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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 91944

New rankings! California test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

Schools

2,240

Students

Top rankedGrossmont High730^th of 2,137 California high schools

▲

Biggest riser

Grossmont High up 99 spots statewide this year

See the top-ranked California schools →

Summary:

Zip code 91944 has two high schools, [Grossmont High](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623002022/school.aspx) and [MERIT Academy](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623013711/school.aspx), both serving grades 9–12 in the same district. Their reported outcomes differ sharply: in 2025–2026, [Grossmont High](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623002022/school.aspx) had an 88% graduation rate, compared with 47% at [MERIT Academy](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623013711/school.aspx), a 40-point gap; chronic absenteeism was 21% versus 64%. The clearest overall contrast is that [Grossmont High](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623002022/school.aspx) reported much stronger graduation and attendance outcomes than [MERIT Academy](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623013711/school.aspx).

[Grossmont High](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623002022/school.aspx) stands out for stronger reported test results: in 2024–2025, it exceeded [MERIT Academy](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623013711/school.aspx) by 40 points in ELA, 16 in math and 25 in science. [Grossmont High](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623002022/school.aspx) was above the state in ELA and science in 2025–2026, by 9 and 5 points, respectively, but remained 9 points below in math. [MERIT Academy](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623013711/school.aspx) also had a 53% dropout rate, compared with 8% at [Grossmont High](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623002022/school.aspx). [MERIT Academy](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623013711/school.aspx)’s 2025–2026 test results are suppressed, so a two-school proficiency comparison for that year is not available.

[Grossmont High](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623002022/school.aspx)’s proficiency improved from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026 in all three subjects: ELA rose 3 points, math 5 and science 7, bringing its results closer to or further above the state in each subject. One exception worth noting is 12th-grade science: [Grossmont High](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623002022/school.aspx) scored 11%, 22 points below the state’s 12th-grade result. SchoolDigger ranked [Grossmont High](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623002022/school.aspx) at the 66th percentile in 2025–2026; [MERIT Academy](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623013711/school.aspx)’s latest supplied ranking was the 18th percentile in 2024–2025. In 2024–2025, [MERIT Academy](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623013711/school.aspx) had a smaller enrollment and lower student-teacher ratio (68 students; 9.6) than [Grossmont High](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623002022/school.aspx) (2,172 students; 24.3); its free/reduced lunch eligible measure was 74%, compared with 64% at [Grossmont High](https://www.schooldigger.com/go/CA/schools/1623002022/school.aspx), in that same school year.

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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 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
Grossmont High	Public	9-12	1100 Murray Dr.	La Mesa	91944	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 668-6000	2,172	89	24.3	64.0%	710 (32.7%)	171 (7.9%)	995 (45.8%)	111 (5.1%)	7 (0.3%)	14 (0.6%)	163 (7.5%)	64.2	730^th of 2137 public high schools	65.8%		59.7	829^th of 2162 public high schools	61.7%	99	41.7	10.5	40.5	58.8	58.8	29.7	29.7	$24,001	$22,836	$1,165
MERIT Academy	Public	9-12	1600 North Cuyamaca St.	El Cajon	91944	San Diego County	Grossmont Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 956-0600	68	7	9.6	73.5%	28 (41.2%)	7 (10.3%)	28 (41.2%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.9%)								(n/a)								$68,770	$67,100	$1,670

Cities Near Zip Code 91944

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
La Mesa	0.63 mi	21	321^st
San Diego	1.65 mi	330	347^th
Lemon Grove	1.93 mi	7	536^th
Spring Valley	2.35 mi	16	551^st
El Cajon	2.69 mi	52	634^th

See the top CA California cities

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.