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Chula Vista, California - 28 schools
An equity score of 45/100 ranks Sweetwater Union High #883 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,859 per pupil, Sweetwater Union High ranks #1241 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
36,109
Total Enrollment
28
Schools
$13,859
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Sweetwater Union High operates 28 public schools serving 36,109 students, placing it in the mid-size range in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 12 high, 10 middle, 6 combined schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 $13,859 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 32.2% local, 58.4% state, and 9.4% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 45/100, ranked #883 of 1517 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 15 of 28 schools offering Advanced Placement (361 AP courses district-wide), a 148.2:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 33.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 74.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% White, 8.7% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Olympian High, with a diversity index of 69.0/100.
Its largest campus is Eastlake High, enrolling 2,557 students (8% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Alta Vista Academy, at 27 students, a 95x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Sweetwater Union High school enrollment varies 95× across entities
Sweetwater Union High school enrollment ranges from 27 students (lowest) to 2,557 students (highest), a spread of 2,530 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.
Sweetwater Union High has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 58.0% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Sweetwater Union High student-counselor ratio is 148:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
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 Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Sweetwater Union High chronic absenteeism rate is 33.2% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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.
Sweetwater Union High has 28 schools, including 12 high, 10 middle, 6 combined. Total enrollment is 36,109 students.
How much does Sweetwater Union High spend per student?
Sweetwater Union High spends $13,859 per student. The district has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #883 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Sweetwater Union High?
Sweetwater Union High students are 74.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% White, 8.7% Asian, 3.2% African American, averaged across 28 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Sweetwater Union High?
Sweetwater Union High has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #883 out of 1517 districts in California.