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South High

Public Grades 9-12

157^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 93% of California high schools

Summary

South High is a large, highly-regarded public high school serving grades 9-12 in the Torrance Unified school district, consistently earning top 5-star ratings while educating over 1,700 students in a diverse community.

The school stands out for its balanced academic strength, particularly in mathematics and science where it outperforms nearby schools like Torrance High and Redondo Union High. It achieves this while providing exceptional support for all students, with state rankings in the 97th percentile for English Learners and low-income students, demonstrating a successful model of excellence with equity. Within its own district, it forms a high-performing duo with West High, another 5-star school.

South High maintains a zero dropout rate and a 96% graduation rate, operating with financial efficiency comparable to peers. While schools like Palos Verdes Peninsula High may rank slightly higher, South High delivers its consistently elite results—remaining in the state's top 8% for a decade—with a more varied student population, making it a benchmark for comprehensive high school excellence in the region.

1,734

Students ?

23.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,819

Per pupil spending ?

22.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4801 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Torrance, CA 90505-5544

(310) 533-4352

District: Torrance Unified

Feeder schools for South High:

Elementary:	Joseph Arnold Elementary
	Riviera Elementary
	Seaside Elementary
	Walteria Elementary
Middle:	Calle Mayor Middle
	Edward J. Richardson Middle

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

38.0%

White:

26.5%

Hispanic:

23.5%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 94th percentile in 2013 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (64% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of California high schools

✓96% 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 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg62%

California avg41%

157^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5High Schools in the Torrance Unified

204^th of 1,543Torrance 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	92.4	157 of 2162	92.7%	★★★★★
2024	93.6	142 of 2159	93.4%	★★★★★
2023	92.8	173 of 2170	92.0%	★★★★★
2022	94.9	116 of 2123	94.5%	★★★★★
2019	90.4	173 of 2133	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	91.5	165 of 2017	91.8%	★★★★★
2017	87.7	250 of 2021	87.6%	★★★★☆
2016	92.1	141 of 2039	93.1%	★★★★★
2015	89.0	196 of 1994	90.2%	★★★★★
2013	80.0	141 of 2426	94.2%	★★★★★
2012	79.7	146 of 2354	93.8%	★★★★★
2011	75.9	193 of 2367	91.8%	★★★★★
2010	70.4	282 of 2281	87.6%	★★★★☆
2009	75.7	180 of 2238	92.0%	★★★★★
2008	74.0	205 of 2117	90.3%	★★★★★
2007	73.3	208 of 2063	89.9%	★★★★☆
2006	72.7	231 of 1968	88.3%	★★★★☆
2005	70.5	244 of 1901	87.2%	★★★★☆
2004	66.6	240 of 1653	85.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	71.4	120 of 521	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	70.1	118 of 522	77.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.7	128 of 585	78.1%	★★★★☆
2024	74.9	151 of 573	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	72.5	182 of 591	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.9	134 of 581	76.9%	★★★★☆
2019	64.0	233 of 582	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.0	177 of 581	69.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	87.6	92 of 1161	92.1%	★★★★★
2019	78.9	149 of 1117	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	92.9	64 of 1052	93.9%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	88.9	47 of 1085	95.7%	★★★★★
2023	86.4	40 of 1064	96.2%	★★★★★
2022	88.5	35 of 1044	96.6%	★★★★★
2019	93.4	27 of 941	97.1%	★★★★★
2018	74.0	127 of 938	86.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.9	118 of 1906	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	94.8	88 of 1915	95.4%	★★★★★
2023	93.1	129 of 1915	93.3%	★★★★★
2022	94.7	96 of 1858	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	92.6	125 of 1833	93.2%	★★★★★
2018	88.6	179 of 1760	89.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.1	225 of 1900	88.2%	★★★★☆
2024	92.8	104 of 1902	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	89.9	146 of 1917	92.4%	★★★★★
2022	87.6	157 of 1861	91.6%	★★★★★
2019	88.1	145 of 1814	92.0%	★★★★★
2018	90.4	135 of 1742	92.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.2	58 of 2013	97.1%	★★★★★
2024	91.8	131 of 2026	93.5%	★★★★★
2023	93.9	114 of 2030	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	95.6	73 of 1943	96.2%	★★★★★
2019	82.4	249 of 1937	87.1%	★★★★☆
2018	90.6	154 of 1862	91.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.9	186 of 1942	90.4%	★★★★★
2024	91.4	171 of 1948	91.2%	★★★★★
2023	90.5	204 of 1963	89.6%	★★★★☆
2022	93.6	124 of 1916	93.5%	★★★★★
2019	81.4	294 of 1880	84.4%	★★★★☆
2018	92.3	141 of 1834	92.3%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.5	11 of 577	98.1%	★★★★★
2024	80.8	100 of 574	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	76.6	114 of 541	78.9%	★★★★☆
2022	77.4	97 of 515	81.2%	★★★★☆
2019	65.9	142 of 422	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.3	86 of 366	76.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.0	167 of 1252	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	53.0	423 of 1216	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	88.1	89 of 1197	92.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	322 of 1155	72.1%	★★★★☆
2024	78.1	233 of 1173	80.1%	★★★★☆
2023	74.5	288 of 1193	75.9%	★★★★☆
2022	82.1	180 of 1204	85.0%	★★★★☆
2019	70.4	331 of 1222	72.9%	★★★★☆
2018	73.2	333 of 1173	71.6%	★★★★☆

