Sweetwater Union High School District, California

Sweetwater Union High School District
San Diego County, California
District details
Superintendent: Moise Aguirre
# of school board members: 5
Website: Link

The Sweetwater Union High School District is a school district in California.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

• Superintendent
• School board
• Elections
• Budget
• Teacher salaries
• Academic performance
• Students
• Staff
• Schools
• Contact information

Superintendent

This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Moise Aguirre is the superintendent of the Sweetwater Union High School District. He was appointed interim superintendent in August 2020 and was made permanent superintendent in April 2021. He previously served as the district's assistant superintendent of facilities and maintenance.

Past superintendents

• Karen Janney was the superintendent of the Sweetwater Union High School District. Janney was appointed superintendent in June 2015. The school board ended her contract on August 31, 2020. Janney's previous career experience includes working as a teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent.

School board

The Sweetwater Union High School District school board consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held by district.

Office	Name	Date assumed office
Sweetwater Union High School District school board Trustee Area 1	Arturo Solis	2014
Sweetwater Union High School District school board Trustee Area 2	Adrian Arancibia	December 11, 2020
Sweetwater Union High School District school board Trustee Area 3	Elva Lopez-Zepeda	December 9, 2022
Sweetwater Union High School District school board Trustee Area 4	Rudy Lopez	December 16, 2024
Sweetwater Union High School District school board Trustee Area 5	Marti Emerald	December 9, 2022

Elections

See also: Sweetwater Union High School District, California, elections

Elections for the Sweetwater Union High School District school board are held in November of even-numbered years. Elections are staggered so that two or three seats are up for election at a time.

Two seats on the board were up for general election on November 5, 2024.

Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.

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Public participation in board meetings

The Sweetwater Union Board of Education maintains the following policy on public participation during board meetings:

“

Public Participation Members of the public are encouraged to attend Board meetings and to address the Board concerning any item on the agenda or within the Board's jurisdiction. So as not to inhibit public participation, persons attending Board meetings shall not be requested to sign in, complete a questionnaire, or otherwise provide their name or other information as a condition of attending the meeting. In order to conduct district business in an orderly and efficient manner, the Board requires that public presentations to the Board comply with the following procedures: 1. The Board shall give members of the public an opportunity to address the Board on any item of interest to the public that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Board, either before or during the Board's consideration of the item. (Education Code 35145.5, Government Code 54954.3) 2. At a time so designated on the agenda at a regular meeting, members of the public may bring before the Board matters that are not listed on the agenda. The Board shall take no action or discussion on any item not appearing on the posted agenda, except as authorized by law. (Education Code 35145.5, Government Code 54954.2) 3. Without taking action, Board members or district staff members may briefly respond to statements made or questions posed by the public about items not appearing on the agenda. Additionally, on their own initiative or in response to questions posed by the public, a Board or staff member may ask a question for clarification, make a brief announcement, or make a brief report on his/her own activities. (Government Code 54954.2) Furthermore, the Board or a Board member may provide a reference to staff or other resources for factual information, ask staff to report back to the Board at a subsequent meeting concerning any matter, or take action directing staff to place a matter of business on a future agenda. (Government Code 54954.2) 4. The Board need not allow the public to speak on any item that has already been considered by a committee composed exclusively of Board members at a public meeting where the public had the opportunity to address the committee on that item. However, if the Board determines that the item has been substantially changed since the committee heard the item, the Board shall provide an opportunity for the public to speak. (Government Code 54954.3) 5. A person wishing to be heard by the Board shall first be recognized by the president and shall then proceed to comment as briefly as the subject permits. Individual speakers shall be allowed three minutes to address the Board on each agenda or nonagenda item. The Board shall limit the total time for public input on each item to 20 minutes. With Board consent, the president may increase or decrease the time allowed for public presentation, depending on the topic and the number of persons wishing to be heard. The president may take a poll of speakers for or against a particular issue and may ask that additional persons speak only if they have something new to add. In order to ensure that non-English speakers receive the same opportunity to directly address the Board, any member of the public who utilizes a translator shall be provided at least twice the allotted time to address the Board, unless simultaneous translation equipment is used to allow the Board to hear the translated public testimony simultaneously. (Government Code 54954.3) 6. The Board president may rule on the appropriateness of a topic. If the topic would be more suitably addressed at a later time, the president may indicate the time and place when it should be presented. The Board shall not prohibit public criticism of its policies, procedures, programs, services, acts, or omissions. (Government Code 54954.3) In addition, the Board may not prohibit public criticism of district employees. Whenever a member of the public initiates specific complaints or charges against an employee, the Board president shall inform the complainant that in order to protect the employee's right to adequate notice before a hearing of such complaints and charges, and also to preserve the ability of the Board to legally consider the complaints or charges in any subsequent evaluation of the employee, it is the policy of the Board to hear such complaints or charges in closed session unless otherwise requested by the employee pursuant to Government Code 54957. The Board president shall also encourage the complainant to file a complaint using the appropriate district complaint procedure. 7. The Board president shall not permit any disturbance or willful interruption of Board meetings. Persistent disruption by an individual or group shall be grounds for the president to terminate the privilege of addressing the Board. Actual disruption by an individual or group or any conduct or statements that threaten the safety of any person(s) at the meeting shall be grounds for the president to terminate the privilege of addressing the Board and remove the individual from the meeting. The Board President or designee may remove an individual for actually disrupting the meeting. Prior to removal, the individual shall be warned that their behavior is disrupting the meeting and that failure to cease the disruptive behavior may result in removal. If, after being warned, the individual does not promptly cease the disruptive behavior, the Board president, or designee, may then remove the individual from the meeting. (Government Code 54957.95) When an individual's behavior constitutes the use of force or a true threat of force, the individual shall be removed from a Board meeting without a warning. (Government Code 54957.95) Disrupting means engaging in behavior during a Board meeting that actually disrupts, disturbs, impedes, or renders infeasible the orderly conduct of the meeting and includes, but is not limited to, a failure to comply with reasonable and lawful regulations adopted by a legislative body pursuant to Section 54954.3 or any other law, or engaging in behavior that constitutes use of force or a true threat of force. (Government Code 54957.95) True threat of force means a threat that has sufficient indicia of intent and seriousness, that a reasonable observer would perceive it to be an actual threat to use force by the person making the threat. (Government Code 54957.95) The Board may remove disruptive individuals and order the room cleared if necessary. In this case, members of the media not participating in the disturbance shall be allowed to remain, and individuals not participating in such disturbances may be allowed to remain at the discretion of the Board. When the room is ordered cleared due to a disturbance, further Board proceedings shall concern only matters appearing on the agenda. (Government Code 54957.9) When such disruptive conduct occurs, the Board may decide to recess the meeting to help restore order, or if removing the disruptive individual(s) or clearing the room is infeasible, move the meeting to another location. The Board may direct the Superintendent or designee shall contact local law enforcement. Recording by the Public Members of the public may record an open Board meeting using an audio or video recorder, still or motion picture camera, cell phone, or other device, provided that the noise, illumination, or obstruction of view does not persistently disrupt the meeting. The Superintendent or designee shall designate locations from which members of the public may broadcast, photograph, or tape record open meetings without causing a distraction. If the Board finds that noise, illumination, or obstruction of view related to these activities would persistently disrupt the proceedings, these activities shall be discontinued or restricted as determined by the Board. (Government Code 54953.5, 54953.6)

