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What's something South San Francisco High does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,239
High
DISTRICT 807 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED·NCES 063753006352
South San Francisco High
400 B St., South San Francisco, CA 94080 · (650) 877-8754 · San Mateo County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,239 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 27% of California public high schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- C-Three-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
18.3:1
68 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.1:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
42%
518 students
DISTRICT 43% · 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 | 326 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 343 | 28% |
| Grade 11 | 266 | 21% |
| Grade 12 | 304 | 25% |
Student demographics
54%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 63% · 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
58.9%
CA avg 49.1% . -4.1pp since 2014
Math
26.5%
CA avg 37.7% . -3.5pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 59 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 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 4 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 27.1% | 31.8% | 19.9% | 21.2% |
| Math | 12.8% | 13.7% | 23.1% | 50.4% |
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 | 58.9% | 26.5% |
| 2023-24 | 60.6% | 23.7% |
| 2022-23 | 58.2% | 25.1% |
| 2021-22 | 65.3% | 25.8% |
| 2020-21 | 64.0% | 37.4% |
| 2018-19 | 53.6% | 27.1% |
| 2017-18 | 51.9% | 27.7% |
| 2016-17 | 46.8% | 23.6% |
| 2015-16 | 64.0% | 34.0% |
| 2014-15 | 63.0% | 30.0% |
% 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
42.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-12.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 42% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% 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 South San Francisco High
South San Francisco High's state test result (42.4% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South San Francisco High this school | 1,239 | 41.8% | 42.4% |
| Newark Memorial High Newark | 1,367 | 38.9% | 40.6% |
| San Mateo High San Mateo | 1,557 | 38.1% | 54.2% |
| Jefferson High Daly City | 1,072 | 41.1% | 31.6% |
| Capuchino High San Bruno | 1,061 | 34.2% | 40.4% |
| Alhambra High Alhambra | 2,056 | 48.0% | 51.1% |
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 South San Francisco High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In San Mateo County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.4% | #468 of 1,052 | #13 of 17 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 26.5% | #498 of 1,056 ▲ 11 | #13 of 17 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 58.9% | #502 of 1,056 ▼ 74 | #13 of 17 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -2.9pp | #216 of 1,044 | #8 of 17 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,239 | #674 of 2,093 | #10 of 35 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.3:1 | #316 of 1,352 | #8 of 23 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 53.6% | #589 of 1,351 | #20 of 23 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 41.8% | #1,261 of 1,575 | #9 of 28 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -10.7% | #435 of 802 | #9 of 14 |
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
1,239
-64 (-5%) vs 2020
-4% since 1990-91, when it was 1,288
Student : Teacher
18.3:1
was 21.7:1
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 | 1,239 | 67.8 | 18.3:1 | 42% (518) |
| 2023-24 | 1,287 | 71.1 | 18.1:1 | 42% (541) |
| 2022-23 | 1,280 | 66.5 | 19.3:1 | 41% (522) |
| 2020-21 | 1,303 | 60 | 21.7:1 | 38% (491) |
| 2017-18 | 1,388 | 62.6 | 22.2:1 | 46% (634) |
| 2015-16 | 1,363 | 58 | 23.5:1 | 43% (589) |
| 2010-11 | 1,520 | N/A | N/A | 40% (614) |
| 2000-01 | 1,615 | 72 | 22.4:1 | 20% (329) |
| 1990-91 | 1,288 | 55 | 23.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South San Francisco High.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (1,388 to 1,239); teachers up 8% (62.6 to 67.8).
About South San Francisco High
South San Francisco High is a medium-sized high school based in South San Francisco, California. It covers grades 9 through 12, with a total enrollment of 1,239 students. Statewide, high schools in California average about 838 students each.
The 15 schools of South San Francisco Unified, including South San Francisco High, enroll 7,644 students.
A majority of students at South San Francisco High, 63%, are Hispanic. The rest of enrollment is 26% Asian, 5% White, and 4% multiracial. Among all residents of San Mateo County, the Hispanic share is about 25%. By the diversity index, South San Francisco High comes in at 54%.
Federal staffing data show 67.8 full-time-equivalent teachers at South San Francisco High and a ratio of 18.3:1. High schools in California average about 18.2:1, a similar figure. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 42% of students.
The allk12 Grade for South San Francisco High is C. Compared with California public high schools, the school scored higher than 27% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
South San Francisco High posts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 42.4%, compared with a predicted 55.0%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of California schools on BeatsExpectations.
South San Francisco High is located in San Mateo County, where median household income is about $158,855, 54% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 4% of people live in poverty. Federal data list 176 public schools in San Mateo County, with a combined enrollment of about 82,403.
The closest public school, Los Cerritos Elementary, is about 0.2 miles from South San Francisco High. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. On average proficiency, South San Francisco High is 3rd of 8 nearby schools with test data.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is City: Small: inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
Federal counts put enrollment at 1,303 in 2020-21 and 1,239 in 2024-25, a 5% decrease. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (18.3:1) than in 2020-21 (21.7:1).
Community posts for South San Francisco High can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
San Mateo County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
742,340
Census ACS
Median income
$158,855
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
54%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
176
82,403 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in South San Francisco Unified
- El Camino HighHigh · 1,053 students
- Alta Loma MiddleMiddle · 652 students
- Buri Buri ElementaryElementary · 584 students
- Parkway Heights MiddleMiddle · 573 students
- Monte Verde ElementaryElementary · 517 students
- Westborough MiddleMiddle · 498 students
Other schools in South San Francisco
- El Camino HighHigh · 1,053 students
- Alta Loma MiddleMiddle · 652 students
- Buri Buri ElementaryElementary · 584 students
- Parkway Heights MiddleMiddle · 573 students
- Westborough MiddleMiddle · 498 students
- Spruce ElementaryElementary · 384 students
Nearby schools
- Los Cerritos Elementary0.2 mi · 304
- Ponderosa Elementary0.4 mi · 359
- Baden High (Continuation)0.5 mi · 130
- Spruce Elementary1.0 mi · 384
- Parkway Heights Middle1.0 mi · 573
- Buri Buri Elementary1.2 mi · 584
Frequently asked questions
About South San Francisco HighWhat is the total enrollment at South San Francisco High?
South San Francisco High enrolls approximately 1,239 students in grades 09-12.
Is South San Francisco High an elementary, middle, or high school?
South San Francisco High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South San Francisco High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at South San Francisco High is approximately 18.3:1 (68 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at South San Francisco High?
Student demographics at South San Francisco High are roughly 5% White, 63% Hispanic, 1% Black, 26% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is South San Francisco High in?
South San Francisco High is part of South San Francisco Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.