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.