Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
El Cajon, California - 15 schools
An equity score of 53/100 ranks Grossmont Union High #668 of 1526 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,330 per pupil, Grossmont Union High ranks #763 of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Grossmont Union High operates 15 public schools serving 16,738 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 15 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in San Diego County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,330 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 1880 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 49.2% local, 38.6% state, and 12.2% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 53/100, ranked #668 of 1526 in California against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 10 of 15 schools offering Advanced Placement (116 AP courses district-wide), a 250.8:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 40.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 41.1% White, 40.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is El Cajon Valley High, with a diversity index of 68.0/100.
Its largest campus is Granite Hills High, enrolling 2,331 students (14% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Reach Academy, at 21 students, a 111x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Grossmont Union High school enrollment ranges from 21 students (lowest) to 2,331 students (highest), a spread of 2,310 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Grossmont Union High is typically wider than the Grossmont Union High-aggregate figure suggests.
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 15 schools in Grossmont Union High.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Grossmont Union High's schools, above the California average of 46.0.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Granite Hills High | 2,331 |
| Grossmont High | 2,172 |
| El Capitan High | 1,810 |
| Valhalla High | 1,728 |
| El Cajon Valley High | 1,701 |
| West Hills High | 1,624 |
| Santana High | 1,621 |
| Monte Vista High | 1,543 |
| Mount Miguel High | 1,539 |
| Idea Center | 127 |
| Merit Academy | 68 |
| Chaparral High | 45 |
| Grossmont Middle College High | 37 |
| Elite Academy | 34 |
| Reach Academy | 21 |
The California districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria-Bonita | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Oxnard Union High | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Coachella Valley Unified | Similar size | Higher spending | Less locally funded |
| Alvord Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| Conejo Valley Unified | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Grossmont Union High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Los Angeles Unified →Grossmont Union High has 15 schools, including 15 high. Total enrollment is 16,738 students.
Grossmont Union High spends $18,330 per student. The district has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #668 in California.
Grossmont Union High students are 41.1% White, 40.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% African American, 3.5% Asian, averaged across 15 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Grossmont Union High has an equity score of 53/100, ranking #668 out of 1526 districts in California.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.