1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Southwest High right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,846
High
DISTRICT 814 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CENTRAL UNION HIGH·NCES 060801004486
Southwest High
2001 Ocotillo Dr., El Centro, CA 92243 · (760) 336-4100 · Imperial County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,846 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 33% of California public high schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- FThree-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
19.5:1
94 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.4:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
72%
1,331 students
DISTRICT 81% · 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 | 481 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 454 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 457 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 454 | 25% |
Student demographics
9%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 8% · 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
53.4%
CA avg 49.1% . -0.6pp since 2014
Math
20.6%
CA avg 37.7% . -0.4pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 53 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 21 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2014, while math scores have held steady.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 22.5% | 30.9% | 22.7% | 23.9% |
| Math | 6.9% | 13.7% | 28.7% | 50.7% |
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 | 53.4% | 20.6% |
| 2023-24 | 56.0% | 17.8% |
| 2022-23 | 54.6% | 25.6% |
| 2021-22 | 68.9% | 23.9% |
| 2020-21 | 62.7% | 25.0% |
| 2018-19 | 62.6% | 24.8% |
| 2017-18 | 57.6% | 19.7% |
| 2016-17 | 60.6% | 28.3% |
| 2015-16 | 61.0% | 31.0% |
| 2014-15 | 54.0% | 21.0% |
% 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
36.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.3%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% 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 Southwest High
Southwest High's state test result (36.9% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest High this school | 1,846 | 72.1% | 36.9% |
| Central Union High El Centro | 2,006 | 72.6% | 38.2% |
| Brawley Union High Brawley | 1,863 | 70.7% | 44.0% |
| El Rancho High Pico Rivera | 1,995 | 73.9% | 46.0% |
| Pacheco High Los Banos | 1,725 | 71.1% | 37.3% |
| Dinuba High Dinuba | 2,115 | 76.5% | 43.6% |
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 Southwest High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Imperial County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 36.9% | #612 of 1,052 | #4 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 20.6% | #654 of 1,056 ▲ 24 | #4 of 9 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 53.4% | #624 of 1,056 ▼ 115 | #4 of 9 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -9.4pp | #49 of 1,044 | #1 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,846 | #371 of 2,093 | #4 of 18 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.5:1 | #486 of 1,352 | #4 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 8.6% | #1,251 of 1,351 | #6 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 72.1% | #820 of 1,575 | #9 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.6% | #308 of 802 | N/A |
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
1,846
-141 (-7%) vs 2020
+6% since 2000-01, when it was 1,740
Student : Teacher
19.5:1
was 21.4:1
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 | 1,846 | 94.5 | 19.5:1 | 72% (1,331) |
| 2023-24 | 1,842 | 91.2 | 20.2:1 | 75% (1,384) |
| 2022-23 | 1,889 | 92.8 | 20.4:1 | 75% (1,423) |
| 2020-21 | 1,987 | 93 | 21.4:1 | 72% (1,439) |
| 2017-18 | 2,161 | 90.3 | 23.9:1 | 73% (1,567) |
| 2015-16 | 2,063 | 87 | 23.7:1 | 71% (1,474) |
| 2010-11 | 2,037 | N/A | N/A | 63% (1,289) |
| 2000-01 | 1,740 | 84 | 20.7:1 | 46% (803) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Southwest High.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (2,161 to 1,846); teachers up 5% (90.3 to 94.5).
About Southwest High
Southwest High is a high-enrollment high school in El Centro, California. It reported 1,846 students in grades 9 through 12 in 2024-25. High schools in California have about 838 students on average; enrollment here is 120% higher.
The 5 schools in Central Union High enroll 4,070 students altogether, Southwest High among them.
Southwest High is 95% Hispanic by enrollment. The rest of enrollment is 3% White. Census estimates put the Hispanic share of Imperial County's population at about 86%. The diversity index for Southwest High is 9%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Its ratio of 19.5:1 is based on 94.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average for high schools in California is 18.2:1, so this school has more students per teacher. In all, 72% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Southwest High holds a C allk12 Grade, placing it above 33% of California public high schools.
On BeatsExpectations, Southwest High is within a point of its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of California schools.
The county, Imperial County, is where the school is located. The median household earns about $57,681 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 16%, and roughly 17% of residents are in poverty. Imperial County has 76 public schools with about 36,513 students, including Southwest High.
De Anza Magnet, about 0.4 miles away, is the closest public school. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Among the 7 closest schools with test data, this one included, Southwest High ranks 4th on average proficiency.
The school is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000, according to its NCES locale (City: Small).
The school's student count decreased 7% between the 2020-21 and 2024-25 school years. By 2024-25, the school had 19.5 students per teacher, compared with 21.4 in 2020-21.
The discussion board for Southwest High is open to topics like special education services, counseling, and support programs. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Imperial County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
180,202
Census ACS
Median income
$57,681
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
17%
Below federal line
Schools in county
76
36,513 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Central Union High
- Central Union HighHigh · 2,006 students
- Desert Oasis High (Continuation)High · 138 students
- Mt. Signal Virtual AcademyHigh · 60 students
- Phoenix Rising HighHigh · 20 students
Other schools in El Centro
- Central Union HighHigh · 2,006 students
- McCabe ElementaryElementary · 1,109 students
- Wilson Jr. HighMiddle · 605 students
- Harding ElementaryElementary · 601 students
- De Anza MagnetElementary · 504 students
- McKinley ElementaryElementary · 456 students
Other Southwest High schools
8 other US public schools in 8 states are named Southwest High. Southwest High is the 3rd largest of the 9.
- Southwest High SchoolSAN ANTONIO, TX · 2,363 students
- SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOLLINCOLN, NE · 2,110 students
- Southwest HighMINNEAPOLIS, MN · 1,195 students
- Southwest High SchoolFORT WORTH, TX · 1,155 students
- Southwest HighGreen Bay, WI · 1,025 students
Nearby schools
- De Anza Magnet0.4 mi · 504
- Margaret Hedrick Elementary0.9 mi · 446
- Wilson Jr. High1.0 mi · 605
- Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences1.2 mi · 230
- Imperial Valley Home School Academy1.2 mi · 131
- Sunflower Elementary1.2 mi · 427
Frequently asked questions
About Southwest HighHow many students attend Southwest High?
Southwest High enrolls approximately 1,846 students in grades 09-12.
Is Southwest High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Southwest High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at Southwest High?
Approximately 19.5:1 students per teacher at Southwest High.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Southwest High?
At Southwest High, the student body is approximately 3% White, 95% Hispanic, 0% Black, 1% Asian, 0% Two or more.
Is Southwest High public or private?
Southwest High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Central Union High.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.