School district · San Diego County

San Diego Unified schools

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Schools around San Diego Unified

197 listed public schools with mapped locations

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School locations, not attendance boundaries. Confirm eligibility with the district.

2025 · school stage

Elementary schools

San Diego Unified’s 135 public elementary schools run from the bottom 1% to the 98th percentile among the 5,721 California elementary schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

See how these schools sit across California
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
31Needs Support
30Developing
34Solid
40Strong
Top row: one dot per San Diego Unified school, in its band colour. Bottom: each dot is 1 in 100 of the 5,721 California public elementary schools we score. All placed by Scope Score on spring 2025 tests.

Highest in San Diego Unified

Statewide percentile

La Jolla, Dingeman and Scripps are within 1 percentile of each other; treat them as tied.

Context

The average San Diego Unified elementary school had 20 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2024–25; the average California elementary school had 18 in 100.

Show the other 125 elementary schools

The other 125 elementary schools

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Also in San Diego Unified, not ranked with these schools

2025 · school stage

Middle schools

San Diego Unified’s 54 public middle schools run from the 1st to the 97th percentile among the 2,177 California middle schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

See how these schools sit across California
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
12Needs Support
12Developing
10Solid
20Strong
Top row: one dot per San Diego Unified school, in its band colour. Bottom: each dot is 1 in 100 of the 2,177 California public middle schools we score. All placed by Scope Score on spring 2025 tests.

Highest in San Diego Unified

Statewide percentile

Elevate and Marshall Middle are at the same percentile; treat that as a tie.

Context

The average San Diego Unified middle school had 19 in 100 students chronically absent in 2024–25; the average California middle school had 18 in 100.

Show the other 44 middle schools

The other 44 middle schools

Also in San Diego Unified, not ranked with these schools

2025 · school stage

High schools

San Diego Unified’s 31 public high schools run from the 13th to the 97th percentile among the 1,500 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

See how these schools sit across California
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
Needs Support25 in 100Developing25 in 100Solid25 in 100Strong25 in 100
4Needs Support
5Developing
7Solid
15Strong
Top row: one dot per San Diego Unified school, in its band colour. Bottom: each dot is 1 in 100 of the 1,500 California public high schools we score. All placed by Scope Score on spring 2025 tests.

Highest in San Diego Unified

Statewide percentile

Preuss School UCSD and Mt. Everest Academy are 1 percentile apart; treat that as a tie.

Context

The average San Diego Unified high school had 19 in 100 students chronically absent in 2024–25; the average California high school had 23 in 100.

Show the other 21 high schools

The other 21 high schools

Also in San Diego Unified, not ranked with these schools

  • Twain HighContinuation high school: compared only with other continuation schools
  • Garfield HighContinuation high school: compared only with other continuation schools
District context

Understand the system around the school

The district behind the schools

Spending, FY 2024–25

District finance · FY 2024–25

Where the district's dollars go.

San Diego Unified spent $21,967 per student in FY 2024–25 — close to the median California district ($20,491). About 63 cents of every dollar goes to classroom instruction.

Current expense per student

Current expense of education per unit of average daily attendance, from the district's annual SACS filing to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus. Spending is context, not a measure of school quality.

Share by function

  • Instruction63%
  • Instruction support12%
  • Student services12%
  • Administration5%
  • Buildings & maintenance7%
  • Other1%

Shares of the same current-expense total, by SACS function. Names are simplified from the filing's own categories.

Students, staff and money

The system behind the schools

The people behind the classrooms — district-grain context that never enters a school's score.

People
Teacher salary range$55,375–$124,275
Teaching staff1,693 · FTE
District enrollment97,968 · students
Who attends
Hispanic 49.7% · White 21.7% · Black 8.1% · Asian 7.4% · Other 13.1%
Free/reduced lunch63% · economic need indicator

CDE Form J-90 salary schedule 2024–25 · CDE enrollment (district averages)

More places to look

Cities in the district

Districts nearby

A district outline or ZIP code doesn’t decide which school a child attends. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district. See these schools on the map ›

Common questions

Are the public schools in San Diego Unified good?
San Diego Unified’s 135 public elementary schools run from the bottom 1% to the 98th percentile among the 5,721 California elementary schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 40 Strong, 34 Solid, 30 Developing and 31 Needs Support. San Diego Unified’s 54 public middle schools run from the 1st to the 97th percentile among the 2,177 California middle schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 20 Strong, 10 Solid, 12 Developing and 12 Needs Support. San Diego Unified’s 31 public high schools run from the 13th to the 97th percentile among the 1,500 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 15 Strong, 7 Solid, 5 Developing and 4 Needs Support. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score; it isn’t a grade. How we score schools.
Which public schools in San Diego Unified rank highest?
Elementary: La Jolla Elementary, 98th percentile statewide (Strong). Middle: Mt. Everest Academy, 97th percentile statewide (Strong). High: Scripps Ranch High, 97th percentile statewide (Strong). Each level is ranked separately, and a few percentiles apart is a tie. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.
How does chronic absence in San Diego Unified compare with California?
The average San Diego Unified elementary school had 20 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2024–25; the average California elementary school had 18 in 100. The average San Diego Unified middle school had 19 in 100 students chronically absent in 2024–25; the average California middle school had 18 in 100. The average San Diego Unified high school had 19 in 100 students chronically absent in 2024–25; the average California high school had 23 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.
Does living in San Diego Unified decide which school my child attends?
Not by itself. Attendance boundaries, programs, transfers and space all matter. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district.
Where do these results come from?
California’s state tests (CAASPP) from spring 2025 and chronic-absence rates for 2024–25, both published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations, not official state ratings. Private schools don’t take the state tests, so we don’t score them. Methodology and limitations.

Sources & methodology

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25

Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations, not official state ratings. Use them alongside school visits and questions about your child’s needs.

View CDE data ↗How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV) · free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution