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Point Loma High · San DiegoPublic

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

Point Loma posts 29.2% 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.

2335 Chatsworth Boulevard, 92106 (opens in new tab)·San Diego Unified·San Diego·Grades 9-12·1,724 students·43% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(619) 860-5000·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope6444
% Exceeded29%16%
% Met+60%36%
Grad rate95.7%86.6%
College readiness81.8%33.9%
Absence14.4%30.2%
Suspension2.3%3.6%
Scope Score
64
💪 Strong All-Around · Solid
ranked #228 statewide · #8 of 43 in San Diego Unified

Point Loma 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.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “60% proficient” and call it done. Point Loma 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.

Point Loma's low-income kids hit 61.5% 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

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has held the 89th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathGreen(Increased Significantly)

The pandemic drop is behind this school: 60% of students meet the standard today, above the 50% who did in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1163%61%56%57%70%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1137%37%35%33%51%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
60%
State 36%
Graduate
96%
State 87%
Pass an AP exam
82%
State 34%

Of 100 students here: 60 are proficient by 11th grade → 96 graduate → 82 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

61.5%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Point Loma's most underrated number

61.5% 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.

Point Loma low-income: 61.5%State low-income: 38.2%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
95.7%
State 86.6%
9.1pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
29.2%
State 15.8%
13.4pp above state avg
College readiness
81.8%
State 33.9%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
60.3%
State 35.7%
24.6pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
14.4%
State 30.2%
15.8pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.3%
State 3.6%
1.4pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
20.5%
State 18.0%
2.5pp above 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 extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • 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 Point Loma High in San Diego, 61.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Point Loma High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 19.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (35.5% Math proficient); White students (76.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 31.3 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 169 students tested.

All students at this school: 60% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 60%, district —, state 36%60%
MaleMale: this school 62%, district 50%, state 42%62% · +1 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 70%, district 71%, state 56%70% · +9 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 59%, district 51%, state 44%59% · −2 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 48%, district 36%, state 32%48% · −12 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 43%, district 35%, state 32%43% · −17 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 32%, district 21%, state 15%32% · −28 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 71%, district 63%, state 56%71% · +11 vs school
Military-ConnectedMilitary-Connected: this school 53%, district 55%, state 46%53% · −7 vs school

6 of 15 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
AP access · 2020-21 federal civil rights snapshot (structural, dated — newest published; biennial)
Shown, never scored
Hispanic23.1% AP · 36.0% enroll.
American Indian/Alaska Native0.0% AP · 0.1% enroll.
Asian3.3% AP · 3.1% enroll.
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.0% AP · 0.0% enroll.
Black1.0% AP · 2.5% enroll.
White64.1% AP · 50.5% enroll.
Two or more races8.5% AP · 7.8% enroll.
English learners0.3% AP · 3.4% enroll.
Students with disabilities3.0% AP · 9.7% 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)

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 14.4%, district 20.8%, state 30.2%14.4% · −15.8pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 2.3%, district —, state 3.6%2.3% · −1.4pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1213.8%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Point Loma High
64/100
This school

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

Where graduates go

Context — never part of the Scope Score
84%
College-going rate, class of 2023

Where they went after graduation

Of Point Loma's class of 2023, 84% enrolled in college somewhere within a year — a CSU, a community college, a UC, or out of state.

College destination mix, class of 2023

Class of 2023: 382 completers, 84% enrolled somewhere within a year

University of California 32 (8%)California State University 72 (19%)California community college 147 (38%)In-state private 13 (3%)Out-of-state, 4-year 57 (15%)Out-of-state, 2-year 0 (0%)Not enrolled 61 (16%)

Percentages are computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers) from CDE-reported counts, not a CDE-native rate.

Data source: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort — the newest published; National Student Clearinghouse match.

UC application funnel — one destination of six, tracked in detail because UC is the only source with 30 years of history

In fall 2025, 43 of Point Loma's 381 graduates enrolled in the University of California system — Santa Barbara the most common landing, with 10 enrollees.

Applied158fall 2025, universitywide
Admitted104
Enrolled43
Where they landed (fall 2025)
Santa Barbara 10San Diego 9Santa Cruz 7Davis 6Los Angeles 5Berkeley 3Irvine ‹3Merced ‹3Riverside ‹3

campuses never sum to the universitywide figure — students apply to several

UC enrollees, universitywide, 2014–2025

Peak: 60 enrolled, 2019

UC publishes this trend back to 1994 — no other destination has a comparable multi-year record

UC is one road of many — the full destination mix for the class of 2023 is below. And who applied isn't who the school taught: the ratio between the two reflects the self-selected pool of students who chose to apply, not what happened in the classroom. By the state's 2023 count, 84% of this class's predecessors enrolled in college somewhere within a year. More of the class of 2023 enrolled at community colleges (147) than at UC (32).

Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle · college-going rate: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 25:1, district 23:125:1
Teaching staff81 teachers
Avg. experience18.4 years
Fully credentialed93%
First-year teachers1%
Intern / emergency permit1.3%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$55,375 – $124,275
Principal salaryUp to $187,294
Superintendent salary$300,404

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP exam qualifiers257 studentsCCI, participation not authorization
CTE pathway completers60 students
Advanced Coursework

Point Loma's teachers are authorized to teach 20 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers — above the 14-subject median among California schools that offer AP at all — including Calculus AB, Physics 1, and Statistics.

AP subjects taught20
Math & Computer Science (3)Calculus AB · Precalculus · Statistics
Sciences (4)Biology · Chemistry · Environmental Science · Physics 1
English (2)English Language and Composition · English Literature and Composition
History & Social Science (6)European History · Human Geography · Psychology · U.S. Government and Politics · United States History · World History: Modern
World Languages & Cultures (1)Spanish Language and Culture
Arts (4)2-D Art and Design · Art History · Drawing · Music Theory

Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, 2025 - 2026 audit year (authorization, not enrollment) · IB World Schools directory, name-matched · structural depth: 2020-21 federal snapshot, table 09

What gets spent here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $17,567, CA average $14,491$17,567 · spent at this school

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.

Federal share$756 per student

$756 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$21,967 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
Instruction63%
Instruction support12%
Student services12%
Administration5%
Buildings & maintenance7%
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$15,976 per pupil
2019$14,540 per pupil
2018$14,457 per pupil
2017$11,416 per pupil
2016$11,708 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Context — never part of the Scope Score
White49.6%
District 22.9% · CA 19.9%
Hispanic34.9%
District 47.0% · CA 56.1%
Other10.4%
District 13.8% · CA 9.0%
Asian2.5%
District 8.7% · CA 10.2%
Black2.5%
District 7.5% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 43.3% (20pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$143K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.52M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+63% · CA 35%
ZIP population21,651
Median age37 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 46% 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.

Frequently asked questions

Is Point Loma High a good high school?

Point Loma High has a Scope Score of 64 out of 100, placing it in the 89th percentile of California high schools and ranked #228 statewide. 29.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 13.4 percentage points above 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 Point Loma High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 60.3% of students at Point Loma High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 29.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 31.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 29.2% 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. 801 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Point Loma High rank in California?

Point Loma High ranks #228 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 89th 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 Point Loma High?

14.4% of students at Point Loma 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 2.3%. 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 Point Loma High compare to other schools in San Diego?

Point Loma High scores 64/100 (89th 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 1,724 students. Use the schools in San Diego page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Point Loma High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Point Loma High in San Diego, 61.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Point Loma High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 19.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (35.5% Math proficient); White students (76.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 31.3 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 169 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.

What AP courses are offered at Point Loma High?

Point Loma High's teachers are authorized to teach 20 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers, per the 2025 - 2026 AP Course Audit: 2-D Art and Design, Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, Chemistry, Drawing, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, European History, Human Geography, Music Theory, Physics 1, Precalculus, Psychology, Spanish Language and Culture, Statistics, U.S. Government and Politics, United States History, World History: Modern. Authorization means the school may teach a course, not that a section is running this year, and it's separate from AP exam pass rates. Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, analyzed by SchoolScope.

How many students from Point Loma High go to UC?

In fall 2025, 43 Point Loma High graduates enrolled at University of California campuses, universitywide. That figure can't be split into a per-campus sum — students apply to several UC campuses at once, so campus-level counts don't add up to the universitywide total. UC is one destination among many: this says nothing about graduates who chose a CSU, a private college, a community college, or work, and it is a count, not a rate or a ranking. Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle.

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.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

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

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
95.7%
↑ vs CA 86.6% · 60th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
29.2%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 64th pctile
College readiness · 20%
81.8%
↑ vs CA 33.9% · 77th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
60.3%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 68th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
14.4%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 63th pctile
▼ 3.2pp lower vs 2024
Suspension rate · 5%
2.3%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 56th pctile
▲ 0.3pp higher vs 2024
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
20.5%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 57th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1139936%34%19%11%70%+23
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1140223%28%20%29%51%+27

