1
How has Balboa High changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,238
High
DISTRICT 892 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED·NCES 063441005587
Balboa High
1000 Cayuga Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112 · (415) 469-4090 · San Francisco County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,238 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 82% of California public high schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- CThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public high schools
Student : Teacher
20.1:1
62 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.9:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
64%
789 students
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 290 | 23% |
| Grade 10 | 315 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 301 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 332 | 27% |
Student demographics
63%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 73% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
65.7%
CA avg 49.1% . -4.3pp since 2014
Math
45.8%
CA avg 37.7% . -8.3pp since 2014
What 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.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 23.3% | 42.5% | 18.8% | 15.5% |
| Math | 18.2% | 27.5% | 19.0% | 35.2% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 65.7% | 45.8% |
| 2023-24 | 69.5% | 43.8% |
| 2022-23 | 60.1% | 42.5% |
| 2021-22 | 68.0% | 46.6% |
| 2018-19 | 62.6% | 39.1% |
| 2017-18 | 58.1% | 38.3% |
| 2016-17 | 66.5% | 48.0% |
| 2015-16 | 60.0% | 42.0% |
| 2014-15 | 70.0% | 54.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
56.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.2%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+14.0pp
above demographic expectation
What 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%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Balboa High
Balboa High's state test result (56.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balboa High this school | 1,238 | 63.7% | 56.2% |
| Galileo High San Francisco | 1,750 | 62.9% | 53.0% |
| Glen A. Wilson High Hacienda Heights | 1,456 | 65.2% | 69.1% |
| San Gabriel High San Gabriel | 1,761 | 66.4% | 52.7% |
| Yerba Buena High San Jose | 1,612 | 61.9% | 41.7% |
| Gabrielino High San Gabriel | 1,438 | 70.0% | 57.8% |
Matched among California high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Balboa High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In San Francisco County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 56.2% | #235 of 1,052 | #3 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 45.8% | #208 of 1,056 ▲ 4 | #4 of 10 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 65.7% | #341 of 1,056 ▼ 94 | #3 of 10 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -1.6pp | #279 of 1,044 | #7 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,238 | #675 of 2,093 | #6 of 26 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.1:1 | #563 of 1,352 | #11 of 17 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.9% | #321 of 1,351 | #10 of 17 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 63.7% | #972 of 1,575 | #9 of 22 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.6% | #726 of 802 | #9 of 10 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,238
+9 (+1%) vs 2020
-5% since 1990-91, when it was 1,301
Student : Teacher
20.1:1
was 21.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,238 | 61.6 | 20.1:1 | 64% (789) |
| 2023-24 | 1,251 | 59.7 | 20.9:1 | 61% (764) |
| 2022-23 | 1,278 | 59 | 21.7:1 | 61% (784) |
| 2020-21 | 1,229 | 57 | 21.6:1 | 59% (723) |
| 2017-18 | 1,271 | 64.7 | 19.6:1 | 62% (787) |
| 2015-16 | 1,260 | 68 | 18.5:1 | 69% (865) |
| 2010-11 | 1,361 | N/A | N/A | 66% (898) |
| 2000-01 | 1,046 | 56 | 18.7:1 | 51% (529) |
| 1990-91 | 1,301 | 67 | 19.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Balboa High.
Since 2017-18: students down 3% (1,271 to 1,238); teachers down 5% (64.7 to 61.6).
About Balboa High
Balboa High runs as a mid-sized high school in San Francisco, California. It had 1,238 students in 2024-25, spanning grades 9 through 12. That compares with an average of about 838 students for high schools in California.
San Francisco Unified has 106 schools and 48,706 students, and Balboa High is one of those schools.
At Balboa High, Asian students make up the biggest share, 49%. The remaining students are 35% Hispanic, 6% Black, 5% multiracial, and 4% White. Among people living in San Francisco County, the Asian share is about 35%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 63, compared with 70 nationally.
The school's 61.6 full-time-equivalent teachers translate to a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.1:1. The average for high schools in California is 18.2:1, so this school has more students per teacher. At Balboa High, 64% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. Public schools in San Francisco County average 54%.
Among California public high schools, Balboa High outscored 82%, which works out to an A- on the allk12 Grade.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate across its state test results with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Balboa High, the prediction is 42.2% and the result is 56.2%.
In the wider San Francisco County area, median household income comes to about $140,970, roughly 60% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. San Francisco County counts 132 public schools with about 56,505 students.
About 0.1 miles separate Balboa High from the closest public school, Denman (James) Middle. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. Ranked by average proficiency, Balboa High places 2nd out of 8 schools in its immediate area.
Balboa High is coded as City: Large in federal locale data.
The school's size has been steady, with 1,229 students in 2020-21 and 1,238 in 2024-25. The school's ratio dropped from 21.6:1 to 20.1:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
This community page is for conversations about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. You can also rate the school on this page.
San Francisco County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
830,235
Census ACS
Median income
$140,970
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
60%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
132
56,505 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in San Francisco Unified
- Lowell HighHigh · 2,571 students
- Lincoln (Abraham) HighHigh · 2,074 students
- Washington (George) HighHigh · 2,068 students
- Galileo HighHigh · 1,750 students
- Giannini (A.P.) MiddleMiddle · 1,183 students
- Burton (Phillip and Sala) Academic HighHigh · 1,047 students
Other schools in San Francisco
- Five Keys Independence HS (SF Sheriff's)High · 3,447 students
- Lowell HighHigh · 2,571 students
- Lincoln (Abraham) HighHigh · 2,074 students
- Washington (George) HighHigh · 2,068 students
- Galileo HighHigh · 1,750 students
- Giannini (A.P.) MiddleMiddle · 1,183 students
Nearby schools
- Denman (James) Middle0.1 mi · 807
- City Arts & Leadership Academy0.2 mi · 397
- San Francisco Community Alternative0.6 mi · 230
- Monroe Elementary0.7 mi · 533
- Cleveland Elementary0.7 mi · 300
- Sunnyside Elementary0.8 mi · 366
Frequently asked questions
About Balboa HighHow many students attend Balboa High?
Balboa High enrolls approximately 1,238 students in grades 09-12.
Is Balboa High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Balboa High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Balboa High have?
Balboa High employs 62 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.1:1.
How diverse is Balboa High?
Balboa High reports a student body of 4% White, 35% Hispanic, 6% Black, 49% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Balboa High in?
Balboa High is part of San Francisco Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.