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Western Center Academy

Public, Charter Grades 6-12

24^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 99% of California high schools

Summary

Western Center Academy is a standout 6-12 public school serving 762 students in Hemet, California, consistently ranking among the very best in the state despite being located within the generally lower-performing Hemet Unified district.

The school's academic results are exceptional, with student proficiency rates in English, math, and science dramatically exceeding both district and state averages. This high achievement is consistent across all student groups, and the school maintains a near-perfect 0% dropout rate and a very low chronic absenteeism rate of 4.8%. In stark contrast, other comprehensive high schools in the area like Alessandro High and Mountain View High have proficiency rates below 15% in core subjects and chronic absenteeism as high as 80.7%.

While Western Center Academy spends more per student than some nearby schools, its model—which may involve selective admission as a specialized academy—produces remarkable outcomes. The only somewhat comparable school is the San Jacinto Leadership Academy - Magnet in a neighboring district, but Western Center Academy still outperforms it by over 20 percentage points in key subjects, solidifying its unique status as a top-tier educational beacon in the region.

762

Students ?

25.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,234

Per pupil spending ?

57.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2345 Searl Pkwy.
Hemet, CA 92543-9706

(951) 766-9030

District: Hemet Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.2%

White:

31.9%

Asian:

9.1%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Western Center Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 99th percentile in 2013 → 99th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (72% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of California high schools

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

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg24%

California avg41%

Middle school

231^st of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 8%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From top 1% (2015) to top 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

24^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 1%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6High Schools in the Hemet Unified

1170^th of 1,543Hemet Unified 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	91.8	231 of 2761	91.6%	★★★★★
2024	94.0	185 of 2783	93.4%	★★★★★
2023	96.2	116 of 2781	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	93.3	191 of 2740	93.0%	★★★★★
2019	97.7	49 of 2715	98.2%	★★★★★
2018	96.9	57 of 2480	97.7%	★★★★★
2017	96.5	69 of 2508	97.2%	★★★★★
2016	97.5	26 of 2497	99.0%	★★★★★
2015	97.7	29 of 2477	98.8%	★★★★★
2013	94.0	15 of 2379	99.4%	★★★★★
2012	94.3	15 of 2259	99.3%	★★★★★
2011	88.9	114 of 2236	94.9%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.0	11 of 609	98.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.6	282 of 2533	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	90.5	232 of 2551	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	95.3	119 of 2531	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	92.3	182 of 2509	92.7%	★★★★★
2019	95.5	83 of 2380	96.5%	★★★★★
2018	93.0	149 of 2262	93.4%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.2	58 of 2395	97.6%	★★★★★
2024	97.6	36 of 2388	98.5%	★★★★★
2023	98.9	19 of 2374	99.2%	★★★★★
2022	97.3	41 of 2359	98.3%	★★★★★
2019	99.2	14 of 2213	99.4%	★★★★★
2018	98.8	20 of 2072	99.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.5	97 of 2542	96.2%	★★★★★
2024	96.3	76 of 2579	97.1%	★★★★★
2023	98.8	24 of 2531	99.1%	★★★★★
2022	97.1	46 of 2458	98.1%	★★★★★
2019	99.5	13 of 2369	99.5%	★★★★★
2018	98.9	19 of 2230	99.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.7	189 of 2534	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	95.4	125 of 2552	95.1%	★★★★★
2023	96.0	107 of 2538	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	93.2	172 of 2527	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	98.4	34 of 2407	98.6%	★★★★★
2018	98.5	23 of 2273	99.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.9	150 of 1520	90.1%	★★★★★
2024	85.6	142 of 1537	90.8%	★★★★★
2023	87.6	111 of 1543	92.8%	★★★★★
2022	82.1	203 of 1555	86.9%	★★★★☆
2019	93.3	34 of 1602	97.9%	★★★★★
2018	93.2	26 of 1496	98.3%	★★★★★

