Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

El Cerrito High

Q: Is El Cerrito High a good school?

El Cerrito High ranks 931 st of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

931^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 57% of California high schools

Summary

El Cerrito High is a mid-sized public high school serving about 1,460 students in grades 9-12 within the West Contra Costa Unified district, notable for its strong graduation rate of 93.5% which outperforms its own district and the state average.

While the school excels at keeping students on track to graduate and has a lower chronic absenteeism rate than many neighboring schools, its standardized test scores in English and Math are currently below state averages, and its statewide ranking has declined recently. The school serves an economically diverse community, with about 39% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and it operates with significantly less funding per student than most nearby schools, including Albany High and Berkeley High.

Compared to other schools in its district, like John F. Kennedy High and Greenwood Academy, El Cerrito High is a higher performer, but it faces a challenge in ensuring all student subgroups are supported equitably, as performance gaps exist. Its ability to graduate students at a high rate, even with moderate test scores and lower funding, suggests effective systems for student support and persistence.

1,460

Students ?

24.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

39%

Free/discounted lunch ?

540 Ashbury Ave.
El Cerrito, CA 94530-3299

(510) 231-1437

District: West Contra Costa Unified

Feeder schools for El Cerrito High:

Elementary:	Fairmont Elementary
	Harding Elementary
	Kensington Elementary
	Madera Elementary
	More...
	Mira Vista Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

31.8%

White:

27.9%

Asian:

15.7%

See top rated California high schools

Compare El Cerrito High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 80th percentile in 2023 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Above the California median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (36% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 80th-percentile peak (2023) to 57th (2025)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg28%

California avg41%

931^st of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From top 36% (2015) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 8High Schools in the West Contra Costa Unified

1110^th of 1,543West Contra Costa Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.3	931 of 2162	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.4	572 of 2159	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	77.6	439 of 2170	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	72.5	491 of 2123	76.9%	★★★★☆
2019	57.5	801 of 2133	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.3	969 of 2017	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	48.0	1068 of 2021	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	51.3	989 of 2039	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.6	715 of 1994	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	30.8	1295 of 2426	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	32.9	1236 of 2354	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	30.7	1292 of 2367	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	29.1	1298 of 2281	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	37.1	1116 of 2238	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	34.8	1050 of 2117	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	37.5	943 of 2063	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	40.6	827 of 1968	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	36.1	895 of 1901	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	29.1	954 of 1653	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.3	387 of 523	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.6	479 of 517	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	45.6	241 of 521	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.8	336 of 522	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.9	429 of 592	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	493 of 582	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.6	513 of 585	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.2	444 of 573	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.4	406 of 591	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.9	399 of 581	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	11.0	523 of 582	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.0	499 of 581	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	49.8	398 of 1161	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	78.5	151 of 1117	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	65.7	234 of 1052	77.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	43.0	512 of 1085	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.3	326 of 1064	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.3	466 of 1044	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.0	330 of 941	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.6	436 of 938	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.5	737 of 1906	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.2	711 of 1915	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.9	445 of 1915	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	71.7	437 of 1858	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	53.8	761 of 1833	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	803 of 1760	54.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.9	1147 of 1900	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.9	1080 of 1902	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	73.0	431 of 1917	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	58.6	643 of 1861	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.9	1041 of 1814	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.1	1181 of 1742	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.6	1020 of 2013	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.5	1225 of 2026	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	71.4	455 of 2030	77.6%	★★★★☆
2022	44.6	997 of 1943	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.9	1228 of 1937	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.2	1118 of 1862	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.7	985 of 1942	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	73.1	468 of 1948	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	76.7	414 of 1963	78.9%	★★★★☆
2022	68.7	517 of 1916	73.0%	★★★★☆
2019	54.6	770 of 1880	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.9	1031 of 1834	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.5	237 of 577	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.5	376 of 574	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.6	400 of 515	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.9	680 of 1252	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.4	433 of 1216	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.2	382 of 1197	68.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.1	415 of 1155	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	83.7	157 of 1173	86.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.2	207 of 1193	82.6%	★★★★☆
2022	80.4	199 of 1204	83.5%	★★★★☆
2019	70.0	338 of 1222	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	58.8	546 of 1173	53.5%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2022)66th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)64th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)61st percentile+4 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)59th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)53rd percentile-21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2025)49th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2025)46th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)40th percentile-17 vs school

African American (2025)26th percentile-31 vs school

Asian (2025)12th percentile-45 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy45%-4 vs state

Science32%~ state avg

Mathematics30%-8 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate El Cerrito High and help other families decide.

