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Sweetwater High

Q: Is Sweetwater High a good school?

Sweetwater High ranks 1280 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1280^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 41% of California high schools

Summary

Sweetwater High is a large, traditional public high school serving about 2,300 students in grades 9-12 within the Sweetwater Union High district in National City, CA.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, with student proficiency in core subjects like math, English, and science well below both district and state averages. Its statewide ranking has declined over the past decade. However, Sweetwater High achieves a notable strength: its 89.5% graduation rate consistently exceeds the state average and is comparable to other area schools like Chula Vista Senior High and Lincoln High, demonstrating success in supporting students to complete their diplomas. The school has also made impressive progress in reducing chronic absenteeism, now matching the state average, which contrasts with much higher rates at nearby schools such as Palomar High.

The school's performance varies considerably for different student groups; it shows relative strength in supporting English Learners but has inconsistent results for students in special education. Interestingly, Sweetwater High operates with lower per-student spending than many comparable schools, including Hilltop Senior High and Morse High, yet still achieves solid graduation outcomes. This presents a complex picture of a school that effectively guides students to graduation but requires targeted improvements to boost academic mastery across all subjects.

2,290

Students ?

25.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

89.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2900 Highland Ave.
National City, CA 91950-7415

(619) 474-9700

District: Sweetwater Union High

Feeder schools for Sweetwater High:

Elementary:	Central Elementary
	El Toyon Elementary
	Ira Harbison
	John A. Otis Elementary
	More...
	Kimball
	Las Palmas
	Lincoln Acres
	Olivewood
	Palmer Way
	Rancho de la Nacion
Middle:	Granger Junior High
	National City Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

76.9%

Asian:

13.0%

White:

6.6%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Sweetwater High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 30th percentile in 2023 → 41st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 41st (2025) from a 30th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (24% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 19 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg38%

California avg41%

1,280^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From top 45% (2015) to bottom 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 15High Schools in the Sweetwater Union High

729^th of 1,543Sweetwater Union High 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	39.4	1280 of 2162	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.4	1230 of 2159	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.2	1518 of 2170	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.3	1425 of 2123	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.8	797 of 1290	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.1	1152 of 2133	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.7	1001 of 2017	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.4	1037 of 2021	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	54.8	900 of 2039	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	54.3	890 of 1994	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	53.8	684 of 2426	71.8%	★★★★☆
2012	58.4	581 of 2354	75.3%	★★★★☆
2011	68.0	329 of 2367	86.1%	★★★★☆
2010	51.7	710 of 2281	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	53.7	634 of 2238	71.7%	★★★★☆
2008	50.5	669 of 2117	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	48.6	687 of 2063	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	38.5	879 of 1968	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	43.5	725 of 1901	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	34.7	817 of 1653	50.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	22.4	404 of 521	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	6.5	552 of 585	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.5	552 of 591	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	32.6	752 of 1161	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.7	629 of 1117	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.5	351 of 1052	66.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	47.8	389 of 1085	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.2	682 of 1064	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.3	491 of 1044	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.4	196 of 467	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.6	289 of 941	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.3	335 of 938	64.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.6	1286 of 1906	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.2	1193 of 1915	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.3	1423 of 1915	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	1321 of 1858	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.5	749 of 1054	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.7	1098 of 1833	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.0	1024 of 1760	41.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.9	1209 of 1900	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.1	1215 of 1902	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.1	1402 of 1917	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.1	1242 of 1861	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.3	1015 of 1814	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.3	861 of 1742	50.6%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	308 of 410	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.8	1013 of 2013	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.9	932 of 2026	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.3	1317 of 2030	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.0	1173 of 1943	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.2	653 of 1126	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.0	875 of 1937	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.1	721 of 1862	61.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.2	1147 of 1942	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	1080 of 1948	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.3	1387 of 1963	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.9	1268 of 1916	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.4	696 of 1122	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.4	1042 of 1880	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.8	878 of 1834	52.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	19.2	463 of 574	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.1	389 of 515	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.6	305 of 422	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	59.8	156 of 366	57.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	836 of 1252	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.9	478 of 1216	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	24.0	1004 of 1197	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.4	935 of 1155	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.2	843 of 1173	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.5	1072 of 1193	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	1108 of 1204	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)64th percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)41st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)36th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)35th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)33rd percentile-8 vs school

Female (2025)33rd percentile-8 vs school

Homeless (2025)25th percentile-16 vs school

African American (2023)22nd percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)19th percentile-24 vs school

White (2025)19th percentile-22 vs school

Asian (2025)6th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy41%-8 vs state

