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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Preuss School UCSD

Public, Charter Grades 6-12

151^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 93% of California high schools

Summary

Preuss School UCSD is a unique, high-performing public charter school serving 825 students in grades 6-12 on the UC San Diego campus in La Jolla, operating as its own Preuss School UCSD District with a dedicated mission to prepare low-income students who will be the first in their families to graduate from college.

The school's success is most notable in how it supports its student population, over 90% of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. It achieves exceptional results, ranking in the 93rd percentile statewide and earning a 5-star rating. It stands out for its near-perfect graduation rates and its remarkable effectiveness with specific student groups, significantly outperforming other nearby schools with similar student demographics, such as Madison High.

While absolute test scores may not match the highest performers like Canyon Crest Academy, which serves a much more affluent community, Preuss delivers results comparable to schools like University City High that have far fewer students in need. This is supported by higher per-student spending and a strong college-prep focus, making it a powerful model for educational equity in the San Diego Unified area.

825

Students ?

19.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

90.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9500 Gilman Dr.
La Jolla, CA 92093-0536

(858) 822-3000

District: Preuss School UCSD District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.0%

African American:

23.6%

Asian:

16.5%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Preuss School UCSD to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 97th percentile in 2019 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of California high schools

✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (86%)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

California avg41%

Middle school

768^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 28%▼ down 11 pts since 2019

From top 17% (2019) to top 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

151^st of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 7%▼ down 4 pts since 2019

From top 3% (2019) to top 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

197^th of 1,543Preuss School UCSD District 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.8	768 of 2761	72.2%	★★★★☆
2024	68.2	718 of 2783	74.2%	★★★★☆
2023	61.1	865 of 2781	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.8	807 of 2740	70.5%	★★★★☆
2019	81.0	456 of 2715	83.2%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.9	38 of 609	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	91.4	39 of 627	93.8%	★★★★★
2023	84.1	67 of 613	89.1%	★★★★☆
2022	94.6	22 of 637	96.5%	★★★★★
2019	93.8	22 of 643	96.6%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	362 of 739	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.4	287 of 743	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.7	447 of 715	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.7	513 of 733	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	73.1	212 of 745	71.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	68.1	294 of 1531	80.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	38.0	807 of 1478	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.0	281 of 1521	81.5%	★★★★☆
2022	71.4	173 of 1540	88.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.3	798 of 2533	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.8	729 of 2551	71.4%	★★★★☆
2023	50.4	1044 of 2531	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.0	835 of 2509	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.9	490 of 2380	79.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	60.3	755 of 2395	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.4	605 of 2388	74.7%	★★★★☆
2023	65.9	610 of 2374	74.3%	★★★★☆
2022	74.6	401 of 2359	83.0%	★★★★☆
2019	87.5	174 of 2213	92.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.5	348 of 2542	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	81.1	322 of 2579	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	77.4	371 of 2531	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	82.1	266 of 2458	89.2%	★★★★☆
2019	93.5	88 of 2369	96.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.2	686 of 2534	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.2	655 of 2552	74.3%	★★★★☆
2023	71.1	593 of 2538	76.6%	★★★★☆
2022	66.5	688 of 2527	72.8%	★★★★☆
2019	82.6	374 of 2407	84.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	473 of 1566	69.8%	★★★☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.8	151 of 2162	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	90.8	203 of 2159	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	94.1	137 of 2170	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	87.7	237 of 2123	88.8%	★★★★☆
2019	96.7	64 of 2133	97.0%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.1	6 of 523	98.9%	★★★★★
2024	96.9	12 of 517	97.7%	★★★★★
2023	97.7	9 of 521	98.3%	★★★★★
2019	99.2	4 of 592	99.3%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.6	205 of 585	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	80.1	99 of 573	82.7%	★★★★☆
2023	80.0	109 of 591	81.6%	★★★★☆
2022	68.7	208 of 581	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	94.4	6 of 582	99.0%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	82.1	124 of 1161	89.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.8	256 of 1906	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	87.8	227 of 1915	88.1%	★★★★☆
2023	93.3	124 of 1915	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	85.7	238 of 1858	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	96.1	58 of 1833	96.8%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.3	50 of 1900	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	91.7	114 of 1902	94.0%	★★★★★
2023	95.4	77 of 1917	96.0%	★★★★★
2022	90.9	120 of 1861	93.6%	★★★★★
2019	98.2	34 of 1814	98.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.4	54 of 2013	97.3%	★★★★★
2024	95.6	76 of 2026	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	98.1	41 of 2030	98.0%	★★★★★
2022	93.2	101 of 1943	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	99.2	18 of 1937	99.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.3	105 of 1942	94.6%	★★★★★
2024	87.2	248 of 1948	87.3%	★★★★☆
2023	90.2	210 of 1963	89.3%	★★★★☆
2022	86.6	226 of 1916	88.2%	★★★★☆
2019	94.8	91 of 1880	95.2%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.3	69 of 1252	94.5%	★★★★★

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)

Middle school

African American (2025)94th percentile+22 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)86th percentile+14 vs school

Disabled (2022)81st percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)73rd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)70th percentile~ school

Female (2025)68th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)68th percentile-4 vs school

Asian (2025)51st percentile-21 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)45th percentile-29 vs school

High school

African American (2025)99th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)97th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)97th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)95th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)94th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)89th percentile~ school

Female (2025)87th percentile-6 vs school

Asian (2025)65th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy63%+14 vs state

Mathematics43%+6 vs state

Science41%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Preuss School UCSD

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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 (2025)	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
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
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	$21,200	$19,808	$1,392
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
La Jolla High	Public	9-12	799 Westbourne 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	$21,857	$20,840	$1,017
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	$28,686	$26,130	$2,556
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	$28,415	$26,566	$1,849
Torrey Pines High	Public	9-12	3710 Del Mar Heights Rd.	San Diego	92024	San Diego County	San Dieguito Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 755-0125	2,536	101	25.1	17.7%	1,333 (52.6%)	32 (1.3%)	426 (16.8%)	459 (18.1%)	1 (0.0%)	3 (0.1%)	278 (11.0%)	90.4	190^th of 2162 public high schools	91.2%		95	109^th of 2159 public high schools	95.0%	81			49.0	30.0	48.4				79.9	79.9				55.7	55.7	$18,558	$18,254	$304
High Technical High Mesa	Public, Charter	9-12	5331 Mt. Alifan	San Diego	92106	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	$30,146	$29,096	$1,050
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	$25,088	$23,468	$1,620
Mira Mesa High	Public	9-12	10510 Marauder Way	San Diego	92126	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 566-2262	2,187	86	25.3	57.1%	232 (10.6%)	100 (4.6%)	569 (26.0%)	992 (45.4%)	8 (0.4%)	11 (0.5%)	274 (12.5%)	82.4	371^st of 2162 public high schools	82.8%		90.8	202^nd of 2159 public high schools	90.6%	169			41.3	23.1	40.4				74.1	74.1				45.2	45.2	$20,971	$19,608	$1,363

Frequently Asked Questions about Preuss School UCSD

What is the racial makeup of Preuss School UCSD?

Students at Preuss School UCSD are 55% Hispanic, 24% African American, 16% Asian, 3% White, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Preuss School UCSD?

In the 2024-25 school year, 825 students attended Preuss School UCSD.

What district is Preuss School UCSD in?

Preuss School UCSD District

Is Preuss School UCSD a good school?

Yes. Preuss School UCSD ranks in the top 7.0% of California high schools.

Rate Preuss School UCSD!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.