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University City High

Public Grades 9-12

194^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,135 California High Schools

Better than 91% of California high schools

Summary

University City High is a San Diego, California, public high school serving grades 9–12, with 1,465 students. Its SchoolDigger ranking is 194th of 2,137 California schools, at the 91st percentile and rated five stars. The school’s clearest strength is consistently strong achievement: in 2025–2026, it ranked second among nearby high schools with results in each of the three tested subjects.

University City is well above both district and state results, with its smallest advantage in math. In 2025–2026, about 76% of students were proficient in English language arts (ELA), 52% in math, and 62% in science; those results were respectively 26, 14, and 26 percentage points above state rates, and 22, 6, and 20 points above San Diego Unified. Compared with nearby schools’ averages—65% in ELA, 38% in math, and 50% in science—University City was ahead by about 10, 14, and 12 points. It was not the top nearby school in any subject: Kearny Digital Media & Design led ELA, while La Jolla High led math and science. Math is the relative weak spot, though University City remains above both benchmarks.

Over four years, math and science rose by about 2 points each, while ELA fell by about 4 points; the school’s lead over the state narrowed in all three subjects. The latest year showed a recovery in math and science, up about 6 and 9 points, while ELA declined by 3. SchoolDigger’s strong overall standing contrasts with its English Language Learner Students ranking: the group was at the 39th percentile in 2023–2024, compared with the school’s overall 91st percentile that year, though the group’s ranking had risen from the 9th percentile in 2021–2022. The 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 24.8, higher than most nearby schools with comparable data; 49% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year.

1,465

Students ?

24.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,769

Per pupil spending ?

48.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

6949 Genesee Ave.
San Diego, CA 92122-2455

(858) 605-2800

District: San Diego Unified

Feeder schools for University City High:

Elementary:	Curie Elementary
	Doyle Elementary
	Spreckels Elementary
Middle:	Standley Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

39.8%

White:

34.1%

Two or more races:

11.6%

See top rated California high schools

Compare University City High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 93rd percentile in 2016 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (63% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% 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 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

