Location: La Mesa, CA
Are you a student or parent at Helix High School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to Helix High available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe Helix High is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Helix High students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at Helix High
- Every sports team you can join at Helix High
Let's get started!
Basic Information
Helix High School is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in La Mesa, CA in San Diego County.
Based on its location, Helix High is classified as a school in a large suburb. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
Helix High School7323 University Ave. La Mesa, CA 91941-6055
Phone number: 6194664194
Helix High School homepage: http://www.helixcharter.net/
Principal: Mike LewisEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at Helix High School is 2499 students, making it a very large high school, in the top 10% of all California high schools by size.
Wow! Attending Helix High might feel like attending a college. You'll be surrounded by a large group of students (over 500 per class) and have more options for activities and clubs to join, which can be exciting.
On the other hand, you may also find that resources like counseling are spread thin across so many students. Make sure that you can get enough teacher and counselor attention to succeed at Helix High, which may require being proactive.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is Helix High School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at Helix High has steadily increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
| Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th grade | 378 | 333 | 711 |
| 10th grade | 333 | 299 | 632 |
| 11th grade | 281 | 307 | 588 |
| 12th grade | 289 | 279 | 568 |
As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 143 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.
There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of La Mesa could be growing in population, thus sending more students into Helix High. Alternatively, Helix High could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at Helix High School?
From our statistics, Helix High has a 52:48 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
Helix High has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in San Diego County. Since the student body is roughly half and half, it should feel like there are equal numbers of boys and girls in your classes.
This usually means that Helix High doesn't strongly select for either males or females, unlike other schools that have a large majority of males or females.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at Helix High School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, Helix High has a diverse student body. No single ethnicity composes more than 50% of all students, which means you'll be surrounded by a diverse set of students in class. Only a third of California schools show this much diversity.
The most common ethnicity at Helix High is Hispanic. In California, 51.5% of all students are Hispanic, making it the most common ethnicity. Even though Helix High is relatively diverse, students of Hispanic descent are the most common ethnicity here.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.2% | 6 |
| Asian | 5.8% | 145 |
| Hispanic | 46.1% | 1153 |
| Black | 17.7% | 444 |
| White | 19.4% | 486 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 1.1% | 28 |
| Two or more races | 9.4% | 237 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of La Mesa. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.
Income Level of Helix High Families
What are the family incomes of students at Helix High School? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.
To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.
To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.
The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.
At Helix High, 12.6% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 36.0% qualify for free lunches.
This means Helix High has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, Helix High is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in La Mesa is thus likely to be relatively high.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 315 | 12.6% |
| Free lunches | 900 | 36.0% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 1284 | 51.3% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in La Mesa and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
Helix High is in the middle 50% of schools by income level. Generally, higher income level schools are better-funded and have a higher quality range of classes and activities. Helix High is likely in the middle of the pack in this regard and will give you a good set of options to try.
If you have any interests that Helix High doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
School Safety
How safe is Helix High School to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?
To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at Helix High: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.
These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other Helix High students at risk.
In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 0 referrals to law enforcement, and 0 school-related arrests. This is out of a total enrollment of 2515 students.
To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.
Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:
Grossmont Union High School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaparral High | 0 | 0 | 354 |
| El Cajon Valley High | 0 | 0 | 2182 |
| El Capitan High | 7 | 0 | 1702 |
| Granite Hills High | 0 | 4 | 1867 |
| Grossmont High | 2 | 0 | 2572 |
| Monte Vista High | 0 | 0 | 1834 |
Academic Performance
Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at Helix High School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about Helix High's academics here.
Graduation Rate
To start off, an important benchmark of academic achievement is graduation rate. For all students who start high school at Helix High, the state of California wants as many students to graduate as possible, since a high school diploma can mean a big difference in getting a job.
At Helix High, 90% (of 526) Helix High students graduated within four years of starting high school.
Here's how this stacks up to other schools. The California state government has defined 90% as a target rate. The state average is around 80-85%.
Helix High is in the 69th percentile of all public high schools in California for graduation rate. This is above average. Generally, a graduation rate of above 90% is considered good and well above average, and below 75% is well below average.
