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Southwest High

Q: Is Southwest High a good school?

Southwest High ranks 991 st of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

991^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,135 California High Schools

Better than 54% of California high schools

Summary

Southwest High is a grades 9–12 school in El Centro, in California’s Imperial Valley, serving 1,846 students in the Central Union High district. Its 2025–26 results are mixed: English language arts proficiency was above the state average, while math and science were below it. The clearest statewide concern is math, where proficiency was 15 percentage points below the state, even though the school was close to its district result.

Compared with the state, Southwest High was stronger in English language arts: 53% were proficient, versus 49% statewide, a 4-point lead. Math was 24%, 15 points below the state, and science was 23%, 13 points below. Its results were close to or above the district’s: the school was about even in English language arts, 1 point higher in math and 3 points higher in science. Among nearby comprehensive high schools, it ranked third in English language arts and second in both math and science. Its math result was 4 points above the peer average, while science was 2 points below. Those comparisons include Central Union High, Calexico High and Imperial High.

Over four years, the state gap narrowed in English language arts but widened in math and science: the school’s English language arts lead fell from 8 points in 2022–23 to 4 points in 2025–26, while its math deficit grew from 9 to 15 points and its science deficit from 4 to 13. SchoolDigger’s overall standing also declined, from the 68th percentile in 2022–23 to the 54th percentile and 3 stars in 2025–26. Context includes a 19.5:1 student-teacher ratio in 2024–25, close to the nearby-school average of 20.0:1, and 72% of students free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for Migrant Students was notably higher than the overall ranking: 76th percentile versus 54th in 2025–26. Its ranking for White Students fell from the 82nd percentile in 2023–24 to the 46th in 2025–26.

1,846

Students ?

19.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,495

Per pupil spending ?

72.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

2001 Ocotillo Dr.
El Centro, CA 92243-9451

(760) 336-4100

District: Central Union High

Feeder schools for Southwest High:

Elementary:	Dogwood Elementary
	Lincoln Elementary
	Martin Luther King Junior Elementary
	McCabe Elementary
	More...
	McKinley Elementary
	Seeley Elementary
	Sunflower Elementary
Middle:	Heber
	Kennedy Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.3%

White:

2.9%

Asian:

1.0%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Southwest High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2016 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Above the California median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (33% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg31%

California avg42%

991^st of 2,135

California public high schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 40% (2016) to top 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the Central Union High

929^th of 1,530Central 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
2026	52.1	991 of 2135	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.8	911 of 2162	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.3	735 of 2159	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.3	693 of 2170	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.7	625 of 2123	70.6%	★★★★☆
2021	58.4	488 of 1290	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.5	824 of 2133	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.4	877 of 2017	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	63.5	714 of 2021	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.5	816 of 2039	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.0	935 of 1994	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.8	742 of 2426	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	53.3	708 of 2354	69.9%	★★★★☆
2011	51.5	752 of 2367	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	49.5	777 of 2281	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	44.7	892 of 2238	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	40.4	906 of 2117	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	43.5	791 of 2063	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	47.1	689 of 1968	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	44.5	705 of 1901	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	35.8	795 of 1653	51.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	33.1	736 of 1161	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.7	382 of 555	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.4	804 of 1117	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.5	803 of 1052	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	35.3	710 of 1085	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.7	696 of 1064	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.3	221 of 1044	78.8%	★★★★☆
2021	36.4	278 of 467	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.1	175 of 941	81.4%	★★★★☆
2018	61.5	200 of 938	78.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	45.3	1013 of 1864	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.0	833 of 1906	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.2	793 of 1915	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.9	641 of 1915	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.5	607 of 1858	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.7	482 of 1054	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.8	782 of 1833	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.1	900 of 1760	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	59.7	695 of 1880	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.6	632 of 1900	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.0	497 of 1902	73.9%	★★★★☆
2023	73.9	411 of 1917	78.6%	★★★★☆
2022	77.1	313 of 1861	83.2%	★★★★☆
2019	63.3	572 of 1814	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.5	595 of 1742	65.8%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	64.4	102 of 358	71.5%	★★★★☆
2025	46.9	201 of 410	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.6	139 of 328	57.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	52.2	918 of 1997	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.2	853 of 2013	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.2	657 of 2026	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.0	566 of 2030	72.1%	★★★★☆
2022	66.4	516 of 1943	73.4%	★★★★☆
2021	53.5	489 of 1126	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.4	673 of 1937	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.3	717 of 1862	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	50.8	912 of 1930	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.9	937 of 1942	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.2	645 of 1948	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.2	707 of 1963	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.1	559 of 1916	70.8%	★★★★☆
2021	56.8	438 of 1122	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.6	784 of 1880	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.3	774 of 1834	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	69.6	20 of 82	75.6%	★★★★☆
2025	67.1	23 of 85	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.1	22 of 85	74.1%	★★★★☆
2023	60.5	25 of 74	66.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	42.2	602 of 1235	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	33.1	805 of 1252	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.4	455 of 1216	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.0	726 of 1197	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	49.9	608 of 1130	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	67.5	376 of 1155	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	79.9	206 of 1173	82.4%	★★★★☆
2023	60.4	474 of 1193	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.2	514 of 1204	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.3	358 of 1222	70.7%	★★★★☆
2018	57.8	562 of 1173	52.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Migrant (2026)76th percentile+22 vs school

