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Mt. Carmel High

Public Grades 9-12

158^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 93% of California high schools

Summary

Mt. Carmel High is a public high school in San Diego, California, serving 1,831 students in grades 9-12 and part of the highly-ranked Poway Unified School District. This exceptional school consistently ranks among the top high schools in California, maintaining a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and demonstrating strong academic performance across various student subgroups.

Mt. Carmel High's academic excellence is evident in its consistently high rankings, with a statewide ranking between 93 and 158 over the past 10 years. The school boasts exceptional graduation rates, ranging from 86.2% to 95.9%, significantly higher than the state average, and low dropout rates, ranging from 1.0% to 8.9%. This inclusive educational environment serves a diverse student population, with high performance across different subgroups, including English Language Learners, Special Education students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

While Mt. Carmel High outperforms many nearby schools, such as Rancho Bernardo High and Canyon Crest Academy, it faces competition from other high-achieving schools in the region, like Torrey Pines High and Scripps Ranch High. Additionally, the school's chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 11.5% to 24.9%, suggest an area for potential improvement. Overall, Mt. Carmel High is a shining example of a high-performing public high school that provides a quality education and opportunities for its diverse student population to thrive.

1,800

Students ?

23.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,556

Per pupil spending ?

17.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9550 Carmel Mountain Rd.
San Diego, CA 92129-2799

(858) 484-1180

District: Poway Unified

Feeder schools for Mt. Carmel High:

Elementary:	Adobe Bluffs Elementary
	Creekside Elementary
	Los Penasquitos Elementary
	Morning Creek Elementary
	More...
	Rolling Hills Elementary
	Sunset Hills Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

36.6%

Asian:

26.1%

Hispanic:

20.0%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Mt. Carmel High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 82nd percentile in 2013 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (63% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of California high schools

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

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school63%

District avg68%

California avg41%

158^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 7%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6High Schools in the Poway Unified

106^th of 1,543Poway 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	92.4	158 of 2162	92.7%	★★★★★
2024	94.5	119 of 2159	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	94.8	118 of 2170	94.6%	★★★★★
2022	92.9	154 of 2123	92.7%	★★★★★
2019	94.2	111 of 2133	94.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.5	167 of 2017	91.7%	★★★★★
2017	91.2	171 of 2021	91.5%	★★★★★
2016	92.4	131 of 2039	93.6%	★★★★★
2015	94.3	93 of 1994	95.3%	★★★★★
2013	63.8	445 of 2426	81.7%	★★★★☆
2012	59.8	542 of 2354	77.0%	★★★★☆
2011	65.4	386 of 2367	83.7%	★★★★☆
2010	72.4	244 of 2281	89.3%	★★★★☆
2009	75.9	173 of 2238	92.3%	★★★★★
2008	78.2	149 of 2117	93.0%	★★★★★
2007	75.8	179 of 2063	91.3%	★★★★★
2006	82.1	98 of 1968	95.0%	★★★★★
2005	75.9	147 of 1901	92.3%	★★★★★
2004	69.2	205 of 1653	87.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.6	89 of 523	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	93.1	35 of 521	93.3%	★★★★★
2022	48.5	220 of 522	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	84.7	61 of 592	89.7%	★★★★☆
2018	52.3	246 of 582	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.5	121 of 585	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	73.4	175 of 573	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.4	184 of 591	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.8	135 of 581	76.8%	★★★★☆
2019	73.8	157 of 582	73.0%	★★★★☆
2018	60.3	268 of 581	53.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	93.5	56 of 1161	95.2%	★★★★★
2019	98.4	22 of 1117	98.0%	★★★★★
2018	84.8	116 of 1052	89.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	63.2	161 of 941	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	97.8	25 of 938	97.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.0	150 of 1906	92.1%	★★★★★
2024	94.1	102 of 1915	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	94.2	113 of 1915	94.1%	★★★★★
2022	93.8	113 of 1858	93.9%	★★★★★
2019	94.1	91 of 1833	95.0%	★★★★★
2018	91.7	122 of 1760	93.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.8	134 of 1900	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	85.3	213 of 1902	88.8%	★★★★☆
2023	88.8	158 of 1917	91.8%	★★★★★
2022	88.3	147 of 1861	92.1%	★★★★★
2019	92.2	95 of 1814	94.8%	★★★★★
2018	91.5	125 of 1742	92.8%	★★★★★

