Is Garfield High a good school?

Garfield High ranks in the bottom 11.5% of California high schools.

How many students attend Garfield High?

In the 2022-23 school year, 208 students attended Garfield High.

What is the racial makeup of Garfield High?

Students at Garfield High are 85% Hispanic, 5% African American, 5% White, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Garfield High

Summary:

Garfield High is a public high school located in San Diego, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 208 students. The school is part of the San Diego Unified School District, which is ranked 604 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Garfield High has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of California high schools over the past decade, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of this period. The school's performance is particularly concerning for certain student subgroups, such as female students and Hispanic students, who ranked in the bottom 10% of California high schools in recent years. Garfield High has also struggled with low graduation rates, reaching only 51.4% in 2022-2023, and high dropout rates, as high as 17.8% in 2020-2021. Additionally, the school has experienced extremely high rates of chronic absenteeism, reaching 72.6% in 2020-2021, significantly higher than the district and state averages.

When comparing Garfield High to nearby schools, the differences in performance are stark. For example, East Village Middle College High, located just 0.19 miles away, ranked in the top 15% of California high schools and had a 100% 4-year graduation rate in 2022-2023. Similarly, Coronado High, located 2.5 miles away, ranked in the top 10% of California high schools and had a 95.9% 4-year graduation rate. This suggests that there may be opportunities for Garfield High to learn from and collaborate with these successful institutions, despite the school's consistently low performance.

Detail:

Public 9-12

1255 16th St.
San Diego, CA 92101-4759

(619) 362-4500

District: San Diego Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2057^th of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,827

Student/teacher ratio: 10.2

Number of students: 208

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

85.1%

African American:

5.3%

White:

4.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 91.3%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Garfield High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Garfield High ranks worse than 88.5% of high schools in California. It also ranks last among 24 ranked high schools in the San Diego Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.53. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Garfield High freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (85.1%), African American (5.3%), White (4.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 91.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the San Diego Unified School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Garfield High is 10.2, which is the 2^nd best among 24 high schools in the San Diego Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Garfield High employs 20.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Garfield High is $20,827, which is the 2^nd highest among 24 high schools in the San Diego Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Garfield High:

SchoolDigger ranks Garfield High 2057^th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Garfield High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Hispanic students:

San Diego Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks San Diego Unified 604^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Garfield High?

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Rank History for Garfield High

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Rank History for all students at Garfield High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	19.84	1282^nd	1653	22.4%
2005	27.49	1115^th	1901	41.3%
2006	18.79	1483^rd	1968	24.6%
2007	26.22	1262^nd	2063	38.8%
2008	28.79	1208^th	2117	42.9%
2009	33.01	1264^th	2238	43.5%
2010	26.49	1377^th	2281	39.6%
2011	14.84	1859^th	2367	21.5%
2012	14.23	1839^th	2354	21.9%
2013	19.48	1671^st	2426	31.1%
2015	12.61	1666^th	1994	16.4%
2016	15.72	1598^th	2039	21.6%
2017	11.96	1709^th	2021	15.4%
2018	10.51	1809^th	2017	10.3%
2019	13.02	1852^nd	2133	13.2%
2022	18.52	1694^th	2123	20.2%
2024	9.53	2057^th	2323	11.5%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Garfield High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	25.03	933^rd	938	0.5%
2019	30.66	743^rd	941	21.0%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Garfield High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.97	1663^rd	1862	10.7%
2019	14.32	1653^rd	1937	14.7%
2024	10.62	1943^rd	2235	13.1%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Garfield High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	7.64	1675^th	1760	4.8%
2019	9.97	1684^th	1833	8.1%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Garfield High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	29.86	778^th	1117	30.3%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Garfield High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	11.11	1605^th	1834	12.5%
2019	13.66	1602^nd	1880	14.8%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Garfield High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.94	1511^th	1742	13.3%
2019	13.37	1574^th	1814	13.2%
2024	7.00	2035^th	2125	4.2%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Garfield High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	226	158	19	137	1	n/a	n/a	0	541
1989	204	167	16	161	3	n/a	n/a	0	551
1990	220	225	38	149	5	n/a	n/a	0	637
1991	212	176	45	193	4	n/a	n/a	0	630
1992	172	131	34	185	8	n/a	n/a	0	530
1993	166	174	45	248	9	n/a	n/a	0	642
1994	180	196	69	290	18	n/a	n/a	0	753
1995	141	131	62	213	9	n/a	n/a	0	556
1996	141	131	62	213	9	n/a	n/a	0	556
1997	144	142	78	238	4	n/a	n/a	0	606
1998	134	125	81	260	6	n/a	n/a	0	606
1999	122	149	69	320	9	n/a	n/a	0	669
2000	119	137	48	319	7	n/a	n/a	0	630
2001	103	151	42	347	5	n/a	n/a	0	648
2002	85	84	35	265	2	n/a	n/a	0	471
2003	85	84	35	265	2	n/a	n/a	0	471
2004	77	77	22	232	1	n/a	n/a	0	409
2005	62	81	20	299	3	n/a	n/a	0	465
2006	43	61	17	282	0	n/a	n/a	0	403
2007	37	72	19	256	0	n/a	n/a	1	385
2008	31	59	20	327	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	437
2009	23	64	14	326	1	1	0	0	429
2010	13	44	7	313	0	0	1	0	378
2011	13	20	5	269	0	2	3	0	312
2012	10	17	3	270	0	3	4	0	307
2013	8	27	4	213	1	1	3	0	257
2014	4	27	2	190	2	3	2	0	230
2015	10	12	4	167	0	1	1	0	195
2016	2	12	7	172	0	0	1	0	194
2017	7	7	2	177	0	0	2	0	195
2018	6	9	3	223	0	2	3	0	246
2019	8	10	1	242	0	0	7	0	268
2020	7	16	2	234	1	0	6	0	266
2021	6	13	2	194	0	1	8	0	224
2022	6	17	3	158	0	0	4	0	188
2023	10	11	4	177	0	1	5	0	208

