1
How has Golden West High changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,059
High
DISTRICT 1,140 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·VISALIA UNIFIED·NCES 064116006792
Golden West High
1717 North McAuliff St., Visalia, CA 93292 · (559) 730-7814 · Tulare County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,059 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 16% of California public high schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats 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
21.6:1
95 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.3:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
71%
1,456 students
DISTRICT 71% · 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 | 582 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 521 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 501 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 455 | 22% |
Student demographics
39%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 44% · 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
52.8%
CA avg 49.1% . +1.8pp since 2014
Math
12.2%
CA avg 37.7% . -7.8pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 53 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 12 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 2 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 | 18.1% | 34.8% | 23.5% | 23.7% |
| Math | 2.5% | 9.8% | 19.9% | 67.8% |
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 | 52.8% | 12.2% |
| 2023-24 | 45.6% | 9.9% |
| 2022-23 | 57.9% | 12.1% |
| 2021-22 | 50.1% | 17.1% |
| 2018-19 | 62.8% | 23.4% |
| 2017-18 | 58.2% | 18.3% |
| 2016-17 | 50.1% | 13.5% |
| 2015-16 | 50.0% | 19.0% |
| 2014-15 | 51.0% | 20.0% |
% 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
30.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
38.1%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 30% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 38% 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 Golden West High
Golden West High's state test result (30.1% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden West High this school | 2,059 | 70.7% | 30.1% |
| John F. Kennedy High Granada Hills | 2,152 | 72.0% | 45.4% |
| Sanger High Sanger | 2,426 | 69.6% | 55.3% |
| Tulare Western High Tulare | 1,927 | 72.7% | 43.3% |
| El Modena High Orange | 1,795 | 69.0% | 44.2% |
| Mt. Whitney High Visalia | 1,637 | 74.0% | 34.0% |
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 Golden West High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Tulare County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 30.1% | #792 of 1,052 | #21 of 24 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 12.2% | #915 of 1,056 ▲ 3 | #21 of 24 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 52.8% | #642 of 1,056 ▲ 117 | #18 of 24 ▲ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -1.1pp | #316 of 1,044 | #2 of 23 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,059 | #257 of 2,093 | #4 of 42 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.6:1 | #783 of 1,352 | #14 of 23 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 38.7% | #865 of 1,351 | #9 of 23 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 70.7% | #855 of 1,575 | #18 of 26 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +18.1% | #57 of 327 | #1 of 11 |
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
2,059
+106 (+5%) vs 2020
+22% since 1990-91, when it was 1,687
Student : Teacher
21.6:1
was 24.7:1
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 | 2,059 | 95.4 | 21.6:1 | 71% (1,456) |
| 2023-24 | 2,009 | 89.2 | 22.5:1 | 66% (1,323) |
| 2022-23 | 2,008 | 92.2 | 21.8:1 | 66% (1,323) |
| 2020-21 | 1,953 | 79 | 24.7:1 | 69% (1,350) |
| 2017-18 | 1,743 | 74.8 | 23.3:1 | 66% (1,148) |
| 2015-16 | 1,651 | 68 | 24.3:1 | 58% (964) |
| 2010-11 | 1,762 | N/A | N/A | 47% (835) |
| 2000-01 | 2,170 | 90 | 24.1:1 | 32% (697) |
| 1990-91 | 1,687 | 75 | 22.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Golden West High.
Since 2017-18: students up 18% (1,743 to 2,059); teachers up 28% (74.8 to 95.4).
About Golden West High
This page covers Golden West High, a large high school in Visalia, California. The school counts 2,059 students across grades 9 through 12. The typical figure for high schools in California is about 838 students.
Visalia Unified has 41 schools and 28,725 students, and Golden West High is one of those schools.
Golden West High is 77% Hispanic by enrollment. The remaining students are 13% White, 5% Asian, and 4% multiracial. Among people living in Tulare County, the Hispanic share is about 67%. Golden West High's diversity index is 39%, against a US figure of 70%.
At Golden West High, 95.4 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 21.6:1. On average, high schools in California have 18.2:1, compared with 21.6:1 here. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 71% of enrollment.
allk12 grades Golden West High a C-. The grade compares the school only with California public high schools, because each state gives its own test.
Golden West High's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (30.1%) and its predicted rate (38.1%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of California schools.
Among Tulare County residents, the median household income is $71,300, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 17%, and roughly 15% of residents are in poverty. Besides Golden West High, Tulare County has 195 other public schools.
The closest public school, Valley Oak Middle, is about 0.3 miles from Golden West High. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. On state test proficiency, Golden West High ranks 3rd in a group of 8 nearby schools.
The school's federal locale classification is City: Mid-size.
Federal data show a 5% enrollment increase, from 1,953 in 2020-21 to 2,059 in 2024-25. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio fell from 24.7:1 to 21.6:1.
Questions about school safety, transportation, and start times can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Tulare County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
478,693
Census ACS
Median income
$71,300
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
17%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
196
101,494 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Visalia Unified
- Redwood HighHigh · 2,490 students
- El Diamante HighHigh · 1,890 students
- Mt. Whitney HighHigh · 1,637 students
- Ridgeview MiddleMiddle · 975 students
- Valley Oak MiddleMiddle · 952 students
- Riverway ElementaryElementary · 857 students
Other schools in Visalia
- Redwood HighHigh · 2,490 students
- El Diamante HighHigh · 1,890 students
- Mt. Whitney HighHigh · 1,637 students
- Special EducationCombined · 1,141 students
- Ridgeview MiddleMiddle · 975 students
- Valley Oak MiddleMiddle · 952 students
Nearby schools
- Valley Oak Middle0.3 mi · 952
- Golden Oak Elementary0.4 mi · 631
- La Sierra High1.1 mi · 191
- Mineral King Elementary1.4 mi · 569
- Four Creeks Elementary1.6 mi · 654
- Pinkham Elementary1.8 mi · 476
Frequently asked questions
About Golden West HighHow large is Golden West High?
Golden West High enrolls approximately 2,059 students in grades 09-12.
Is Golden West High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Golden West High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Golden West High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Golden West High is approximately 21.6:1 (95 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Golden West High?
At Golden West High, the student body is approximately 13% White, 77% Hispanic, 1% Black, 5% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Golden West High?
Golden West High is overseen by Visalia Unified in Tulare County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.