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Schools›California›Pacifica
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·JEFFERSON UNION HIGH·NCES 061893002296

Terra Nova High

1450 Terra Nova Blvd., Pacifica, CA 94044 · (650) 550-7600 · San Mateo County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL740 STUDENTS
Enrollment
740
High
DISTRICT 730 · STATE 838
Student : Teacher
20.0:1
37 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.6:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
15%
110 students
DISTRICT 34% · STATE 65%
Community
3
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Grade 9
234
Grade 10
161
Grade 11
167
Grade 12
178
Student demographics
White
31042%
DISTRICT 15% · STATE 20%
Hispanic
21129%
DISTRICT 36% · STATE 56%
Black
71%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 5%
Asian
9112%
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 12%
Two+
10915%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 6%
Native American
41%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0%
Pacific Islander
30%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
38452%
Female
35147%

Discussions

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Test scores

CAASPP 2023-24 . % met or exceeded standard
English Language Arts
54.1%
CA avg 47.1% . -9.9pp since 2014
Math
40.9%
CA avg 35.6% . -5.1pp since 2014

What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 54 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 41 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 47 and 36. Reading and writing scores are down about 10 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 5 points.

Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of CA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
47.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
70.7%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-23.1pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 48% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 71% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

7-year change

SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
740
-174 (-19%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
20.0:1
was 23.6:1
% White
42%
was 38%
% Hispanic
29%
was 30%
% Black
1%
was 2%
% Asian
12%
was 14%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

About Terra Nova High

Terra Nova High is a moderately sized 9-12 campus in Pacifica, California, operated by Jefferson Union High. The school works with 740 students in grades 9 through 12.

Terra Nova High is one of 5 schools operated by Jefferson Union High, a district that works with 3,650 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Terra Nova High lists that the most-represented group is White (42%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school logs 29% Hispanic, 15% multiracial, 12% Asian.

On the income-and-resources front, The school employs 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 20.0:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 18.2:1 average. Roughly 15% of students at Terra Nova High qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against San Mateo County (around 34%), the school's rate is south of typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Terra Nova High falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 70.7%; this one comes in at 47.5%, -23.1 points off the demographic line.

Around the school, census data for San Mateo County shows median household income runs about $158,855, 54% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 4%. Terra Nova High is one of 176 public schools in San Mateo County (combined enrollment of about 82,403 students).

The closest other public school is Ortega Elementary, roughly 0.5 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Terra Nova High. On composite proficiency, Terra Nova High comes 7th of 7 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 59.3%.

Terra Nova High operates from an outer-ring location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 19%: 914 students in 2018 compared to 740 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 23.6:1 in 2018 to 20.0:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Terra Nova High community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.

San Mateo County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
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

School name
Terra Nova High
District
Jefferson Union High
Address
1450 Terra Nova Blvd., Pacifica, CA 94044
Phone
(650) 550-7600
County
San Mateo County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
740
Teachers (FTE)
37
Student–teacher ratio
20.0:1
Free/Reduced lunch
110 (15%)
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
061893002296
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Jefferson Union High
Other schools in Pacifica
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Terra Nova High
How many students attend Terra Nova High?
Terra Nova High enrolls approximately 740 students in grades 09-12.
Is Terra Nova High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Terra Nova High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Terra Nova High have?
Terra Nova High employs 37 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.0:1.
What is the student diversity at Terra Nova High?
Student demographics at Terra Nova High are roughly 42% White, 29% Hispanic, 1% Black, 12% Asian, 15% Two or more.
Who oversees Terra Nova High?
Terra Nova High is overseen by Jefferson Union High in San Mateo County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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