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.7	24 of 2162	98.9%	★★★★★
2024	99.4	9 of 2159	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	98.8	28 of 2170	98.7%	★★★★★
2022	98.4	30 of 2123	98.6%	★★★★★
2021	97.3	28 of 1290	97.8%	★★★★★
2019	99.1	13 of 2133	99.4%	★★★★★
2018	97.7	31 of 2017	98.5%	★★★★★
2017	98.3	7 of 2021	99.7%	★★★★★
2016	98.1	16 of 2039	99.2%	★★★★★
2013	92.6	16 of 2426	99.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.6	29 of 1906	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	98.8	10 of 1915	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	96.1	71 of 1915	96.3%	★★★★★
2022	98.2	25 of 1858	98.7%	★★★★★
2021	96.4	30 of 1054	97.2%	★★★★★
2019	98.7	9 of 1833	99.5%	★★★★★
2018	97.2	18 of 1760	99.0%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.7	5 of 1900	99.7%	★★★★★
2024	99.8	4 of 1902	99.8%	★★★★★
2023	99.7	7 of 1917	99.6%	★★★★★
2022	99.3	17 of 1861	99.1%	★★★★★
2019	99.8	4 of 1814	99.8%	★★★★★
2018	99.4	4 of 1742	99.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.3	15 of 2013	99.3%	★★★★★
2024	99.9	1 of 2026	100.0%	★★★★★
2023	99.4	19 of 2030	99.1%	★★★★★
2022	99.3	18 of 1943	99.1%	★★★★★
2021	99.1	10 of 1126	99.1%	★★★★★
2019	99.3	15 of 1937	99.2%	★★★★★
2018	99.0	18 of 1862	99.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.0	17 of 1942	99.1%	★★★★★
2024	99.2	18 of 1948	99.1%	★★★★★
2023	98.9	24 of 1963	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	98.0	51 of 1916	97.3%	★★★★★
2021	97.5	30 of 1122	97.3%	★★★★★
2019	98.8	26 of 1880	98.6%	★★★★★
2018	96.1	72 of 1834	96.1%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.4	31 of 1155	97.3%	★★★★★
2024	97.7	8 of 1173	99.3%	★★★★★
2023	95.0	34 of 1193	97.2%	★★★★★
2022	94.5	35 of 1204	97.1%	★★★★★
2019	93.9	41 of 1222	96.6%	★★★★★
2018	94.3	28 of 1173	97.6%	★★★★★

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)98th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)98th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)96th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)93rd percentile~ school

White (2025)90th percentile~ school

Female (2025)89th percentile-3 vs school

High school

Hispanic (2025)100th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)99th percentile~ school

Male (2025)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)98th percentile~ school

White (2025)97th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy86%+37 vs state

Science74%+42 vs state

Mathematics56%+19 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, September 8, 2018

I have had two students attend Western Center Academy, including one already graduated from their program. It is rigorous and incredibly rewarding at the same time. Close Quote

