About this Master Plan
Understand the big picture and our goals for this Plan.
About San Dieguito Union High School District
San Dieguito Union High School District serves students in grades 7-12 across North County San Diego. The district receives students from the Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, Cardiff, Solana Beach, and Del Mar elementary school districts, creating a regional school community that brings together coastal neighborhoods, long-established communities, and areas shaped by continued residential and economic growth.
The District's Unity of Purpose is to provide a high-quality education that enables every student to demonstrate academic growth and optimize their individual potential. Core goal areas focus on increasing and enhancing student Access, Belonging, and Achievement. For facility planning, this mission guides the District to develop campuses that support rigorous academics, student wellness, belonging, and college and career readiness. Facilities must accommodate the diverse ways students learn, collaborate, create, perform, compete, and receive support.
District Beliefs and Values
Across district materials and recent planning discussions, several shared values consistently shape the Facilities Master Plan: students first, high expectations, access to quality programs, inclusive support, responsible stewardship, and learning environments that can adapt as programs evolve. The district's planning work also recognizes that a strong campus is more than a collection of classrooms. It includes safe and welcoming entries, student support areas, flexible instructional settings, outdoor gathering and learning spaces, performing arts and athletics facilities, learning commons, technology infrastructure, and spaces designed for specialized programs.
Student-centered learning environments that support academic growth, independence, wellness, and a sense of belonging.
Consistent district standards balanced with the distinctive identity and program needs of each campus.
Facilities that support access, inclusion, and appropriate services for students with a range of learning and support needs.
Flexible spaces that can respond to changing enrollment, instructional models, technology, and career pathways.
Stewardship of existing public assets through modernization, renewal, and long-range capital planning.
History and Regional Context
SDUHSD serves communities known for strong schools, coastal and inland neighborhoods, and proximity to major education, research, health care, technology, and life-science employers. As the region has changed, the district has continued to serve a diverse mix of students and families while maintaining a focus on high-quality secondary education.
SDUHSD includes five comprehensive middle schools, four comprehensive high schools, and Sunset High School, a continuation school located at the Requeza Educational Center.
SDUHSD is an award-winning district offering a wealth of academic and extracurricular opportunities. The district serves approximately 12,000 students in 10 schools, and is ranked the #1 public high school district in San Diego County, #3 in the State of California, and #17 in the nation. Student achievement is reflected by similarly high rankings for math, reading/language arts, and science proficiency, as well as graduation rate.
For the Facilities Master Plan, this academic context is important to inform future facility investments supporting the high expectations, program quality, and student achievement already associated with the district.
District Snapshot
| Measure | Current Planning Context |
|---|---|
| Grade Span | Grades 7–12 |
| Schools | 10 schools: five middle schools, four high schools, and alternative education high school programs. |
| Enrollment | Approximately 12,000 students. |
| Teachers | Approximately 500 classroom teachers (FTE). |
| Facilities Function | Planning and construction of modernization projects, future schools, bond program implementation, facilities master plans, funding coordination, approvals, technology infrastructure integration, and utilities management. |
Bond Measures and Capital Investment
In November 2012, district voters approved Proposition AA, a $449 million bond initiative for safe, modern schools; upgrades to outdated classrooms and school facilities; improvements to classrooms, science labs, and libraries; safety and security improvements; and support for career training, math, science, technology, and 21st century instructional facilities. Prop AA has supported a major cycle of district facility investment and provides an important foundation for understanding what has been completed, what remains, and how future needs should be prioritized.
The Facilities Master Plan builds from that history of community investment. It does not replace the district's ongoing maintenance, operations, or completed bond work. Instead, it organizes the next generation of needs so the district can plan responsibly, communicate clearly, and align future projects with educational priorities.
Aging Facilities and Continued Development
Like many long-established school districts, SDUHSD manages facilities built in different eras, with different standards, site constraints, and program assumptions. Some campuses include newer spaces created through recent investment, while other buildings and site systems continue to require modernization, renewal, or reconfiguration to meet current expectations for safety, accessibility, technology, sustainability, specialized programs, student support, and flexible instruction.
At the same time, North County communities continue to evolve. Enrollment patterns, transportation needs, student supports, career pathways, athletics, performing arts, and community use all shape how campuses function. The Facilities Master Plan provides a long-range framework for making these needs visible and for sequencing improvements over time.
