Santee Education Complex

Santee Education Complex is a sizable four-year high school in Los Angeles, California, overseen by Los Angeles Unified. The school teaches 1,582 students in grades 9 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 838 students per school, that is 89% bigger than typical.

Santee Education Complex is one of 784 schools operated by Los Angeles Unified, a district that educates 406,887 students overall.

On demographics, Santee Education Complex logs that nearly all students (94%) are Hispanic. The remainder is composed of 4% Black. The wider county runs roughly 48% Hispanic, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Hispanic than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Santee Education Complex has 80 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 19.8:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 18.2:1 average. About 93% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is north of Los Angeles County's rate of about 70%.

With demographic context factored in, Santee Education Complex sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 23.8%; this one delivers 30.6%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Los Angeles County) records that median household earnings sit near $90,112, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Across Los Angeles County's 2244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students), Santee Education Complex is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Frida Kahlo High, around 0.1 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 4 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Santee Education Complex ranks 4th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 36.7%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 15%: 1,857 students in 2018 compared to 1,582 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.