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Helix High

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

89^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 96% of California high schools

Summary

Helix High is a large, top-performing public high school serving grades 9-12 in La Mesa, California, with an enrollment of over 2,500 students and a reputation for academic excellence within its highly-rated Helix High District.

The school consistently ranks among the best in the state, with test scores in English, math, and science that are significantly higher than both state averages and most nearby schools like Mount Miguel High and Grossmont High. What truly sets Helix apart is its exceptional success with all student groups, achieving top-tier outcomes in graduation rates (97.9%) and remarkably low chronic absenteeism (5.3%), which is a fraction of the rate seen at other local schools with similar student populations.

Helix High achieves this high level of performance efficiently, spending less per student than several neighboring schools in the Grossmont Union High and San Diego Unified districts. While Henry High is another strong performer nearby, Helix serves a more economically diverse community and still delivers superior results in key areas like mathematics, demonstrating a powerful model of effective and equitable education.

2,554

Students ?

23.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,266

Per pupil spending ?

65.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7323 University Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91941-6055

(619) 644-1940

District: Helix High District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.9%

White:

24.0%

Two or more races:

11.0%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Helix High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 84th percentile in 2019 → 96th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (70% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 4% of California high schools

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (86%)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school70%

California avg41%

89^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 4%▲ up 12 pts since 2019

From top 16% (2019) to top 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

38^th of 1,543Helix High 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.4	89 of 2162	95.9%	★★★★★
2024	96.0	87 of 2159	96.0%	★★★★★
2023	90.0	222 of 2170	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	88.6	219 of 2123	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	81.5	340 of 2133	84.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.1	8 of 523	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	96.6	13 of 517	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	93.3	32 of 521	93.9%	★★★★★
2022	86.5	51 of 522	90.2%	★★★★★
2019	71.3	128 of 592	78.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.1	213 of 585	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	87.8	34 of 573	94.1%	★★★★★
2023	78.0	127 of 591	78.5%	★★★★☆
2022	69.2	206 of 581	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.1	266 of 582	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	76.2	161 of 1161	86.1%	★★★★☆
2019	42.4	516 of 1117	53.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	84.6	47 of 1044	95.5%	★★★★★
2019	65.6	141 of 941	85.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.1	95 of 1906	95.0%	★★★★★
2024	95.5	72 of 1915	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	87.3	224 of 1915	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	85.2	245 of 1858	86.8%	★★★★☆
2019	77.2	369 of 1833	79.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.4	40 of 1900	97.9%	★★★★★
2024	97.2	45 of 1902	97.6%	★★★★★
2023	90.9	134 of 1917	93.0%	★★★★★
2022	92.0	107 of 1861	94.3%	★★★★★
2019	82.4	226 of 1814	87.5%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.2	13 of 410	96.8%	★★★★★
2024	98.6	3 of 328	99.1%	★★★★★
2023	81.0	41 of 299	86.3%	★★★★☆
2022	97.9	5 of 290	98.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.8	50 of 2013	97.5%	★★★★★
2024	97.9	42 of 2026	97.9%	★★★★★
2023	91.1	146 of 2030	92.8%	★★★★★
2022	91.2	132 of 1943	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	81.2	271 of 1937	86.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.2	90 of 1942	95.4%	★★★★★
2024	94.5	114 of 1948	94.1%	★★★★★
2023	90.0	214 of 1963	89.1%	★★★★☆
2022	89.8	182 of 1916	90.5%	★★★★★
2019	81.1	305 of 1880	83.8%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.5	11 of 175	93.7%	★★★★★
2024	96.4	3 of 183	98.4%	★★★★★
2023	89.2	17 of 190	91.1%	★★★★★
2022	81.3	28 of 168	83.3%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.6	126 of 577	78.2%	★★★★☆
2024	90.0	35 of 574	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	72.0	145 of 541	73.2%	★★★★☆
2022	63.5	183 of 515	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.4	162 of 422	61.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.3	71 of 1252	94.3%	★★★★★
2024	85.9	105 of 1216	91.4%	★★★★★
2023	72.9	194 of 1197	83.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.5	30 of 1155	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	94.9	30 of 1173	97.4%	★★★★★
2023	88.8	96 of 1193	92.0%	★★★★★
2022	87.8	103 of 1204	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	86.7	111 of 1222	90.9%	★★★★★

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)

African American (2025)98th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)98th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)98th percentile~ school

White (2025)97th percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)97th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2022)95th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)95th percentile~ school

Female (2025)95th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)94th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2025)94th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)86th percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)78th percentile-18 vs school

Asian (2025)64th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy84%+35 vs state