Schools Near Western Center Academy

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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 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
Western Center Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	2345 Searl Pkwy.	Hemet	92543	Riverside County	Hemet Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 766-9030	762	30	25.2	57.7%	243 (31.9%)	46 (6.0%)	360 (47.2%)	69 (9.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.2%)	98.7	24^th of 2162 public high schools	98.9%		99.4	9^th of 2159 public high schools	99.6%	15	72.0	77.2			74.2	75.8	88.7	87.1	95.2	86.0	57.5	53.4	51.5	66.7	56.3	$26,234	$24,976	$1,258
West Valley High	Public	9-12	3401 Mustang Way	Hemet	92545	Riverside County	Hemet Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 765-1600	1,857	89	20.7	90.1%	202 (10.9%)	187 (10.1%)	1,334 (71.8%)	35 (1.9%)	7 (0.4%)	9 (0.5%)	80 (4.3%)	34.5	1392^nd of 2162 public high schools	35.6%		40.2	1233^rd of 2159 public high schools	42.9%	159		7.5		11.1	9.3				45.3	45.3				21.4	21.4	$24,605	$22,788	$1,817
Alessandro High	Public	9-12	831 East Devonshire Ave.	Hemet	92543	Riverside County	Hemet Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 765-5182	335	22	15.1	91.6%	39 (11.6%)	27 (8.1%)	246 (73.4%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.5%)	13.6	1852^nd of 2162 public high schools	14.3%		14.3	1838^th of 2159 public high schools	14.9%	14				4.2	4.2				13.1	13.1				2.3	2.3	$39,934	$37,914	$2,020
Hemet High	Public	9-12	41701 Stetson Ave.	Hemet	92544	Riverside County	Hemet Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 765-5150	2,414	107	22.5	82.5%	529 (21.9%)	121 (5.0%)	1,629 (67.5%)	22 (0.9%)	12 (0.5%)	9 (0.4%)	90 (3.7%)	41.7	1219^th of 2162 public high schools	43.6%		49.1	1021^st of 2159 public high schools	52.7%	198		11.7		17.4	14.4				55.3	55.3				17.3	17.3	$23,378	$21,694	$1,684
Tahquitz High	Public	9-12	4425 Titan Trail	Hemet	92545	Riverside County	Hemet Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 765-6300	1,761	83	21.3	85.7%	220 (12.5%)	159 (9.0%)	1,276 (72.5%)	30 (1.7%)	5 (0.3%)	4 (0.2%)	66 (3.7%)	35.7	1367^th of 2162 public high schools	36.8%		35.9	1342^nd of 2159 public high schools	37.8%	25			18.4	9.9	14.3				47.1	47.1				15.2	15.2	$23,841	$22,080	$1,761
San Jacinto Leadership Academy - Magnet	Public	6-12	181 North Ramona Blvd	San Jacinto	92583	Riverside County	San Jacinto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 929-1954	748	32	23.1	82.0%	92 (12.3%)	33 (4.4%)	570 (76.2%)	25 (3.3%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	23 (3.1%)								(n/a)	37.7		61.3		46.7	65.2	57.6	61.5	85.2	65.5	40.2	25.0	23.9	40.7	31.6	$21,695	$21,480	$215
San Jacinto Middle College High	Public	9-12	500 Idyllwild Dr.	San Jacinto	92583	Riverside County	San Jacinto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 929-7700	36	1	45.0	80.6%	3 (8.3%)	3 (8.3%)	28 (77.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.6%)	79.2	424^th of 2162 public high schools	80.4%					(n/a)			50.0		50.0				78.6	78.6				28.6	28.6	$16,386	$16,386	$00
Mountain View High	Public	9-12	1000 Ramona Blvd.	San Jacinto	92582	Riverside County	San Jacinto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 487-7710	231	12	19.2	93.9%	12 (5.2%)	15 (6.5%)	195 (84.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.6%)	11.3	1948^th of 2162 public high schools	9.9%		17.1	1757^th of 2159 public high schools	18.6%	191			6.8	0.0	6.1				11.7	11.7				2.0	2.0	$34,856	$34,626	$230
Mountain Heights Academy	Public	9-12	1000 Ramona Blvd.	San Jacinto	92582	Riverside County	San Jacinto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 487-7710	125	4	32.3	91.2%	23 (18.4%)	9 (7.2%)	88 (70.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	1 (0.8%)	2 (1.6%)	29	1502^nd of 2162 public high schools	30.5%		21.1	1679^th of 2159 public high schools	22.2%	177			16.7		16.7				42.6	42.6				5.6	5.6	$14,883	$14,858	$25
San Jacinto High	Public	9-12	500 Idyllwild Dr.	San Jacinto	92583	Riverside County	San Jacinto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 654-7374	2,388	124	19.2	89.9%	155 (6.5%)	204 (8.5%)	1,888 (79.1%)	33 (1.4%)	32 (1.3%)	16 (0.7%)	60 (2.5%)	31.9	1449^th of 2162 public high schools	33.0%		28.9	1521^st of 2159 public high schools	29.6%	72			19.6		19.2				40.8	40.8				9.9	9.9	$24,184	$23,992	$192

Frequently Asked Questions about Western Center Academy

What district is Western Center Academy in?

Hemet Unified

How many students attend Western Center Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 762 students attended Western Center Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Western Center Academy?

Students at Western Center Academy are 47% Hispanic, 32% White, 9% Asian, 6% African American, 5% Two or more races.

Is Western Center Academy a good school?

Yes! Western Center Academy is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 24^th of 2162 California high schools.

Rate Western Center Academy!

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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.