It appears that the San Dieguito Union High School District is high on parents’ envy list of the most desirable districts in the U.S., according to survey results released Monday, Feb. 26, by Test Prep Insight.
The educational review website surveyed 3,000 parents across the country “to discover which districts they would hypothetically most want their children to be schooled in, if given the choice,” according to a news release announcing the results. “That is, what are the most envied school districts in America?”
Out of the districts on the resulting 250 Most Envied School Districts Among Parents list, San Dieguito placed 14th, far ahead of any of the six California districts earning a spot.
San Dieguito, based in Encinitas, covers a wide area of coastal North San Diego County, from parts of Carlsbad to the north to Carmel Valley to the south, reaching inland toward San Marcos. It was the only San Diego County district to make the list.
In November, all four of the district’s high schools were named College Board AP School Honor Roll recipients for 2022-23 for their Advanced Placement courses, according to the district. Its high school campuses are Canyon Crest Academy in Carmel Valley, La Costa Canyon High School in south Carlsbad, San Dieguito High School Academy in Encinitas and Torrey Pines High School, also in Carmel Valley.
The district also has Sunset High School alternative campus, an online learning program and five middle schools.
Torrey Pines High School earned a specific note in the results.
“Within this district, Torrey Pines is celebrated for its academic excellence, competitive sports programs, and a wide range of extracurricular activities,” Test Prep Insight noted in its report. “The school’s location in an affluent community ensures strong support and resources.”
However, Test Prep Insight also noted that the survey highlighted educational disparities and the need for more resources for financially challenged school districts.
“Education in America can sometimes resemble a game of chance, where the quality of a child’s schooling is left up to their zip code,” Test Prep Insight’s Matt Ross said in the site’s news release. “Our survey highlights the stark reality that while some parents are fortunate with access to the nation’s most envied school districts, others are left to contend with less resourced schools. The findings underscore the disparities in public education and the crucial impact of funding, with the most coveted districts typically enjoying the benefits of a prosperous tax base and community investment.”
The California districts making the grade in Test Prep Insight’s survey were:
✔ No. 14: San Dieguito Union High School District.
✔ No. 72: Palo Alto Unified School District.
✔ No. 76: La Cañada Unified School District.
✔ No. 82: Arcadia Unified School District.
✔ No. 83: San Marino Unified School District.
The No. 1 most-envied district in the U.S., according to the list? The Lower Merion School District in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
“School zoning is a term that parents in particular know all too well, as it determines the school their children will attend and the quality of education they will receive,” Test Prep Insight’s news release stated. “This arrangement often seems like a lottery, heavily dependent on one’s home address, which has significant implications for a child’s educational opportunities. This is rooted in the fact that public school funding and resources vary widely, influenced by local economic health and property taxes.”
