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University City High

Public Grades 9-12

210^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 90% of California high schools

Summary

University City High is a large, comprehensive public high school serving approximately 1,465 students in grades 9-12 within the diverse San Diego Unified district, consistently ranking among the top 10% of California high schools for over a decade.

The school excels at delivering excellent and equitable results, boasting a near-perfect 99% graduation rate and very low dropout rate while serving a student body where nearly half qualify for free or reduced lunch. It stands out for its exceptional support for special education students and its cost-effective operation, achieving better outcomes than many nearby schools like Clairemont High and Madison High while spending less per student. While its English Language Arts proficiency is strong, its mathematics scores are an area for improvement, lagging behind neighbors such as La Jolla High and Mission Bay High.

University City High maintains remarkable consistency in a competitive landscape that includes specialized schools like Preuss School UCSD and High Technical High Mesa. It also shows stronger student engagement through lower chronic absenteeism than district and state averages. The school's sustained, high-level performance across a diverse student population makes it a model of reliable excellence in the region.

1,465

Students ?

24.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,483

Per pupil spending ?

48.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6949 Genesee Ave.
San Diego, CA 92122-2455

(858) 605-2800

District: San Diego Unified

Feeder schools for University City High:

Elementary:	Curie Elementary
	Doyle Elementary
	Spreckels Elementary
Middle:	Standley Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

39.8%

White:

34.1%

Two or more races:

11.6%

See top rated California high schools

Compare University City High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 95th percentile in 2015 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (59% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of California high schools

✓99% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

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

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg49%

California avg41%

210^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 10%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 5% (2015) to top 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 24High Schools in the San Diego Unified

577^th of 1,543San Diego 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	89.4	210 of 2162	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	91.3	194 of 2159	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	94.1	136 of 2170	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	89.0	212 of 2123	90.0%	★★★★★
2021	93.0	83 of 1290	93.6%	★★★★★
2019	90.6	168 of 2133	92.1%	★★★★★
2018	90.5	193 of 2017	90.4%	★★★★★
2017	93.1	128 of 2021	93.7%	★★★★★
2016	91.9	145 of 2039	92.9%	★★★★★
2015	93.9	104 of 1994	94.8%	★★★★★
2013	66.7	376 of 2426	84.5%	★★★★☆
2012	62.1	489 of 2354	79.2%	★★★★☆
2011	59.1	543 of 2367	77.1%	★★★★☆
2010	61.8	471 of 2281	79.4%	★★★★☆
2009	64.9	340 of 2238	84.8%	★★★★☆
2008	62.5	427 of 2117	79.8%	★★★★☆
2007	58.0	498 of 2063	75.9%	★★★★☆
2006	60.8	462 of 1968	76.5%	★★★★☆
2005	59.0	427 of 1901	77.5%	★★★★☆
2004	49.5	498 of 1653	69.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	85.1	54 of 522	89.7%	★★★★☆
2018	88.2	64 of 582	89.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.5	189 of 585	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	76.6	136 of 573	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	66.0	239 of 591	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.4	162 of 581	72.1%	★★★★☆
2019	60.6	261 of 582	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.4	231 of 581	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	74.1	172 of 1161	85.2%	★★★★☆
2019	58.7	300 of 1117	73.1%	★★★★☆
2018	57.1	314 of 1052	70.2%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	37.1	659 of 1085	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.1	945 of 1044	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	67.0	134 of 941	85.8%	★★★★☆
2018	93.1	51 of 938	94.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.8	243 of 1906	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	85.0	281 of 1915	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	89.3	196 of 1915	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	89.2	188 of 1858	89.9%	★★★★☆
2021	89.6	104 of 1054	90.1%	★★★★★
2019	91.2	139 of 1833	92.4%	★★★★★
2018	90.0	156 of 1760	91.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.2	157 of 1900	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	74.4	396 of 1902	79.2%	★★★★☆
2023	80.1	313 of 1917	83.7%	★★★★☆
2022	71.5	403 of 1861	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	81.5	242 of 1814	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	81.2	290 of 1742	83.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.2	202 of 2013	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	83.8	279 of 2026	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	90.4	157 of 2030	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	79.8	282 of 1943	85.5%	★★★★☆
2021	92.4	61 of 1126	94.6%	★★★★★
2019	83.8	226 of 1937	88.3%	★★★★☆
2018	89.2	178 of 1862	90.4%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.8	189 of 1942	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	93.4	132 of 1948	93.2%	★★★★★
2023	96.0	94 of 1963	95.2%	★★★★★
2022	86.0	230 of 1916	88.0%	★★★★☆
2019	84.9	251 of 1880	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	87.9	229 of 1834	87.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.3	77 of 577	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	79.3	111 of 574	80.7%	★★★★☆
2023	85.1	66 of 541	87.8%	★★★★☆
2022	71.4	134 of 515	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	76.4	95 of 422	77.5%	★★★★☆
2018	80.9	55 of 366	85.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.2	83 of 1252	93.4%	★★★★★
2024	94.7	46 of 1216	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	98.1	21 of 1197	98.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	217 of 1155	81.2%	★★★★☆
2024	92.1	58 of 1173	95.1%	★★★★★
2023	96.6	20 of 1193	98.3%	★★★★★
2022	90.1	78 of 1204	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	85.1	127 of 1222	89.6%	★★★★☆
2018	86.5	119 of 1173	89.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2025)93rd percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)90th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)90th percentile~ school

African American (2022)90th percentile~ school

Female (2025)87th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)87th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)85th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)81st percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2025)68th percentile-23 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)39th percentile-52 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy78%+30 vs state

