Escondido Charter High School

Escondido · San Diego County · Escondido Union High · Public

Public San Diego County 🏛 Escondido Union High → ~248 seniors CDS 3768106…
📄 Shareable scorecard →

📘Top 25% ELA & Math · SBAC (CA) 🎯Top 10% Attendance (lowest chronic absenteeism) in CA 🎯Top 10% Attendance (lowest chronic absenteeism) in San Diego

🧭 A parent's read

  • 3 in 4 graduates leave eligible for UC and CSU. 72% finish the A-G courses California's universities require before a student can even apply — most California schools manage about 6 in 10.
  • Families don't leave. 96% of students who start the year here finish it here — top-tier retention statewide. Kids stay; that tells you something no test score does.
  • Elite admits are rare — here and everywhere. Berkeley and UCLA admitted 3 of this class's 193 UC applications. The strong middle campuses — San Diego, Santa Barbara, Irvine, Davis — are where most real UC outcomes happen.
  • Most grads aim beyond the UC system. Seniors file only ~0.8 UC applications each — families here mostly target CSU, private, or out-of-state colleges, so judge this school on more than its UC numbers.
  • One question for any counselor: who should still test? Plenty of strong students skip the SAT/ACT now — but merit scholarships at dozens of colleges still key off scores. Ask how the school decides who should still sit for one.

Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.

🎓 Where grads go — and what it costs & pays

UC Reach Score
16
Below the CA median below the state median
Top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors in the Class of 2025 — counts each campus admit, so a student admitted to several UCs counts more than once (which is why a strong school can score over 100).

UC admits by campus · Class of 2025

UCLA
3 admitted
Net $12,548/yr avg
Grads earn $82,511 @10yr
UCSD
12 admitted
4 enrolled
Net $12,470/yr avg
Grads earn $84,943 @10yr
UCSB
8 admitted
Net $16,109/yr avg
Grads earn $74,915 @10yr
UCI
7 admitted
Net $14,251/yr avg
Grads earn $80,735 @10yr
UCD
9 admitted
Net $14,741/yr avg
Grads earn $80,838 @10yr

Getting in is step one. The cost above is the average family's net price — yours depends on your income — and your child's odds depend on their GPA + scores. See your family's real numbers at these campuses:

🎯 Get my child's odds + our real net price →

Sources: UC Office of the President (admits); IPEDS net price + College Scorecard 10-yr earnings (cost & payoff). Full campus-by-campus breakdown below.

You've seen Escondido Charter High School. What are your child's real college odds? Check any college in 10 seconds — no email needed — then get the free Family Decision Report: Reach / Match / Likely + your real net price for every college on their list. Check odds →
💡

How Escondido Charter High School compares for families

Mid-pack college outcomes within California.

  • StatewideUC Reach Score of 16 — right around the California median of 18.
  • Locally🎯 Top 10% in California on Attendance (lowest chronic absenteeism) — plus 1 more top-rank.
  • vs Similar SchoolsRight at the peer median (UC Reach Score 14) across the 5 most similar nearby schools.

For Parents

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Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.

SBAC academic outcomes — grade 11, 2025

Share of grade-11 students meeting or exceeding the California standard on Smarter Balanced ELA and Math. This is the academic-readiness signal that pairs with UC Reach (post-grad outcomes), stability (retention), and absenteeism (engagement). Note: statewide median Math is only ~20% — a school at 20% isn't an outlier; one at 45%+ genuinely is.

About 3 in 4 students read and write at grade level — the top quarter of California high schools.
About half of students do math at grade level — the top quarter of California high schools.
ELA — met or exceeded
n = 202
73.8%
incl. 39.1% exceeded
+13.2 pts above San Diego County median (60.6%) · CA median 54.3% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 79.3%
Math — met or exceeded
n = 202
50.0%
incl. 23.8% exceeded
+25.6 pts above San Diego County median (24.4%) · CA median 21.1% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 53.6%

Source: California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Smarter Balanced research files. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥30 tested students.

Student composition — 2025-26

HS grades 9–12 racial/ethnic composition and program subgroups, from CDE Census Day Enrollment. Two-year shift shown when ≥1 pt — surfaces how the community served has changed since 2023-24.

Race / ethnicity

Hispanic / Latino 45% -2.1
White 36%
Asian 6%
Two or more 4% +2.7
Filipino 3%
Black / African Am. 2%
Not reported 2%
American Indian 1%

Program subgroups

Students w/ disabilities 47% -2.2
Socioeconomically disadv. 5% -1.5
English learners 2%

Source: California Department of Education, Census Day Enrollment 2025-26 (HS grades 9–12). Δ shown when shift is ≥1 pt since 2023-24. Categories below 0.5% omitted.

