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Southwest High · El Centro

Southwest High: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

Southwest posts 37% meeting the standard against 36% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

2001 Ocotillo Drive, 92243 (opens in new tab)·Central Union High·El Centro·Grades 9-12·1,846 students·72% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(760) 336-4100·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4644
% Exceeded15%16%
% Met+37%36%
Grad rate96.1%87.6%
College readiness28.1%35.4%
Absence19.8%30.2%
Suspension2.8%3.6%
Scope Score
46
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,035 statewide · #2 of 3 in Central Union High

Southwest High scores 46 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 52nd 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 “37% proficient” and call it done. Southwest deserves a closer read. The school sits in El Centro, where two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has stayed near the 52nd percentile since 2019.

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

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 37% meet the standard today, versus 44% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1163%69%55%56%53%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1125%24%26%18%21%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
37%
State 36%
Graduate
96%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
28%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 37 are proficient by 11th grade → 96 graduate → 28 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
96.1%
State 87.6%
8.5pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
14.7%
State 15.8%
1.1pp below state avg
College readiness
28.1%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
37.0%
State 35.7%
1.3pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
19.8%
State 30.2%
10.4pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.8%
State 3.6%
0.8pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
13.1%
State 18.0%
4.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

  • Ask what share of students complete the full college-prep course sequence, and who gets steered into it.
  • 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 Southwest High in El Centro, 48.2% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 43.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Southwest High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (52.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 48.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 308 students tested.

All students at this school: 37% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 37%, district —, state 36%37%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 36%, district 33%, state 32%36% · −1 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 32%, district 29%, state 32%32% · −5 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 42%, district 36%, state 44%42% · +5 vs school
MaleMale: this school 32%, district 31%, state 42%32% · −5 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 3%, district 3%, state 11%3% · −34 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 10%, district 8%, state 15%10% · −27 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 50%, district 48%, state 56%50% · +13 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 23%, district 28%, state 22%23% · −14 vs school
AsianAsian: too few students to report‹11
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: too few students to report‹11
Foster YouthFoster Youth: 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 19.8%, district 29.7%, state 30.2%19.8% · −10.4pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 2.8%, district —, state 3.6%2.8% · −0.8pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1219.4%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 20:1, district 20:120:1
Teaching staff97 teachers
Avg. experience14.2 years
Fully credentialed84%
First-year teachers5%
Intern / emergency permit1.6%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$70,961 – $163,382
Principal salary$0 – $203,460
Superintendent salary$227,678

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered10
AP exam qualifiers61 students
CTE pathway completers111 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $20,486, CA average $14,815$20,486 · spent at this school
Federal share$1,218 per student

$1,218 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$20,691 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 support11%
Student services10%
Administration7%
Buildings & maintenance12%
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$14,577 per pupil
2019$13,337 per pupil
2018$13,804 per pupil
2017$12,429 per pupil
2016$11,768 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic95.6%
District 95.9% · CA 56.1%
White2.9%
District 2.5% · CA 19.9%
Asian1.0%
District 0.6% · CA 10.2%
Black0.3%
District 0.7% · CA 4.8%
Other0.2%
District 0.3% · CA 9.0%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 72.1% (8pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$55K · CA $85K
Median home value$318K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+15% · CA 35%
ZIP population49,069
Median age31 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 26% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Southwest High a good high school?

Southwest High has a Scope Score of 46 out of 100, placing it in the 52nd percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,035 statewide. 14.7% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near 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 Southwest High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 37.0% of students at Southwest High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 14.7% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 22.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 14.7% 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. 863 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Southwest High rank in California?

Southwest High ranks #1,035 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 52nd 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 Southwest High?

19.8% of students at Southwest 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 2.8%. 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 Southwest High compare to other schools in El Centro?

Southwest High scores 46/100 (52nd 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 1,846 students. Use the schools in El Centro page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

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

At Southwest High in El Centro, 48.2% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 43.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Southwest High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (52.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 48.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 308 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 El Centro →

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%
96.1%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 60th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
14.7%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 49th pctile
College readiness · 20%
28.1%
↓ vs CA 35.4% · 46th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
37.0%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 51th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
19.8%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 58th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.8%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 54th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
13.1%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 45th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1143123%31%23%24%53%+6
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 114327%14%29%51%21%−3
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/114197%19%67%8%

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 Disadvantaged30848.2%+4+10
Hispanic/Latino41552.4%+4+14
English Learners765.3%−1−5
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Southwest High ←—4614.7%37.0%—2.8%
Central Union High1.2 mi4811.4%33.9%—1.9%
Desert Oasis High (Continuation)1.7 mi240.7%11.0%—4.4%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
96.1%
AP Exam Prepared
28.1%
A-G Completion
50.0%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
83.5%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195057#87514.1%43.7%8.9%3.2%—
20225067#69419.4%46.4%26.0%3.2%—
20234862#81018.4%40.1%19.9%4.9%—
20244758#90615.6%36.9%17.1%4.2%—
20254652#103514.7%37.0%19.8%2.8%—
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
Female9.6%21.0%+11.4pp
Male7.2%17.7%+10.5pp
Asian15.0%0.0%-15.0pp
Black/African American8.3%——
Hispanic/Latino8.3%19.7%+11.4pp
Students with Disabilities16.1%26.7%+10.6pp
English Learners10.8%26.0%+15.2pp
Foster Youth0.0%——
Homeless24.0%41.4%+17.4pp
Military-Connected9.8%23.2%+13.4pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged9.6%22.2%+12.6pp
All Students8.4%19.4%+11.0pp
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

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