Homeless (2026)72nd percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2026)63rd percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)54th percentile~ school

Male (2026)53rd percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)51st percentile~ school

White (2026)46th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2026)46th percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)37th percentile-34 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)35th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy53%+4 vs state

Mathematics24%-15 vs state

Science23%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southwest High

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
Southwest High	Public	9-12	2001 Ocotillo Dr.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Central Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 336-4100	1,846	94	19.5	72.1%	54 (2.9%)	6 (0.3%)	1,760 (95.3%)	19 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	52.1	991^st of 2135 public high schools	53.6%		55.8	911^th of 2162 public high schools	57.9%	80		23.5	23.5	52.8	52.8	23.7	23.7	$27,495	$25,764	$1,731
Central Union High	Public	9-12	1001 Brighton Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Central Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 336-4300	2,006	96	20.9	72.6%	41 (2.0%)	19 (0.9%)	1,931 (96.3%)	10 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.2%)	45	1142^nd of 2135 public high schools	46.5%		51	1018^th of 2162 public high schools	52.9%	124	20.0	18.3	19.2	55.1	55.1	25.1	25.1	$26,604	$25,254	$1,350
Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program	Public	9-12	687 State St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(760) 482-2600	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Desert Oasis High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1302 South Third St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Central Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 336-4555	138	10	13.9	94.2%	3 (2.2%)	3 (2.2%)	131 (94.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21.6	1624^th of 2135 public high schools	23.9%		14.4	1821^st of 2162 public high schools	15.8%	197		6.8	6.8	37.3	37.3	1.5	1.5	$43,806	$40,908	$2,898
Imperial Pathways Charter	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	1398 Sperber Rd.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Imperial County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(760) 312-5566	246	11	22.9	92.7%	6 (2.4%)	2 (0.8%)	237 (96.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		17.2	17.2					$28,471	$27,860	$611
Imperial High	Public	9-12	517 West Barioni Blvd.	Imperial	92251	Imperial County	Imperial Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 355-3220	1,439	62	23.0	47.0%	117 (8.1%)	12 (0.8%)	1,278 (88.8%)	22 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (0.7%)	59.7	822^nd of 2135 public high schools	61.5%		64.3	702^nd of 2162 public high schools	67.5%	120	40.3		40.2	63.9	63.9	19.6	19.6	$22,967	$21,948	$1,019
Imperial Ave. Holbrook High	Public	9-12	322 North Imperial Ave.	Imperial	92251	Imperial County	Imperial Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 355-3207	28	3	11.1	60.7%	3 (10.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (89.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20.2	1651^st of 2135 public high schools	22.7%		34.1	1400^th of 2162 public high schools	35.2%	251	20.0		20.0	30.0	30.0	0.0	0.0	$17,963	$10,320	$7,643
Aurora High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1391 Kloke Rd.	Calexico	92231	Imperial County	Calexico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 768-3940	96	10	9.9	80.2%	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	94 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.3	2039^th of 2135 public high schools	4.5%		9.2	2056^th of 2162 public high schools	4.9%	17	0.0	0.0	0.0	12.5	12.5	0.0	0.0	$66,987	$63,200	$3,787
Pinnacle Hall Community Day	Public	6-12	1391 Kloke Rd.	Calexico	92231	Imperial County	Calexico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 768-3914	2	1	2.0	—	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Calexico High	Public	9-12	1030 Encinas Ave.	Calexico	92231	Imperial County	Calexico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 768-3980	2,746	123	22.2	84.9%	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2,737 (99.7%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33.4	1412^th of 2135 public high schools	33.9%		37	1326^th of 2162 public high schools	38.7%	86	16.8	17.7	16.9	45.7	45.7	15.6	15.6	$24,872	$21,772	$3,100

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest High

What schools feed into Southwest High?

Southwest High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Dogwood Elementary
Elementary : Lincoln Elementary
Elementary : Martin Luther King Junior Elementary
Elementary : McCabe Elementary
Elementary : McKinley Elementary
Elementary : Seeley Elementary
Elementary : Sunflower Elementary
Middle : Heber
Middle : Kennedy Middle

How many students attend Southwest High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,846 students attended Southwest High.

Is Southwest High a good school?

Southwest High ranks 991^st of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Southwest High?

Students at Southwest High are 95% Hispanic, 3% White, 1% Asian.

What district is Southwest High in?

Central Union High

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Latest California data All new data »

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

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.