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Garfield High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	541	29.4	18.4	n/a
1989	551	30.3	18.1	n/a
1990	637	30.3	21.0	n/a
1991	630	33.2	18.9	n/a
1992	530	33.7	15.7	47.9
1993	642	31.8	20.2	32.9
1994	753	31.4	24.0	41.4
1995	556	28.0	19.9	50.2
1996	556	28.0	19.9	50.2
1997	606	29.0	20.9	55.4
1998	606	29.6	20.5	36
1999	669	27.5	24.3	41.7
2000	630	31.0	20.3	46.8
2001	648	31.0	20.9	47.5
2002	471	28.4	16.6	57.3
2003	471	28.4	16.6	57.3
2004	409	25.7	15.9	48.7
2005	465	28.4	16.4	69.2
2006	403	26.1	15.4	80.1
2007	385	31.0	12.4	77.9
2008	437	36.2	12.1	72.1
2009	429	25.7	13.1	78.1
2010	378	27.8	13.6	83.9
2011	312	n/a	n/a	92.3
2012	307	26.6	11.5	99
2013	257	24.8	10.3	78.6
2014	230	22.9	10.0	69.6
2015	195	25.0	7.8	83.1
2016	194	25.0	7.7	94.8
2017	195	22.8	8.5	97.9
2018	246	23.8	10.3	94.7
2019	268	23.8	11.2	93.7
2020	266	n/a	n/a	96.2
2021	224	22.8	9.8	95.5
2022	188	21.6	8.7	86.7
2023	208	20.3	10.2	91.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Garfield High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	541	29.4	18.4	n/a
1989	551	30.3	18.1	n/a
1990	637	30.3	21.0	n/a
1991	630	33.2	18.9	n/a
1992	530	33.7	15.7	47.9
1993	642	31.8	20.2	32.9
1994	753	31.4	24.0	41.4
1995	556	28.0	19.9	50.2
1996	556	28.0	19.9	50.2
1997	606	29.0	20.9	55.4
1998	606	29.6	20.5	36
1999	669	27.5	24.3	41.7
2000	630	31.0	20.3	46.8
2001	648	31.0	20.9	47.5
2002	471	28.4	16.6	57.3
2003	471	28.4	16.6	57.3
2004	409	25.7	15.9	48.7
2005	465	28.4	16.4	69.2
2006	403	26.1	15.4	80.1
2007	385	31.0	12.4	77.9
2008	437	36.2	12.1	72.1
2009	429	25.7	13.1	78.1
2010	378	27.8	13.6	83.9
2011	312	n/a	n/a	92.3
2012	307	26.6	11.5	99
2013	257	24.8	10.3	78.6
2014	230	22.9	10.0	69.6
2015	195	25.0	7.8	83.1
2016	194	25.0	7.7	94.8
2017	195	22.8	8.5	97.9
2018	246	23.8	10.3	94.7
2019	268	23.8	11.2	93.7
2020	266	n/a	n/a	96.2
2021	224	22.8	9.8	95.5
2022	188	21.6	8.7	86.7
2023	208	20.3	10.2	91.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Garfield High

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$20,827

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Garfield High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 1852^nd of 2133 High schools	Ranks 1694^th of 2123 High schools	7%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade Science (Garfield High)	2.2	9.1	6.9%
11th Grade Science (San Diego Unified)	35.9	37.2	1.3%
11th Grade Science (California)	30.4	30.8	0.4%
12th Grade Science (Garfield High)	3.9	6.5	2.5%
12th Grade Science (San Diego Unified)	27.7	31.1	3.4%
12th Grade Science (California)	25.6	26.8	1.2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	268	208	22.4%
African American	10	11	10%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	1	4	300%
Hispanic	242	177	26.9%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	8	10	25%
Two or More Races	7	5	28.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	93.7%	91.3%	2.3%

