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Serra High School

Public | 9-12 | 2087 students

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3 stars

Based on 46 ratings

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30 reviews of this school

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Posted March 21, 2006

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If your child is a scholar (AVID Seminar)or if you are very involved as a parent (Booster, PTA, sports mom or dad that can take your child to all of their games, this school is great for you. If both parents have to work and your child is average, the teachers 'teach subjects to pass the state tests, not actually teaching a subject.' The Principal? Well she never returns phone calls.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted August 16, 2005

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If you're on the 'college track' the classes can be good to excellent. 'Regular' classes can be like raucous warehouses where discipline is virtually non-existant, as is learning. Extremely rigid administration, except for the counseling staff, who all seemed sane and reasonable.
—Submitted by Michael Evans-Layng, Ph.D., a parent

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Posted June 5, 2004

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I am currently a student at Serra High School and I find it a very good school. I like the diversity and all the extracurricular activities including ROTC. I think anyone considering going here should definitely go here. I love this school and most kids I know love it too.
—Submitted by Anna Primrose, a student

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Posted June 5, 2004

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I am so impressed with the work that the principal is doing to ensure the success of all students. She has been working on the improvement of instruction. Teachers are more focused on supporting student success, especially around California State Standards. Serra H.S. has a friendly and safe atmosphere about it. I am so happy that my children attend this fine school.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted May 22, 2004

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This school has fallen apart. How can the principal even be talking about academic excellence until they get some regular discipline going? Was the fight/safety problems discussed when the people from the Western Schools Committee came to visit this year? The principal seems totally out of touch.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted May 5, 2004

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First off I am a parent of a child who has no choice but to be bussed in because the district will not allow her to attend in her own area Morse. And I must say it isn't the children's fault the school is going through a rashining of violence I hold the school accountable, not the children or the parents. My experience with Serra is that the staff doesn't care about the children. There isn't enough staff and student interaction and I believe that is why the school itself is suffering. You very well can't expect kids to teach themselves social skills. The [school] expects the students to figure everything out themselves and that isn't going to happen. I feel that the schools really need to get more involved. A very involved parent M. Caliver
—Submitted by ML Caliver, a parent

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Posted May 4, 2004

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Well, I graduated from Serra is 1983 and my son went to Serra in 02-03. We had to move to Moreno Valley last year for personal reasons. My son misses that school and so do I. Even with all the kids being bused in, the military kids coming and going thru the years, the school still has kept it's high standards. All schools have some problems. I was proud to go to that school and proud that my son got a taste of it. Be proud that you or your kids get the chance to go to a school with great history for the most part. Plus, it's not all the teachers, get envolved yourself. You also can make a difference.
—Submitted by Frederick Smith, a parent

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Posted May 1, 2004

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School is hampered in its adademic achievement by students bussed in from other parts of San Diego. While creating diversity, it also creates tension among students which administration is unable to eliminate. The extracurricular activities are limited (in fairness this is due to District budget constraints) and superior students are not challenged. The current principal is trying to improve the academic climate, however with a significant percentage of bussed in students and a large number of students whose parents are in the military, there is a substantial fraction of the student body with minimal or no parental involvement. District policies and budget cuts have resulted in many experienced teachers leaving. In sum: a school with great, but largely unrealized potential.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted February 28, 2004

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Serra High is not given the credit it deserves. Parents from the surrounding community frequently send their children elsewhere. Too much diversity?? Those who stay and contribute to the school make a huge impact because they are dedicated parents who strive for the best . There is a brand new specialized academy for technology, AP classes, a marching band and drama, athletics, ROTC, just for starters. Community volunteer hours are required and seniors are required to make an oral presentation in order to graduate. The curriculum is a very ambitious college prep. Your student will be pushed. Weakness: Vocational education is lacking.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted August 11, 2003

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I am not a parent; I am actually a student a Serra High School. Overall Serra is not a bad school. They could do more work with the teacher s interaction with the students. It is hard to get my word out in school, so this is one of my many ways of letting somebody know. Finally I want to say that the Principal is doing a great job and I am very proud of her success and commitment!

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Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.

About these ratings

	Ethnicity	This school	State average
	Hispanic or Latino	40%	49%
White	33%	28%
African American	13%	7%
Asian	9%	8%
Filipino	4%	3%
American Indian or Alaska Native	1%	1%
Pacific Islander	1%	1%
Multiple or No Response	0%	3%

	This school	District average	State average
English language learners ¹	8%	N/A	24%
Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program ²	55%	N/A	52%

	Language	This school	State average
	Spanish	82%	85%
Japanese	3%	0%
Korean	3%	1%
All other non-English languages	2%	1%
Filipino (Pilipino or Tagalog)	2%	1%
Vietnamese	2%	2%
Cantonese	1%	2%
Farsi (Persian)	1%	0%
Khmer (Cambodian)	1%	0%
Lao	1%	0%
Polish	1%	0%
Portuguese	1%	0%
Somali	1%	0%

	This school	District average	State average
Average years teaching in district	14	N/A	11
Average years teaching	14	N/A	13

	This school	District average	State average
Full credential	97%	N/A	96%
Emergency credential or waiver	0%	N/A	2%

Notice an inaccuracy? Let us know!