Science53%+21 vs state

Mathematics46%+9 vs state

★

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Schools Near University City High

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 (2024)
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 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	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 6th Grade	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
University City High	Public	9-12	6949 Genesee Ave.	San Diego	92122	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 605-2800	1,465	59	24.8	48.9%	500 (34.1%)	45 (3.1%)	583 (39.8%)	159 (10.9%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	170 (11.6%)	89.4	210^th of 2162 public high schools	90.3%		91.3	194^th of 2159 public high schools	91.0%	16			53.9	36.4	53.3				78.5	78.5				46.0	46.0	$17,483	$2,898	$14,585
Preuss School UCSD	Public, Charter	6-12	9500 Gilman Dr.	La Jolla	92093	San Diego County	Preuss School UCSD District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 822-3000	825	43	19.1	90.8%	24 (2.9%)	195 (23.6%)	454 (55.0%)	136 (16.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.9%)	92.8	151^st of 2162 public high schools	93.0%		90.8	203^rd of 2159 public high schools	90.6%	52	34.2			49.0	41.0	58.8	52.5	58.2	82.3	62.7	42.0	44.9	35.5	49.1	42.8	$19,531	$5,538	$13,993
Madison High	Public	9-12	4833 Doliva Dr.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 536-0336	780	38	20.3	80.8%	97 (12.4%)	71 (9.1%)	494 (63.3%)	38 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.4%)	67 (8.6%)	52.7	976^th of 2162 public high schools	54.9%		39.4	1255^th of 2159 public high schools	41.9%	279			33.2		33.2				45.2	45.2				24.4	24.4	$22,057	$4,605	$17,452
Altus Schools Charter School of San Diego	Public, Charter	6-12	10170 Huennekens St.	San Diego	92121	San Diego County	Altus Schools Charter School of San Diego District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 678-2020	1,375	40	34.6	72.9%	303 (22.0%)	107 (7.8%)	810 (58.9%)	39 (2.8%)	9 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	95 (6.9%)	46.1	1115^th of 2162 public high schools	48.4%		52.2	947^th of 2159 public high schools	56.1%	168	17.2	22.0	25.4	17.0	19.7	26.5	30.9	34.5	55.9	39.9	16.3	13.5	15.8	15.4	15.2	$18,083	$1,102	$16,981
High Technical High Mesa	Public, Charter	9-12	5331 Mt. Alifan	San Diego	92111	San Diego County	High Technical High Mesa District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 795-1810	435	20	21.7	40.5%	165 (37.9%)	16 (3.7%)	169 (38.9%)	64 (14.7%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (0.9%)	15 (3.4%)	93.4	135^th of 2162 public high schools	93.8%		82.8	361^st of 2159 public high schools	83.3%	226				45.4	45.4				89.8	89.8				49.0	49.0	$15,213	$609	$14,604
Clairemont High	Public	9-12	4150 Ute Dr.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 605-2600	823	36	22.5	57.4%	302 (36.7%)	15 (1.8%)	398 (48.4%)	36 (4.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (8.1%)	61.6	780^th of 2162 public high schools	63.9%		53.7	914^th of 2159 public high schools	57.7%	134			35.2		34.5				60.6	60.6				23.4	23.4	$21,697	$4,333	$17,364
Mission Bay High	Public	9-12	2475 Grand Ave.	San Diego	92109	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 536-0136	1,240	61	20.3	44.4%	545 (44.0%)	35 (2.8%)	456 (36.8%)	58 (4.7%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	140 (11.3%)	92.6	154^th of 2162 public high schools	92.9%		86.2	302^nd of 2159 public high schools	86.0%	148			57.7		57.1				80.5	80.5				52.0	52.0	$19,410	$2,964	$16,446
La Jolla High	Public	9-12	750 Nautilus St.	La Jolla	92037	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 634-8000	1,174	48	24.4	30.2%	645 (54.9%)	9 (0.8%)	297 (25.3%)	92 (7.8%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	125 (10.6%)	89.2	214^th of 2162 public high schools	90.1%		89.9	229^th of 2159 public high schools	89.4%	15			56.7	13.0	53.3				72.6	72.6				54.5	54.5	$17,443	$2,561	$14,882
San Diego Metro Career and Technical	Public	9-12	7250 Mesa College Dr. Rm. K-20	San Diego	92111	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 388-2299	119	10	12.0	49.6%	49 (41.2%)	6 (5.0%)	44 (37.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (14.3%)	68.5	625^th of 2162 public high schools	71.1%		47.5	1067^th of 2159 public high schools	50.6%	442			46.2		44.4				69.2	69.2				19.2	19.2	$33,263	$3,505	$29,758
Kearny Digital Media & Design	Public	9-12	1954 Komet Way	San Diego	92111	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 496-8370	349	14	25.4	73.6%	40 (11.5%)	29 (8.3%)	208 (59.6%)	39 (11.2%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	29 (8.3%)	69.9	602^nd of 2162 public high schools	72.2%		67.9	597^th of 2159 public high schools	72.3%	5			42.3	18.2	39.3				75.0	75.0				23.1	23.1	$21,350	$3,999	$17,351

Frequently Asked Questions about University City High

What is the racial makeup of University City High?

Students at University City High are 40% Hispanic, 34% White, 12% Two or more races, 11% Asian, 3% African American.

Is University City High a good school?

Yes. University City High ranks in the top 9.7% of California high schools.

What schools feed into University City High?

University City High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Curie Elementary
Elementary : Doyle Elementary
Elementary : Spreckels Elementary
Middle : Standley Middle

How many students attend University City High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,465 students attended University City High.

What district is University City High in?

San Diego Unified

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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.