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Whittier Union High

At a glance

540^thof 1,543 California districts▲ 1

Better than 65% of California districts

High 7Grades 9-12

9401 South Painter Ave.
Whittier, CA 90605-2798·(562) 698-8121·All California district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2025

2025: better than 65% of districts

Schools

9,798

Students

Top rankedLa Serna High271^st of 2,162 California high schools

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Biggest riser

Sierra Vista High (Alternative) up 46 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Frontier High (Continuation) 13.2 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

0★

Compare California districts →See the top-ranked California schools →

Summary:

The Whittier Union High district consists of seven high schools serving grades 9-12 in a predominantly economically disadvantaged area, where most schools have high rates of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

La Serna High stands out as the top performer, with the highest test scores, best attendance, and highest graduation rate in the district, all while having the lowest per-student spending. Other comprehensive schools like California High and Santa Fe High show solid performance, while Whittier High and Pioneer High face greater academic challenges, with Pioneer showing recent improvement despite having the highest per-student spending. The district also includes two alternative schools, Frontier High (Continuation) and Sierra Vista High (Alternative), which serve at-risk students but struggle with very high chronic absenteeism and lower graduation rates.

Overall, the district outperforms state averages in English proficiency and graduation rates, demonstrating that effective practices can lead to strong outcomes even in high-poverty areas. Key factors linked to school performance include chronic absenteeism rates, which range dramatically from 14.2% at La Serna to 75.3% at Frontier High. Parents should note that while funding varies between schools, it does not directly correlate with academic success in this district, and that attendance appears to be a critical factor in student outcomes.

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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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	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
Sierra Vista High (Alternative)	Public	9-12	9401 South Painter Ave.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	284	13	21.9	80.3%	10 (3.5%)	2 (0.7%)	264 (93.0%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	29.9	1488^th of 2162 public high schools	31.2%		28.3	1534^th of 2159 public high schools	28.9%	46	14.8	14.3	14.6	41.8	41.8	7.1	7.1	$28,359	$27,894	$465
California High	Public	9-12	9800 South Mills Ave.	Whittier	90604	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	2,261	102	22.0	80.3%	97 (4.3%)	13 (0.6%)	2,090 (92.4%)	42 (1.9%)	7 (0.3%)	3 (0.1%)	6 (0.3%)	78.2	444^th of 2162 public high schools	79.5%		80.2	411^th of 2159 public high schools	81.0%	33	43.6		43.0	70.9	70.9	35.2	35.2	$25,951	$25,328	$623
La Serna High	Public	9-12	15301 Youngwood Dr.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	2,372	92	25.9	58.4%	236 (9.9%)	25 (1.1%)	1,970 (83.1%)	99 (4.2%)	14 (0.6%)	1 (0.0%)	24 (1.0%)	86.6	271^st of 2162 public high schools	87.5%		88.4	256^th of 2159 public high schools	88.1%	15	57.7	0.0	56.6	71.3	71.3	42.9	42.9	$22,225	$21,702	$523
Pioneer High	Public	9-12	10800 Ben Avon	Whittier	90606	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	1,000	53	18.7	87.7%	26 (2.6%)	8 (0.8%)	954 (95.4%)	8 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	61.8	768^th of 2162 public high schools	64.5%		66.4	626^th of 2159 public high schools	71.0%	142	31.7	23.1	31.3	61.8	61.8	26.5	26.5	$35,008	$33,888	$1,120
Santa Fe High	Public	9-12	10400 South Orr and Day Rd.	Santa Fe Springs	90670	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	1,865	77	24.1	77.6%	95 (5.1%)	16 (0.9%)	1,699 (91.1%)	42 (2.3%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	79.4	421^st of 2162 public high schools	80.5%		77	456^th of 2159 public high schools	78.9%	35	37.6	9.5	36.4	68.9	68.9	49.3	49.3	$24,603	$24,142	$461
Whittier High	Public	9-12	12417 East Philadelphia St.	Whittier	90601	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	1,652	77	21.4	85.5%	84 (5.1%)	14 (0.8%)	1,525 (92.3%)	17 (1.0%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.5%)	68.3	630^th of 2162 public high schools	70.9%		71.6	543^rd of 2159 public high schools	74.8%	87	28.8	7.1	27.2	63.7	63.7	41.6	41.6	$26,346	$25,462	$884
Frontier High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	9401 South Painter Ave.	Whittier	90605	Los Angeles County	Whittier Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(562) 698-8121	364	28	13.2	72.3%	17 (4.7%)	5 (1.4%)	334 (91.8%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	10.7	1986^th of 2162 public high schools	8.1%		12.4	1918^th of 2159 public high schools	11.2%	68	1.2	7.3	3.2	11.2	11.2	0.0	0.0	$30,757	$29,550	$1,207

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
East Whittier City Elementary	0.59 mi	13	355^th
South Whittier Elementary	0.64 mi	6	1081^st
Whittier City	1.25 mi	13	590^th
Los Nietos	1.6 mi	4	676^th
Little Lake City Elementary	2.12 mi	9	336^th

See the top CA California districts

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.