Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Balboa High
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardWhat this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 66 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 46 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 4 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 8 points.
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyWhat this means: About 56% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 42% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25About Balboa High
Balboa High, a moderately sized secondary school in San Francisco, California, part of San Francisco Unified, enrolls 1,238 students, covering grades 9 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 838 students per school, that is 48% larger than typical.
Across the 106 schools in San Francisco Unified (48,706 students total), Balboa High accounts for its share of the district's footprint.
Demographically, Balboa High shows that the most-represented group is Asian (49%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school lists 35% Hispanic, 6% Black, 5% multiracial, 4% White. By comparison, San Francisco County as a whole is about 35% Asian, so the school skews noticeably more Asian than its surroundings.
In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 62 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 20.1:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 18.2:1 average. About 64% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is higher than San Francisco County's rate of about 54%.
After controlling for student poverty, Balboa High tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 42.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 56.2%.
Around the school, the surrounding county (San Francisco County) shows that median household earnings sit near $140,970, 60% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Across San Francisco County's 132 public schools (combined enrollment of about 56,505 students), Balboa High is one campus in the mix.
The closest other public school is Denman (James) Middle, roughly 0.1 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Balboa High at 2nd of 8; the average score across the group is 33.3%.
Geographically, the school is in a city-core area.
Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Balboa High has contracted 3%, going from 1,271 students in 2018 to 1,238 in 2025.
Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
San Francisco County at a glance
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