Chronic absenteeism — 2024-25

Share of students missing 10% or more of expected attendance — the leading indicator that often precedes the demand decline shown above. Families disengaging tend to raise absenteeism first, then formally leave. Basis: grades 9–12.

Kids show up: 5% are chronically absent versus about 23% statewide — engagement most schools would envy.
Chronic absent
5.1%
48 of 941 students

Low and stable absenteeism — students are engaged and showing up. The leading indicator is healthy.

San Diego County median
18.9% · school is better than 93% of 117 HS
Statewide median
22.9%
Chronic absenteeism by year (raw %)

Source: California Department of Education, Chronic Absenteeism 2024-25. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥100 eligible students. CDE didn't publish a usable 2019-20 file (COVID).

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)
818 (2018)900 (2026)
+10.0%
Grade 12 (graduating class)
206 (2018)196 (2026)
-4.9%

If this trend holds (+1.3%/yr, Total enrollment)

At per-pupil funding of $ / student:

Horizon Projected Total enrollment Change Funding impact / yr
1 yr (2027) ~911 +11 $0
3 yr (2029) ~935 +35 $0
5 yr (2031) ~959 +59 $0

Straight-line extrapolation of the recent annual rate — a what-if, not a forecast of intent. Default = California's LCFF base grant for grades 9–12 ($12,423/ADA). Edit the figure to match your school.

How does Escondido Charter High School really compare on getting kids to college?

We've ranked it #4 of 8 most similar nearby schools on UC Reach. Unlock the full snapshot to see the head-to-head — who's ahead, by how much, and where it's heading.

The full head-to-head table — every peer school's UC Reach, side by side.
Enrollment trend + 3-year projection — is this school growing or quietly shrinking?
The plain-English read on what it all means for your family.

Your similar-school group includes

Del Lago Academy - Campus Of Applied Science · Classical Academy High School · Valley Center High School · Escondido High School · Orange Glen High School · Siatech · +4 more

Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement. We'll email you the snapshot and a few alerts a year. Unsubscribe anytime.

Enrollment stability & demand — 2024-25

Two complementary signals: retention (do students stay once enrolled?) and demand (are families choosing the school?). Read against the San Diego County baseline — the demographic tide is moving every CA HS, so a school's gap vs. county is the actionable signal.

Families don't leave: 96% of students who start the year finish it here — top-tier retention statewide.
Healthy
Outperforming the market — gaining relative share even as San Diego County contracts.

Escondido Charter High School is shrinking (-4.9%) but San Diego County is shrinking faster (-7.8%), so Escondido Charter High School is winning roughly 2.9 pp of relative market share. Combined with 96.1% stability (county median 88.5%), this reflects a school that families actively chose during a market contraction. Replicable model — worth documenting what's working.

-4.9%  school enrollment (2018–2026)
-7.8%  San Diego County baseline
+2.9pp  gap vs. county
96.1%  retention (county median 88.5%)
Enrollment — indexed to 100 at 2018
Stability rate by year (raw %)
Stability rate
96.1%
910 of 947 students

37 of 947 students who enrolled at Escondido Charter High School this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (3.9% non-stability). Mid-year transfers, dropouts, and other exits are all counted.

San Diego County median
88.5% · school is in the 93rd percentile of 121 HS
Statewide median
87.2% · in the 94th percentile of 1,689 HS

Stability by student group

Hispanic / Latino (421) 95.2%
Socio. disadvantaged (356) 95.2%
White (354) 96.3%
Students w/ disabilities (62) 93.5%
Asian (57) 96.5%
Filipino (32) 100.0%

Nearest peer high schools

Del Lago Academy - Campus Of Applied Science 95.7% Classical Academy High School 94.1% Valley Center High School 91.6% Escondido High School 84.9% Orange Glen High School 84.1%

Source: California Department of Education, Stability Rate 2024-25. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥100 cumulative enrollees so by-design-high-churn continuation schools don't dominate the bottom of the distribution. Cumulative enrollment counts every student on the rolls during the year, so it can exceed peak-day enrollment.

District financial profile — Escondido Union High (FY2020)

From 4 years of NCES F-33 filings (the federally-mandated district finance survey). Public schools don't have their own books — the district does. These figures show the financial scale, revenue dependence, instruction-vs-overhead mix, and long-term debt that shape what a school can sustain.

