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What's something South High does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,734
High
DISTRICT 1,222 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·TORRANCE UNIFIED·NCES 063942006573
South High
4801 Pacific Coast Hwy., Torrance, CA 90505 · (310) 533-4352 · Los Angeles County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL1,734 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 80% of California public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- CThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public high schools
Student : Teacher
23.6:1
74 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.3:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
22%
389 students
DISTRICT 36% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 436 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 416 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 423 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 459 | 26% |
Student demographics
72%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 73% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
75.6%
CA avg 49.1% . +10.6pp since 2014
Math
61.0%
CA avg 37.7% . +2.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 76 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 61 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 11 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 2 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 41.0% | 34.6% | 15.5% | 8.9% |
| Math | 37.2% | 23.8% | 22.7% | 16.3% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 75.6% | 61.0% |
| 2023-24 | 75.5% | 64.3% |
| 2022-23 | 73.4% | 64.0% |
| 2021-22 | 79.8% | 58.2% |
| 2018-19 | 72.3% | 64.3% |
| 2017-18 | 72.2% | 65.6% |
| 2016-17 | 71.1% | 58.6% |
| 2015-16 | 77.0% | 64.0% |
| 2014-15 | 65.0% | 59.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
69.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
66.4%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 69% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 66% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like South High
South High's state test result (69.1% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South High this school | 1,734 | 22.4% | 69.1% |
| West High Torrance | 1,775 | 24.7% | 66.2% |
| Woodbridge High Irvine | 2,232 | 24.5% | 64.0% |
| Aragon High San Mateo | 1,658 | 16.8% | 69.0% |
| Scripps Ranch High San Diego | 1,890 | 19.8% | 77.8% |
| South Pasadena Senior High South Pasadena | 1,536 | 15.0% | 76.0% |
Matched among California high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where South High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Los Angeles County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 69.1% | #87 of 1,052 | #21 of 228 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 61.0% | #84 of 1,056 ▼ 27 | #20 of 229 ▼ 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 75.6% | #151 of 1,056 ▼ 3 | #37 of 229 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -0.7pp | #342 of 1,044 | #40 of 229 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,734 | #421 of 2,093 | #83 of 486 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.6:1 | #1,060 of 1,352 | #295 of 358 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 72.1% | #67 of 1,351 | #11 of 359 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 22.4% | #1,468 of 1,575 | #375 of 396 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -15.1% | #292 of 802 | #111 of 227 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,734
-242 (-12%) vs 2020
+21% since 1990-91, when it was 1,438
Student : Teacher
23.6:1
was 23.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,734 | 73.6 | 23.6:1 | 22% (389) |
| 2023-24 | 1,786 | 77 | 23.2:1 | 19% (347) |
| 2022-23 | 1,841 | 85.8 | 21.5:1 | 16% (298) |
| 2020-21 | 1,976 | 83 | 23.8:1 | 19% (366) |
| 2017-18 | 2,042 | 85.5 | 23.9:1 | 19% (397) |
| 2015-16 | 2,110 | 91 | 23.2:1 | 16% (340) |
| 2010-11 | 2,165 | N/A | N/A | 10% (208) |
| 2000-01 | 1,883 | 89 | 21.2:1 | 5% (96) |
| 1990-91 | 1,438 | 63 | 22.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South High.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (2,042 to 1,734); teachers down 14% (85.5 to 73.6).
About South High
South High is a large high school with its address in Torrance, California. The latest federal count shows 1,734 students in grades 9 through 12. The average for high schools in California is about 838 students, so this school is 107% above average.
Torrance Unified enrolls 21,890 students in 31 schools, including South High.
Asian students are the largest group at South High, with 38% of enrollment. The remaining shares are 27% White, 23% Hispanic, and 10% multiracial. Los Angeles County as a whole is about 15% Asian, so the school's share is higher. By the diversity index, South High comes in at 72%.
Teacher staffing is 73.6 full-time equivalents, or about 23.6 students per teacher. Among high schools in California, the typical ratio is 18.2:1. About 22% of students, or 389, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Compared with the 70% average for public schools in Los Angeles County, the school's rate is lower.
South High is graded A- by allk12, scoring above 80% of California public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for South High is +2.7 points: 69.1% actual, 66.4% predicted.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Los Angeles County show that median household income is about $90,112, roughly 36% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Federal data list 2,244 public schools in Los Angeles County, with a combined enrollment of about 1,265,907.
Edward J. Richardson Middle is the closest public school, about 0.2 miles away in a straight line. South High is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Nearby schools with test data average 73.4% proficiency; South High posts 69.1%.
Its NCES locale code is City: Mid-size: the school is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
South High had 1,976 students in 2020-21 and 1,734 in 2024-25, a 12% decrease.
The discussion area below is open to posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Los Angeles County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,808,667
Census ACS
Median income
$90,112
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
2,244
1,265,907 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Torrance Unified
- Torrance HighHigh · 1,879 students
- North HighHigh · 1,812 students
- West HighHigh · 1,775 students
- Victor ElementaryElementary · 965 students
- Hickory ElementaryElementary · 847 students
- Madrona MiddleMiddle · 678 students
Other schools in Torrance
- Torrance HighHigh · 1,879 students
- North HighHigh · 1,812 students
- West HighHigh · 1,775 students
- Victor ElementaryElementary · 965 students
- Hickory ElementaryElementary · 847 students
- Madrona MiddleMiddle · 678 students
Other South High schools
13 other US public schools in 10 states are named South High. South High is the 4th largest of the 14.
- South HighBakersfield, CA · 2,107 students
- SOUTH HIGH SCHOOLOMAHA, NE · 2,412 students
- South High SchoolDENVER, CO · 1,950 students
- South HighWichita, KS · 1,662 students
- SOUTH HIGHMANCHESTER, MO · 1,485 students
Nearby schools
- Edward J. Richardson Middle0.2 mi · 651
- Calle Mayor Middle0.3 mi · 626
- Riviera Elementary0.6 mi · 611
- Seaside Elementary0.6 mi · 548
- Joseph Arnold Elementary0.8 mi · 628
- Tulita Elementary0.9 mi · 443
Frequently asked questions
About South HighHow many students attend South High?
South High enrolls approximately 1,734 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does South High serve?
South High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at South High is approximately 23.6:1 (74 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at South High?
Student demographics at South High are roughly 27% White, 23% Hispanic, 2% Black, 38% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Who oversees South High?
South High is overseen by Torrance Unified in Los Angeles County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.