University City High

Summary:

University City High is a public high school in San Diego, California, serving 1,543 students in grades 9-12. This high-performing school consistently ranks in the top 10% of California high schools, with strong academic achievement, high graduation rates, and success in supporting diverse student subgroups.

University City High students outperform their peers in the San Diego Unified School District and the state of California on standardized tests. In the 2023-2024 school year, 74.26% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 59.92% in the district and 55.73% statewide. In mathematics, 48.13% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better, compared to 32.15% in the district and 27.9% statewide. The school's performance on the California Science Test (CAST) is also impressive, with 54.55% of 11th-grade students and 54.12% of students overall scoring proficient or better, compared to 38.65% and 37.77% in the district, respectively.

University City High outperforms most nearby schools in the San Diego Unified School District, including Kearny Digital Media & Design, Kearny School of Biomedical Science and Technology, Clairemont High, and Madison High. The only nearby school that appears to be on par with University City High is La Jolla High, which also ranks in the top 10% of California high schools. Despite having a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, University City High continues to excel, suggesting the school is effectively supporting and meeting the needs of its diverse student population.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 6949 Genesee Ave.
       San Diego, CA  92122-2455


(858) 605-2800

District: San Diego Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
187th of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $6,952 Help


Feeder schools for University City High:

Elementary:    Curie Elementary
    Doyle Elementary
    Spreckels Elementary
Middle:    Standley Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  24.6 Help
Number of students:  1,543

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
38.1%
White:
35.9%
Asian:
11.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  47.8% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details University City High ranks better than 92% of high schools in California. It also ranks 2nd among 24 ranked high schools in the San Diego Unified School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 88.75. (See more...)
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The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of University City High freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
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
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (38.1%), White (35.9%), Asian (11.7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 47.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at University City High is 24.6. 17 high schools in the San Diego Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
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Compare University City High employs 62.6 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at University City High is $6,952. 22 high schools in the San Diego Unified School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

University City High:

SchoolDigger ranks University City High 187th of 2323 California public high schools. (See University City High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Asian students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


San Diego Unified:

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


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Rank History for University City High

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Rank History for all students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 49.55 498th 1653 69.9%
2005 58.97 427th 1901 77.5%
2006 60.82 462nd 1968 76.5%
2007 57.99 498th 2063 75.9%
2008 62.55 427th 2117 79.8%
2009 64.90 340th 2238 84.8%
2010 61.81 471st 2281 79.4%
2011 59.13 543rd 2367 77.1%
2012 62.12 489th 2354 79.2%
2013 66.73 376th 2426 84.5%
2015 93.94 104th 1994 94.8%
2016 91.91 145th 2039 92.9%
2017 93.11 128th 2021 93.7%
2018 90.45 193rd 2017 90.4%
2019 90.64 168th 2133 92.1%
2021 93.01 83rd 1290 93.6%
2022 88.99 212th 2123 90.0%
2023 92.01 138th 2348 94.1%
2024 88.75 187th 2323 92.0%
See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 80.94 55th 366 85.0%
2019 76.43 95th 422 77.5%
2022 71.40 134th 515 74.0%
2023 83.43 73rd 786 90.7%
2024 77.32 119th 804 85.2%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 93.12 51st 938 94.6%
2019 67.00 134th 941 85.8%
2022 27.15 945th 1044 9.5%
2024 31.98 751st 1350 44.4%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 91.85 40th 1547 97.4%
2024 85.38 74th 1534 95.2%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 89.19 178th 1862 90.4%
2019 83.84 226th 1937 88.3%
2021 92.45 61st 1126 94.6%
2022 79.82 282nd 1943 85.5%
2023 88.35 159th 2247 92.9%
2024 80.70 265th 2235 88.1%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 90.01 156th 1760 91.1%
2019 91.17 139th 1833 92.4%
2021 89.62 104th 1054 90.1%
2022 89.21 188th 1858 89.9%
2023 86.90 197th 2118 90.7%
2024 82.33 268th 2098 87.2%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 57.08 314th 1052 70.2%
2019 58.72 300th 1117 73.1%
2022 74.13 172nd 1161 85.2%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 87.94 229th 1834 87.5%
2019 84.86 251st 1880 86.6%
2022 85.96 230th 1916 88.0%
2023 94.55 93rd 2207 95.8%
2024 91.56 134th 2172 93.8%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 65.43 231st 581 60.2%
2019 60.64 261st 582 55.2%
2022 74.38 162nd 581 72.1%
2023 65.84 275th 731 62.4%
2024 77.10 141st 712 80.2%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 88.25 64th 582 89.0%
2022 85.09 54th 522 89.7%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 81.24 290th 1742 83.4%
2019 81.54 242nd 1814 86.7%
2022 71.51 403rd 1861 78.3%
2023 76.81 304th 2142 85.8%
2024 71.09 372nd 2125 82.5%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at University City High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 86.55 119th 1173 89.9%
2019 85.06 127th 1222 89.6%
2022 90.14 78th 1204 93.5%
2023 95.54 22nd 1434 98.5%
2024 90.34 61st 1406 95.7%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for White 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.