District avg48%

California avg42%

194^th of 2,135

California public high schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	90.5	194 of 2135	90.9%	★★★★★
2025	89.4	210 of 2162	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	91.3	194 of 2159	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	94.1	136 of 2170	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	89.0	212 of 2123	90.0%	★★★★★
2021	93.0	83 of 1290	93.6%	★★★★★
2019	90.6	168 of 2133	92.1%	★★★★★
2018	90.5	193 of 2017	90.4%	★★★★★
2017	93.1	128 of 2021	93.7%	★★★★★
2016	91.9	145 of 2039	92.9%	★★★★★
2015	93.9	104 of 1994	94.8%	★★★★★
2013	66.7	376 of 2426	84.5%	★★★★☆
2012	62.1	489 of 2354	79.2%	★★★★☆
2011	59.1	543 of 2367	77.1%	★★★★☆
2010	61.8	471 of 2281	79.4%	★★★★☆
2009	64.9	340 of 2238	84.8%	★★★★☆
2008	62.5	427 of 2117	79.8%	★★★★☆
2007	58.0	498 of 2063	75.9%	★★★★☆
2006	60.8	462 of 1968	76.5%	★★★★☆
2005	59.0	427 of 1901	77.5%	★★★★☆
2004	49.5	498 of 1653	69.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	86.1	50 of 492	89.8%	★★★★★
2022	85.1	54 of 522	89.7%	★★★★☆
2018	88.2	64 of 582	89.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	81.1	88 of 575	84.7%	★★★★☆
2025	72.5	189 of 585	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	76.6	136 of 573	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	66.0	239 of 591	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	74.4	162 of 581	72.1%	★★★★☆
2019	60.6	261 of 582	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.4	231 of 581	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	74.1	172 of 1161	85.2%	★★★★☆
2019	58.7	300 of 1117	73.1%	★★★★☆
2018	57.1	314 of 1052	70.2%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	37.1	659 of 1085	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.1	945 of 1044	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	67.0	134 of 941	85.8%	★★★★☆
2018	93.1	51 of 938	94.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	87.0	214 of 1864	88.5%	★★★★☆
2025	85.8	243 of 1906	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	85.0	281 of 1915	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	89.3	196 of 1915	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	89.2	188 of 1858	89.9%	★★★★☆
2021	89.6	104 of 1054	90.1%	★★★★★
2019	91.2	139 of 1833	92.4%	★★★★★
2018	90.0	156 of 1760	91.1%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	82.4	265 of 1880	85.9%	★★★★☆
2025	88.2	157 of 1900	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	74.4	396 of 1902	79.2%	★★★★☆
2023	80.1	313 of 1917	83.7%	★★★★☆
2022	71.5	403 of 1861	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	81.5	242 of 1814	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	81.2	290 of 1742	83.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	80.8	318 of 1997	84.1%	★★★★☆
2025	87.2	202 of 2013	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	83.8	279 of 2026	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	90.4	157 of 2030	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	79.8	282 of 1943	85.5%	★★★★☆
2021	92.4	61 of 1126	94.6%	★★★★★
2019	83.8	226 of 1937	88.3%	★★★★☆
2018	89.2	178 of 1862	90.4%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	91.0	161 of 1930	91.7%	★★★★★
2025	89.8	189 of 1942	90.3%	★★★★★
2024	93.4	132 of 1948	93.2%	★★★★★
2023	96.0	94 of 1963	95.2%	★★★★★
2022	86.0	230 of 1916	88.0%	★★★★☆
2019	84.9	251 of 1880	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	87.9	229 of 1834	87.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	90.8	35 of 588	94.0%	★★★★★
2025	85.3	77 of 577	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	79.3	111 of 574	80.7%	★★★★☆
2023	85.1	66 of 541	87.8%	★★★★☆
2022	71.4	134 of 515	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	76.4	95 of 422	77.5%	★★★★☆
2018	80.9	55 of 366	85.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	82.7	134 of 1235	89.1%	★★★★☆
2025	91.2	83 of 1252	93.4%	★★★★★
2024	94.7	46 of 1216	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	98.1	21 of 1197	98.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	84.5	134 of 1130	88.1%	★★★★☆
2025	78.9	217 of 1155	81.2%	★★★★☆
2024	92.1	58 of 1173	95.1%	★★★★★
2023	96.6	20 of 1193	98.3%	★★★★★
2022	90.1	78 of 1204	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	85.1	127 of 1222	89.6%	★★★★☆
2018	86.5	119 of 1173	89.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Multi-racial (2026)94th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)92nd percentile~ school

African American (2026)90th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)89th percentile~ school

Female (2026)89th percentile~ school

White (2026)88th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)86th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2022)85th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2026)85th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)84th percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)39th percentile-52 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy76%+26 vs state

