Is Foothills High a good school?

Foothills High ranks 1515 th of 2323 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Foothills High?

In the 2023-24 school year, 110 students attended Foothills High.

What is the racial makeup of Foothills High?

Students at Foothills High are 51% Hispanic, 32% White, 8% Asian, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Foothills High

Summary:

Foothills High is a public high school located in San Marcos, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 107 students. The school is part of the San Marcos Unified School District, which is ranked 475 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Foothills High has experienced significant variability in its performance over the years, with fluctuations in its statewide ranking, graduation rates, dropout rates, and academic proficiency levels. The school consistently underperforms compared to nearby high schools in the San Marcos Unified District, such as San Marcos High and Mission Hills High, particularly in areas like academic achievement, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism. This suggests that Foothills High may be facing challenges in maintaining consistent and strong educational outcomes for its students.

Foothills High has a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, which could be a contributing factor to its lower performance. Additionally, the school has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism and dropout, indicating potential challenges in engaging and retaining students. Addressing these underlying issues, such as socioeconomic factors and student engagement, could be crucial in improving the overall quality of education at Foothills High and helping the school to achieve more consistent and stronger educational outcomes for its students.

Detail:

Public 9-12

158 Cassou Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92069-9702

(760) 290-2544

District: San Marcos Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1515^th of 2,323 California High Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 22.0

Number of students: 110

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

50.9%

White:

31.8%

Asian:

8.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 50%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Foothills High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Foothills High ranks worse than 65.2% of high schools in California. It also ranks 3^rd among 4 ranked high schools in the San Marcos Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 26.39. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Foothills High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

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

Chronic absenteeism in a 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 Foothills High has the smallest high school student body size in the San Marcos Unified School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (50.9%), White (31.8%), Asian (8.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 50% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Foothills High is 22, which is the 2^nd best among 4 high schools in the San Marcos Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Foothills High employs 5 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Foothills High:

SchoolDigger ranks Foothills High 1515^th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Foothills High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

San Marcos Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks San Marcos Unified 475^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Foothills High?

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Rank History for Foothills High

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Rank History for all students at Foothills High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	35.12	805^th	1653	51.3%
2005	47.78	635^th	1901	66.6%
2006	31.40	1053^rd	1968	46.5%
2007	35.11	1014^th	2063	50.8%
2008	29.63	1179^th	2117	44.3%
2009	43.88	911^th	2238	59.3%
2010	45.16	890^th	2281	61.0%
2011	66.21	371^st	2367	84.3%
2012	40.27	1044^th	2354	55.6%
2013	38.68	1087^th	2426	55.2%
2015	41.68	1143^rd	1994	42.7%
2016	43.54	1133^rd	2039	44.4%
2017	20.81	1495^th	2021	26.0%
2018	22.05	1475^th	2017	26.9%
2019	37.26	1283^rd	2133	39.8%
2022	68.88	552^nd	2123	74.0%
2023	35.41	1267^th	2348	46.0%
2024	26.39	1515^th	2323	34.8%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Foothills High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	47.89	990^th	1937	48.9%
2023	26.97	1496^th	2247	33.4%
2024	44.83	985^th	2235	55.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Foothills High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.06	1378^th	1760	21.7%
2019	34.88	1174^th	1833	36.0%
2022	61.56	591^st	1858	68.2%
2023	32.81	1283^rd	2118	39.4%
2024	31.09	1326^th	2098	36.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Foothills High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	44.28	993^rd	1880	47.2%
2023	37.11	1133^rd	2207	48.7%
2024	16.26	1682^nd	2172	22.6%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Foothills High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	50.77	851^st	1814	53.1%
2023	35.40	1236^th	2142	42.3%
2024	42.68	1037^th	2125	51.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Foothills High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	24.28	948^th	1222	22.4%
2023	27.03	984^th	1434	31.4%
2024	8.57	1235^th	1406	12.2%

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.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Foothills High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1990	99	0	0	25	0	n/a	n/a	0	124
1991	118	2	1	38	0	n/a	n/a	0	159
1992	112	3	3	62	2	n/a	n/a	0	182
1993	150	3	3	72	0	n/a	n/a	0	228
1994	163	5	4	68	1	n/a	n/a	0	241
1995	183	5	6	85	1	n/a	n/a	0	280
1996	183	5	6	85	1	n/a	n/a	0	280
1997	69	7	6	82	0	n/a	n/a	0	164
1998	64	4	4	80	3	n/a	n/a	0	155
1999	70	5	1	65	1	n/a	n/a	0	142
2000	76	5	6	61	0	n/a	n/a	0	148
2001	66	3	4	77	1	n/a	n/a	0	151
2002	61	3	8	51	0	n/a	n/a	0	123
2003	61	3	8	51	0	n/a	n/a	0	123
2004	50	6	4	65	1	n/a	n/a	0	126
2005	45	4	6	75	2	n/a	n/a	0	132
2006	51	2	8	60	3	n/a	n/a	0	124
2007	29	2	2	66	1	n/a	n/a	1	101
2008	23	1	1	72	1	n/a	n/a	0	98
2009	24	2	4	82	2	0	0	0	114
2010	14	0	4	70	0	1	0	0	89
2011	25	1	2	73	0	0	3	0	104
2012	35	4	0	71	0	1	2	0	113
2013	34	2	3	74	1	1	5	0	120
2014	28	7	1	64	1	0	1	0	102
2015	26	1	0	57	2	0	3	0	89
2016	19	3	0	45	2	0	0	0	69
2017	15	2	0	35	1	0	0	0	53
2018	16	3	0	33	2	0	0	0	54
2019	51	4	5	52	6	0	0	0	118
2020	41	2	3	72	2	0	2	0	122
2021	18	0	0	27	0	0	2	0	47
2022	62	1	26	76	8	0	14	1	188
2023	42	1	6	48	4	0	6	0	107
2024	35	2	9	56	1	0	7	0	110

