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MERIT Academy

Public Grades 9-12

1771^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 18% of California high schools

Summary

MERIT Academy is a very small public high school serving grades 9-12 with only 68 students in El Cajon, part of the Grossmont Union High district, and it faces significant challenges with student outcomes that are far below state and local averages.

The school's performance metrics are among the lowest in the area, with a 20% graduation rate and a 75% dropout rate, which starkly contrasts with nearby comprehensive high schools like West Hills High (93.5% graduation) and Grossmont High (82.4% graduation). Academic proficiency is also very low, with less than 17% of students proficient in English and only 9% in math, and chronic absenteeism, though improving, remains high at 45%. Interestingly, MERIT Academy spends over $42,000 per student, which is more than double the spending at these higher-performing neighboring schools, yet it yields the poorest results.

MERIT Academy shares similar challenges with other small alternative schools in the district, such as Chaparral High and IDEA Center, which also have high poverty rates and low achievement despite significant resources. This pattern suggests it may serve as a safety net for students who have struggled elsewhere. A notable contrast is Grossmont Middle College High just miles away, which excels academically with much lower spending, highlighting how different school models and student populations can lead to vastly different outcomes.

Students ?

9.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$42,491

Per pupil spending ?

73.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1600 North Cuyamaca St.
El Cajon, CA 92020-1109

(619) 956-0600

District: Grossmont Union High

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.2%

Hispanic:

41.2%

African American:

10.3%

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Compare MERIT Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 20th percentile in 2016 → 18th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (11% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (20% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school11%

District avg35%

California avg41%

1,771^st of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 13High Schools in the Grossmont Union High

750^th of 1,543Grossmont 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	15.9	1771 of 2162	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	1979 of 2159	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.6	1710 of 2133	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.6	1630 of 2039	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	45.8	468 of 1117	58.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.4	470 of 1252	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	19.9	1090 of 1216	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)62nd percentile+44 vs school

Disabled (2019)58th percentile+38 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy17%-32 vs state

Mathematics9%-28 vs state

Science8%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near MERIT Academy

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 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 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
Chaparral High	Public	9-12	1600 North Cuyamaca St.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-4600	45	6	7.2	77.8%	14 (31.1%)	7 (15.6%)	22 (48.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.4%)	8	2120^th of 2162 public high schools	1.9%		10.7	2022^nd of 2159 public high schools	6.3%	98			0.0		0.0			8.3	8.3			0.0	0.0	$53,089	$4,934	$48,155
MERIT Academy	Public	9-12	1600 North Cuyamaca St.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-0600	68	7	9.6	73.5%	28 (41.2%)	7 (10.3%)	28 (41.2%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.9%)	15.9	1771^st of 2162 public high schools	18.1%		11.4	1979^th of 2159 public high schools	8.3%	208			8.3		8.3			16.7	16.7			9.1	9.1	$42,491	$3,516	$38,975
IDEA Center	Public	9-12	1600 North Cuyamaca St.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-4332	127	16	7.7	65.4%	60 (47.2%)	3 (2.4%)	51 (40.2%)	2 (1.6%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.3%)	21.4	1665^th of 2162 public high schools	23.0%		34.9	1373^rd of 2159 public high schools	36.4%	292			8.9		8.7			34.8	34.8			6.3	6.3	$34,714	$2,939	$31,775
Altus Schools East County	Public, Charter	7-12	111 Fletcher Pkwy.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Altus Schools East County District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 678-2020	287	8	35.3	73.2%	68 (23.7%)	21 (7.3%)	167 (58.2%)	8 (2.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.6%)	36.1	1355^th of 2162 public high schools	37.3%		47.7	1061^st of 2159 public high schools	50.9%	294	20.8	14.7	18.2	17.7	17.4	15.4	29.2	54.1	39.2	15.4	25.0	5.4	13.5	$16,740	$2,819	$13,921
Grossmont Middle College High	Public	11-12	8800 Grossmont College Dr.	El Cajon	92020	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 644-7524	37	3	14.5	27.0%	27 (73.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (13.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (13.5%)	98.7	23^rd of 2162 public high schools	98.9%		97.2	64^th of 2159 public high schools	97.0%	41			75.0		75.0			93.3	93.3			86.7	86.7	$18,256	$1,080	$17,176
El Cajon Valley High	Public	9-12	1035 East Madison Ave.	El Cajon	92021	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 407-4711	1,701	82	20.7	88.8%	633 (37.2%)	157 (9.2%)	692 (40.7%)	120 (7.1%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (0.4%)	90 (5.3%)	23.2	1629^th of 2162 public high schools	24.7%		25.9	1573^rd of 2159 public high schools	27.1%	56			13.9	4.6	13.0			28.3	28.3			10.8	10.8	$22,383	$3,791	$18,592
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
Santana High	Public	9-12	9915 North Magnolia Ave.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-0211	1,621	69	23.5	46.0%	868 (53.5%)	23 (1.4%)	529 (32.6%)	68 (4.2%)	7 (0.4%)	3 (0.2%)	123 (7.6%)	76.4	472^nd of 2162 public high schools	78.2%		74	505^th of 2159 public high schools	76.6%	33			39.5	18.2	38.4			65.1	65.1			41.6	41.6	$19,410	$2,512	$16,898
West Hills High	Public	9-12	8756 Mast Blvd.	Santee	92071	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-0400	1,624	69	23.3	42.7%	782 (48.2%)	16 (1.0%)	572 (35.2%)	99 (6.1%)	3 (0.2%)	6 (0.4%)	146 (9.0%)	85.4	303^rd of 2162 public high schools	86.0%		71.1	550^th of 2159 public high schools	74.5%	247			46.1		45.6			70.9	70.9			49.4	49.4	$19,964	$2,619	$17,345
Elite Academy	Public	9-12	230 Jamacha Blvd.	El Cajon	92019	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 588-3545	34	3	10.7	64.7%	16 (47.1%)	4 (11.8%)	12 (35.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.9%)								(n/a)														$68,379	$5,598	$62,781

Frequently Asked Questions about MERIT Academy

Is MERIT Academy a good school?

MERIT Academy ranks in the bottom 18.1% of California high schools.

What district is MERIT Academy in?

Grossmont Union High

How many students attend MERIT Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 68 students attended MERIT Academy.

What is the racial makeup of MERIT Academy?

Students at MERIT Academy are 41% White, 41% Hispanic, 10% African American, 3% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 1% Not Specified.

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CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in El Cajon, 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.