Sweetwater Union High School District

Listed by NCES as Sweetwater Union High (district ID 0638640)

Public school district · San Diego County · California · NCES district ID 0638640

Sweetwater Union High School District spent $15,327 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 72% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $16,855). Its 28 schools enrolled 33,517 students in 2024-25; 56.9% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $16,482 per student, up 7.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 89% (California: 86.2%).

Spending per student among California districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Sweetwater Union High in enrollment (33,107 to 38,821 students) and Sweetwater Union High itself.

Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Sweetwater Union High, FY23Oakland Unified $22,112; Garden Grove Unified $20,023; Fontana Unified $18,984; Stockton Unified $18,093; Sacramento City Unified $17,785; San Juan Unified $16,227; Sweetwater Union High $15,327; Fremont Unified $15,152; Poway Unified $15,127; Irvine Unified $14,373; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k15k20k25kOakland Unified$22,112Garden Grove Unified$20,023Fontana Unified$18,984Stockton Unified$18,093Sacramento City Unified$17,785San Juan Unified$16,227Sweetwater Union High$15,327Fremont Unified$15,152Poway Unified$15,127Irvine Unified$14,373State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Sweetwater Union High, FY23Oakland Unified $22,112; Garden Grove Unified $20,023; Fontana Unified $18,984; Stockton Unified $18,093; Sacramento City Unified $17,785; San Juan Unified $16,227; Sweetwater Union High $15,327; Fremont Unified $15,152; Poway Unified $15,127; Irvine Unified $14,373; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k15k20k25kOakland Unified$22,112Garden Grove Unified$20,023Fontana Unified$18,984Stockton Unified$18,093Sacramento City Unified$17,785San Juan Unified$16,227Sweetwater Union High$15,327Fremont Unified$15,152Poway Unified$15,127Irvine Unified$14,373State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Sweetwater Union High, FY23Oakland Unified $22,112; Garden Grove Unified $20,023; Fontana Unified $18,984; Stockton Unified $18,093; Sacramento City Unified $17,785; San Juan Unified $16,227; Sweetwater Union High $15,327; Fremont Unified $15,152; Poway Unified $15,127; Irvine Unified $14,373; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k15k20k25kOakland Unified$22,112Garden Grove Unified$20,023Fontana Unified$18,984Stockton Unified$18,093Sacramento City Unified$17,785San Juan Unified$16,227Sweetwater Union High$15,327Fremont Unified$15,152Poway Unified$15,127Irvine Unified$14,373State median, 1,000+ students $16,855
Current spending per student, California districts closest in size to Sweetwater Union High, FY23Oakland Unified $22,112; Garden Grove Unified $20,023; Fontana Unified $18,984; Stockton Unified $18,093; Sacramento City Unified $17,785; San Juan Unified $16,227; Sweetwater Union High $15,327; Fremont Unified $15,152; Poway Unified $15,127; Irvine Unified $14,373; State median, 1,000+ students $16,855.10k15k20k25kOakland Unified$22,112Garden Grove Unified$20,023Fontana Unified$18,984Stockton Unified$18,093Sacramento City Unified$17,785San Juan Unified$16,227Sweetwater Union High$15,327Fremont Unified$15,152Poway Unified$15,127Irvine Unified$14,373State median, 1,000+ students $16,855

Where the money came from

$809,667,000 in revenue: 56.9% state, 31.5% local and 11.6% federal. Total spending including $36,084,000 of capital outlay was $633,920,000, or $17,556 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Sweetwater Union High School District revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $460,756,000; Local $255,261,000; Federal $93,650,000; total $809,667,000.
  • State$460,756,000 57%
  • Local$255,261,000 32%
  • Federal$93,650,000 12%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 646 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

35,372 students in 2022-23, 34,445 students in 2023-24, 33,517 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Sweetwater Union High School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 35,372, 2023-24: 34,445, 2024-25: 33,517010k20k30k40k2022-2335,3722023-2434,4452024-2533,517
Sweetwater Union High School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 35,372, 2023-24: 34,445, 2024-25: 33,517010k20k30k40k2022-2335,3722023-2434,4452024-2533,517
Sweetwater Union High School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 35,372, 2023-24: 34,445, 2024-25: 33,517010k20k30k40k2022-2335,3722023-2434,4452024-2533,517
Sweetwater Union High School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 35,372, 2023-24: 34,445, 2024-25: 33,517010k20k30k40k2022-2335,3722023-2434,4452024-2533,517

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2335,3721549.822.8
2023-2434,4451545.322.3
2024-2533,5171506.822.2

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$171,598,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,752 per student

Sweetwater Union High School District booked $171,598,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 1,561 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $109,933 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 68 in 100 California districts with a figure (state median $99,744, 1,149 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$131,180,00076.4%
Special education$34,137,00019.9%
Vocational$3,487,0002.0%
Other programs$2,794,0001.6%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,144 in 2018-19, $4,067 in 2019-20, $4,110 in 2020-21, $4,415 in 2021-22, $4,752 in 2022-23.