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	98.8	1 of 299	99.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.2	274 of 2013	86.4%	★★★★☆
2024	87.1	225 of 2026	88.9%	★★★★☆
2023	92.2	138 of 2030	93.2%	★★★★★
2022	86.3	197 of 1943	89.9%	★★★★☆
2019	91.9	105 of 1937	94.6%	★★★★★
2018	86.6	213 of 1862	88.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.4	161 of 1942	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	92.8	146 of 1948	92.5%	★★★★★
2023	93.4	143 of 1963	92.7%	★★★★★
2022	90.2	173 of 1916	91.0%	★★★★★
2019	91.5	135 of 1880	92.8%	★★★★★
2018	88.6	212 of 1834	88.4%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	92.4	12 of 190	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	79.6	32 of 168	81.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.0	223 of 577	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	80.9	98 of 574	82.9%	★★★★☆
2023	80.2	99 of 541	81.7%	★★★★☆
2022	77.6	95 of 515	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	70.7	116 of 422	72.5%	★★★★☆
2018	86.3	38 of 366	89.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.3	119 of 1252	90.5%	★★★★★
2024	93.5	54 of 1216	95.6%	★★★★★
2023	84.3	110 of 1197	90.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.4	150 of 1155	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	84.3	148 of 1173	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	85.3	143 of 1193	88.0%	★★★★☆
2022	82.4	169 of 1204	86.0%	★★★★☆
2019	86.4	113 of 1222	90.8%	★★★★★
2018	81.3	204 of 1173	82.6%	★★★★☆

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)

Homeless (2023)100th percentile+5 vs school

Disabled (2022)95th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2023)94th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)90th percentile~ school

White (2025)87th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)86th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2025)83rd percentile-10 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)83rd percentile-12 vs school

Asian (2025)79th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)61st percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy71%+22 vs state

