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Palomar High

Public Grades 7-12

1873^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 13% of California high schools

Summary

Palomar High is a small public school serving 269 students in grades 7-12 within the Sweetwater Union High district in Chula Vista, CA, but it faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 13% of California high schools.

The school's most critical issue is an extremely high rate of chronic absenteeism, at 82.5%, which is about four times the district and state average; this severe attendance problem is a major barrier to learning, as seen in very low proficiency rates of 9.9% in English and less than 1% in math. Interestingly, nearby schools like Montgomery Senior High and Hilltop Senior High serve students from similar economic backgrounds but achieve dramatically higher academic results and graduation rates, suggesting school-specific factors are at play.

Despite these deep challenges, Palomar High shows some positive signs of improvement, with graduation rates rising and dropout rates falling in recent years; the school also has a lower student-teacher ratio and higher per-student spending than many nearby comprehensive high schools, though these advantages have not yet translated to stronger academic outcomes. Its performance patterns are more similar to other alternative schools in the area, such as Alta Vista Academy and MAAC Community Charter, indicating it may serve a student population requiring specialized support.

269

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

80.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

480 Palomar St.
Chula Vista, CA 91911-3098

(619) 407-4800

District: Sweetwater Union High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

77.3%

White:

12.6%

African American:

4.1%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 17th percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (36% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (66% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg38%

California avg41%

1,873^rd of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 17% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^th of 15High Schools in the Sweetwater Union High

729^th of 1,543Sweetwater Union High 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	13.2	1873 of 2162	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.1	1998 of 2159	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	1924 of 2170	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	2016 of 2123	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.2	1047 of 1290	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	1858 of 2133	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	1715 of 2017	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.3	1746 of 2021	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	8.6	1979 of 2039	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	12.6	1664 of 1994	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.1	1690 of 2426	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	21.6	1557 of 2354	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	22.7	1549 of 2367	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	24.6	1435 of 2281	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.9	936 of 2238	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	34.5	1057 of 2117	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	26.6	1247 of 2063	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	31.0	1066 of 1968	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	23.7	1249 of 1901	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2004	14.8	1474 of 1653	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	33.2	733 of 1161	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	34.7	724 of 1085	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.7	488 of 1064	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.2	899 of 1044	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.6	517 of 941	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.4	739 of 938	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.9	1648 of 1906	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.1	1739 of 1915	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.7	1767 of 1915	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.9	1749 of 1858	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.5	1659 of 1833	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.4	1599 of 1760	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	14.8	1606 of 1900	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	1724 of 1902	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.9	1716 of 1917	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.2	1780 of 1861	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	1558 of 1814	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.4	1455 of 1742	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.1	1692 of 2013	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.0	1840 of 2026	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	1787 of 2030	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	1863 of 1943	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.6	897 of 1126	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.6	1640 of 1937	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	1650 of 1862	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	1720 of 1942	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.4	1833 of 1948	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.7	1714 of 1963	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.4	1829 of 1916	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.5	895 of 1122	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	1635 of 1880	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.4	1542 of 1834	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	1057 of 1252	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	1123 of 1216	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	1011 of 1197	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	2.8	1155 of 1173	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2022)37th percentile+32 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)33rd percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)16th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2025)16th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)15th percentile~ school

Female (2025)14th percentile~ school

Male (2025)11th percentile~ school

White (2024)2nd percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics98%+61 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy10%-39 vs state

Science5%-28 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Thursday, April 27, 2017

Outstanding faculty and a great chance for students to try a different type of education. Great place for student to succeed. Close Quote