”

District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

• Revenue
• Expenditures

Revenue, 2020-2021

SOURCE	AMOUNT	AMOUNT PER STUDENT	PERCENT
Federal:	$58,846,000	$1,588	9%
Local:	$206,524,000	$5,573	32%
State:	$380,594,000	$10,270	59%
Total:	$645,964,000	$17,430

Expenditures, 2020-2021

TYPE	AMOUNT	AMOUNT PER STUDENT	PERCENT
Total Expenditures:	$527,974,000	$14,246
Total Current Expenditures:	$473,787,000	$12,784
Instructional Expenditures:	$272,841,000	$7,362	52%
Student and Staff Support:	$55,393,000	$1,494	10%
Administration:	$90,204,000	$2,433	17%
Operations, Food Service, Other:	$55,349,000	$1,493	10%
Total Capital Outlay:	$12,698,000	$342
Construction:	$12,347,000	$333
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other:	$15,368,000	$414
Interest on Debt:	$23,488,000	$633

Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year	Minimum	Maximum
2023-2024	$60,045	$134,757
2020	$51,925	$116,533

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.

• Mathematics
• Reading/language arts
• Graduation rates

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2020-2021	36	61	33	28	<=20	52	45
2018-2019	33	62	22	25	30-34	47	44
2017-2018	32	64	24	25	20-29	48	47
2016-2017	32	62	24	25	21-39	47	48
2015-2016	31	60	25	25	21-39	50	47
2014-2015	30	59	24	24	11-19	44	45
2013-2014	68	85	60-64	64	60-69	40-59	78
2012-2013	55	80	48	50	40-44	69	69
2011-2012	56	79	53	51	55-59	<=20	69
2010-2011	56	78	52	52	55-59	40-59	69

