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Imperial High

Q: Is Imperial High a good school?

Imperial High ranks 822 nd of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

822^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,135 California High Schools

Better than 61% of California high schools

Summary

Imperial High is a public high school serving grades 9–12 and 1,439 students in Imperial, in California’s Imperial County, as part of Imperial Unified. Its clearest overall finding is a sharp split by subject: ELA and science are strengths, but math proficiency is well below the state, district and nearby comprehensive-school averages.

ELA and science are Imperial’s strongest subjects against local and statewide benchmarks. In 2025–2026, 64% of students were proficient in ELA, compared with 49% statewide, 52% in the district and an average of 57% at nearby comprehensive high schools. Science proficiency was 40%, above the state’s 36%, the district’s 35% and the nearby-school average of 25%. Math, by contrast, was 20% proficient, below the state’s 38%, the district’s 36% and the nearby-school average of 27%. Among the nearby comprehensive schools, Imperial had the highest all-grades ELA and science results, but the lowest math result.

Science has improved over time, rising 11 percentage points from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, while math fell 4 points and its gap with the state widened by 8 points; ELA fell 3 points overall, though it recovered from its recent low. SchoolDigger ranked Imperial in the 62nd percentile statewide in 2025–2026 with 3 stars, down from the 70th percentile and 4 stars in 2023–2024; it was just ahead of Brawley Union High, at the 61st percentile. The 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 23.0, compared with a 21.2 average for three nearby comprehensive schools. In 2024–2025, 47% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, below nearby schools’ rates of 61% to 94%. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking suggests it serves homeless students especially well: that group ranked in the 78th percentile, compared with the school’s overall 62nd. Its ranking for special education students rose from the 38th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 65th in 2025–2026.

1,439

Students ?

23.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,868

Per pupil spending ?

47.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

517 West Barioni Blvd.
Imperial, CA 92251-1452

(760) 355-3220

District: Imperial Unified

Feeder schools for Imperial High:

Elementary:	Ben Hulse Elementary
	T. L. Waggoner Elementary
Middle:	Frank M. Wright Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.8%

White:

8.1%

Asian:

1.5%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Imperial High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 75th percentile in 2016 → 61st in 2026

Strengths

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Above the California median (61st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2016

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

!Mathematics scores 19 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg42%

California avg42%

822^nd of 2,135

California public high schools ?

Top 39%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From top 25% (2016) to top 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Imperial Unified