University City High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for University City High

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 885 157 186 147 7 n/a n/a 0 1382
1989 818 143 183 137 5 n/a n/a 0 1286
1990 699 130 226 151 5 n/a n/a 0 1211
1991 659 136 253 167 3 n/a n/a 0 1218
1992 619 139 269 165 11 n/a n/a 0 1203
1993 553 126 291 153 13 n/a n/a 0 1136
1994 476 121 327 195 9 n/a n/a 0 1128
1995 656 208 400 317 11 n/a n/a 0 1592
1996 656 208 400 317 11 n/a n/a 0 1592
1997 686 203 415 299 9 n/a n/a 0 1612
1998 697 189 425 304 7 n/a n/a 0 1622
1999 728 193 427 320 12 n/a n/a 0 1680
2000 781 171 344 310 14 n/a n/a 0 1620
2001 782 159 338 347 15 n/a n/a 0 1641
2002 824 193 427 415 13 n/a n/a 0 1872
2003 824 193 427 415 13 n/a n/a 0 1872
2004 826 224 450 449 18 n/a n/a 0 1967
2005 813 202 411 489 14 n/a n/a 0 1929
2006 755 203 399 537 14 n/a n/a 0 1908
2007 722 205 392 579 8 n/a n/a 6 1912
2008 714 164 386 615 7 n/a n/a 0 1886
2009 682 164 375 607 6 16 0 0 1850
2010 641 131 381 638 6 16 39 0 1852
2011 648 126 353 670 5 8 65 0 1875
2012 651 114 340 631 2 5 89 0 1832
2013 675 112 316 622 3 4 101 0 1833
2014 627 85 289 611 3 3 97 0 1715
2015 669 82 301 586 5 6 109 0 1758
2016 667 73 308 626 6 4 129 0 1813
2017 646 61 304 645 4 1 138 0 1799
2018 700 59 302 637 4 3 163 0 1868
2019 661 45 289 684 2 2 155 0 1838
2020 638 50 266 681 4 2 158 0 1799
2021 608 50 252 668 3 2 158 1 1742
2022 587 53 236 674 4 4 158 2 1718
2023 554 55 180 588 5 3 157 1 1543

