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Garfield High

Public Grades 9-12

2062^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,135 California High Schools

Better than 3% of California high schools

Summary

Garfield High is a San Diego Unified high school in San Diego serving grades 9–12, with 226 students. In 2025–26, just 4% of students met proficiency in English Language Arts, 0% in math and 8% in science; the statewide results were 49%, 38% and 36%, respectively. Chronic absenteeism was 59%, compared with 17% in the district and 18% statewide, while graduation was 48%, versus 92% in the district and 88% statewide. The clearest concern is that low test results coincide with much higher absenteeism and much lower graduation than district and state rates.

Science is Garfield’s strongest subject relative to nearby peers, though its results remain low: its 8% proficiency rate was about 28 points below the 36% average for four nearby schools reporting results. In ELA, Garfield was about 60 points below those schools’ 64% average, and in math it was 40 points below their 40% average. Among those four schools, Lincoln High had the lowest results, yet still scored 30% in ELA, 14% in math and 12% in science—above Garfield in each subject. Garfield’s 59% chronic absenteeism rate was also higher than the reported rates at nearby East Village Middle College High, San Diego High and Coronado High.

Results over time offer little sign of broad improvement: ELA proficiency fell from 19% in 2023–24 to 12% in 2024–25 and 4% in 2025–26, while math was 0%, 2% and 0%; science rose to 11% in 2024–25 before slipping to 8%. SchoolDigger ranked Garfield at the 3rd statewide percentile with 0 stars in 2025–26, down from the 19th percentile and 1 star the year before. One contrast is its 10.3 student-teacher ratio, lower than every nearby school with a reported figure. Also, 95% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25, the second-highest rate among nearby schools with the same measure. In an older result, SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for English Language Learner Students rose from the 1st percentile in 2017–18 to the 21st in 2018–19, a notable improvement in its measure of how well the school served that group.

226

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$63,492

Per pupil spending ?

95.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

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%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Garfield High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 31st percentile in 2013 → 3rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (4% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (48% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school4%

District avg48%

California avg42%

2,062^nd of 2,135

California public high schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 18 pts since 2016

From bottom 22% (2016) to bottom 3% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

24^th of 24High Schools in the San Diego Unified

600^th of 1,530San 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
2026	7.9	2062 of 2135	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	6.1	1818 of 1864	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	8.0	1806 of 1880	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	8.3	1909 of 1997	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	8.8	1793 of 1930	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.2	1511 of 1942	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.7	1602 of 1880	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	1605 of 1834	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	14.2	1189 of 1235	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2019)30th percentile+17 vs school

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

Male (2026)7th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)4th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)4th percentile~ school

Female (2026)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Science8%-28 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy4%-45 vs state

Mathematics0%-38 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 (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 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%)	7.9	2062^nd of 2135 public high schools	3.4%		16.9	1742^nd of 2162 public high schools	19.4%	320		5.9		8.2				4.0	4.0				0.0	0.0	$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%)	86.8	260^th of 2135 public high schools	87.8%		81.7	386^th of 2162 public high schools	82.1%	126			28.0	28.0				86.8	86.8				60.5	60.5	$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%)	60.3	810^th of 2135 public high schools	62.1%		61	796^th of 2162 public high schools	63.2%	14		39.8		40.0				59.8	59.8				23.8	23.8	$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%)	26.4	1558^th of 2135 public high schools	27.0%		34.1	1398^th of 2162 public high schools	35.3%	160		20.2		20.9				32.2	32.2				12.2	12.2
King-Chavez Community High	Public, Charter	9-12	500 30th St.	San Diego	92102	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%)	16.3	1728^th of 2135 public high schools	19.1%		25.7	1577^th of 2162 public high schools	27.1%	151		11.9		11.8				30.0	30.0				0.0	0.0
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%)	90.9	185^th of 2135 public high schools	91.3%		65.1	689^th of 2162 public high schools	68.1%	504		61.0		61.0				72.1	72.1				61.7	61.7
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%)	93.1	131^st of 2135 public high schools	93.9%		94.4	110^th of 2162 public high schools	94.9%	21		66.2	23.1	63.6				79.5	79.5				61.7	61.7	$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%)	33.2	1421^st of 2135 public high schools	33.4%		22.3	1645^th of 2162 public high schools	23.9%	224		25.0		25.0				43.1	43.1				9.5	9.5
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%)	64.5	725^th of 2135 public high schools	66.0%		63.5	729^th of 2162 public high schools	66.3%	4	17.3	43.0		29.3	45.2	43.6	37.0	71.8	48.5	32.5	18.0	15.4	19.7	21.8
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Garfield High

Is Garfield High a good school?

Garfield High ranks in the bottom 3.4% 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 »

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

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

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 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.