Mathematics18%-19 vs state

Science15%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sweetwater 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
Sweetwater High	Public	9-12	2900 Highland Ave.	National City	91950	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 474-9700	2,290	90	25.3	89.2%	150 (6.6%)	34 (1.5%)	1,762 (76.9%)	297 (13.0%)	5 (0.2%)	10 (0.4%)	31 (1.4%)	39.4	1280^th of 2162 public high schools	40.8%		40.4	1230^th of 2159 public high schools	43.0%	50			0.9	17.9	15.1				40.6	40.6				18.1	18.1
San Diego Workforce Innovation High	Public, Charter	9-12	2 Euclid Ave.	National City	91950	San Diego County	San Diego Workforce Innovation High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 432-4690	2,722	103	26.3	76.6%	449 (16.5%)	169 (6.2%)	1,859 (68.3%)	39 (1.4%)	16 (0.6%)	7 (0.3%)	167 (6.1%)	21.6	1659^th of 2162 public high schools	23.3%		24.9	1588^th of 2159 public high schools	26.4%	71				17.4	17.4				26.8	26.8				7.6	7.6
Altus Schools South Bay	Public, Charter	7-12	3252 Bonita Rd.	Chula Vista	91910	San Diego County	Altus Schools South Bay District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 678-2020	372	11	33.9	76.1%	21 (5.6%)	29 (7.8%)	294 (79.0%)	12 (3.2%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.5%)	10 (2.7%)	48.3	1070^th of 2162 public high schools	50.5%		48.1	1055^th of 2159 public high schools	51.1%	15	14.6	18.9	48.0	17.1	22.1		33.3	24.4	56.6	40.7		12.5	4.9	13.2	10.2	$16,105	$1,604	$14,501
Hilltop Senior High	Public	9-12	555 Claire Ave.	Chula Vista	91910	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 476-4200	1,771	81	21.9	77.4%	237 (13.4%)	30 (1.7%)	1,396 (78.8%)	53 (3.0%)	7 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	46 (2.6%)	52.9	970^th of 2162 public high schools	55.1%		59.1	792^nd of 2159 public high schools	63.3%	178			27.8	9.1	27.3				60.6	60.6				18.4	18.4
Chula Vista Senior High	Public	9-12	820 Fourth Ave.	Chula Vista	91911	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 476-5824	1,864	91	20.5	80.1%	142 (7.6%)	38 (2.0%)	1,600 (85.8%)	48 (2.6%)	5 (0.3%)	8 (0.4%)	23 (1.2%)	39.7	1264^th of 2162 public high schools	41.5%		40.8	1225^th of 2159 public high schools	43.3%	39				14.7	14.7				45.5	45.5				15.2	15.2
San Diego SCPA	Public	6-12	2425 Dusk Dr.	San Diego	92139	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 470-0555	1,297	53	24.5	58.4%	194 (15.0%)	81 (6.2%)	619 (47.7%)	249 (19.2%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	138 (10.6%)	80.6	399^th of 2162 public high schools	81.5%		84.7	329^th of 2159 public high schools	84.8%	70	30.8		45.1		37.9	51.6	52.6	54.4	77.6	59.4	35.3	39.4	30.5	34.5	34.7	$18,565	$3,688	$14,877
Lincoln High	Public	9-12	4777 Imperial Ave.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 266-6500	1,487	62	24.0	89.8%	21 (1.4%)	288 (19.4%)	1,019 (68.5%)	72 (4.8%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (1.0%)	70 (4.7%)	28.5	1514^th of 2162 public high schools	30.0%		18.5	1729^th of 2159 public high schools	19.9%	215			16.6		16.1				35.3	35.3				11.9	11.9	$22,332	$4,796	$17,536
Ingenuity Charter	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	6130 Skyline Dr.	San Diego	92114	San Diego County	Ingenuity Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(619) 262-2046	188	9	21.9	86.7%	12 (6.4%)	26 (13.8%)	121 (64.4%)	11 (5.9%)	4 (2.1%)	3 (1.6%)	11 (5.9%)	20.4	1684^th of 2162 public high schools	22.1%		24.4	1599^th of 2159 public high schools	25.9%	85	11.8		14.3		16.3		33.3	17.7	27.8	25.7		8.3	5.9	5.5	5.7	$11,368	$565	$10,803
Gompers Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	1005 47th St.	San Diego	92102	San Diego County	Gompers Preparatory Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 263-2171	1,175	56	20.8	83.0%	10 (0.9%)	37 (3.1%)	1,085 (92.3%)	33 (2.8%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.4%)	63.5	729^th of 2162 public high schools	66.3%		51.4	973^rd of 2159 public high schools	54.9%	244	19.3		39.2		29.1	36.0	36.9	41.4	68.2	45.6	21.9	13.6	13.8	17.7	16.8	$16,827	$1,947	$14,880
Morse High	Public	9-12	6905 Skyline Dr.	San Diego	92114	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 510-4700	1,591	72	22.0	80.1%	32 (2.0%)	194 (12.2%)	795 (50.0%)	442 (27.8%)	3 (0.2%)	18 (1.1%)	106 (6.7%)	61.8	769^th of 2162 public high schools	64.4%		58.5	805^th of 2159 public high schools	62.7%	36			32.8		32.8				58.4	58.4				27.8	27.8	$19,296	$3,664	$15,632

Frequently Asked Questions about Sweetwater High

What district is Sweetwater High in?

Sweetwater Union High

What is the racial makeup of Sweetwater High?

Students at Sweetwater High are 77% Hispanic, 13% Asian, 7% White, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Sweetwater High?

Sweetwater High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Central Elementary
Elementary : El Toyon Elementary
Elementary : Ira Harbison
Elementary : John A. Otis Elementary
Elementary : Kimball
Elementary : Las Palmas
Elementary : Lincoln Acres
Elementary : Olivewood
Elementary : Palmer Way
Elementary : Rancho de la Nacion
Middle : Granger Junior High
Middle : National City Middle

How many students attend Sweetwater High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,290 students attended Sweetwater High.

Is Sweetwater High a good school?

Sweetwater High ranks 1280^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Sweetwater High!

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Schools in National City, CA

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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.