677^th of 1,530Imperial 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	59.7	822 of 2135	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.3	702 of 2162	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.2	646 of 2159	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	65.3	661 of 2170	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.2	666 of 2123	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.6	583 of 1290	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	80.2	359 of 2133	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	75.2	491 of 2017	75.7%	★★★★☆
2017	76.2	477 of 2021	76.4%	★★★★☆
2016	72.1	513 of 2039	74.8%	★★★★☆
2015	78.4	391 of 1994	80.4%	★★★★☆
2013	72.9	254 of 2426	89.5%	★★★★☆
2012	77.8	177 of 2354	92.5%	★★★★★
2011	71.6	277 of 2367	88.3%	★★★★☆
2010	76.0	185 of 2281	91.9%	★★★★★
2009	71.6	232 of 2238	89.6%	★★★★☆
2008	74.2	204 of 2117	90.4%	★★★★★
2007	71.7	233 of 2063	88.7%	★★★★☆
2006	69.2	301 of 1968	84.7%	★★★★☆
2005	58.1	447 of 1901	76.5%	★★★★☆
2004	55.3	415 of 1653	74.9%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	23.5	1020 of 1161	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	48.8	210 of 555	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.9	278 of 1117	75.1%	★★★★☆
2018	17.7	970 of 1052	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	47.8	388 of 1085	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.2	499 of 1064	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.3	441 of 1044	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	31.9	321 of 467	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	90.8	33 of 941	96.5%	★★★★★
2018	25.4	739 of 938	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	48.2	947 of 1864	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.1	776 of 1906	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.7	654 of 1915	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.8	720 of 1915	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.6	647 of 1858	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.9	591 of 1054	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	74.1	405 of 1833	77.9%	★★★★☆
2018	69.5	540 of 1760	69.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	64.6	599 of 1880	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	70.5	481 of 1900	74.7%	★★★★☆
2024	72.7	427 of 1902	77.5%	★★★★☆
2023	72.7	433 of 1917	77.4%	★★★★☆
2022	72.4	387 of 1861	79.2%	★★★★☆
2019	84.6	191 of 1814	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	82.8	265 of 1742	84.8%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	74.5	78 of 358	78.2%	★★★★☆
2025	81.5	52 of 410	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	59.8	114 of 328	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.8	51 of 299	82.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	57.9	789 of 1997	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.0	593 of 2013	70.5%	★★★★☆
2024	63.9	621 of 2026	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.5	550 of 2030	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	54.1	768 of 1943	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.9	726 of 1126	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	81.4	266 of 1937	86.3%	★★★★☆
2018	69.8	521 of 1862	72.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	65.4	628 of 1930	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.3	580 of 1942	70.1%	★★★★☆
2024	65.2	591 of 1948	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.5	539 of 1963	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	61.6	615 of 1916	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.4	481 of 1122	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	81.4	295 of 1880	84.3%	★★★★☆
2018	76.1	433 of 1834	76.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	53.2	434 of 1235	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.3	509 of 1252	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.3	753 of 1216	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.9	816 of 1197	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	71.5	326 of 1130	71.2%	★★★★☆
2025	70.4	339 of 1155	70.6%	★★★★☆
2024	74.5	291 of 1173	75.2%	★★★★☆
2023	64.4	419 of 1193	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.3	446 of 1204	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	85.3	123 of 1222	89.9%	★★★★★
2018	70.7	367 of 1173	68.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Homeless (2026)78th percentile+17 vs school

White (2026)71st percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)68th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)67th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2026)65th percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)64th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)60th percentile~ school

Female (2026)49th percentile-12 vs school

Disabled (2022)12th percentile-56 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy64%+15 vs state

Science40%+4 vs state

Mathematics20%-19 vs state

1.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Their education does not live up to all the things people say about it. I was disappointed. Close Quote

Schools Near Imperial 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 10th Grade	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
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	$18,868	$1,019	$17,849
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	$19,678	$7,643	$12,035
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)
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	$19,850	$1,350	$18,500
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	$29,225	$2,898	$26,327
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	$20,486	$1,731	$18,755
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					$14,707	$611	$14,096
Brawley Union High	Public	9-12	480 North Imperial Ave.	Brawley	92227	Imperial County	Brawley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 312-6073	1,863	80	23.1	70.7%	61 (3.3%)	14 (0.8%)	1,741 (93.5%)	17 (0.9%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	26 (1.4%)	59	836^th of 2135 public high schools	60.8%		64.5	699^th of 2162 public high schools	67.7%	137	21.1	42.4	26.7	31.0	61.8	61.8	33.6	33.6	$19,623	$1,360	$18,263
Desert Valley High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	104 West Magnolia St.	Brawley	92227	Imperial County	Brawley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 312-5100	162	9	18.7	80.9%	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	160 (98.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18.5	1681^st of 2135 public high schools	21.3%		17.8	1727^th of 2162 public high schools	20.1%	46		9.2		10.3	31.1	31.1	6.6	6.6	$21,875	$1,008	$20,867
Renaissance	Public	9-12	104 Magnolia Ave.	Brawley	92227	Imperial County	Brawley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 312-5110	22	1	21.1	81.8%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)									$18,825	$786	$18,039

Frequently Asked Questions about Imperial High

What schools feed into Imperial High?

Imperial High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ben Hulse Elementary
Elementary : T. L. Waggoner Elementary
Middle : Frank M. Wright Middle

How many students attend Imperial High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,439 students attended Imperial High.

What is the racial makeup of Imperial High?

Students at Imperial High are 89% Hispanic, 8% White, 2% Asian.

Is Imperial High a good school?

Imperial High ranks 822^nd of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Imperial High in?

Imperial Unified

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

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

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

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 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.