Science62%+26 vs state

Mathematics52%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near University City 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 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
University City High	Public	9-12	6949 Genesee Ave.	San Diego	92122	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 605-2800	1,465	59	24.8	48.9%	500 (34.1%)	45 (3.1%)	583 (39.8%)	159 (10.9%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	170 (11.6%)	90.5	194^th of 2135 public high schools	90.9%		89.4	210^th of 2162 public high schools	90.3%	16			62.5		62.2				75.5	75.5				52.1	52.1	$17,769	$1,392	$16,377
Preuss School UCSD	Public, Charter	6-12	9500 Gilman Dr.	La Jolla	92093	San Diego County	Preuss School UCSD District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 822-3000	825	43	19.1	90.8%	24 (2.9%)	195 (23.6%)	454 (55.0%)	136 (16.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.9%)	91.1	182^nd of 2135 public high schools	91.5%		92.8	151^st of 2162 public high schools	93.0%	31	43.4			52.3	47.7	52.8	73.3	60.2	86.0	67.4	43.7	51.3	36.3	45.8	44.3	$15,851	$871	$14,980
Madison High	Public	9-12	4833 Doliva Dr.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 536-0336	780	38	20.3	80.8%	97 (12.4%)	71 (9.1%)	494 (63.3%)	38 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.4%)	67 (8.6%)	32.8	1430^th of 2135 public high schools	33.0%		52.7	976^th of 2162 public high schools	54.9%	454			21.3		21.3				36.7	36.7				18.6	18.6	$22,094	$2,556	$19,538
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%)	44.6	1154^th of 2135 public high schools	45.9%		46.1	1115^th of 2162 public high schools	48.4%	39	13.3	21.6	26.6	27.6	21.4	25.8	29.2	30.7	57.7	38.0	9.7	15.5	11.3	16.9	13.7	$17,839	$731	$17,108
High Technical High Mesa	Public, Charter	9-12	5331 Mt. Alifan	San Diego	92106	San Diego County	High Technical High Mesa District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 795-1810	435	20	21.7	40.5%	165 (37.9%)	16 (3.7%)	169 (38.9%)	64 (14.7%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (0.9%)	15 (3.4%)	89.8	206^th of 2135 public high schools	90.4%		93.4	135^th of 2162 public high schools	93.8%	71			55.9	50.6	53.4				73.3	73.3				54.9	54.9	$16,215	$1,050	$15,165
Clairemont High	Public	9-12	4150 Ute Dr.	San Diego	92117	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 605-2600	823	36	22.5	57.4%	302 (36.7%)	15 (1.8%)	398 (48.4%)	36 (4.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (8.1%)	57.8	864^th of 2135 public high schools	59.5%		61.6	780^th of 2162 public high schools	63.9%	84			37.7		37.1				51.2	51.2				28.9	28.9	$21,605	$1,849	$19,756
Mission Bay High	Public	9-12	2475 Grand Ave.	San Diego	92109	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 536-0136	1,240	61	20.3	44.4%	545 (44.0%)	35 (2.8%)	456 (36.8%)	58 (4.7%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	140 (11.3%)	85.8	282^nd of 2135 public high schools	86.8%		92.6	154^th of 2162 public high schools	92.9%	128			59.2		58.6				74.1	74.1				42.3	42.3	$19,827	$1,620	$18,207
La Jolla High	Public	9-12	799 Westbourne St.	La Jolla	92037	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 634-8000	1,174	48	24.4	30.2%	645 (54.9%)	9 (0.8%)	297 (25.3%)	92 (7.8%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	125 (10.6%)	90.3	203^rd of 2135 public high schools	90.5%		89.2	214^th of 2162 public high schools	90.1%	11			67.9	18.8	65.1				70.7	70.7				59.0	59.0	$17,910	$1,017	$16,893
San Diego Metro Career and Technical	Public	9-12	7250 Mesa College Dr. Rm. K-203	San Diego	92111	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 388-2299	119	10	12.0	49.6%	49 (41.2%)	6 (5.0%)	44 (37.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (14.3%)	71.2	596^th of 2135 public high schools	72.1%		68.5	625^th of 2162 public high schools	71.1%	29			52.3		51.1				68.2	68.2				25.0	25.0	$31,368	$1,385	$29,983
Kearny Digital Media & Design	Public	9-12	1954 Komet Way	San Diego	92111	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(858) 496-8370	349	14	25.4	73.6%	40 (11.5%)	29 (8.3%)	208 (59.6%)	39 (11.2%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	29 (8.3%)	87.5	253^rd of 2135 public high schools	88.1%		69.9	602^nd of 2162 public high schools	72.2%	349			58.3		57.5				76.7	76.7				45.3	45.3	$19,265	$2,008	$17,257

Frequently Asked Questions about University City High

What schools feed into University City High?

University City High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Curie Elementary
Elementary : Doyle Elementary
Elementary : Spreckels Elementary
Middle : Standley Middle

How many students attend University City High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,465 students attended University City High.

What district is University City High in?

San Diego Unified

Is University City High a good school?

Yes. University City High ranks in the top 9.1% of California high schools.

What is the racial makeup of University City High?

Students at University City High are 40% Hispanic, 34% White, 12% Two or more races, 11% Asian, 3% African American.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

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

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

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