Mathematics68%+31 vs state

Science58%+25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Helix 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 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
Helix High	Public, Charter	9-12	7323 University Ave.	La Mesa	91941	San Diego County	Helix High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 644-1940	2,554	110	23.2	65.5%	614 (24.0%)	271 (10.6%)	1,199 (46.9%)	165 (6.5%)	4 (0.2%)	14 (0.5%)	280 (11.0%)	95.4	89^th of 2162 public high schools	95.9%		96	87^th of 2159 public high schools	96.0%	2		57.7		57.6				84.2	84.2				68.4	68.4	$16,266	$711	$15,555
Crawford High	Public	9-12	4191 Colts Way	San Diego	92115	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-3700	1,318	53	25.0	92.9%	28 (2.1%)	445 (33.8%)	586 (44.5%)	212 (16.1%)	3 (0.2%)	6 (0.5%)	38 (2.9%)	41.3	1229^th of 2162 public high schools	43.2%		37.2	1310^th of 2159 public high schools	39.3%	81		24.3	13.8	23.4				38.2	38.2				22.2	22.2	$19,023	$3,960	$15,063
Mount Miguel High	Public	9-12	8585 Blossom Ln.	Spring Valley	91977	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 664-8400	1,539	71	21.6	79.3%	102 (6.6%)	192 (12.5%)	1,044 (67.8%)	86 (5.6%)	3 (0.2%)	19 (1.2%)	93 (6.0%)	36.6	1341^st of 2162 public high schools	38.0%		39	1264^th of 2159 public high schools	41.5%	77		21.7	11.1	21.2				36.9	36.9				18.8	18.8	$22,334	$4,238	$18,096
City Heights Preparatory Charter	Public, Charter	6-12	4260 54th St.	San Diego	92115	San Diego County	City Heights Preparatory Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 795-3137	160	10	16.7	100.0%	31 (19.4%)	44 (27.5%)	68 (42.5%)	10 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.4%)								(n/a)	6.9		12.5	8.9	5.0	21.7	14.3		13.6	5.0	8.0	0.0		6.0	$20,290	$4,186	$16,104
Henry High	Public	9-12	6702 Wandermere Dr.	San Diego	92120	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 286-7700	2,485	95	26.2	41.6%	975 (39.2%)	142 (5.7%)	783 (31.5%)	349 (14.0%)	3 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	228 (9.2%)	88.5	229^th of 2162 public high schools	89.4%		90.1	222^nd of 2159 public high schools	89.7%	7		55.7	9.1	54.9				69.9	69.9				51.4	51.4	$16,484	$2,288	$14,196
Grossmont High	Public	9-12	1100 Murray Dr.	La Mesa	91944	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-6000	2,172	89	24.3	64.0%	710 (32.7%)	171 (7.9%)	995 (45.8%)	111 (5.1%)	7 (0.3%)	14 (0.6%)	163 (7.5%)	59.7	829^th of 2162 public high schools	61.7%		68.3	595^th of 2159 public high schools	72.4%	234		34.1	23.1	33.8				56.2	56.2				24.9	24.9	$19,695	$2,644	$17,051
Hoover High	Public	9-12	4474 El Cajon Blvd.	San Diego	92115	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-4500	2,011	88	22.9	89.2%	43 (2.1%)	172 (8.6%)	1,493 (74.2%)	252 (12.5%)	2 (0.1%)	8 (0.4%)	39 (1.9%)	42.1	1211^th of 2162 public high schools	44.0%		33.9	1395^th of 2159 public high schools	35.4%	184		23.2	15.8	22.9				46.6	46.6				17.6	17.6	$19,063	$3,630	$15,433
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
Monte Vista High	Public	9-12	3230 Sweetwater Springs Blvd.	Spring Valley	91977	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 660-3000	1,543	77	20.0	76.2%	167 (10.8%)	151 (9.8%)	1,046 (67.8%)	82 (5.3%)	5 (0.3%)	6 (0.4%)	84 (5.4%)	57.3	888^th of 2162 public high schools	58.9%		56.5	849^th of 2159 public high schools	60.7%	39		31.6		31.0				45.5	45.5				32.9	32.9	$21,699	$3,370	$18,329
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Helix High

Is Helix High a good school?

Yes! Helix High is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 89^th of 2162 California high schools.

How many students attend Helix High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,554 students attended Helix High.

What is the racial makeup of Helix High?

Students at Helix High are 47% Hispanic, 24% White, 11% Two or more races, 11% African American, 6% Asian.

What district is Helix High in?

Helix High District

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Schools in La Mesa, 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.