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Hillside Junior/Senior High

Public Grades 7-12

Summary

Hillside Junior/Senior High is a small public high school located in Pine Valley, California, serving grades 7-12 with a student population of just 29 students. The school is part of the Mountain Empire Unified School District, which is ranked 1327 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hillside Junior/Senior High consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of California high schools, with only 1 out of 5 SchoolDigger stars. The school's academic performance is concerning, with only 15.38% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 47.04% statewide, and 0% proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 35.54% statewide. Hillside also has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 53.8% to 84.4%, and low graduation rates, fluctuating between 70.0% and 100.0% in recent years. Additionally, the school has experienced high dropout rates, ranging from 5.6% to 23.1%, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages.

Interestingly, Hillside Junior/Senior High's performance is significantly worse than the nearby Mountain Empire High School, which is also part of the Mountain Empire Unified School District. Mountain Empire High has higher test scores, graduation rates, and lower chronic absenteeism and dropout rates. The small size of Hillside Junior/Senior High and the high percentage of low socioeconomic status students, at 72.41%, may be contributing factors to the school's challenges, highlighting the need for targeted support and resources to address these disparities.

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,912

Per pupil spending ?

80.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7454 Pine Blvd.
Pine Valley, CA 91962-4005

(619) 473-8693

District: Mountain Empire Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

64.5%

White:

25.8%

Two or more races:

9.7%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 9th percentile in 2011 → 16th in 2023

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 16th (2023) from a 9th-percentile low (2011)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (8% vs 39% meeting standards)

!Dropout rate above the California average (15% vs 8%)

!High chronic absenteeism (66% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2023-2024) ?

This school8%

District avg19%

California avg39%

Not ranked this year

Hillside Junior/Senior High did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

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)

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	15.6	1813 of 2170	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	1555 of 2123	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	5.0	2203 of 2426	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	4.9	2139 of 2354	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	5.0	2151 of 2367	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	10.2	2006 of 2281	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	19.7	1822 of 2238	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	7.9	1921 of 2117	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	14.7	1730 of 2063	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	29.3	1111 of 1968	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	34.8	924 of 1901	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2004	40.7	688 of 1653	58.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	20.0	1611 of 2030	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Hispanic (2022)1st percentile~ school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)21st percentile+4 vs school

By subject vs California (2023-2024) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy15%-32 vs state

Science8%-23 vs state

Mathematics0%-36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Hillside Junior/Senior High

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 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
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)							$72,831	$1,159	$71,672
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)							$11,912	$1,159	$10,753
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	$22,857	$1,159	$21,698
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)
Julian High	Public	9-12	1656 Highway 78	Julian	92036	San Diego County	Julian Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 765-0606	112	7	16.0	54.5%	46 (41.1%)	4 (3.6%)	50 (44.6%)	1 (0.9%)	3 (2.7%)	1 (0.9%)	7 (6.3%)	44.4	1159^th of 2162 public high schools	46.4%		62.2	717^th of 2159 public high schools	66.8%	442	21.6	21.1	47.2	47.2	22.2	22.2	$39,342	$3,491	$35,851

Frequently Asked Questions about Hillside Junior/Senior High

How many students attend Hillside Junior/Senior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 31 students attended Hillside Junior/Senior High.

What is the racial makeup of Hillside Junior/Senior High?

Students at Hillside Junior/Senior High are 65% Hispanic, 26% White, 10% Two or more races.

What district is Hillside Junior/Senior High in?

Mountain Empire Unified

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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.