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Mountain Empire High

Q: Is Mountain Empire High a good school?

Mountain Empire High ranks 1554 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1554^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 28% of California high schools

Summary

Mountain Empire High is a public high school serving 412 students in grades 9-12 in Pine Valley, CA, and is part of the Mountain Empire Unified school district, which ranks in the bottom 12% of districts statewide.

The school presents a complex picture, with a significant and concerning rate of chronic student absenteeism—over 43%, which is more than double the state average—alongside remarkably high graduation rates of 97.3%. This paradox suggests the school is effective at keeping students enrolled and helping them graduate, even though standardized test scores in English, math, and science are consistently below state averages. Academic performance has declined across nearly all student groups in recent years, though the school shows relative strength in serving special education students.

Compared to other high schools in the same district, Mountain Empire High is the mainstream option and performs better than the much smaller Sunrise High (Continuation) and Hillside Junior/Senior High. Per-student spending at Mountain Empire has increased dramatically to over $22,000, yet this substantial investment has not yet led to improved academic outcomes, raising important questions about how resources are being used to address core challenges like attendance and instruction.

412

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,305

Per pupil spending ?

42%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3305 Buckman Springs Rd.
Pine Valley, CA 91962-4005

(619) 473-8601

District: Mountain Empire Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.3%

White:

30.1%

Two or more races:

3.2%

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Compare Mountain Empire High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 41st percentile in 2015 → 28th in 2025

Strengths

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (20% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (44% vs 19% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg19%

California avg41%

1,554^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to bottom 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1361^st of 1,543Mountain Empire 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
2025	26.9	1554 of 2162	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.7	1304 of 2159	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.8	1390 of 2170	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.4	1422 of 2123	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.2	878 of 1290	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.1	1257 of 2133	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.8	978 of 2017	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	44.3	1144 of 2021	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	40.0	1197 of 2039	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	39.6	1186 of 1994	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.1	1207 of 2426	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	31.9	1257 of 2354	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	32.9	1231 of 2367	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	29.1	1299 of 2281	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	32.1	1294 of 2238	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	36.2	1012 of 2117	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	42.4	811 of 2063	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	47.3	686 of 1968	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	49.9	590 of 1901	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	34.3	822 of 1653	50.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	35.9	662 of 1161	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	66.0	230 of 1117	79.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	27.9	889 of 1085	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	66.5	148 of 1064	86.1%	★★★★☆
2022	52.6	292 of 1044	72.0%	★★★★☆
2021	31.1	330 of 467	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.2	687 of 941	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	739 of 938	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.4	1484 of 1906	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.8	1063 of 1915	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.1	1262 of 1915	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.5	1260 of 1858	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.6	847 of 1054	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.6	858 of 1833	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.9	877 of 1760	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.2	1459 of 1900	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.9	1267 of 1902	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.6	1336 of 1917	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.0	1338 of 1861	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.6	1156 of 1814	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.1	933 of 1742	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.7	1544 of 2013	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.0	1173 of 2026	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.8	1261 of 2030	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.2	1378 of 1943	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.4	831 of 1126	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.7	1170 of 1937	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.9	897 of 1862	51.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.2	1391 of 1942	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.2	1326 of 1948	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.4	1298 of 1963	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.1	1356 of 1916	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.6	737 of 1122	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.0	1297 of 1880	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.5	966 of 1834	47.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	733 of 1252	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.9	490 of 1197	59.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.0	937 of 1155	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.8	753 of 1173	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.5	895 of 1193	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	896 of 1204	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.4	791 of 1222	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.1	615 of 1173	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)43rd percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2025)41st percentile+13 vs school

Male (2025)28th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)23rd percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)23rd percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)22nd percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)19th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)18th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy33%-16 vs state

Mathematics15%-23 vs state

Science13%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mountain Empire 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 (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 11th 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
Mountain Empire High	Public	9-12	3305 Buckman Springs Rd.	Pine Valley	91962	San Diego County	Mountain Empire Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 473-8601	412	22	18.7	42.0%	124 (30.1%)	6 (1.5%)	261 (63.3%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.2%)	26.9	1554^th of 2162 public high schools	28.1%		37.7	1304^th of 2159 public high schools	39.6%	250	12.5	13.2	33.0	33.0	14.8	14.8	$25,305	$24,342	$963
Cottonwood Community Day	Public	7-12	3291 Buckman Springs Rd.	Pine Valley	91962	San Diego County	Mountain Empire Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 473-8693	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Sunrise High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	7454 Pine Blvd.	Pine Valley	91962	San Diego County	Mountain Empire Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 473-8693	13	1	17.1	84.6%	2 (15.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (84.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)							$86,403	$85,896	$507
Hillside Junior/Senior High	Public	7-12	7454 Pine Blvd.	Pine Valley	91962	San Diego County	Mountain Empire Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 473-8693	31	2	15.1	80.6%	8 (25.8%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (64.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (9.7%)								(n/a)							$25,480	$24,968	$512

Frequently Asked Questions about Mountain Empire High

Is Mountain Empire High a good school?

Mountain Empire High ranks 1554^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Mountain Empire High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 412 students attended Mountain Empire High.

What schools feed into Mountain Empire High?

Mountain Empire High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Campo Elementary
Elementary : Clover Flat Elementary
Elementary : Descanso Elementary
Elementary : Potrero Elementary
Middle : Mountain Empire Junior High

What district is Mountain Empire High in?

Mountain Empire Unified

What is the racial makeup of Mountain Empire High?

Students at Mountain Empire High are 63% Hispanic, 30% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% African American.

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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.