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San Ysidro High · San Diego

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

San Ysidro posts 34.3% meeting the standard — versus 35.7% 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.

5353 Airway Road, 92154 (opens in new tab)·Sweetwater Union High·San Diego·Grades 9-12·1,941 students·78% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(619) 710-2300·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4944
% Exceeded13%16%
% Met+34%36%
Grad rate90.3%87.6%
College readiness76.1%35.4%
Absence26.2%30.2%
Suspension6.1%3.6%
Scope Score
49
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #851 statewide · #11 of 16 in Sweetwater Union High

San Ysidro High scores 49 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 61st 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.

Most rating sites would stop at “34% proficient” and call it done. San Ysidro deserves a closer read. The school sits in San Diego, where three in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

San Ysidro's low-income kids hit 50.6% 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 stayed near the 61st percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathYellow(Declined Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 34% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1143%40%33%34%55%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1123%17%17%14%14%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
34%
State 36%
Graduate
90%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
76%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 34 are proficient by 11th grade → 90 graduate → 76 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

50.6%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

San Ysidro's most underrated number

50.6% 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.

San Ysidro low-income: 50.6%State low-income: 38.2%San Ysidro EL: 22.4%State EL: 10.4%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
90.3%
State 87.6%
2.7pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
12.8%
State 15.8%
3.0pp below state avg
College readiness
76.1%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
34.3%
State 35.7%
1.4pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
26.2%
State 30.2%
4.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
6.1%
State 3.6%
2.5pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
15.8%
State 18.0%
2.1pp 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 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 San Ysidro High in San Diego, 50.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. San Ysidro High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 8.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (52.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 32.2 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 324 students tested.

All students at this school: 34% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 34%, district —, state 36%34%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 32%, district 34%, state 32%32% · −2 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 31%, district 32%, state 32%31% · −3 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 37%, district 42%, state 44%37% · +3 vs school
MaleMale: this school 31%, district 40%, state 42%31% · −3 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 15%, district 7%, state 11%15% · −20 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 12%, district 13%, state 15%12% · −23 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 38%, district 53%, state 56%38% · +3 vs school
FilipinoFilipino: this school 74%, district 71%, state 65%74% · +39 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 21%, district 21%, state 22%21% · −14 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 30%, district 39%, state 26%30% · −4 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: too few students to report‹11
AsianAsian: too few students to report‹11
Military-ConnectedMilitary-Connected: too few students to report‹11
Pacific IslanderPacific Islander: too few students to report‹11
this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 26.2%, district 27.3%, state 30.2%26.2% · −4.0pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 6.1%, district —, state 3.6%6.1% · +2.5pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1226.0%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
No feeder data available for this level
High School
San Ysidro High
49/100
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 23:1, district 23:123:1
Teaching staff86 teachers
Avg. experience15.2 years
Fully credentialed85%
First-year teachers3%
Intern / emergency permit0.4%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$55,375 – $124,275
Principal salary$0 – $187,294
Superintendent salary$300,404

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered31
AP exam qualifiers156 students
CTE pathway completers15 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $4,025, CA average $14,815$4,025 · 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$1,299 per student

$1,299 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$18,370 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
Instruction58%
Instruction support16%
Student services8%
Administration8%
Buildings & maintenance8%
Other2%

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

Hispanic89.4%
District 72.2% · CA 56.1%
Other4.6%
District 12.9% · CA 9.0%
White3.3%
District 9.5% · CA 19.9%
Black2.2%
District 3.4% · CA 4.8%
Asian0.5%
District 2.0% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 78.3% (15pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$95K · CA $85K
Median home value$639K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+22% · CA 35%
ZIP population80,445
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), 18% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is San Ysidro High a good high school?

San Ysidro High has a Scope Score of 49 out of 100, placing it in the 61st percentile of California high schools and ranked #851 statewide. 12.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 3.0 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 San Ysidro High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 34.3% of students at San Ysidro High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 12.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 21.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 12.8% 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. 879 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does San Ysidro High rank in California?

San Ysidro High ranks #851 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 61st 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 San Ysidro High?

26.2% of students at San Ysidro 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 6.1%. 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 San Ysidro High compare to other schools in San Diego?

San Ysidro High scores 49/100 (61st 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 1,941 students. Use the schools in San Diego page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does San Ysidro High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At San Ysidro High in San Diego, 50.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. San Ysidro High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 8.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (52.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 32.2 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 324 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

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%
90.3%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 53th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
12.8%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 47th pctile
College readiness · 20%
76.1%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 74th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
34.3%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 49th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
26.2%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 53th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
6.1%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 39th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
15.8%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 49th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1144121%34%21%25%55%+7
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 114385%9%19%67%14%−9
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/114873%15%65%17%

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 Disadvantaged32450.6%+8+12
Hispanic/Latino36452.5%+8+14
English Learners16722.4%+14+12
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
San Ysidro High ←4912.8%34.3%6.1%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
90.3%
AP Exam Prepared
76.1%
A-G Completion
41.3%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
61.3%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195366#70415.0%33.2%18.2%4.6%
20224964#75110.9%28.4%36.2%1.9%
20234656#9438.4%24.9%36.9%5.4%
20244655#9658.2%24.4%25.3%7.4%
20254961#85112.8%34.3%26.2%6.1%
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
Female17.9%25.5%+7.6pp
Male18.0%26.6%+8.6pp
Asian7.7%
Black/African American19.1%14.6%-4.5pp
White6.0%2.0%-4.0pp
Hispanic/Latino18.5%27.8%+9.3pp
American Indian/Alaska Native38.5%
Two or More Races8.0%11.1%+3.1pp
Students with Disabilities29.2%39.1%+9.9pp
English Learners21.0%33.7%+12.7pp
Homeless42.9%41.8%-1.1pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged18.7%28.0%+9.3pp
All Students18.0%26.0%+8.0pp
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