Science59%+27 vs state

Mathematics59%+22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mt. Carmel 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 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
Mt. Carmel High	Public	9-12	9550 Carmel Mountain Rd.	San Diego	92129	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 484-1180	1,800	77	23.2	17.4%	659 (36.6%)	55 (3.1%)	360 (20.0%)	470 (26.1%)	2 (0.1%)	5 (0.3%)	249 (13.8%)	92.4	158^th of 2162 public high schools	92.7%		94.5	119^th of 2159 public high schools	94.5%	39				59.3	59.3				70.6	70.6				59.0	59.0	$15,556	$652	$14,904
Westview High	Public	9-12	13500 Camino Del Sur	San Diego	92129	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 780-2000	2,116	87	24.4	11.9%	699 (33.0%)	22 (1.0%)	259 (12.2%)	893 (42.2%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	238 (11.2%)	97.5	43^rd of 2162 public high schools	98.0%		98.9	22^nd of 2159 public high schools	99.0%	21				66.3	66.3				85.4	85.4				69.9	69.9	$15,127	$664	$14,463
Del Norte High	Public	9-12	16601 Nighthawk Ln.	San Diego	92127	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 487-0877	2,557	107	23.8	9.5%	909 (35.5%)	29 (1.1%)	221 (8.6%)	1,137 (44.5%)	3 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	255 (10.0%)	97.5	44^th of 2162 public high schools	98.0%		97.7	51^st of 2159 public high schools	97.6%	7				65.2	65.2				84.4	84.4				74.3	74.3	$13,962	$576	$13,386
Abraxas Continuation High	Public	9-12	12450 Glenoak Rd.	Poway	92064	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 748-5900	216	22	9.7	39.4%	79 (36.6%)	8 (3.7%)	70 (32.4%)	33 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (11.1%)								(n/a)																$37,351	$4,853	$32,498
Rancho Bernardo High	Public	9-12	13010 Paseo Lucido	San Diego	92128	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 485-4800	2,210	90	24.4	15.2%	897 (40.6%)	54 (2.4%)	440 (19.9%)	538 (24.3%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	270 (12.2%)	90.9	184^th of 2162 public high schools	91.5%		95.8	93^rd of 2159 public high schools	95.7%	91				54.6	54.6				69.6	69.6				55.7	55.7	$14,583	$731	$13,852
Canyon Crest Academy	Public	9-12	5951 Village Center Loop Rd.	San Diego	92130	San Diego County	San Dieguito Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 350-0253	2,147	83	25.7	11.4%	738 (34.4%)	11 (0.5%)	183 (8.5%)	990 (46.1%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	217 (10.1%)	98.8	20^th of 2162 public high schools	99.1%		98.9	21^st of 2159 public high schools	99.0%	1			78.2		78.2				92.9	92.9				86.4	86.4	$13,735	$380	$13,355
Mira Mesa High	Public	9-12	10510 Marauder Way	San Diego	92126	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 566-2262	2,187	86	25.3	57.1%	232 (10.6%)	100 (4.6%)	569 (26.0%)	992 (45.4%)	8 (0.4%)	11 (0.5%)	274 (12.5%)	82.4	371^st of 2162 public high schools	82.8%		90.8	202^nd of 2159 public high schools	90.6%	169			41.3	23.1	40.4				74.1	74.1				45.2	45.2	$17,168	$2,530	$14,638
Scripps Ranch High	Public	9-12	10410 Falcon Way	San Diego	92131	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 302-3400	1,890	70	27.0	19.8%	683 (36.1%)	30 (1.6%)	260 (13.8%)	670 (35.4%)	3 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	242 (12.8%)	97	53^rd of 2162 public high schools	97.5%		97.5	52^nd of 2159 public high schools	97.6%	1			70.4		70.4				84.6	84.6				69.4	69.4	$16,515	$2,523	$13,992
Poway to Palomar Middle College High	Public	11-12	11111 Rancho Bernardo Rd.	San Diego	92127	San Diego County	Poway Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 679-2531	88	2	36.5	19.3%	38 (43.2%)	1 (1.1%)	18 (20.5%)	21 (23.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (10.2%)	90.5	189^th of 2162 public high schools	91.3%		89.7	237^th of 2159 public high schools	89.0%	48				51.2	51.2				77.8	77.8				44.4	44.4	$19,341	$454	$18,887
Altus Schools Charter School of San Diego	Public, Charter	6-12	10170 Huennekens St.	San Diego	92121	San Diego County	Altus Schools Charter School of San Diego District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 678-2020	1,375	40	34.6	72.9%	303 (22.0%)	107 (7.8%)	810 (58.9%)	39 (2.8%)	9 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	95 (6.9%)	46.1	1115^th of 2162 public high schools	48.4%		52.2	947^th of 2159 public high schools	56.1%	168	17.2	22.0	25.4	17.0	19.7	26.5	30.9	34.5	55.9	39.9	16.3	13.5	15.8	15.4	15.2	$18,083	$1,102	$16,981

Frequently Asked Questions about Mt. Carmel High

What is the racial makeup of Mt. Carmel High?

Students at Mt. Carmel High are 37% White, 26% Asian, 20% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What schools feed into Mt. Carmel High?

Mt. Carmel High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Adobe Bluffs Elementary
Elementary : Creekside Elementary
Elementary : Los Penasquitos Elementary
Elementary : Morning Creek Elementary
Elementary : Rolling Hills Elementary
Elementary : Sunset Hills Elementary

What district is Mt. Carmel High in?

Poway Unified

How many students attend Mt. Carmel High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,800 students attended Mt. Carmel High.

Is Mt. Carmel High a good school?

Yes. Mt. Carmel High ranks in the top 7.3% of California high schools.

Rate Mt. Carmel High!

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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.