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Best High Schools in Zip Code 92243

At a glance

Schools

4,296

Students

Districts

Top rankedSouthwest High911^th of 2,162 California high schools

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Biggest riser

Desert Oasis High (Continuation) up 3 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Desert Oasis High (Continuation) 13.9 students per teacher

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Summary:

This analysis examines five high schools serving grades 9-12 in zip code 92243, El Centro, California, revealing a diverse educational landscape with significant performance differences among traditional, charter, continuation, and virtual schools.

For parents, the two traditional comprehensive high schools, Central Union High and Southwest High, stand out as the strongest performers in the area. Both schools achieve graduation rates above 96%, with Central Union boasting an exceptional 98.5% rate and the lowest chronic absenteeism. Southwest High leads in academic proficiency, particularly in English. In contrast, Imperial Pathways Charter shows very concerning outcomes, with a graduation rate of only 45.5% and a high dropout rate.

Key challenges across the area include very low math proficiency, with no school reaching even half the state average. The virtual and continuation schools, Mt. Signal Virtual Academy and Desert Oasis High (Continuation), face distinct struggles; Desert Oasis has the highest per-student spending but the lowest test scores, while Mt. Signal's state ranking has declined. All schools serve a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, yet the traditional schools in the Central Union High district demonstrate that strong results are achievable in this community.

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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
Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program	Public	9-12	687 State St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(760) 482-2600	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Central Union High	Public	9-12	1001 Brighton Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Central Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 336-4300	2,006	96	20.9	72.6%	41 (2.0%)	19 (0.9%)	1,931 (96.3%)	10 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.2%)	51	1018^th of 2162 public high schools	52.9%		61.1	740^th of 2159 public high schools	65.7%	278		23.7	23.7	48.5	48.5	19.2	19.2	$26,604	$25,254	$1,350
Desert Oasis High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1302 South Third St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Central Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 336-4555	138	10	13.9	94.2%	3 (2.2%)	3 (2.2%)	131 (94.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14.4	1821^st of 2162 public high schools	15.8%		14.8	1824^th of 2159 public high schools	15.5%	3		4.1	4.1	22.1	22.1	0.0	0.0	$43,806	$40,908	$2,898
Southwest High	Public	9-12	2001 Ocotillo Dr.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Central Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 336-4100	1,846	94	19.5	72.1%	54 (2.9%)	6 (0.3%)	1,760 (95.3%)	19 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	55.8	911^th of 2162 public high schools	57.9%		61.3	735^th of 2159 public high schools	66.0%	176		25.5	25.5	53.4	53.4	20.6	20.6	$27,495	$25,764	$1,731
Mt. Signal Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	9-12	1001 Brighton Avenue Tr. 25	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Central Union High	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(760) 312-7050	60	2	25.2	83.3%	2 (3.3%)	1 (1.7%)	56 (93.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26.8	1558^th of 2162 public high schools	27.9%		39	1265^th of 2159 public high schools	41.4%	293	10.0	0.0	7.1	50.0	50.0	3.3	3.3	$25,180	$24,468	$712
Imperial Pathways Charter	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	1398 Sperber Rd.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	Imperial County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(760) 312-5566	246	11	22.9	92.7%	6 (2.4%)	2 (0.8%)	237 (96.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		8.3	8.3					$28,471	$27,860	$611

Cities Near Zip Code 92243

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
El Centro	0.24 mi	27	560^th
Imperial	2.71 mi	6	341^st
Heber	3.87 mi	2	272^nd
Seeley	7.06 mi	1	671^st
Calexico	7.78 mi	12	809^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.