I feel similarly to you, however, Westhills had the highest test scores in the district last year. They are better than average, Santana is more close to average.
I know LOTS of teachers, some on our soccer team(who by the way teaches in Temecula), in my neighborhood, etc…They ALL have high opinions of our schools systems and send their own kids there. I know alot of teachers that opt for private schools too.
“Someone with a graduate degree and a professional, decent paying job SHOULD be able to buy a house in Santee, right?”
Absolutely, everyplace in S.D. is, even south east S.D.