It serves high school, adult school, and Regional Occupational Program (ROP) students in the cities of El Cajon, Lemon Grove, and Santee; the unincorporated communities of Alpine, Casa de Oro, Crest, Dehesa, Dulzura, Jamul, Lakeside, Mount Helix, Rancho San Diego, and Spring Valley; most of La Mesa, and parts of San Diego.

Beginning in 1952, the school district underwent an expensive, rapid period of development to accommodate for the suburbanization and consequent growth in population of the area.

Call or Write Committee Against Registration and the Draft In November 1982, Acting Assistant Superintendent Bob King issued a directive instructing that all principals reject CARD's requests.

[3] In June 1986, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals stated that the question of voluntary and compulsory military service is a controversial political issue, ruling that if a school establishes a forum for one side to prevent its views, it must provide equal access to opponents.

[4] In addition, the Court's ruling clarifies the legal definition of school newspapers, mainly as "limited public forums."

On March 5, 2001, Charles "Andy" Williams, 15, shot and killed two students and wounded 13 others at Santana High School in Santee.

[5] Less than three weeks later, on March 22, 2001, Jason Hoffman, 18, armed with a .22 calibre handgun and a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, shot and wounded three students and two teachers at Granite Hills High School in nearby El Cajon.

Hoffman reportedly had a history of mental illness and discipline problems and was ordered to attend an anger management class several years before.

The San Diego Union-Tribune also reported that Hoffman had been rejected by the Navy a day before the shooting because he was 25 pounds overweight, had a skin condition and had been convicted of assault.

Hundreds of students walked out of El Cajon Valley High School and marched in the streets carrying signs and flags.

[10] The district cautioned parents that any students who missed class or left the campus without permission would be marked truant and receive zero grades.

In the mid-1980s, sophomore Karen Davis requested that a district policy preventing girls from participating in "contact sports" (e.g. wrestling, football and boxing) be changed.

Initially, the board rejected her request, voting 4–1 in favor of prohibiting Davis from playing on the Helix High School football team.

[16] In October 2007, Governor Schwarzenegger signed an anti-discrimination law aiming to provide protection for gay, lesbian and transgender students.

The following month, four of the five board members joined a federal lawsuit that challenged the new state education law as "unconstitutionally vague and a violation of privacy rights.

"[15] The school board publicly voted in 2008 on a resolution endorsing Proposition 8 which would effectively ban same-sex marriage in California.

Of the 24,000 students that attend schools in the district, approximately 53% are white, while 47% identify as one or more of the following: Latino, African-American, Asian, Filipino, Pacific Islander, and Native American.

The study suggested that such widespread segregation may have led to significant differences in achievement levels across schools and among ethnic groups.

Comprehensive schools may refer students to Chaparral for reasons involving poor attendance, lack of academic success and/or behavioral issues.