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

Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Schoolwide41114%32%48%6%

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 Disadvantaged16961.5%+19+23
White21076.2%+1+14
Hispanic/Latino12459.7%+19+21
03Nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Point Loma High ←—6429.2%60.3%—2.3%
High Tech High International0.8 mi6026.9%58.1%—2.2%
High Tech High0.8 mi5423.3%48.8%—1.9%
High Tech High Media Arts0.6 mi315.7%20.9%—4.2%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
95.7%
AP Exam Prepared
81.8%
A-G Completion
78.7%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
84.0%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20196385#30624.0%50.2%12.7%2.0%—
20226186#29023.1%48.7%28.9%1.0%—
20235985#32722.7%45.5%21.2%2.0%—
20245883#37118.2%44.9%17.7%2.0%—
20256489#22829.2%60.3%14.4%2.3%—
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
Female12.8%14.6%+1.8pp
Male11.7%13.1%+1.4pp
Asian8.1%11.4%+3.3pp
Black/African American22.4%24.4%+2.0pp
White5.0%8.7%+3.7pp
Hispanic/Latino12.2%16.1%+3.9pp
Two or More Races12.2%17.6%+5.4pp
Students with Disabilities20.3%21.7%+1.4pp
English Learners17.1%27.1%+10.0pp
Homeless25.0%34.5%+9.5pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged14.7%18.6%+3.9pp
All Students12.2%13.8%+1.6pp
06UC admissions, universitywide2014–2025 · summed across CEEB codes at query time
YearAppliedAdmittedEnrolledGPA (applied)GPA (admitted)GPA (enrolled)
2025158104433.974.094.23
202415298434.024.164.23
202314478354.034.164.25
2022171100484.044.164.16
2021164103573.994.134.23
202013991464.014.174.19
2019175117603.974.134.15
201815287503.864.094.12
201715482443.874.154.18
2016158111593.904.044.06
201514287383.904.044.11
201412574513.874.074.13

‹n = UC masks counts below n · a missing year means zero or masked — never assume zero · GPA cells blank for years with more than one contributing CEEB code (a summed GPA would be fabricated math) · GPAs live here and nowhere else on this page · Applied/Admitted/Enrolled reflect who applied, not what the school taught — no admit rate is computed or implied by this table. Series shown from 2014; full record to 1994 at the UC Infocenter.

07UC admissions by campuslatest falls on file
CampusYearAppliedAdmittedEnrolled
Berkeley20258673
Berkeley20246895
Berkeley202370146
Berkeley202283104
Berkeley202179134
Davis202574276
Davis202478357
Davis202351176
Davis202271287
Davis202172388
Irvine2025699‹3
Irvine202470113
Irvine2023583‹3
Irvine202274143
Irvine20216012‹3
Los Angeles20259385
Los Angeles20248897
Los Angeles20238975
Los Angeles2022111126
Los Angeles20211051310
Merced20251614‹3
Merced202498‹3
Merced202388‹3
Merced202214134
Merced20211514‹3
Riverside20252622‹3
Riverside20242520‹3
Riverside20232016‹3
Riverside202222163
Riverside20212210‹3
San Diego2025100239
San Diego2024100216
San Diego202394175
San Diego2022108228
San Diego20211034312
Santa Barbara20251092410
Santa Barbara2024106387
Santa Barbara2023101206
Santa Barbara2022113246
Santa Barbara20211173510
Santa Cruz202579647
Santa Cruz202473546
Santa Cruz202374437
Santa Cruz202292327
Santa Cruz202180428
Universitywide202515810443
Universitywide20241529843
Universitywide20231447835
Universitywide202217110048
Universitywide202116410357

Σ campuses ≠ universitywide — students apply to several campuses; the Universitywide row (muted) is its own independent count, never a sum of the rows above it.

08AP course catalog2025 - 2026
SubjectTaught by
2-D Art and Designthis school
Art Historythis school
Biologythis school
Calculus ABthis school
Chemistrythis school
Drawingthis school
English Language and Compositionthis school
English Literature and Compositionthis school
Environmental Sciencethis school
European Historythis school
Human Geographythis school
Music Theorythis school
Physics 1this school
Precalculusthis school
Psychologythis school
Spanish Language and Culturethis school
Statisticsthis school
U.S. Government and Politicsthis school
United States Historythis school
World History: Modernthis school

Authorization ≠ a section running this year — the Ledger records what the school may teach, not seat counts.

09Advanced coursework — 2020-21 federal civil-rights snapshotstructural, dated — newest published; biennial
MeasureThis school
AP offeredoffered
AP course count16
AP enrollment671
IB participationnot offered
Dual enrollmentoffered · 171 enrolled
Algebra I in grade 8not reported
Calculus sections0
Physics sections18
Chemistry sections16
Total enrollment (CRDC)1,772

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.

10College destinationsclass of 2023 · CDE 12-mo College-Going Rate
DestinationCompleters% (derived)
University of California328.4%
California State University7218.9%
California community college14738.5%
In-state private133.4%
Out-of-state, 4-year5714.9%
Out-of-state, 2-year00.0%
Not enrolled6116.0%

382 completers, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 84% · % 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.

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 · UC Infocenter (annual refresh, summer) — ‹5/‹3 = masked, never summed across campuses · AP Course Ledger 2025 - 2026 (November refresh; authorization not enrollment) · CRDC 2020-21 (biennial; next expected 2021-22) · CDE 12-mo CGR 2023 cohort, National Student Clearinghouse match · 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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