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 University City High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1382 55.6 24.8 n/a
1989 1286 54.3 23.6 n/a
1990 1211 52.1 23.2 n/a
1991 1218 49.9 24.4 n/a
1992 1203 50.7 23.7 10.1
1993 1136 45.1 25.2 1.7
1994 1128 42.6 26.5 23.8
1995 1592 60.0 26.5 36.4
1996 1592 60.0 26.5 36.4
1997 1612 59.0 27.3 33.7
1998 1622 61.3 26.5 29.7
1999 1680 65.2 25.8 32.3
2000 1620 71.0 22.8 28.4
2001 1641 64.8 25.3 13.3
2002 1872 76.8 24.4 31.7
2003 1872 76.8 24.4 31.7
2004 1967 73.2 26.9 28.8
2005 1929 74.8 25.8 30.9
2006 1908 76.7 24.9 34
2007 1912 76.4 25.0 37.4
2008 1886 87.0 21.7 41.1
2009 1850 71.4 21.7 44.2
2010 1852 72.9 25.3 46.1
2011 1875 n/a n/a 50.7
2012 1832 78.0 23.4 n/a
2013 1833 74.6 24.5 42.9
2014 1715 69.8 24.5 39.8
2015 1758 62.0 28.3 38.8
2016 1813 65.0 27.8 40
2017 1799 69.8 25.7 39.7
2018 1868 67.7 27.5 37.3
2019 1838 69.8 26.3 39.7
2020 1799 n/a n/a 42.9
2021 1742 67.9 25.6 42.8
2022 1718 64.6 26.5 45.5
2023 1543 62.6 24.6 47.8

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 University City High

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1382 55.6 24.8 n/a
1989 1286 54.3 23.6 n/a
1990 1211 52.1 23.2 n/a
1991 1218 49.9 24.4 n/a
1992 1203 50.7 23.7 10.1
1993 1136 45.1 25.2 1.7
1994 1128 42.6 26.5 23.8
1995 1592 60.0 26.5 36.4
1996 1592 60.0 26.5 36.4
1997 1612 59.0 27.3 33.7
1998 1622 61.3 26.5 29.7
1999 1680 65.2 25.8 32.3
2000 1620 71.0 22.8 28.4
2001 1641 64.8 25.3 13.3
2002 1872 76.8 24.4 31.7
2003 1872 76.8 24.4 31.7
2004 1967 73.2 26.9 28.8
2005 1929 74.8 25.8 30.9
2006 1908 76.7 24.9 34
2007 1912 76.4 25.0 37.4
2008 1886 87.0 21.7 41.1
2009 1850 71.4 21.7 44.2
2010 1852 72.9 25.3 46.1
2011 1875 n/a n/a 50.7
2012 1832 78.0 23.4 n/a
2013 1833 74.6 24.5 42.9
2014 1715 69.8 24.5 39.8
2015 1758 62.0 28.3 38.8
2016 1813 65.0 27.8 40
2017 1799 69.8 25.7 39.7
2018 1868 67.7 27.5 37.3
2019 1838 69.8 26.3 39.7
2020 1799 n/a n/a 42.9
2021 1742 67.9 25.6 42.8
2022 1718 64.6 26.5 45.5
2023 1543 62.6 24.6 47.8

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 University City High

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $6,952

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on University City 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 168th of 2133 High schoolsRanks 138th of 2348 High schools
 2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (University City High)80.479.9
 0.5%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (San Diego Unified)60.560.6
 0.1%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)57.355.4
 1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (University City High)46.449.9
 3.5%
   11th Grade Mathematics (San Diego Unified)35.732.2
 3.5%
   11th Grade Mathematics (California)32.227.4
 4.9%
11th Grade Science (University City High)57.960.1
 2.2%
   11th Grade Science (San Diego Unified)35.940.7
 4.8%
   11th Grade Science (California)30.431.7
 1.3%
12th Grade Science (University City High)37.250
 12.8%
   12th Grade Science (San Diego Unified)27.728.7
 1%
   12th Grade Science (California)25.626.9
 1.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students18381543
 16.1%
African American4555
 22.2%
American Indian25
 150%
Asian289180
 37.7%
Hispanic684588
 14%
Pacific Islander23
 50%
White661554
 16.2%
Two or More Races155157
 1.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients39.7%47.8%
 8%


Schools Near University City High









Frequently Asked Questions about University City High

University City High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Curie Elementary
Elementary : Doyle Elementary
Elementary : Spreckels Elementary
Middle : Standley Middle

Students at University City High are 38% Hispanic, 36% White, 12% Asian, 10% Two or more races, 4% African American.

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,543 students attended University City High.

Yes. University City High ranks in the top 8.0% of California high schools.


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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.





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