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 Foothills High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	124	1.0	124.0	n/a
1991	159	3.0	53.0	n/a
1992	182	3.0	60.6	n/a
1993	228	4.0	57.0	0
1994	241	4.0	60.3	0
1995	280	3.0	93.3	0
1996	280	3.0	93.3	0
1997	164	3.0	54.7	36.6
1998	155	3.0	51.7	23.9
1999	142	3.0	47.3	19.7
2000	148	4.0	37.0	7.4
2001	151	4.0	37.8	32.5
2002	123	2.5	49.2	36.6
2003	123	2.5	49.2	36.6
2004	126	2.5	50.4	32.5
2005	132	3.5	37.7	33.3
2006	124	3.5	35.4	21
2007	101	3.5	28.9	40
2008	98	0.5	196.0	51
2009	114	3.8	29.2	97.4
2010	89	4.4	19.8	60.7
2011	104	n/a	n/a	65.4
2012	113	4.4	25.2	97.3
2013	120	5.4	21.9	52.5
2014	102	4.4	22.8	53.9
2015	89	4.0	22.2	50.6
2016	69	4.0	17.2	49.3
2017	53	3.2	16.5	60.4
2018	54	1.5	36.0	68.5
2019	118	n/a	n/a	44.1
2020	122	n/a	n/a	41.8
2021	47	2.5	18.8	40.4
2022	188	5.4	34.7	43.1
2023	107	5.0	21.4	42.1
2024	110	5.0	22.0	50

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 Foothills High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	124	1.0	124.0	n/a
1991	159	3.0	53.0	n/a
1992	182	3.0	60.6	n/a
1993	228	4.0	57.0	0
1994	241	4.0	60.3	0
1995	280	3.0	93.3	0
1996	280	3.0	93.3	0
1997	164	3.0	54.7	36.6
1998	155	3.0	51.7	23.9
1999	142	3.0	47.3	19.7
2000	148	4.0	37.0	7.4
2001	151	4.0	37.8	32.5
2002	123	2.5	49.2	36.6
2003	123	2.5	49.2	36.6
2004	126	2.5	50.4	32.5
2005	132	3.5	37.7	33.3
2006	124	3.5	35.4	21
2007	101	3.5	28.9	40
2008	98	0.5	196.0	51
2009	114	3.8	29.2	97.4
2010	89	4.4	19.8	60.7
2011	104	n/a	n/a	65.4
2012	113	4.4	25.2	97.3
2013	120	5.4	21.9	52.5
2014	102	4.4	22.8	53.9
2015	89	4.0	22.2	50.6
2016	69	4.0	17.2	49.3
2017	53	3.2	16.5	60.4
2018	54	1.5	36.0	68.5
2019	118	n/a	n/a	44.1
2020	122	n/a	n/a	41.8
2021	47	2.5	18.8	40.4
2022	188	5.4	34.7	43.1
2023	107	5.0	21.4	42.1
2024	110	5.0	22.0	50

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.

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Foothills 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 1283^rd of 2133 High schools	Ranks 1267^th of 2348 High schools	6.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Foothills High)	43.3	59.3	15.9%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (San Marcos Unified)	64.4	57.6	6.8%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	57.3	55.4	1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Foothills High)	8.3	7.7	0.6%
11th Grade Mathematics (San Marcos Unified)	37.5	31.4	6.2%
11th Grade Mathematics (California)	32.2	27.4	4.9%
11th Grade Science (Foothills High)	25.9	8.7	17.2%
11th Grade Science (San Marcos Unified)	43.6	35	8.6%
11th Grade Science (California)	30.4	31.7	1.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	118	107	9.3%
African American	4	1	75%
American Indian	6	4	33.3%
Asian	5	6	20%
Hispanic	52	48	7.7%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	51	42	17.6%
Two or More Races	0	6
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	44.1%	42.1%	2%

