Mt. Carmel High: Kids show up — absenteeism runs far below the state. But English learner progress trails the state.
Mt. Carmel has real strengths and one number that complicates them. Most rating sites show you one or the other. Both belong on the same page.
| Scope | % Exceeded | % Met+ | Grad rate | College readiness | Absence | Suspension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 64 | 35% | 65% | 97.5% | 71.9% | 13.5% | 2.2% |
| CA average · High School | 44 | 16% | 36% | 87.6% | 35.4% | 30.2% | 3.6% |
Mt. Carmel High scores 64 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 89th 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 →
💪 Strong All-Around — Ask about what we don't score — class size, electives, the feel of a classroom — strong numbers everywhere on paper don't mean every classroom feels the same.
Most rating sites would stop at “65% proficient” and call it done. Mt. Carmel deserves a closer read. It sits at the 89th percentile of 2,160 California high schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.
Mt. Carmel's low-income kids hit 57.5% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.
The seven-year arc
Has held the 89th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.
This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 65% meet the standard today, versus 72% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 79% | 73% | 80% | 74% | 71% |
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 65% | 52% | 53% | 58% | 59% |
The story this school is actually telling
chronic absenteeism — versus 30.2% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.
of English learners reached the top ELPAC level, versus 18.0% statewide — worth asking about on a tour.
Of 100 students here: 65 are proficient by 11th grade → 98 graduate → 72 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
Mt. Carmel's most underrated number
57.5% 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.
The 7 things our score weighs
Ask how English learners are supported — and what happens after reclassification.
- Ask whether extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
- Ask how English learners are supported, and what changes for them after they reclassify.
- 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 Mt. Carmel High in San Diego, 57.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 50.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Mt. Carmel High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 6.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (37.8% Math proficient); White students (74.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 40.6 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 80 students tested.
Showing up, and staying in class
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.
The people teaching here
Pay is set by the district, not the school.
What gets spent here
$429 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.
District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
The neighborhood it serves
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
On the state's science test (CAST), 59% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mt. Carmel High a good high school?
What are Mt. Carmel High's CAASPP test scores?
How does Mt. Carmel High rank in California?
What is the attendance and school culture like at Mt. Carmel High?
How does Mt. Carmel High compare to other schools in San Diego?
How does Mt. Carmel High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 82
Nearby Middle Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 71
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 442 | 36% | 34% | 19% | 10% | 71% | +23 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 446 | 34% | 25% | 18% | 23% | 59% | +36 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 388 | 22% | 37% | 38% | 3% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 80 | 57.5% | +7 | +19 |
| White | 157 | 74.5% | +2 | +13 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 84 | 60.7% | +5 | +22 |
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Carmel High ← | — | 64 | 35.3% | 64.8% | — | 2.2% |
| Westview High | 1.6 mi | 75 | 50.1% | 77.7% | — | 1.3% |
| California average | — | 44 | 15.8% | 35.7% | — | 3.6% |
| Year | Scope | Pctile | Rank | Exc | Met+ | Absent | Susp | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 72 | 94 | #113 | 41.1% | 71.9% | 9.4% | 1.3% | — |
| 2022 | 65 | 91 | #180 | 31.0% | 62.5% | 16.8% | 1.8% | — |
| 2023 | 67 | 93 | #144 | 36.0% | 66.5% | 14.6% | 2.6% | — |
| 2024 | 67 | 93 | #146 | 36.1% | 66.1% | 14.9% | 2.8% | — |
| 2025 | 64 | 89 | #229 | 35.3% | 64.8% | 13.5% | 2.2% | — |
| Group | 2019 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 10.2% | 14.3% | +4.1pp |
| Male | 7.4% | 11.5% | +4.1pp |
| Asian | 3.2% | 5.3% | +2.1pp |
| Black/African American | 7.5% | 17.2% | +9.7pp |
| Filipino | 4.3% | — | — |
| White | 7.0% | 5.3% | -1.7pp |
| Hispanic/Latino | 11.8% | 20.8% | +9.0pp |
| Pacific Islander | 0.0% | — | — |
| Two or More Races | 11.8% | 14.1% | +2.3pp |
| Students with Disabilities | 15.9% | 27.6% | +11.7pp |
| English Learners | 9.2% | 23.7% | +14.5pp |
| Homeless | 9.1% | 48.4% | +39.3pp |
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 11.8% | 22.4% | +10.6pp |
| All Students | 8.8% | 12.9% | +4.1pp |
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