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5156 Santo Road
San Diego, CA 92124
Website: Click here
Phone: (858) 496-8342

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All Students	13%
Females	12%
Males	14%
African American	0%
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	11%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	13%
Economically disadvantaged	13%
Non-economically disadvantaged	13%
Students with disability	0%
Students with no reported disability	14%
English learner	3%
Fluent-English proficient and English only	15%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	29%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	17%
Parent education - high school graduate	7%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	19%
Parent education - college graduate	14%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	8%

All Students	76%
Females	76%
Males	75%
African American	n/a
Asian	87%
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	71%
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	76%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	76%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	76%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	n/a
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	n/a
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	n/a
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	18%
Females	17%
Males	19%
African American	5%
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	13%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Native Hawaiian	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	34%
Economically disadvantaged	15%
Non-economically disadvantaged	27%
Students with disability	0%
Students with no reported disability	22%
English learner	3%
Fluent-English proficient and English only	23%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	13%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	5%
Parent education - high school graduate	14%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	24%
Parent education - college graduate	30%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	10%

All Students	61%
Females	67%
Males	55%
African American	43%
Asian	72%
Filipino	80%
Hispanic or Latino	52%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Native Hawaiian	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	73%
Economically disadvantaged	52%
Non-economically disadvantaged	74%
Students with disability	14%
Students with no reported disability	63%
English learner	7%
Fluent-English proficient and English only	66%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	86%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	49%
Parent education - high school graduate	48%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	63%
Parent education - college graduate	72%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	84%
Parent education - declined to state	51%

All Students	35%
Females	33%
Males	37%
African American	18%
Asian	50%
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	18%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	53%
Economically disadvantaged	24%
Non-economically disadvantaged	48%
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	36%
English learner	8%
Fluent-English proficient and English only	36%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	51%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	18%
Parent education - high school graduate	20%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	34%
Parent education - college graduate	45%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	57%
Parent education - declined to state	24%

All Students	44%
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	n/a
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	50%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	56%
Females	56%
Males	57%
African American	57%
Asian	69%
Filipino	89%
Hispanic or Latino	43%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	67%
Economically disadvantaged	44%
Non-economically disadvantaged	72%
Students with disability	26%
Students with no reported disability	59%
English learner	4%
Fluent-English proficient and English only	60%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	82%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	42%
Parent education - high school graduate	42%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	55%
Parent education - college graduate	74%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	68%
Parent education - declined to state	47%

All Students	54%
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with no reported disability	53%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	53%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	55%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	39%
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	33%
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	44%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	47%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	31%
Females	23%
Males	40%
African American	28%
Asian	65%
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	22%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	34%
Economically disadvantaged	27%
Non-economically disadvantaged	35%
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	32%
English learner	0%
Fluent-English proficient and English only	33%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	51%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	7%
Parent education - high school graduate	29%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	33%
Parent education - college graduate	34%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	40%
Parent education - declined to state	28%

All Students	38%
Females	30%
Males	45%
African American	7%
Asian	65%
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	25%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	43%
Economically disadvantaged	31%
Non-economically disadvantaged	42%
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	38%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	38%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	60%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	17%
Parent education - high school graduate	30%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	36%
Parent education - college graduate	48%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	38%
Parent education - declined to state	36%

All Students	46%
Females	43%
Males	50%
African American	32%
Asian	75%
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	31%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	62%
Economically disadvantaged	34%
Non-economically disadvantaged	61%
Students with disability	7%
Students with no reported disability	49%
English learner	3%
Fluent-English proficient and English only	50%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	74%
Parent education - not a high school graduate	13%
Parent education - high school graduate	34%
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	55%
Parent education - college graduate	56%
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	63%
Parent education - declined to state	35%

All Students	88%
Females	91%
Males	85%
African American	92%
Asian	90%
Filipino	95%
Hispanic or Latino	82%
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	94%
Declined to state	85%
Economically disadvantaged	83%
Non-economically disadvantaged	93%
Economic Status Unknown	100%
Students with disability	54%
Tested with modifications	n/a
English learner	38%
Language Fluency Unknown	n/a
Migrant education	n/a

Serra High School

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How do you rate this school in these additional areas?

30 reviews of this school

773

+11

6 / 10

5 / 10

API Growth scores over time

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API Growth scores by subgroup

Did this school meet all the API goals for student subgroups this year?

773

What is the API?

+11

Change from 2011 to 2012

6 / 10

API Statewide Rank (2011)

5 / 10

API Similar Schools Rank (2011)

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Algebra II

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Physics

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World History

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Algebra I

Algebra II

Biology/Life Sciences

Earth Science

English Language Arts

General Mathematics (Grades 6 & 7 Standards)

Geometry

Integrated/Coordinated Science 1

World History

About the tests

Algebra I

Algebra II

Biology/Life Sciences

Chemistry

Earth Science

English Language Arts

Geometry

High School (Summative) Mathematics (Grade 9-11)

Science

World History

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