Education

Preschool Enrollment

Early childhood education builds the literacy and numeracy skills that predict later academic achievement, and lets parents work. Access is uneven: children of color, children from low-income families, English learners, and children with disabilities face the steepest barriers.

The American Community Survey (ACS) tracks the share of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in school each year. San Diego County and the City of San Diego have typically posted higher preschool enrollment than the state and the country. In 2023, 56% of County 3- and 4-year-olds were enrolled, compared to 49% nationally.¹

Enrollment varies by race and ethnicity, gender, and immigrant status. About half of County 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in preschool over the period studied, with the COVID-19 dip in 2021. Sample sizes were too small to break out by disability status reliably.²

Standardized Test Scores in English and Math

Standardized tests measure recall and content mastery against grade-level standards, and they serve as gatekeepers to college admission, certifications, and academic programs. They miss creativity, leadership, resilience, and the effect of housing instability or trauma on performance.³

In 2015, San Diego County students outperformed the state, with 51% meeting or exceeding standards in ELA and 40% in math (versus California's 44% and 34%). Both California and San Diego County improved through 2019, then dropped after COVID-19. By 2023, ELA had partially recovered to 52% in the County and 57% statewide; math sat at 40% in the County and 35% statewide.⁴

Gaps run wide. In 2023, 24% of immigrant students met or exceeded standards in ELA versus 52% of non-immigrant students; 21% of students with reported disabilities met or exceeded versus 57% of those without. Asian, Filipino, White, and multiracial students consistently posted higher pass rates than Black, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native students. Female students outperformed male students in ELA (56% versus 48% in 2023); male students gained a slight edge in math after the pandemic (42% versus 38%).

Multiple Language Fluency

Children who speak more than one language tend to show stronger executive functioning — problem-solving, working memory, cognitive flexibility — and using a heritage language at home is linked to fewer behavioral problems and better mental health.⁵

The data here cover students learning English as a second language, a partial view of multilingualism. Between 2015 and 2023, the number of English language learners declined: down 23% in San Diego County (from 112,730 to 87,338) and down 37% in San Diego Unified School District (from 32,471 to 20,360). The drop may reflect rising English proficiency among early-grade learners, naturalized linguistic assimilation, or falling public-school enrollment.

In 2023, English learners in San Diego County spoke 85 languages at home; SDUSD students spoke 74. Spanish dominates both lists. The next-most-common languages diverge: County-wide, Arabic ranks high; in SDUSD, Vietnamese and Filipino appear next.

School Economic Diversity

Students from low-income families do better in schools with mixed incomes than in concentrated-poverty schools.⁶ Economically diverse schools tend to have more qualified teachers, lower turnover, and more advanced coursework. Economic segregation is tightly linked to racial segregation, and unequal exposure to poor schoolmates accounts for a substantial share of racial achievement gaps.⁷

Urban Institute data (calculated from National Center for Education Statistics' Common Core of Data) tracks the share of students attending schools where 20% or more of families are at or below the federal poverty line. In 2014, more than half of Black and Hispanic students in the County (55% and 58%), and roughly 65% of those in the City, attended high-poverty schools — versus 14% and 10% of White students. By 2022, those rates had fallen sharply, though Black and Hispanic students still attended high-poverty schools at higher rates than White students.

High School Completion

A high school diploma or equivalency translates to roughly 20%-higher wages and lower unemployment, and it gates further education.⁸ It also tracks with better health: lower infant mortality, higher life expectancy, more preventive care.⁹

The ACS measures the share of 19- and 20-year-olds with a high school diploma or equivalent (including GED and HiSET, late graduates, and graduates from private and homeschool programs). Between 2005 and 2023, completion rose from 83% to 91% nationally and from 82% to 93% in California. San Diego County rose from 84% to 95%; the City climbed from 91% in 2014 to 96% in 2023, surpassing both state and national rates.

The biggest gains were among immigrant young adults: 61% in 2005 to 94% in 2023, closing the gap with non-immigrant peers (92% to 95%) from over 30 points to one. Hispanic or Latino students rose from 68% to 91%, the largest increase among racial groups with complete data. White, non-Hispanic students moved from 95% to 98%; Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students reached 99% — the highest 2023 rate.

College Enrollment & Completion

In 2024, the national median wage with an associate degree ran 17% higher than with a high school diploma; with a bachelor's, 50% higher.¹⁰ College graduates are more likely to be employed, to have retirement plans and health insurance, and to engage civically.

The ACS reports the share of 18- to 24-year-olds who are currently in college or have completed a degree. Nationally the rate climbed from 53% in 2005 to 59% in 2023; California rose from 54% to 63%. San Diego County moved from 56% to 64% over the same period, comparable to state and national figures.

Gains have been uneven. Immigrant young adults posted the largest jump — from 47% in 2005 to 70% in 2023, surpassing non-immigrant rates (63% in 2023). Students with disabilities rose from under 50% in 2008 to 64% in 2023, closing the gap with peers without disabilities. AANHPI students moved from 75% to 88%; Hispanic or Latino students from 42% to 57%. Black or African American enrollment fell from 52% in 2005 to 46% in 2023, a reversal that has left Black students below the County average across the period. Women's enrollment surged from 59% to 73%; men's rose only modestly from 53% to 57%, widening the gender gap.