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 (2025)98th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)97th percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)96th percentile~ school

Female (2025)94th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)92nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)90th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)88th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)87th percentile-6 vs school

Asian (2025)78th percentile-15 vs school

African American (2023)77th percentile-15 vs school

White (2025)72nd percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy76%+27 vs state

Mathematics61%+24 vs state

Science56%+23 vs state

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Schools Near South 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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	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
South High	Public	9-12	4801 Pacific Coast Hwy.	Torrance	90505	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4352	1,734	74	23.5	22.4%	460 (26.5%)	33 (1.9%)	407 (23.5%)	659 (38.0%)	4 (0.2%)	6 (0.3%)	165 (9.5%)	92.4	157^th of 2162 public high schools	92.7%		93.6	142^nd of 2159 public high schools	93.4%	15	56.1	45.0	55.6	75.6	75.6	61.0	61.0	$17,819	$17,344	$475
Southern California Regional Occupational Center	Public	10-12	2300 Crenshaw Blvd.	Torrance	90501	Los Angeles County	Southern California Regional Occupational Center	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(310) 224-4289	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Palos Verdes Peninsula High	Public	9-12	27118 Silver Spur Rd.	Rolling Hills Estates	90274	Los Angeles County	Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 377-4888	2,075	93	22.2	11.8%	616 (29.7%)	49 (2.4%)	314 (15.1%)	851 (41.0%)	3 (0.1%)	3 (0.1%)	235 (11.3%)	98.1	33^rd of 2162 public high schools	98.5%		97.9	44^th of 2159 public high schools	98.0%	11	72.2		72.2	89.7	89.7	75.2	75.2	$18,271	$18,192	$79
West High	Public	9-12	20401 Victor St.	Torrance	90503	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4299	1,775	72	24.7	24.7%	366 (20.6%)	96 (5.4%)	458 (25.8%)	655 (36.9%)	5 (0.3%)	6 (0.3%)	189 (10.6%)	93	146^th of 2162 public high schools	93.2%		92.1	178^th of 2159 public high schools	91.8%	32	58.8	20.0	57.4	77.6	77.6	60.1	60.1	$17,421	$16,960	$461
Shery (Kurt T.) High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	2600 Vine St.	Torrance	90501	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4440	119	7	16.1	73.1%	13 (10.9%)	15 (12.6%)	74 (62.2%)	7 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.2%)	5 (4.2%)	9.1	2063^rd of 2162 public high schools	4.6%		16.4	1776^th of 2159 public high schools	17.7%	287	4.0		5.7	8.2	8.2	0.0	0.0	$44,132	$43,212	$920
Gene Drevno Community Day	Public	7-12	2291 West Washington Ave.	Torrance	90501	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 972-6962	12	2	6.0	41.7%	5 (41.7%)	1 (8.3%)	6 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Redondo Union High	Public	9-12	One Sea Hawk Way	Redondo Beach	90277	Los Angeles County	Redondo Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 798-8665	2,921	115	25.3	18.4%	1,231 (42.1%)	115 (3.9%)	753 (25.8%)	382 (13.1%)	3 (0.1%)	5 (0.2%)	427 (14.6%)	91.1	180^th of 2162 public high schools	91.7%		89.8	235^th of 2159 public high schools	89.1%	55	60.2		60.2	74.1	74.1	52.4	52.4	$19,144	$18,362	$782
Patricia Dreizler Continuation High	Public	9-12	1000 Del Amo St.	Redondo Beach	90277	Los Angeles County	Redondo Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 798-8690	41	5	8.5	26.8%	18 (43.9%)	2 (4.9%)	14 (34.1%)	1 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (7.3%)	15.6	1783^rd of 2162 public high schools	17.5%		21.9	1657^th of 2159 public high schools	23.3%	126			38.5	27.3	27.3	0.0	0.0	$52,624	$51,856	$768
Redondo Beach Learning Academy	Public	9-12	1000 Del Amo St.	Redondo Beach	90277	Los Angeles County	Redondo Beach Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 798-8690	6	1	5.8		4 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (33.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Torrance High	Public	9-12	2200 Carson St.	Torrance	90501	Los Angeles County	Torrance Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(310) 533-4396	1,879	75	25.0	36.4%	281 (15.0%)	81 (4.3%)	833 (44.3%)	518 (27.6%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.3%)	158 (8.4%)	85.6	298^th of 2162 public high schools	86.2%		86.7	286^th of 2159 public high schools	86.8%	12	41.5	6.7	40.5	79.8	79.8	51.3	51.3	$16,504	$16,042	$462

Frequently Asked Questions about South High

Is South High a good school?

Yes. South High ranks in the top 7.3% of California high schools.

How many students attend South High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,734 students attended South High.

What district is South High in?

Torrance Unified

What schools feed into South High?

South High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Joseph Arnold Elementary
Elementary : Riviera Elementary
Elementary : Seaside Elementary
Elementary : Walteria Elementary
Middle : Calle Mayor Middle
Middle : Edward J. Richardson Middle

What is the racial makeup of South High?

Students at South High are 38% Asian, 27% White, 23% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 2% African American.

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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.