Note: This data comes from a few years back, but the trends are likely to stay the same, since schools don't get significantly better or worse within a short period of time.
Standardized Testing
Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Helix High School students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.
Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.
SAT Scores
As you probably know, the SAT is a critical test used for college admissions. The higher the score you get, the better your academic performance compared to students nationwide, and the easier it is to get into top colleges.
We did in-depth research and found the average Helix High School SAT scores.
The average composite SAT score is a 1430 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 530 at Helix High take the SAT.
This is a below-average SAT score, putting Helix High School in the bottom 50% of all California schools. Only 36% of students here score the national average or higher. Because the SAT measures academic achievement, this suggests that Helix High may offer a somewhat lacking high school education, compared to schools with higher SAT averages.
Note, however, that an average is just an average - top performers will still be able to impress. If you work hard and get an SAT score well above Helix High's average, you'll have a great shot at entering a good college.
Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:
Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)
| Source | Critical Reading | Math | Writing | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helix High | 475 | 489 | 466 | 1430 |
| California | 498 | 510 | 496 | 1504 |
| United States | 495 | 511 | 484 | 1490 |
Note that the SAT has since changed to a 1600 scale, but the trends above for your high school are likely to continue. Just use this guide to convert between the old 2400 scale and the new 1600 scale.
To learn more about SAT percentile rankings, read our guide on what SAT percentiles really mean.
How good is 1430 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1430 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1430 or any other SAT score!
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
ACT Scores
In California, the ACT is less popular than the SAT. Fewer students take the ACT, and typically these students are more motivated and academically prepared for college. Therefore, it's harder to compare Helix High School ACT scores with the rest of the country.
At Helix High, the average ACT composite score was 20, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 230 out of 2499 total students take the ACT.
This is below average performance, putting Helix High in the bottom 50% of California high schools. Most students who take the ACT are below the national average.
Since the ACT tests what you learn in school, this is a pretty strong indicator that you'll get an average or below average education at Helix High.
Here are the average English, Math, Reading, and Science scores for Helix High compared to California and the US:
Average ACT Scores
| Source | English | Math | Reading | Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helix High | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 |
| California | 21.8 | 22.8 | 22.3 | 21.7 |
| United States | 20.3 | 20.9 | 21.3 | 20.8 |
Scores provided are for the 2013-14 school year.
Find out more about percentile rankings and the ACT in this article.
Every individual is different. What counts as a good ACT score for you? Learn more with this article!
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give Helix High School students credit for college.
Here's what we're looking for: high average AP test scores as well as high AP passing rates.
AP Scores
Every year, roughly 449 students in grades 9-12 at Helix High take 833 AP exams. It's important to understand how students score on the AP - earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP test means passing the test and often earning college credit.
The average score of all AP exams taken at Helix High is 2.9 out of 5.
This score puts Helix High at average performance. For AP tests, the passing score is considered a 3, and the number of students who pass and don't pass are roughly even. This performance places Helix High School in the top 50% of schools for AP tests.
It's great that Helix High offers an AP program so you have the opportunity to take courses at a college level. Even though roughly half of all AP students here don't get a passing grade, half do - so with motivated studying throughout the year, you'll be able to beat the average.
We have specific data on how many students got a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (out of 5) on AP exams in the chart below:
To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at Helix High School, you'll have to talk to your guidance counselor (who can then help you find that information). For instance, one AP Calculus teacher may have an above-90% passing rate, while another might only have a 50% passing rate. If you can, you'll want to take the class with the teacher who has more students get a 3 or above on the AP exam.
Find out more about the average score for each AP subject here.
State Tests
As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Helix High School must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.
If Helix High students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at Helix High.
English/Language Arts
At Helix High School, 63% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered above average and puts Helix High in the top 50% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Around half of Helix High students pass state standards, and around half do not.
This specific percentage isn't much cause for concern - because the standards have gotten harder with the Common Core, the pass rate at Helix High will likely rise over time. But it still reflects Helix High's roughly average ranking among California high schools.
English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.
Math
The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.
At Helix High School, 40% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Helix High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Helix High students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.
Math Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.