Rate El Cerrito High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near El Cerrito High

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
El Cerrito High	Public	9-12	540 Ashbury Ave.	El Cerrito	94530	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1437	1,460	61	24.0	39.0%	407 (27.9%)	211 (14.5%)	464 (31.8%)	229 (15.7%)	2 (0.1%)	11 (0.8%)	126 (8.6%)	55.3	931^st of 2162 public high schools	56.9%		69.4	572^nd of 2159 public high schools	73.5%	359		32.2		32.2			44.9	44.9			29.6	29.6
Invictus Academy of Richmond	Public, Charter	7-12	7150 Portola Dr.	El Cerrito	94530	Contra Costa County	Invictus Academy of Richmond District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 994-0888	403	24	16.4	78.9%	21 (5.2%)	47 (11.7%)	300 (74.4%)	13 (3.2%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	17 (4.2%)	50.3	1037^th of 2162 public high schools	52.0%		34.1	1393^rd of 2159 public high schools	35.5%	356	14.1	28.8		20.1	37.3	42.3	45.0	41.6	20.3	14.1	25.4	19.4	$32,900	$31,842	$1,058
Albany High	Public	9-12	603 Key Route Blvd.	Albany	94706	Alameda County	Albany City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 558-2500	1,122	59	18.8	31.0%	318 (28.3%)	47 (4.2%)	185 (16.5%)	368 (32.8%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	189 (16.8%)	97.5	46^th of 2162 public high schools	97.9%		97.4	55^th of 2159 public high schools	97.5%	9		70.9	59.1	65.0			83.0	83.0			73.0	73.0	$26,317	$25,270	$1,047
MacGregor High (Continuation)	Public	10-12	603 Key Route Blvd.	Albany	94706	Alameda County	Albany City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 559-6570	4	1	6.4		1 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (50.0%)	1 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Summit Public School K2	Public, Charter	7-12	1800 Elm St.	El Cerrito	94530	Contra Costa County	Summit Public School K2 District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 374-4093	554	25	22.1	81.9%	12 (2.2%)	74 (13.4%)	418 (75.5%)	24 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	21 (3.8%)	61.3	787^th of 2162 public high schools	63.6%		53.9	907^th of 2159 public high schools	58.0%	120	6.3	43.4		22.7	17.1	18.2	60.0	31.0	20.0	8.5	16.5	14.5
John F. Kennedy High	Public	9-12	4300 Cutting Blvd.	Richmond	94804	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1433	740	38	19.2	59.9%	8 (1.1%)	108 (14.6%)	557 (75.3%)	35 (4.7%)	7 (0.9%)	11 (1.5%)	11 (1.5%)	13.2	1875^th of 2162 public high schools	13.3%		16.2	1783^rd of 2159 public high schools	17.4%	92		1.8	0.0	1.5			15.7	15.7			8.8	8.8
Berkeley High	Public	9-12	1980 Allston Way	Berkeley	94704	Alameda County	Berkeley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 644-6120	3,218	175	18.4	24.8%	1,334 (41.5%)	361 (11.2%)	733 (22.8%)	279 (8.7%)	5 (0.2%)	9 (0.3%)	481 (14.9%)	89.1	215^th of 2162 public high schools	90.1%		91	199^th of 2159 public high schools	90.8%	16							70.7	70.7			57.6	57.6	$24,999	$24,694	$305
John Henry High	Public, Charter	9-12	1402 Marina Way South	Richmond	94804	Contra Costa County	John Henry High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 235-2439	333	12	27.7	86.2%	13 (3.9%)	12 (3.6%)	298 (89.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.1%)	39.4	1275^th of 2162 public high schools	41.0%		30.7	1472^nd of 2159 public high schools	31.8%	197		17.4		17.4			29.6	29.6			31.8	31.8	$37,370	$37,370	$00
Berkeley Technology Academy	Public	10-12	2701 Martin Luther King Jr. Wa	Berkeley	94704	Alameda County	Berkeley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 644-6159	54	6	9.1	55.6%	5 (9.3%)	29 (53.7%)	14 (25.9%)	1 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (9.3%)	11.3	1949^th of 2162 public high schools	9.9%		8.6	2137^th of 2159 public high schools	1.0%	188							18.2	18.2			0.0	0.0	$78,635	$76,796	$1,839
Greenwood Academy	Public	9-12	831 Chanslor Ave.	Richmond	94801	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1402	200	11	17.8	93.5%	9 (4.5%)	48 (24.0%)	126 (63.0%)	5 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	8 (4.0%)	8.3	2103^rd of 2162 public high schools	2.7%		9.2	2115^th of 2159 public high schools	2.0%	12		0.0	0.0	0.0			4.0	4.0			1.4	1.4

Frequently Asked Questions about El Cerrito High

What schools feed into El Cerrito High?

El Cerrito High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Fairmont Elementary
Elementary : Harding Elementary
Elementary : Kensington Elementary
Elementary : Madera Elementary
Elementary : Mira Vista Elementary

What is the racial makeup of El Cerrito High?

Students at El Cerrito High are 32% Hispanic, 28% White, 16% Asian, 14% African American, 9% Two or more races.

Is El Cerrito High a good school?

El Cerrito High ranks 931^st of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is El Cerrito High in?

West Contra Costa Unified

How many students attend El Cerrito High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,460 students attended El Cerrito High.

Rate El Cerrito High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia High School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in El Cerrito, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for El Cerrito High!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.