Schools Near Palomar 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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 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
Palomar High	Public	7-12	480 Palomar St.	Chula Vista	91911	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 407-4800	269	20	13.3	80.3%	34 (12.6%)	11 (4.1%)	208 (77.3%)	4 (1.5%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	8 (3.0%)	13.2	1873^rd of 2162 public high schools	13.4%		11.1	1998^th of 2159 public high schools	7.5%	125			5.0	5.0			9.9	9.9			1.0	1.0
MAAC Community Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	1385 Third Ave.	Chula Vista	91911	San Diego County	MAAC Community Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 476-0749	171	12	14.3	57.3%	6 (3.5%)	18 (10.5%)	145 (84.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	10.5	1994^th of 2162 public high schools	7.8%		10.9	2014^th of 2159 public high schools	6.7%	20			1.2	1.2			0.0	0.0			0.0	0.0	$23,198	$3,274	$19,924
Chula Vista Senior High	Public	9-12	820 Fourth Ave.	Chula Vista	91911	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 476-5824	1,864	91	20.5	80.1%	142 (7.6%)	38 (2.0%)	1,600 (85.8%)	48 (2.6%)	5 (0.3%)	8 (0.4%)	23 (1.2%)	39.7	1264^th of 2162 public high schools	41.5%		40.8	1225^th of 2159 public high schools	43.3%	39			14.7	14.7			45.5	45.5			15.2	15.2
Castle Park Senior High	Public	9-12	1395 Hilltop Dr.	Chula Vista	91911	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 585-2000	1,363	62	22.1	82.3%	79 (5.8%)	21 (1.5%)	1,186 (87.0%)	58 (4.3%)	6 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	11 (0.8%)	47.9	1075^th of 2162 public high schools	50.3%		41.9	1190^th of 2159 public high schools	44.9%	115		23.4	14.3	23.0			50.5	50.5			23.2	23.2
Options Secondary	Public	7-12	3250 Palm Ave.	San Diego	92154	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 796-7320	69	10	6.9	59.4%	19 (27.5%)	2 (2.9%)	41 (59.4%)	3 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.8%)	63.5	730^th of 2162 public high schools	66.2%		47.7	1062^nd of 2159 public high schools	50.8%	332		29.4		22.7			64.7	50.0			29.4	23.3
Montgomery Senior High	Public	9-12	3250 Palm Ave.	San Diego	92154	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 628-3800	1,568	72	21.8	80.7%	119 (7.6%)	40 (2.6%)	1,259 (80.3%)	89 (5.7%)	10 (0.6%)	4 (0.3%)	47 (3.0%)	51.4	1009^th of 2162 public high schools	53.3%		50	998^th of 2159 public high schools	53.8%	11		26.7	21.1	23.8			57.5	57.5			17.7	17.7
Hilltop Senior High	Public	9-12	555 Claire Ave.	Chula Vista	91910	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 476-4200	1,771	81	21.9	77.4%	237 (13.4%)	30 (1.7%)	1,396 (78.8%)	53 (3.0%)	7 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	46 (2.6%)	52.9	970^th of 2162 public high schools	55.1%		59.1	792^nd of 2159 public high schools	63.3%	178		27.8	9.1	27.3			60.6	60.6			18.4	18.4
Launch Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	7-12	2710 Iris Ave.	San Diego	92154	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(619) 796-7624	578	28	20.7	51.2%	57 (9.9%)	25 (4.3%)	443 (76.6%)	28 (4.8%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.6%)	64.3	704^th of 2162 public high schools	67.4%		68.4	592^nd of 2159 public high schools	72.6%	112	17.9	29.7	30.0	26.9	47.4	40.4	58.3	51.9	37.5	19.1	31.9	29.0
Southwest Senior High	Public	9-12	1685 Hollister St.	San Diego	92154	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 628-3023	1,563	72	21.7	84.4%	105 (6.7%)	23 (1.5%)	1,371 (87.7%)	37 (2.4%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.3%)	21 (1.3%)	39.7	1265^th of 2162 public high schools	41.5%		34.9	1375^th of 2159 public high schools	36.3%	110		16.9	21.1	17.1			42.0	42.0			23.6	23.6
Alta Vista Academy	Public	7-12	730 Medical Center Ct.	Chula Vista	91911	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 216-5160	27	7	3.7	81.5%	5 (18.5%)	2 (7.4%)	16 (59.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.7%)	3 (11.1%)								(n/a)								0.0				0.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Palomar High

What is the racial makeup of Palomar High?

Students at Palomar High are 77% Hispanic, 13% White, 4% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Palomar High a good school?

Palomar High ranks in the bottom 13.4% of California high schools.

How many students attend Palomar High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 269 students attended Palomar High.

What district is Palomar High in?

Sweetwater Union 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.