Which services and therapies does each student get during the school day, and who provides them?
Full student mix, comparisons and sources, 2025–26
| Students, 2025–26 | Here |
|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 47% |
| White | 39% |
| Asian | — |
| Black or African American | — |
| Filipino | — |
| Two or more races | — |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | — |
| Pacific Islander | — |
| Not reported | — |
Data source: California Department of Education chronic-absence file, 2025–26. Shares are of the students the file counts for attendance (CDE’s “eligible enrollment”); unavailable categories are shown as a dash.
How the credential rate is counted
CDE SARC report 2024–25, measured 2021–22: 83% of teaching positions, 5 properly credentialed teaching-position FTE out of 6.1 total position FTE (FTEs as rounded by the source; the share is CDE’s own). This measures positions, not individual teachers.
Next steps
How are students placed here?
Confirm placement with Grossmont Union High.
Location and visiting
Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)Directory location · Explore nearby schools on the map. Confirm placement with Grossmont Union High.
Questions for your visit
- How does the school track each student’s IEP goals, and how does it plan the move after high school?
- How does the school bring back students who are missing school, and what has it changed? 64 in 100 chronically absent, 2025–26 (56 of 87 students)
- Which services and therapies does each student get during the school day, and who provides them?
- How are my child’s IEP goals set, reviewed and shared with our family?
- What transition services help students plan for life, training or work after school?
- Which students finish with a regular diploma and which with a certificate of completion, and what does each lead to?
Office (619) 956-06001600 North Cuyamaca Street, directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Source records
Every figure on this page, with its source, grades, year and count.
Results by gradeEnglish and math · grade 11 · spring 2026 · % of tested students
What each level means: California's level descriptions.
English · 2025–26 results by grade
| English | Tested | Advanced | Proficient | Developing level | Minimal | Proficient or Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 8 | suppressed | suppressed | suppressed | suppressed | suppressed |
Math · 2025–26 results by grade
| Math | Tested | Advanced | Proficient | Developing level | Minimal | Proficient or Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | not on file | not on file | not on file | not on file | not on file | not on file |
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.
Every tested year2017–2026 · rates, tested counts, and each grade
English and math by test year · all tested grades
| Year · subject | Students with scores | Top level | Top two levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 · English | 8 | — | — |
| 2026 · Math | — | — | — |
| 2025 · English | 12 | 8% | 17% |
| 2025 · Math | 11 | 0% | 9% |
| 2024 · English | 10 | — | — |
| 2024 · Math | 12 | 0% | 0% |
| 2023 · English | 0 | — | — |
| 2023 · Math | 7 | — | — |
| 2022 · English | 6 | — | — |
| 2022 · Math | 7 | — | — |
| 2019 · English | 11 | 0% | 27% |
| 2019 · Math | 13 | 0% | 0% |
| 2018 · English | — | — | — |
| 2018 · Math | — | — | — |
| 2017 · English | — | — | — |
| 2017 · Math | — | — | — |
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 11 · English | 12 | 17% |
| 2025 · Grade 11 · Math | 11 | 9% |
| 2024 · Grade 11 · English | 10 | — |
| 2024 · Grade 11 · Math | 12 | 0% |
| 2023 · Grade 11 · English | 0 | — |
| 2023 · Grade 11 · Math | 7 | — |
| 2022 · Grade 8 · English | 0 | — |
| 2022 · Grade 11 · English | 6 | — |
| 2022 · Grade 8 · Math | 0 | — |
| 2022 · Grade 11 · Math | 7 | — |
| 2019 · Grade 11 · English | 11 | 27% |
| 2019 · Grade 11 · Math | 13 | 0% |
| 2018 · Grade 8 · English | — | — |
| 2018 · Grade 11 · English | — | — |
| 2018 · Grade 8 · Math | — | — |
| 2018 · Grade 11 · Math | — | — |
| 2017 · Grade 8 · English | — | — |
| 2017 · Grade 11 · English | — | — |
| 2017 · Grade 8 · Math | — | — |
| 2017 · Grade 11 · Math | — | — |
Current 2025–26 grade results appear above. “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.