Schools Near Garfield High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CAST Science (2024)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	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 End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Garfield High	Public	9-12	1255 16th St.	San Diego	92101	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-4500	208	20	10.2	91.3%	10 (4.8%)	11 (5.3%)	177 (85.1%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.4%)	9.5	2057^th of 2323 public high schools	11.5%					(n/a)			0.0		0.0				18.8	18.8				0.0	0.0	$20,827
East Village Middle College High	Public	9-12	1313 Park Blvd.	San Diego	92101	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-4769	109	8	13.6	73.4%	20 (18.3%)	3 (2.8%)	74 (67.9%)	4 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	7 (6.4%)	77.8	358^th of 2323 public high schools	84.6%		75.3	409^th of 2348 public high schools	82.6%	51				25.0	26.3				78.6	78.6				42.9	42.9	$16,408
San Diego High	Public	9-12	1405 Park Blvd.	San Diego	92101	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 560-4610	2,105	106	19.9	62.4%	334 (15.9%)	147 (7.0%)	1,481 (70.4%)	46 (2.2%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	93 (4.4%)	43.3	1040^th of 2323 public high schools	55.2%		47.1	935^th of 2348 public high schools	60.2%	105			22.1	25.0	22.2				46.7	46.7				19.8	19.8	$8,182
e3 Civic High	Public, Charter	9-12	395 11th Ave. 6th Fl.	San Diego	92101	San Diego County	e3 Civic High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 546-0000	398	25	16.1	69.8%	15 (3.8%)	25 (6.3%)	329 (82.7%)	14 (3.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.3%)	50.2	852^nd of 2323 public high schools	63.3%		33.3	1325^th of 2348 public high schools	43.6%	473				27.4	27.4				47.4	47.4				20.5	20.5
King-Chavez Community High	Public, Charter	9-12	201 A St.	San Diego	92101	San Diego County	King-Chavez Community High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 704-1020	258	19	13.7	95.3%	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.2%)	253 (98.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38.2	1180^th of 2323 public high schools	49.2%		22.8	1628^th of 2348 public high schools	30.7%	448			16.0		15.1				52.9	52.9				12.0	12.0
Coronado High	Public	9-12	650 D Ave.	Coronado	92118	San Diego County	Coronado Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 522-8907	1,045	58	18.0	15.3%	574 (54.9%)	6 (0.6%)	282 (27.0%)	40 (3.8%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.6%)	134 (12.8%)	86.1	233^rd of 2323 public high schools	90.0%		93.3	121^st of 2348 public high schools	94.8%	112			51.3	18.2	49.8				74.2	74.2				45.2	45.2	$8,838
Health Sciences High and Middle College	Public, Charter	9-12	3910 University Ave. Ste. 100	San Diego	92105	San Diego County	Health Sciences High and Middle College District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 528-9070	525	25	20.9	78.5%	11 (2.1%)	88 (16.8%)	371 (70.7%)	26 (5.0%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	25 (4.8%)	34.5	1296^th of 2323 public high schools	44.2%		34.6	1285^th of 2348 public high schools	45.3%	11		5.1	20.8	12.9	14.1				47.7	47.7				17.0	17.0
Gompers Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	1005 47th St.	San Diego	92102	San Diego County	Gompers Preparatory Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 263-2171	1,279	42	30.7	83.7%	14 (1.1%)	62 (4.8%)	1,152 (90.1%)	45 (3.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	34.8	1287^th of 2323 public high schools	44.6%		21	1675^th of 2348 public high schools	28.7%	388	17.6		28.7		22.8	35.8	36.5	26.2	59.9	39.2	18.2	15.3	6.1	9.0	12.5
Trace	Public	9-12	2375 Congress St.	San Diego	92110	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 209-4500	403	35	11.6	84.4%	64 (15.9%)	45 (11.2%)	227 (56.3%)	44 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	20 (5.0%)								(n/a)																$35,100
Lincoln High	Public	9-12	4777 Imperial Ave.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 266-6500	1,407	58	24.1	76.0%	28 (2.0%)	272 (19.3%)	976 (69.4%)	53 (3.8%)	1 (0.1%)	14 (1.0%)	61 (4.3%)	16	1785^th of 2323 public high schools	23.2%		15.1	1832^nd of 2348 public high schools	22.0%	47			6.5	5.1	6.4				26.2	26.2				4.8	4.8	$9,563

Garfield High

Garfield High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

San Diego Unified:

What do you think?

Rank History for Garfield High

Rank History for all students at Garfield High

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Garfield High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Garfield High

Rank History for Female students at Garfield High

Rank History for Disabled students at Garfield High

Rank History for Male students at Garfield High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Garfield High

Enrollment information for Garfield High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Garfield High

Student/Teacher Ratio Garfield High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Garfield High

Impact of COVID-19 on Garfield High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Garfield High

Garfield High

East Village Middle College High

San Diego High

e3 Civic High

King-Chavez Community High

Coronado High

Health Sciences High and Middle College

Gompers Preparatory Academy

Trace

Lincoln High

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