Academic Offerings
In addition to the standard high school curriculum, many high schools like Helix High School offer advanced coursework as part of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.
Brief Intro to AP/IB
AP and IB courses are designed at the difficulty level of college introductory classes. There are several important benefits to taking advanced coursework at Helix High. First, taking more advanced classes shows colleges that you're committed to challenging yourself academically, and that you're one of the more advanced students at Helix High. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.
Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Helix High AP/IB coursework as college coursework. In some cases, you'll be able to skip introductory-level classes and move to more advanced classes. In other cases, you'll be able to avoid having to take required courses and might even be able to graduate earlier than the standard 4 years. Often this will require you to pass the AP test, getting a score of 3 or above.
So what advanced courses does Helix High School offer?
AP Courses
Helix High School offers AP courses in 20 subjects.
This is an impressive number of AP subjects, putting Helix High School in the top 25% of California schools in AP offerings. You'll likely have all of the most popular AP courses available to you, as well as some broader interests.
The total number of AP subjects is 38, so Helix High is missing a good number of subjects, but these are likely the least popular subjects, like less popular foreign languages. If there are any AP courses you want to take that aren't being offered at Helix High, ask your counselor for other options.
Of course, keep in mind that quality matters even more than quantity - it's important that your AP courses are taught well by engaging teachers. But the strong AP program at Helix High likely means you'll be in good hands.
The following AP courses were offered at Helix High during 2015-2016:
| Course Title |
|---|
| Biology |
| Calculus BC |
| Comparative Government and Politics |
| Computer Science A |
| English Language and Composition |
| English Literature and Composition |
| Environmental Science |
| European History |
| Human Geography |
| Macroeconomics |
| Microeconomics |
| Music Theory |
| Physics 1: Algebra-Based |
| Psychology |
| Spanish Language and Culture |
| Statistics |
| Studio Art: 2-D Design |
| Studio Art: Drawing |
| United States Government and Politics |
| United States History |
Sports Teams
Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at Helix High School. Sports are an integral part of many students' high school experiences. The more sports that are available, and the more levels supported (Frosh, JV, Varsity), the more likely you'll be able to participate in a sport at Helix High.
By the way, the Helix High mascot is the Highlanders. Go Highlanders!
Helix High School fields 23 teams for girls' sports. This is an impressively high number that puts Helix High in the top 10% of California schools that offer girls' sports. If you're a female, you'll have plenty of options of sports and levels to try out for. Furthermore, schools that offer more teams typically have a strong sports culture and field competitive teams.
And now for the boys: Helix High School fields 24 teams for boys' sports. Clearly Helix High has a strong sports culture - Helix High is in the top 10% of California schools that offer boys' sports. Boys will find plenty of options of sports at different levels to try out for. Because more teams usually also means more resources devoted to sports, you can also expect Helix High sports teams to be competitive.
| Boys Teams | Girls Teams |
|---|---|
| Lacrosse
Var
JV
|
Lacrosse
Var
JV
|
| Basketball
Var
JV
Fr
|
Basketball
Var
JV
Fr
|
| Golf
Var
|
Golf
Var
|
| Tennis
Var
|
Tennis
Var
|
| Football
Var
JV
Fr
|
|
| Wrestling
Var
|
|
| Volleyball
Var
JV
Fr
|
Volleyball
Var
JV
Fr
|
| Baseball
Var
JV
Fr
|
|
| Softball
Var
JV
Fr
|
|
| Waterpolo
Var
JV
Fr
|
Waterpolo
Var
JV
|
| Trackfield
Var
|
Trackfield
Var
|
| Crosscountry
Var
|
Crosscountry
Var
|
| Soccer
Var
JV
|
Soccer
Var
JV
|
| Fieldhockey
Var
JV
|
What’s Next?
Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!
Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.
Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.
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Sources
The data on this page is drawn from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):
- National Center for Educational Statistics CCD 2013-2014
- "Free or reduced price lunch: A proxy for poverty?", NCES Blog
- CRDC 2011-2012 school year data
- California Department of Education SAT, ACT, and AP Test Results
- California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System Results
- AP Course Ledger
- IBO.org