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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GROSSMONT UNION HIGH·NCES 061623002028

Valhalla High

1725 Hillsdale Rd., El Cajon, CA 92019 · (619) 593-5300 · San Diego County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,728 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 70% of California public high schools
  • B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • DThree-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

Enrollment
1,728
High
DISTRICT 1,093 · STATE 838
Student : Teacher
23.5:1
74 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.3:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
69%
1,200 students
DISTRICT 63% · 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

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 941324%
Grade 1042625%
Grade 1142525%
Grade 1246427%
Student demographics
51%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 62% · US 70%
White
1,14066%
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 20% · US 43%
Hispanic
36721%
DISTRICT 42% · STATE 56% · US 30%
Black
302%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 5% · US 15%
Asian
1227%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 12% · US 6%
Two+
614%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 6% · US 5%
Native American
20%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
60%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
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
Male
88951%
Female
83949%

Discussions

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Test scores

CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standard
English Language Arts
66.1%
CA avg 49.1% . +3.1pp since 2014
Math
34.5%
CA avg 37.7% . -2.5pp since 2014

What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 66 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 35 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 3 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 2 points.

Performance levels, 2024-25

SubjectStandard ExceededStandard MetStandard Nearly MetStandard Not Met
English Language Arts38.4%27.6%16.1%17.8%
Math15.2%19.3%19.3%46.1%
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 yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2566.1%34.5%
2023-2467.5%31.2%
2022-2371.6%32.4%
2021-2272.2%40.3%
2020-2175.4%44.6%
2018-1972.9%44.2%
2017-1871.0%41.1%
2016-1773.8%48.1%
2015-1669.0%45.0%
2014-1563.0%37.0%
% 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 · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
49.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
38.9%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.0pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 50% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 39% 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 Valhalla High

Valhalla High's state test result (49.8% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Valhalla High this school1,72869.4%49.8%
Las Plumas High
Oroville
1,26574.5%27.8%
Red Bluff High
Red Bluff
1,58675.6%37.6%
Herbert Hoover High
Glendale
1,59054.2%36.5%
Fortuna Union High
Fortuna
82666.1%24.7%
Central Valley High
Shasta Lake
58371.5%57.1%
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 Valhalla High ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn CaliforniaIn San Diego County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
49.8%#327 of 1,052#31 of 70
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
34.5%#351 of 1,056
▲ 6
#29 of 70
▲ 2
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
66.1%#334 of 1,056
▼ 46
#30 of 70
▼ 3
3-year test score change
ranked biggest drop first
-5.9pp#102 of 1,044#7 of 70
Enrollment
ranked largest first
1,728#424 of 2,093#38 of 135
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
23.5:1#1,048 of 1,352#60 of 96
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
51.3%#646 of 1,351#63 of 97
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
69.4%#884 of 1,575#51 of 112
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-18.7%#194 of 802#12 of 57
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 2024-25
Enrollment
1,728
-422 (-20%) vs 2020
-4% since 1990-91, when it was 1,809
Student : Teacher
23.5:1
was 27.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-251,72873.623.5:169% (1,200)
2023-241,84510.6174.9:167% (1,229)
2022-231,91178.424.4:165% (1,244)
2020-212,1507827.6:159% (1,272)
2017-182,12575.728.1:151% (1,075)
2015-162,1388026.7:155% (1,182)
2010-112,147N/AN/A12% (255)
2000-012,1457827.5:18% (161)
1990-911,8096826.6:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Valhalla High.

Since 2017-18: students down 19% (2,125 to 1,728); teachers down 3% (75.7 to 73.6).

About Valhalla High

Students in El Cajon, California, attend Valhalla High, a large high school. Its 1,728 students are spread across grades 9 through 12. The typical figure for high schools in California is about 838 students.

Grossmont Union High oversees Valhalla High and 14 other schools, with 16,401 students in total.

White students make up a majority at Valhalla High, at 66%. Next come 21% Hispanic, 7% Asian, and 4% multiracial. That compares with about 48% White among all San Diego County residents. The school's diversity index is 51%, meaning two students picked at random have a 51% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.

The ratio of students to teachers is 23.5:1, with 73.6 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. That is 5.3 students per teacher above the 18.2:1 average for high schools in California. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 69%. The gap from the 54% average for public schools in San Diego County is 15 points.

The allk12 Grade for Valhalla High is B+. Compared with California public high schools, the school scored higher than 70% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.

On a poverty-adjusted basis, Valhalla High falls in the middle 80% of California schools: 49.8% actual against 38.9% predicted.

Federal survey data for San Diego County show that the median household income is $106,268, about 43% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 7%. San Diego County is home to 766 public schools and about 467,437 public school students.

Vista Grande Elementary is the public school closest to Valhalla High, about 0.4 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. On average proficiency, Valhalla High is 4th of 8 nearby schools with test data.

Locale data from NCES put Valhalla High in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more (Suburb: Large).

Enrollment is down 20% from 2020-21, when Valhalla High had 2,150 students, to 2024-25, when it had 1,728. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio fell to 23.5:1, from 27.6:1.

To ask about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs, start a discussion on this page. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.

San Diego County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
3,288,774
Census ACS
Median income
$106,268
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
43%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
766
467,437 students

Quick facts

School name
Valhalla High
District
Grossmont Union High
Address
1725 Hillsdale Rd., El Cajon, CA 92019
Phone
(619) 593-5300
County
San Diego County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
1,728
Teachers (FTE)
74
Student–teacher ratio
23.5:1
Free and reduced lunch
1,200 (69%)
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
061623002028
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Grossmont Union High
Other schools in El Cajon
Other Valhalla High schools

One other US public school is named Valhalla High. Valhalla High is the largest of the 2.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Valhalla High
How large is Valhalla High?
Valhalla High enrolls approximately 1,728 students in grades 09-12.
Is Valhalla High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Valhalla High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at Valhalla High?
Approximately 23.5:1 students per teacher at Valhalla High.
What is the student diversity at Valhalla High?
Student demographics at Valhalla High are roughly 66% White, 21% Hispanic, 2% Black, 7% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is Valhalla High in?
Valhalla High is part of Grossmont Union High.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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