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Garfield High

Public Grades 9-12

1742^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 19% of California high schools

Summary

Garfield High is a small public high school serving 226 students in grades 9-12 in downtown San Diego, operating within the San Diego Unified district, but it faces significant academic and attendance challenges that set it apart from neighboring schools.

The school's performance is among the lowest in the state, with only about 12% of students proficient in English and less than 3% proficient in math, which is dramatically lower than nearby schools like East Village Middle College High or San Diego High. Furthermore, chronic absenteeism affects nearly 60% of students, and the graduation rate is 38%, starkly contrasting with the nearly 100% rate at Health Sciences High and the 97% rate at Coronado High just a few miles away.

This situation presents a puzzle, as Garfield High spends over $39,000 per student and has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 10-to-1, resources that are much higher than most comparison schools. The close proximity to higher-performing schools suggests deep-seated institutional challenges, though recent data shows some improvement for Hispanic students, indicating that targeted support can make a difference.

226

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$63,492

Per pupil spending ?

95.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1255 16th St.
San Diego, CA 92101-4759

(619) 362-4500

District: San Diego Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

85.4%

African American:

5.8%

White:

4.4%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 22nd percentile in 2012 → 19th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (9% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (38% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school9%

District avg49%

California avg41%

1,742^nd of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

23^rd of 24High Schools in the San Diego Unified

577^th of 1,543San Diego 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	16.9	1742 of 2162	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	1971 of 2159	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	1694 of 2123	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.0	1852 of 2133	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	1809 of 2017	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	12.0	1709 of 2021	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.7	1598 of 2039	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	12.6	1666 of 1994	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.5	1671 of 2426	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	14.2	1839 of 2354	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	14.8	1859 of 2367	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	26.5	1377 of 2281	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	33.0	1264 of 2238	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	28.8	1208 of 2117	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	26.2	1262 of 2063	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	18.8	1483 of 1968	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	27.5	1115 of 1901	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	19.8	1282 of 1653	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	29.9	778 of 1117	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	30.7	743 of 941	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.0	933 of 938	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.5	1716 of 1906	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	1684 of 1833	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.6	1675 of 1760	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.7	1510 of 1900	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.9	1855 of 1902	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	1574 of 1814	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	1511 of 1742	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.4	1611 of 2013	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	1814 of 2026	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.3	1653 of 1937	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.0	1663 of 1862	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.2	1511 of 1942	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.7	1602 of 1880	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	1605 of 1834	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2019)30th percentile+17 vs school

Male (2025)22nd percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)21st percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)21st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile~ school

Female (2025)10th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy12%-37 vs state

Science11%-22 vs state

Mathematics2%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Garfield 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 8th 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
Garfield High	Public	9-12	1255 16th St.	San Diego	92101	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-4500	226	22	10.3	95.1%	10 (4.4%)	13 (5.8%)	193 (85.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	8 (3.5%)	16.9	1742^nd of 2162 public high schools	19.4%		11.6	1971^st of 2159 public high schools	8.7%	229		7.1	18.2	10.9				11.9	11.9				2.4	2.4	$63,492	$61,060	$2,432
East Village Middle College High	Public	9-12	1313 Park Blvd.	San Diego	92101	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-4769	138	8	17.4	65.2%	31 (22.5%)	9 (6.5%)	78 (56.5%)	5 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	12 (8.7%)	81.7	386^th of 2162 public high schools	82.1%		84.2	343^rd of 2159 public high schools	84.1%	43			30.0	30.0				82.1	82.1				36.8	36.8	$31,728	$30,108	$1,620
San Diego High	Public	9-12	1405 Park Blvd.	San Diego	92101	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 560-4610	1,602	61	26.2	71.0%	276 (17.2%)	124 (7.7%)	1,059 (66.1%)	38 (2.4%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	99 (6.2%)	61	796^th of 2162 public high schools	63.2%		47.1	1077^th of 2159 public high schools	50.1%	281		34.4	25.3	32.6				60.2	60.2				23.3	23.3	$24,589	$22,520	$2,069
e3 Civic High	Public, Charter	9-12	395 11th Ave. 6th Fl.	San Diego	92101	San Diego County	e3 Civic High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 546-0000	360	20	17.6	76.1%	7 (1.9%)	6 (1.7%)	331 (91.9%)	6 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	34.1	1398^th of 2162 public high schools	35.3%		56.9	838^th of 2159 public high schools	61.2%	560		14.6	23.0	18.1				35.7	35.7				12.4	12.4
King-Chavez Community High	Public, Charter	9-12	201 A St.	San Diego	92101	San Diego County	King-Chavez Community High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 704-1020	226	18	12.3	96.9%	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	221 (97.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	25.7	1577^th of 2162 public high schools	27.1%		41.2	1216^th of 2159 public high schools	43.7%	361		15.6		14.9				40.0	40.0				2.2	2.2
San Diego Virtual	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	600 West Broadway Ste. 230	San Diego	92101	San Diego County	San Diego Virtual District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(619) 713-7271	403	18	22.4	67.2%	131 (32.5%)	21 (5.2%)	190 (47.1%)	14 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (10.4%)	65.1	689^th of 2162 public high schools	68.1%		68.9	583^rd of 2159 public high schools	73.0%	106		32.1		32.1				57.0	57.0				34.9	34.9
Coronado High	Public	9-12	650 D Ave.	Coronado	92118	San Diego County	Coronado Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 522-8907	999	55	18.0	14.6%	537 (53.8%)	16 (1.6%)	301 (30.1%)	30 (3.0%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	107 (10.7%)	94.4	110^th of 2162 public high schools	94.9%		89.1	248^th of 2159 public high schools	88.5%	138		63.7		63.0				82.0	82.0				54.6	54.6	$25,492	$25,160	$332
Health Sciences High and Middle College	Public, Charter	9-12	3910 University Ave. Ste. 100	San Diego	92105	San Diego County	Health Sciences High and Middle College District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 528-9070	535	26	20.5	72.0%	13 (2.4%)	68 (12.7%)	409 (76.4%)	16 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	26 (4.9%)	22.3	1645^th of 2162 public high schools	23.9%		38.9	1270^th of 2159 public high schools	41.2%	375		14.6		13.3				31.5	31.5				6.3	6.3
Trace	Public	9-12	4063 Polk Ave.	San Diego	92105	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-6120	437	35	12.6	87.2%	51 (11.7%)	59 (13.5%)	264 (60.4%)	39 (8.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.8%)								(n/a)															$83,352	$79,914	$3,438
Gompers Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	1005 47th St.	San Diego	92102	San Diego County	Gompers Preparatory Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 263-2171	1,175	56	20.8	83.0%	10 (0.9%)	37 (3.1%)	1,085 (92.3%)	33 (2.8%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.4%)	63.5	729^th of 2162 public high schools	66.3%		51.4	973^rd of 2159 public high schools	54.9%	244	19.3	39.2		29.1	36.0	36.9	41.4	68.2	45.6	21.9	13.6	13.8	17.7	16.8

Frequently Asked Questions about Garfield High

Is Garfield High a good school?

Garfield High ranks in the bottom 19.4% of California high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Garfield High?

Students at Garfield High are 85% Hispanic, 6% African American, 4% White, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Garfield High in?

San Diego Unified

How many students attend Garfield High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 226 students attended Garfield High.

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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.