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Southwest Senior High

Q: Is Southwest Senior High a good school?

Southwest Senior High ranks 1265 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1265^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 41% of California high schools

Summary

Southwest Senior High is a public high school located in San Diego, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,586 students. It is part of the Sweetwater Union High School District, which is ranked 729 out of 1,543 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Southwest Senior High has seen a fluctuating statewide ranking over the past 10 years, ranging from 628 out of 1,290 California high schools to 1,586 out of 2,170. Its SchoolDigger rating has also varied, ranging from 1 star to 3 stars. Compared to nearby schools in the same district, such as Montgomery Senior High, Mar Vista Senior High, and Castle Park Senior High, Southwest Senior High generally ranks lower and has a lower rating. The school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with Hispanic students and English Language Learners tending to perform better than White students and students with disabilities.

Southwest Senior High's four-year graduation rate has fluctuated between 86.2% and 94.0% over the past few years, with a dropout rate ranging from 3.3% to 8.9%. Academically, the school's performance, as measured by Smarter Balanced Assessments and the California Science Test (CAST), is below the district and state averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 86.25% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. However, the school's proximity to Launch Virtual Academy, a high-performing virtual high school, presents an opportunity for collaboration and innovative approaches to support student success.

1,563

Students ?

21.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$5,845

Per pupil spending ?

84.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1685 Hollister St.
San Diego, CA 92154-4548

(619) 628-3023

District: Sweetwater Union High

Feeder schools for Southwest Senior High:

Elementary:	George Nicoloff Elementary
	Teofilo Mendoza
Middle:	Southwest Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.7%

White:

6.7%

Asian:

2.4%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Southwest Senior High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 37th percentile in 2015 → 41st in 2025

Strengths

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (27% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Science scores 16 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg38%

California avg41%

1,265^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 41%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to bottom 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^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	39.7	1265 of 2162	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	1375 of 2159	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.4	1586 of 2170	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.6	1219 of 2123	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.6	628 of 1290	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.2	1284 of 2133	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.3	1298 of 2017	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.2	1323 of 2021	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	39.9	1199 of 2039	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	35.3	1260 of 1994	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	33.2	1231 of 2426	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	39.1	1072 of 2354	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	42.9	976 of 2367	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	37.7	1061 of 2281	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	42.1	956 of 2238	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	43.4	833 of 2117	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	54.9	547 of 2063	73.5%	★★★★☆
2006	48.4	664 of 1968	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	42.0	754 of 1901	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	28.9	963 of 1653	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	36.4	654 of 1161	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.0	274 of 555	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.2	246 of 1117	78.0%	★★★★☆
2018	20.3	944 of 1052	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	49.6	354 of 1085	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.2	502 of 1064	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.4	253 of 1044	75.8%	★★★★☆
2021	41.4	244 of 467	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.9	318 of 941	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.6	418 of 938	55.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.4	1250 of 1906	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.6	1322 of 1915	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.3	1462 of 1915	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.4	1176 of 1858	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.3	665 of 1054	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.7	1224 of 1833	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.1	1201 of 1760	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.9	1004 of 1900	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	1116 of 1902	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.4	1354 of 1917	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.4	975 of 1861	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.6	1062 of 1814	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.0	1085 of 1742	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.7	346 of 410	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.4	1052 of 2013	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.6	1187 of 2026	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.9	1439 of 2030	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.0	990 of 1943	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.8	441 of 1126	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.0	1146 of 1937	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.1	1136 of 1862	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.0	1125 of 1942	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.8	1199 of 1948	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.9	1445 of 1963	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.9	1078 of 1916	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.2	464 of 1122	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.8	1166 of 1880	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.0	1235 of 1834	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	974 of 1252	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.0	540 of 1216	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.7	714 of 1197	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	910 of 1155	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.0	1061 of 1173	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.2	1104 of 1193	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.5	1020 of 1204	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)67th percentile+31 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)48th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)47th percentile+6 vs school

Disabled (2022)44th percentile~ school

Male (2025)42nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)34th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)22nd percentile-19 vs school

White (2025)21st percentile-20 vs school

Homeless (2025)16th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Mathematics24%-14 vs state

Science17%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southwest Senior 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 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
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	$5,845	$4,588	$1,257
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	$2,688	$2,160	$528
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	$6,979	$5,602	$1,377
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	$9,352	$8,194	$1,158
Mar Vista Senior High	Public	9-12	505 Elm Ave.	Imperial Beach	91932	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 628-5700	1,216	55	22.2	76.9%	193 (15.9%)	30 (2.5%)	876 (72.0%)	67 (5.5%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.5%)	42 (3.5%)	45.6	1127^th of 2162 public high schools	47.9%		50.2	993^rd of 2159 public high schools	54.0%	134		19.7	15.8	19.4			56.8	56.8			18.4	18.4	$6,541	$5,152	$1,389
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	$9,571	$7,770	$1,801
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
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	$7,264	$5,938	$1,326
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	$6,223	$5,164	$1,059
San Ysidro High	Public	9-12	5353 Airway Rd.	San Diego	92154	San Diego County	Sweetwater Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 710-2300	1,941	84	23.2	78.3%	64 (3.3%)	42 (2.2%)	1,736 (89.4%)	57 (2.9%)	3 (0.2%)	4 (0.2%)	34 (1.8%)	40.8	1242^nd of 2162 public high schools	42.6%		29.5	1503^rd of 2159 public high schools	30.4%	261		18.7	10.2	17.9			54.7	54.7			13.9	13.9	$5,862	$4,468	$1,394

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Senior High

What district is Southwest Senior High in?

Sweetwater Union High

Is Southwest Senior High a good school?

Southwest Senior High ranks 1265^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Southwest Senior High?

Students at Southwest Senior High are 88% Hispanic, 7% White, 2% Asian, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Southwest Senior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,563 students attended Southwest Senior High.

What schools feed into Southwest Senior High?

Southwest Senior High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : George Nicoloff Elementary
Elementary : Teofilo Mendoza
Middle : Southwest Middle

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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.