Total revenue
$150.6M
+17.5% since FY2017
Per-pupil revenue
$21,158
7,118 students enrolled
Revenue mix
State: 42.9%
Local: 41.2%
Federal: 16.0%
Instruction share
51.8%
of current spending · $8,529/pupil
Long-term debt
$201.5M
-1.4% since FY2017
Total revenue by year ($M)
Total expenditure by year ($M)

Source: NCES F-33 Annual Survey of School System Finances (Urban Institute Education Data API). Latest year currently published: FY2020. F-33 is a district-level federal filing — it reflects the Escondido Union High as a whole, not this individual school's books. Revenue mix shows where the district's dollars come from (state aid dominates in CA via LCFF). Instruction share is current expenditure on instruction ÷ total current expenditure (national benchmark ~60%). Long-term debt is end-of-year outstanding (mostly facilities bonds).

📊 Key takeaway · Class of 2025

Escondido Charter High School sent 193 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 20.2% were admitted, producing a UC Reach Score of 162 points below the California median of 18, higher than 44% of California high schools. The school produces 1.2 UCLA + UC Berkeley admits per 100 seniors.

University of California outcomes · Class of 2025
UC Reach Score
16
Below the CA median Top 56% of CA high schools
39 admits / 248 seniors
+2 pts above peer median (14) · Ranked #4 of 8 similar schools
5-year trend
2021 · 28 2025 · 16
Where this sits on the California curve
CA median
18
Peer median
14
Top 10%
51
This school
16
050100
CA median 18 Top 10% ≥ 51 This school 16

Higher than 44% of California high schools (980 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

📊 What this number means

Escondido Charter High School's UC Reach Score of 16 is below the California median (18). The top 10% of CA schools achieve 51 or higher.

Overall, Escondido Charter High School's UC Reach is higher than 44% of California high schools (980 ranked).

UC Application Reach Score
78
193 applications
In context: CA median 75 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 241 · higher than 52% of CA HS.
UC Admit Rate
20.2%
39 / 193 applications
In context: CA median 26.1% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.4% · higher than 18% of CA HS.
UC Yield Rate
10.3%
4 enrolled of 39 admitted
Yield vs. Enrollment Reach: Yield answers "of UC admits, what % chose UC?" — denominator is just the admits. A small admitted cohort can post a low yield even when the school sends a healthy share of its class to UC.
UC Enrollment Reach Score
2
4 enrollees / 248 seniors
Enrollment Reach vs. Yield: Reach answers "of the whole senior class, what share ended up at UC?" — denominator is everyone. High Yield with low Enrollment Reach is common at elite privates: most admits matriculate, but the school sends most of its class to non-UC selective colleges.
A-G Completion
Most graduates leave here ready to apply to UC and CSU — 3 in 4 finish the required courses, versus about 6 in 10 statewide.
72%
181 of 251 graduates · 2024-25 cohort
In context: CA median 55.9% · +16.2 pp above · San Diego Co. 63.4%.
Selective UC Reach (UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCD)
12.1
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 15.5 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 41.5 · higher than 36% of CA HS.
Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA)
1.2
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 3.3 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 9.7 · higher than 9% of CA HS.
Senior Class Size
248
CDE grade 12 (exact)
Total School Enrollment
932
All grades · CDE Census Day
Economic Connectedness
1.52
84th percentile in CA · cross‑class friendships
Avg. Applicant GPA · top-6 UCs
3.97
Avg. Admitted GPA · top-6 UCs
4.24

UC funnel — which kids are getting in at what GPA

Combining the school's applicant pool GPA, admit pool GPA, actual admit rate, and statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, we can read which GPA tiers tend to get in — and which don't.

🎯 Who's actually getting into UC from Escondido Charter High School
Campus 4.00+ GPA 3.70–3.99 GPA 3.30–3.69 GPA < 3.30 GPA
UCLA Real shot Long odds Filtered out Filtered out
UC San Diego Strong shot Moderate Long odds Filtered out
UC Santa Barbara Strong shot Real shot Long odds Filtered out
UC Irvine Strong shot Real shot Long odds Filtered out
UC Davis Strong shot Strong shot Real shot Filtered out
Strong shot = ≥30% statewide admit rate at this band · Real shot = 10–29% · Moderate = 5–9% · Long odds = 1–4% · Filtered out = under 1%. Tiers map this school's likely outcomes by GPA tier using statewide CA admit rates from UCOP 2025.