Attendance and suspensionsState records · this school and each student group · 2018–19 and 2025–26
CDE’s all-students school rates for 2024–25 and 2025–26; the change is the difference between the two rates as printed.
| Year-over-year school rates |
|---|
| Chronic absenteeism2024–25 · 45 in 100 → 2025–26 · 64 in 100 · +19 in 100 |
| Suspension rate2024–25 · 19.5% (17 of 87) → 2025–26 · 23.7% (22 of 93) · +4.2 percentage points |
| Group | 2018–19 | 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 53 in 100 | 56 in 100 |
| Male | 37 in 100 | 69 in 100 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 41 in 100 | 63 in 100 |
| White | 48 in 100 | 74 in 100 |
| Students with disabilities | 44 in 100 | 64 in 100 |
| Foster youth | 46 in 100 | — |
| Low-income | 43 in 100 | 62 in 100 |
| All students | 43 in 100 | 64 in 100 |
| English learners | — | 91 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 0% · numerator 0 students classified Prepared · denominator 20 CCI students. |
AP pathway among CCI Prepared studentsCDE College/Career Indicator · CCI source year 2025 · all students · AP-pathway numerator 0 · denominator 0 (CCI Prepared students). Share among Prepared students: not calculable, because no student here was classified Prepared. 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.
This CDE-reported school CCI record has its own population and period. It does not recalculate a SchoolScope score, factor, or rank.
Graduation rate
20%
AP route, among those ready for college or career
Not calculable
Finished the UC/CSU course list (A–G)
0%
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 | not reported |
| AP course count | not reported |
| AP enrollment (male/female) | not reported |
| IB participation | not reported |
| Dual enrollment | not offered |
| Algebra I in grade 8 | not reported |
| Calculus sections | 0 |
| Physics sections | 1 |
| Chemistry sections | 0 |
| Reported male/female enrollment (CRDC) | 64 |
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.
Fundingschool and district spending, from state and federal finance records · each row names its fiscal year and measure
Per-pupil spending
District · current expense$15,094 per pupil
NCES F-33 · FY 2020–21 (2021) · fall district membership: 16,996 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$1,135 per pupil
CDE ESSA · school-attributed per-pupil record · FY 2024–25 (2025) · source denominator: 68
Central federal expenditures attributed here$535 per pupil
CDE ESSA · central expenditures attributed to this school · FY 2024–25 (2025) · source denominator: 68
District current expense · FY 2024–25$21,618 per ADA
CDE SACS Current Expense of Education · district fiscal year ending 2025 · average daily attendance denominator
Selected General Fund operating costs · FY 2024–25 · SchoolScope calculation
Instruction 59%Instruction support 12%Student services 11%Administration 7%Buildings & maintenance 10%Other 1%
| Group | Dollars | Share, to two decimals | Printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instruction | $190,081,010 | 59.06% | 59% |
| Instruction support | $38,029,510 | 11.82% | 12% |
| Student services | $34,439,150 | 10.70% | 11% |
| Administration | $23,787,186 | 7.39% | 7% |
| Buildings & maintenance | $32,547,217 | 10.11% | 10% |
| Other | $2,975,208 | 0.92% | 1% |
| Total | $321,859,282 | 100.00% | 100% |
NCES F-33 district fiscal-year history, 2017–2021; latest district record shown: 2021
2021$15,094 per pupil
2020$14,426 per pupil
2019$14,539 per pupil
2018$10,759 per pupil
2017$10,591 per pupil
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
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. See all schools in ZIP code 92020 →
Downloads and methodologyCSV · sources · corrections
Data sources: public data sources, including the California Department of Education · state tests (CAASPP) 2025–26 · 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 · Data updated October 15, 2026
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