Sweetwater Union High School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,144, 2019-20: $4,067, 2020-21: $4,110, 2021-22: $4,415, 2022-23: $4,75202k4k6k2018-19$4,1442019-20$4,0672020-21$4,1102021-22$4,4152022-23$4,752
Sweetwater Union High School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,144, 2019-20: $4,067, 2020-21: $4,110, 2021-22: $4,415, 2022-23: $4,75202k4k6k2018-19$4,1442019-20$4,0672020-21$4,1102021-22$4,4152022-23$4,752
Sweetwater Union High School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,144, 2019-20: $4,067, 2020-21: $4,110, 2021-22: $4,415, 2022-23: $4,75202k4k6k2018-19$4,1442019-20$4,0672020-21$4,1102021-22$4,4152022-23$4,752
Sweetwater Union High School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $4,144, 2019-20: $4,067, 2020-21: $4,110, 2021-22: $4,415, 2022-23: $4,75202k4k6k2018-19$4,1442019-20$4,0672020-21$4,1102021-22$4,4152022-23$4,752

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Sweetwater Union High School District scored proficient or above: 46% in reading and 27% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtCaliforniaStudents tested
Reading and language arts46%45%8,869
Math27%34%8,849

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

89% of the 6,923 students in Sweetwater Union High School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtCalifornia
Four-year graduation rate89%86.2%
Students in the class6,923495,492

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

11 middle schools, 9,681 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Rancho del Rey Middle1,70523.525.3%Not reported
Eastlake Middle1,61326.022.3%Not reported
Bonita Vista Middle97224.334.2%Not reported
Hilltop Middle86622.346.7%Not reported
Montgomery Middle73421.555.3%Not reported
Granger Junior High72421.967.4%Not reported
National City Middle70925.569.8%Not reported
Castle Park Middle70319.561.6%Not reported
Chula Vista Middle67821.156.8%Not reported
Southwest Middle51520.371.7%Not reported
Mar Vista Academy46218.057.4%Not reported

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

17 high schools, 23,836 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Eastlake High2,55724.019.6%Not reported
Otay Ranch Senior High2,44023.527.0%Not reported
Sweetwater High2,29025.380.4%Not reported
Olympian High2,28924.124.1%Not reported
Bonita Vista Senior High1,96021.731.3%Not reported
San Ysidro High1,94123.267.6%Not reported
Chula Vista Senior High1,86420.571.1%Not reported
Hilltop Senior High1,77122.067.3%Not reported
Montgomery Senior High1,56821.870.8%Not reported
Southwest Senior High1,56321.775.8%Not reported
Castle Park Senior High1,36322.273.1%Not reported
Mar Vista Senior High1,21622.268.0%Not reported
The other 5 high schools
SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Launch Virtual Academy57820.750.3%Not reported
Palomar High26913.376.6%Not reported
East Hills Academy715.632.4%Not reported
Options Secondary696.959.4%Not reported
Alta Vista Academy273.881.5%Not reported

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Sweetwater Union High School District

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Sweetwater Union High School District

  1. California districts by spending per studentSweetwater Union High School District ranks 467 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($15,327).#467 of 646
  2. Every school district in CaliforniaSweetwater Union High School District is the number 18 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 36,109 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#18 of 1,991
  3. Irvine UnifiedThe next larger California district: 36,542 students in fall 2022, $14,373 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$14,373
  4. Stockton UnifiedThe next smaller California district: 35,424 students in fall 2022, $18,093 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,093
  5. Compare Sweetwater Union High School District with Irvine UnifiedEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Eastlake High, its largest high school2,557 students in 2024-25, 24.0 per teacher.2,557
  7. Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaSweetwater Union High School District spent $109,933 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$109,933
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Sweetwater Union High School District

  1. How many schools and students are in Sweetwater Union High School District?
    28 schools were open in 2024-25 (11 middle, 17 high), enrolling 33,517 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Sweetwater Union High School District spend per student?
    $15,327 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the California median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,855 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $16,482 per student, up 7.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Sweetwater Union High School District's money come from?
    $809,667,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 56.9% state, 31.5% local and 11.6% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Sweetwater Union High School District live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 5,342 of the 42,310 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 12.6%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Sweetwater Union High School District spend on teacher salaries?
    $171,598,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,752 per student. Divided by the 1,561 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $109,933 per teacher, more than 68 in 100 California districts (state median $99,744). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Sweetwater Union High School District do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Sweetwater Union High School District scored proficient or above: 46% in reading and 27% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. California's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Sweetwater Union High School District?
    89% of the 6,923 students in Sweetwater Union High School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Sweetwater Union High School District's NCES district ID?
    0638640. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25