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Montebello High · Montebello

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

Montebello posts 31% meeting the standard and 10.8% exceeding it, against 36% and 15.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

2100 West Cleveland Avenue, 90640 (opens in new tab)·Montebello Unified·Montebello·Grades 9-12·1,907 students·89% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(323) 728-0121·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4844
% Exceeded11%16%
% Met+31%36%
Grad rate89.5%87.6%
College readiness71.5%35.4%
Absence16.0%30.2%
Suspension3.7%3.6%
Scope Score
48
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #903 statewide · #3 of 5 in Montebello Unified

Montebello High scores 48 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 58th 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 →

🌱 Building Momentum — 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.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “31% proficient” and call it done. Montebello deserves a closer read. The school sits in Montebello, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 16.0% chronic absenteeism — versus 30.2% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has stayed near the 58th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAYellow(Declined Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 31% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1143%29%33%38%44%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1115%8%10%15%18%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
31%
State 36%
Graduate
90%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
72%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 31 are proficient by 11th grade → 90 graduate → 72 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
89.5%
State 87.6%
1.9pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
10.8%
State 15.8%
5.1pp below state avg
College readiness
71.5%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
31.1%
State 35.7%
4.6pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
16.0%
State 30.2%
14.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
3.7%
State 3.6%
0.1pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
16.3%
State 18.0%
1.6pp 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.

  • 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.

How every group of students does here

At Montebello High in Montebello, 43.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Montebello High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 7.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (17.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (43.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 40.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 404 students tested.

All students at this school: 31% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 31%, district —, state 36%31%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 31%, district 30%, state 32%31% · −0 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 31%, district 30%, state 32%31% · −0 vs school
MaleMale: this school 29%, district 30%, state 42%29% · −2 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 34%, district 33%, state 44%34% · +3 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 4%, district 9%, state 11%4% · −27 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 9%, district 9%, state 15%9% · −22 vs school

7 of 14 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 16.0%, district 19.3%, state 30.2%16.0% · −14.2pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 3.7%, district —, state 3.6%3.7% · +0.1pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1215.5%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Montebello High
48/100
This school

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

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 19:1, district 21:119:1
Teaching staff111 teachers
Avg. experience18.0 years
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$60,726 – $137,243
Principal salary$169,862 – $185,072
Superintendent salary$343,200

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered28
AP exam qualifiers103 students
CTE pathway completers11 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $23,095, CA average $14,815$23,095 · spent at this school
Federal share$278 per student

$278 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$24,535 per student

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

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction59%
Instruction support12%
Student services13%
Administration5%
Buildings & maintenance10%
Other1%

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

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$17,377 per pupil
2019$14,931 per pupil
2018$13,993 per pupil
2017$12,986 per pupil
2016$12,547 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic97.5%
District 95.8% · CA 56.1%
White1.4%
District 0.8% · CA 19.9%
Other0.5%
District 0.8% · CA 9.0%
Asian0.3%
District 2.2% · CA 10.2%
Black0.3%
District 0.4% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 89.0% (25pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$80K · CA $85K
Median home value$700K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+23% · CA 35%
ZIP population61,382
Median age40 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 19% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Montebello High a good high school?

Montebello High has a Scope Score of 48 out of 100, placing it in the 58th percentile of California high schools and ranked #903 statewide. 10.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 5.1 percentage points below the California average of 15.8%. 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 Montebello High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 31.1% of students at Montebello High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 10.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 20.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 10.8% 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. 893 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Montebello High rank in California?

Montebello High ranks #903 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 58th 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 Montebello High?

16.0% of students at Montebello High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 3.7%. 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 Montebello High compare to other schools in Montebello?

Montebello High scores 48/100 (58th 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 1,907 students. Use the schools in Montebello page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Montebello High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Montebello High in Montebello, 43.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Montebello High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 7.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (17.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (43.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 40.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 404 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.

Your other options

All schools in Montebello →

Private alternatives nearby

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

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

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

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
89.5%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 52th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
10.8%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 45th pctile
College readiness · 20%
71.5%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 71th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
31.1%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 47th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
16.0%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 62th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.7%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 50th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
16.3%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 50th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1144416%28%20%36%44%−4
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 114496%13%22%59%18%−5
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/114671%18%68%13%

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 Disadvantaged40443.6%+8+5
Hispanic/Latino43143.6%+8+5
English Learners883.4%−5−7
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Montebello High ←—4810.8%31.1%—3.7%
Ednovate - Esperanza College Prep2 mi6024.8%59.9%—1.7%
Schurr High1 mi5619.0%44.7%—3.1%
James A. Garfield Senior High2.1 mi5218.5%45.4%—0.2%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
89.5%
AP Exam Prepared
71.5%
A-G Completion
30.5%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
50.5%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20194854#9477.7%29.0%21.7%5.2%—
20224452#10045.9%18.5%22.1%3.1%—
20234553#10116.2%21.5%21.2%3.0%—
20244758#9058.6%26.5%20.5%3.2%—
20254858#90310.8%31.1%16.0%3.7%—
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
Group20192025Δ
Female22.3%16.8%-5.5pp
Male20.9%14.4%-6.5pp
Black/African American44.4%——
Hispanic/Latino21.5%15.5%-6.0pp
Students with Disabilities26.3%26.9%+0.6pp
English Learners26.2%18.7%-7.5pp
Foster Youth33.3%25.0%-8.3pp
Homeless24.0%18.2%-5.8pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged21.7%15.6%-6.1pp
All Students21.6%15.5%-6.1pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

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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