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2020-2021	52	75	51	45	30-39	66	58
2018-2019	54	78	50	48	55-59	70	63
2017-2018	52	79	49	46	30-39	70	66
2016-2017	53	80	53	47	21-39	73	71
2015-2016	53	78	45	47	40-59	73	68
2014-2015	48	75	45	42	30-39	67	60
2013-2014	60	79	60-64	55	50-59	60-79	77
2012-2013	59	79	56	54	55-59	76	78
2011-2012	60	81	62	55	65-69	40-59	76
2010-2011	60	79	60	55	60-64	40-59	76

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2019-2020	89	96	85-89	88	>=50	94	90
2018-2019	86	96	85-89	85	>=50	92	83
2017-2018	86	91	80-84	85	>=50	89	88
2016-2017	85	95	85-89	84	>=50	90	84
2015-2016	83	92	80-84	81	>=50	89	85
2014-2015	85	95	80-84	83	>=50	85-89	86
2013-2014	82	93	80-84	80	60-79	90-94	85
2012-2013	83	91	80-84	81	60-79	85-89	87
2011-2012	83	94	75-79	81	60-79	90-94	85
2010-2011	80	89	75-79	78	60-79	80-84	84

Students

• Enrollment
• Demographics

Year	Enrollment	Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023	36,109	-1.2
2021-2022	36,557	-1.4
2020-2021	37,060	-4.0
2019-2020	38,553	-1.6
2018-2019	39,165	-4.0
2017-2018	40,737	0.2
2016-2017	40,671	-0.9
2015-2016	41,050	0.1
2014-2015	41,018	0.3
2013-2014	40,901	0.0
2012-2013	40,916	0.7
2011-2012	40,619	-2.0
2010-2011	41,426	-1.9
2009-2010	42,209	-1.4
2008-2009	42,804	0.5
2007-2008	42,591	1.2
2006-2007	42,085	0.5
2005-2006	41,865	2.3
2004-2005	40,888	4.1
2003-2004	39,228	3.4
2002-2003	37,878	1.9
2001-2002	37,175	5.0
2000-2001	35,330	3.7
1999-2000	34,010	0.0

Racial Demographics, 2022-2023

RACE	Sweetwater Union High School District (%)	California K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.5	0.0
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander	10.8	0.0
Black	3.2	0.0
Hispanic	68.4	0.0
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	0.4	0.0
Two or More Races	4.6	0.0
White	12.1	0.0

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

• Teachers
• Administrators
• Other staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Sweetwater Union High School District had 1,560.93 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 23.13.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten:	0.00
Kindergarten:	0.00
Elementary:	399.59
Secondary:	1,161.34
Total:	1,560.93

Sweetwater Union High School District employed 25.30 district administrators and 105.50 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators:	25.30
District Administrative Support:	218.54
School Administrators:	105.50
School Administrative Support:	197.88

Other staff, 2022-2023 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides:	523.98
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors:	27.45
Total Guidance Counselors:	106.00
Elementary Guidance Counselors:	23.90
Secondary Guidance Counselors:	69.10
Librarians/Media Specialists:	9.33
Library/Media Support:	0.00
Student Support Services:	78.94
Other Support Services:	430.31

Schools

The Sweetwater Union High School District operates 29 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.

List of schools

SCHOOL NAME	NUMBER OF STUDENTS	GRADES
Alta Vista Academy	33	7-12
Bonita Vista Middle	839	7-8
Bonita Vista Senior High	2,140	9-12
Castle Park Middle	724	7-8
Castle Park Senior High	1,433	9-12
Chula Vista Middle	638	7-8
Chula Vista Senior High	2,053	9-12
East Hills Academy	60	7-12
Eastlake High	2,783	9-12
Eastlake Middle	1,611	7-8
Granger Junior High	794	7-9
Hilltop Middle	869	7-8
Hilltop Senior High	1,885	9-12
Launch Virtual Academy	577	7-12
Mar Vista Academy	552	7-8
Mar Vista Senior High	1,376	9-12
Montgomery Middle	730	7-8
Montgomery Senior High	1,745	9-12
National City Middle	698	7-8
Olympian High	2,341	9-12
Options Secondary	79	7-12
Otay Ranch Senior High	2,491	9-12
Palomar High	234	7-12
Rancho Del Rey Middle	1,606	7-8
San Ysidro High	2,316	9-12
Southwest Middle	441	7-8
Southwest Senior High	1,645	9-12
Sweetwater Community Day	0	7-9
Sweetwater High	2,679	9-12

Contact information

Sweetwater Union High School District
1130 Fifth Ave.
Chula Vista, CA 91911-2896
Phone: 619-691-5500

About school boards

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See also

California	School Board Elections	News and Analysis
List of school districts in California School board elections in California Public education in California	School board elections, 2025 California school board elections, 2025	School board election data analysis, 2024 United States school shootings, 1990-present

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Sweetwater Union High School District
• California Department of Education
• California School Boards Association