Schools Near Foothills High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts (2024)		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	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 11th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts End of Course	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Foothills High	Public	9-12	158 Cassou Rd.	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2544	110	5	22.0	50.0%	35 (31.8%)	2 (1.8%)	56 (50.9%)	9 (8.2%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (6.4%)	26.4	1515^th of 2323 public high schools	34.8%		35.4	1267^th of 2348 public high schools	46.0%	248				7.1		10.5	42.1	36.7	7.9	8.2
Twin Oaks High	Public	9-12	158 Cassou Rd.	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2555	213	13	16.3	60.6%	48 (22.5%)	8 (3.8%)	143 (67.1%)	7 (3.3%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.3%)	9.1	2088^th of 2323 public high schools	10.1%		9.7	2080^th of 2348 public high schools	11.4%	8				3.9	0.0	3.2	11.9	11.9	0.0	0.0	$18,522
Mission Hills High	Public	9-12	1 Mission Hills Ct.	San Marcos	92069	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2700	2,834	105	27.0	45.8%	775 (27.3%)	32 (1.1%)	1,583 (55.9%)	219 (7.7%)	4 (0.1%)	8 (0.3%)	213 (7.5%)	66.9	526^th of 2323 public high schools	77.4%		65.4	553^rd of 2348 public high schools	76.4%	27				39.7	11.8	38.9	56.1	56.1	31.4	31.4	$7,750
High Technical High North County	Public, Charter	9-12	1420 San Marcos Blvd.	San Marcos	92078	San Diego County	High Technical High North County District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 759-2700	401	20	20.0	41.4%	131 (32.7%)	10 (2.5%)	201 (50.1%)	19 (4.7%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	35 (8.7%)	78.2	354^th of 2323 public high schools	84.8%		83.3	267^th of 2348 public high schools	88.6%	87	8.7	8.0			38.0	38.0	83.7	83.7	32.6	32.6
San Marcos High	Public	9-12	1615 San Marcos Blvd.	San Marcos	92078	San Diego County	San Marcos Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 290-2200	3,201	119	26.9	32.6%	1,384 (43.2%)	33 (1.0%)	1,316 (41.1%)	241 (7.5%)	5 (0.2%)	9 (0.3%)	213 (6.7%)	66.2	532^nd of 2323 public high schools	77.1%		71.6	458^th of 2348 public high schools	80.5%	74				43.1	17.7	42.5	53.2	53.2	29.7	29.7	$6,970
Alta Vista High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1575 Bonair Dr.	Vista	92084	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 724-3775	112	9	12.5	75.9%	6 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	102 (91.1%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	13.6	1862^nd of 2323 public high schools	19.8%		12.1	1951^st of 2348 public high schools	16.9%	89				0.0	16.1	7.9	6.1	6.1	0.0	0.0	$19,747
Escondido High	Public	9-12	1535 North Broadway	Escondido	92026	San Diego County	Escondido Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 291-4000	1,771	98	18.0	82.7%	188 (10.6%)	30 (1.7%)	1,430 (80.7%)	86 (4.9%)	8 (0.5%)	2 (0.1%)	25 (1.4%)	49.2	884^th of 2323 public high schools	61.9%		45.5	985^th of 2348 public high schools	58.0%	101			18.3		21.2	18.5	60.1	60.1	21.0	21.0	$8,316
Rancho Buena Vista High	Public	9-12	1601 Longhorn Dr.	Vista	92081	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 727-7284	1,962	95	20.5	59.5%	421 (21.5%)	34 (1.7%)	1,323 (67.4%)	73 (3.7%)	7 (0.4%)	17 (0.9%)	81 (4.1%)	67.8	515^th of 2323 public high schools	77.8%		66.1	538^th of 2348 public high schools	77.1%	23				34.0	25.7	30.1	65.7	65.7	36.6	36.6	$9,279
Vista Adult Transition Center	Public	12	325 East Bobier Dr.	Vista	92084	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 758-3400	118	9	13.8	42.4%	27 (22.9%)	5 (4.2%)	81 (68.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.4%)								(n/a)											$36,777
Vista High	Public	9-12	1 Panther Dr.	Vista	92084	San Diego County	Vista Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 726-5611	1,896	100	18.8	72.9%	192 (10.1%)	22 (1.2%)	1,578 (83.2%)	30 (1.6%)	4 (0.2%)	6 (0.3%)	55 (2.9%)	40.9	1110^th of 2323 public high schools	52.2%		50.7	850^th of 2348 public high schools	63.8%	260					23.2	23.2	39.9	39.9	16.5	16.5	$9,889

Foothills High

Foothills High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

San Marcos Unified:

What do you think?

Rank History for Foothills High

Rank History for all students at Foothills High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Foothills High

Rank History for Female students at Foothills High

Rank History for Male students at Foothills High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Foothills High

Rank History for White students at Foothills High

Enrollment information for Foothills High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Foothills High

Student/Teacher Ratio Foothills High

Impact of COVID-19 on Foothills High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Foothills High

Foothills High

Twin Oaks High

Mission Hills High

High Technical High North County

San Marcos High

Alta Vista High (Continuation)

Escondido High

Rancho Buena Vista High

Vista Adult Transition Center

Vista High

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