The numbers behind it

Campus Applicant GPA Admit GPA Lift Admit rate vs peer schools @ same GPA
UCLA (2021) 3.98 4.31 +0.33 13.6% Peers +0.30 · matches
UC San Diego 3.91 4.26 +0.35 24.0% Peers +0.31 · steeper
UC Santa Barbara 3.94 4.25 +0.32 29.6% Peers +0.30 · matches
UC Irvine 4.00 4.22 +0.22 17.9% Peers +0.22 · matches
UC Davis 3.95 4.23 +0.28 36.0% Peers +0.23 · steeper
📊 Statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, 2025 (for reference)
GPA band UCB UCLA UCSD UCSB UCI UCD
4.00+ 17.0% 15.1% 45.2% 62.3% 46.3% 65.9%
3.70–3.99 3.1% 1.6% 9.3% 17.6% 17.0% 31.1%
3.30–3.69 0.8% 0.5% 1.5% 2.8% 2.4% 10.3%
3.00–3.29 0.4% 0.3% 0.2% 0.4% 0.3% 1.9%
< 3.00 0.7% 0.4% 0.3% 0.2% 0.1% 0.7%
How we infer the tier labels: Each tier comes from the statewide CA admit rate at that GPA band at that UC. The "vs peers" column compares this school's lift (admit GPA − applicant GPA) to the average lift at ~100–300 other CA schools with similar applicant pool GPA. What this isn't: a guarantee. UC comprehensive review weighs essays, course rigor, demographics, and context-of-opportunity beyond GPA. A 3.9 with strong context can land an admit; a 4.0 with weak essays can be denied. Use as a baseline expectation, not a verdict. Per-campus year is shown when it differs from the headline year (UCOP doesn't always publish admit-GPA for every campus every year).

Where Escondido Charter High School sits vs. all California schools

Overall, this school admits its UC applicants in line with what their GPAs predict (22.7% actual vs. 23.5% expected).

UC Outcomes Trend — 2018–2025

UC Admit Rate %
UC Reach Score (where available)
UC Admits (count, right axis)

Class size from CDE grade 12 enrollment. Campus-level data — applicant/admit totals may count a student at multiple campuses more than once.

Campus Breakdown — 2025

Campus Applicants Admits Enrollees Admit Rate UC Reach Score Yield Avg GPA (App) Avg GPA (Adm)
UC Berkeley → Elite 21 4.03
UCLA → Elite 31 3 9.7% 1 4.04
UC San Diego → Selective 50 12 4 24.0% 5 33.3% 3.91 4.26
UC Santa Barbara → Selective 27 8 29.6% 3 3.94 4.25
UC Irvine → Selective 39 7 17.9% 3 4.00 4.22
UC Davis → 25 9 36.0% 4 3.95 4.23
= UCOP-suppressed (count below 3 students, hidden for privacy — actual value is 0, 1, or 2, not necessarily zero). Campus-level totals may count one student admitted to multiple UC campuses more than once; Admit Volume metrics are not the same as UC Reach, which requires unique-student counts. See methodology →

What This Means

A large share of the senior class applies to UC, indicating strong college-going culture and UC pipeline development.
A large share of the class applies to UC, so the admit rate runs lower than the application volume alone might suggest — expected when many students apply broadly, including to reach campuses. UC Reach (which credits every admit relative to the class) is the truer read of how the class fares: a strong Reach alongside a moderate admit rate is healthy, not a contradiction.
Students are earning UC admission but enrolling elsewhere at a notable rate. This may reflect competition from private colleges, out-of-state flagships, cost considerations, or UC campus fit. Student outcome surveys can clarify.
UC Reach has improved meaningfully compared to the prior year — a positive trajectory worth monitoring and reinforcing.
Note: the UC Reach Score sums campus-level admits across the top-six UC campuses, so a student admitted to both UCLA and UCSD is counted at each. It reflects competitive admit volume relative to class size — admit-events, not distinct students — which is why a Score can exceed 100.
Compare with other schools → See San Diego County rankings →

For School Admins

The full Reach Report for Escondido Charter High School

A board- and LCAP-ready intelligence brief: your enrollment retention and college outcomes, benchmarked against your closest competitors, with a 5-year forecast, concrete steps to act on, and the rigor + outcomes story you can share with your families. Built from primary public data — prepared for you, not auto-generated.

  • Your UC Reach Score (16) ranked head-to-head against your closest competitor schools
  • Your 5-year enrollment forecast (currently 1.3%/yr) with the revenue at stake
  • Student-retention benchmarking vs your county median — and the LCAP evidence to back your goals
See a sample report →

For Parents

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