How does South El Monte High compare to other high schools in South El Monte?

South El Monte High has a Scope Score of 55/100, ranked #795 among California high schools. 13% of students exceed standard, with a total of 568 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at South El Monte High?

12.9% of students at South El Monte High exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 35.1% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at South El Monte High?

19.8% of students at South El Monte High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in the Scope Score.

South El Monte High

High School

El Monte Union HighSouth El Monte, Los Angeles County91733

📍 1001 Durfee Avenue 📞 (626) 258-5600 🌐 Website

Scope Score

out of 100

State Rank

of 1,649 California high schools

🌱

Building Momentum

Every school has strengths the data doesn’t fully capture. Visit and see for yourself.

Resources alone aren't driving results yet — deeper challenges may be at play

Scope Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

Score Factors

Helping

✓Graduation rate: 92.6%

5.2pp above state avg (state avg 87.4%)

25% weight

✓College readiness: 51.1%

AP exam pass rate above state avg (state avg 35.3%)

20% weight

✓Met or exceeded: 35.1%

0.4pp above state avg (state avg 34.8%)

15% weight

✓Chronic absenteeism: 19.8%

14.5pp below state avg (state avg 34.3%)

10% weight

✓Baseline proficiency: 35.1%

Above state baseline (state avg 34.8%)

5% weight

✓Suspension rate: 1.7%

2.4pp below state avg (state avg 4.1%)

5% weight

Holding Back

▼Exceeded standard: 12.9%

2.8pp below state avg (state avg 15.7%)

20% weight

Unlike traditional school ratings, we show our work. Every factor, its weight, and how this school compares to the state average — so you can decide what matters most to your family. The high school Scope Score is weighted across 7 dimensions. See full methodology →

College & career readiness

Graduation Rate

92.6%

AP Exam Prepared

51.1%

A-G Completion

54.5%

College-Going Rate

77.9%

Data source: California Department of Education — ACGR, CCI, CGR reports

5-year trend

↓ 4.7 points since 2019

Rank: #683 → #646 → #889 → #798 → #795Exceeded: 13% → 16% → 10% → 13% → 13%

2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · No testing 2020–21 (COVID) · Scope Score based on CAASPP, absenteeism & suspension data

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

12.9%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

35.1%

Students meeting standard

Chronic Absenteeism

19.8%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

1.7%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

568

Across all grades & subjects

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
11th	283	21.6%	35.7%	23.0%	19.8%	57.2%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
11th	285	4.2%	8.8%	28.4%	58.6%	13.0%

Science (CAST)

Level	%
Exceeded	3.1%
Met	6.3%
Nearly Met	53.1%
Not Met	37.5%
Met+	9.4%

32 students tested · CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually like ELA/Math. Not included in the Scope Score. · Data source: CDE CAST 2025

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "35% proficient" for South El Monte High and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

12.9% of students exceeded standard while 22.2% met it. That exceeded rate is 2.8 points below the state average of 15.7%. That's 4.6 points below the El Monte Union High district average of 17.5%. The 1 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 27.7% exceeded — 14.8 points higher. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

The graduation rate is 92.6% — above the state target. 54.5% of students complete A-G requirements for UC/CSU eligibility — a strong college readiness signal. 77.9% of graduates go on to college within a year.

Chronic absenteeism is 19.8%, better than the state average of 34.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →