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What do you wish you knew before starting at William J. (Pete) Knight High?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,349
High
DISTRICT 1,631 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ANTELOPE VALLEY UNION HIGH·NCES 060282011346
William J. (Pete) Knight High
37423 70th St. East, Palmdale, CA 93552 · (661) 533-9000 · Los Angeles County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL2,349 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 11% of California public high schools
- C-Test 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.
- BThree-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
23.0:1
102 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 22.0:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
58%
1,365 students
DISTRICT 65% · 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 | 624 | 27% |
| Grade 10 | 588 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 555 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 582 | 25% |
Student demographics
36%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 51% · 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
41.9%
CA avg 49.1% . +5.9pp since 2014
Math
11.8%
CA avg 37.7% . -1.2pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 42 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 6 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 1 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 12.4% | 29.5% | 24.1% | 34.0% |
| Math | 3.5% | 8.3% | 19.2% | 68.9% |
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 | 41.9% | 11.8% |
| 2023-24 | 46.3% | 13.1% |
| 2022-23 | 39.7% | 9.9% |
| 2021-22 | 36.6% | 11.2% |
| 2018-19 | 47.5% | 14.8% |
| 2017-18 | 44.0% | 16.3% |
| 2016-17 | 41.6% | 14.3% |
| 2015-16 | 46.0% | 20.0% |
| 2014-15 | 36.0% | 13.0% |
% 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
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of CA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
28.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
45.5%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-17.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 28% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 45% 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 →
Schools most like William J. (Pete) Knight High
William J. (Pete) Knight High's state test result (28.3% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| William J. (Pete) Knight High this school | 2,349 | 58.1% | 28.3% |
| Highland High Palmdale | 2,706 | 63.9% | 27.1% |
| Palmdale High Palmdale | 2,208 | 68.5% | 19.6% |
| Oak Hills High Oak Hills | 2,370 | 53.9% | 36.1% |
| Colony High Ontario | 2,109 | 69.7% | 38.0% |
| Mission High San Francisco | 993 | 62.5% | 10.9% |
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 William J. (Pete) Knight High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Los Angeles County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 28.3% | #847 of 1,052 | #178 of 228 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 11.8% | #923 of 1,056 ▼ 98 | #203 of 229 ▼ 23 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.9% | #862 of 1,056 ▼ 119 | #190 of 229 ▼ 35 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +3.0pp | #461 of 1,044 | #132 of 229 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,349 | #144 of 2,093 | #29 of 486 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.0:1 | #997 of 1,352 | #284 of 358 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 35.8% | #909 of 1,351 | #168 of 359 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 58.1% | #1,066 of 1,575 | #319 of 396 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -18.6% | #195 of 802 | #78 of 227 |
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
2,349
-686 (-23%) vs 2020
-31% since 2010-11, when it was 3,418
Student : Teacher
23.0:1
was 25.7:1
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 | 2,349 | 102 | 23.0:1 | 58% (1,365) |
| 2023-24 | 2,520 | 114.5 | 22.0:1 | 65% (1,644) |
| 2022-23 | 2,793 | 118.1 | 23.7:1 | 55% (1,543) |
| 2020-21 | 3,035 | 118 | 25.7:1 | 72% (2,173) |
| 2017-18 | 2,885 | 121.2 | 23.8:1 | 77% (2,235) |
| 2015-16 | 2,956 | 125 | 23.6:1 | 74% (2,185) |
| 2010-11 | 3,418 | N/A | N/A | 73% (2,498) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for William J. (Pete) Knight High.
Since 2017-18: students down 19% (2,885 to 2,349); teachers down 16% (121.2 to 102).
About William J. (Pete) Knight High
This page covers William J. (Pete) Knight High, a high-enrollment high school in Palmdale, California. It covers grades 9 through 12, with a total enrollment of 2,349 students. Enrollment is 180% higher than the average for high schools in California, which is about 838.
Antelope Valley Union High runs William J. (Pete) Knight High along with 12 other schools, enrolling 21,202 students in total.
Roughly 79% of students at William J. (Pete) Knight High are Hispanic. Other groups make up 13% Black, 3% White, and 3% multiracial. County-wide, 48% of Los Angeles County residents are Hispanic. The school's diversity index is 36%, meaning two students picked at random have a 36% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
William J. (Pete) Knight High counts 102 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 23.0 students for each one. This ratio sits 4.8 above the 18.2:1 average for high schools in California. About 58% of students at the school meet free or reduced-price lunch income limits. The average for public schools in Los Angeles County is 70%.
The allk12 Grade for William J. (Pete) Knight High is D. Compared with California public high schools, the school scored higher than 11% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
On BeatsExpectations, which compares test results with what a school's student poverty level would predict, William J. (Pete) Knight High ranks in the bottom 10% in California. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 28.3%, against a prediction of 45.5%.
In the county around the school, Los Angeles County, the median household income is $90,112, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 36% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 10%. Los Angeles County is home to 2,244 public schools and about 1,265,907 public school students.
The next-closest public school is Los Amigos - Dual Immersion, about 0.1 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. In a group of 6 nearby schools with scores, William J. (Pete) Knight High ranks 1st on average proficiency.
Under the NCES locale system, William J. (Pete) Knight High is Suburb: Large.
Compared with 2020-21, the school had 686 fewer students in 2024-25. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 25.7:1; by 2024-25 it was 23.0:1.
Questions about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news can be posted here. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Los Angeles County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,808,667
Census ACS
Median income
$90,112
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
2,244
1,265,907 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Antelope Valley Union High
- Quartz Hill HighHigh · 3,175 students
- Highland HighHigh · 2,706 students
- Lancaster HighHigh · 2,688 students
- Eastside HighHigh · 2,631 students
- Palmdale HighHigh · 2,208 students
- Littlerock HighHigh · 1,507 students
Other schools in Palmdale
- Highland HighHigh · 2,706 students
- Palmdale Aerospace AcademyCombined · 2,259 students
- Palmdale HighHigh · 2,208 students
- Hillview MiddleMiddle · 1,100 students
- Antelope Valley Learning AcademyCombined · 1,059 students
- Los Amigos - Dual ImmersionElementary · 1,027 students
Nearby schools
- Los Amigos - Dual Immersion0.1 mi · 1,027
- Golden Poppy Elementary0.8 mi · 525
- Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy0.9 mi · 813
- Quail Valley Elementary0.9 mi · 503
- Buena Vista Elementary1.8 mi · 573
- Chaparral Prep Academy1.8 mi · 594
Frequently asked questions
About William J. (Pete) Knight HighWhat is the total enrollment at William J. (Pete) Knight High?
William J. (Pete) Knight High enrolls approximately 2,349 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does William J. (Pete) Knight High serve?
William J. (Pete) Knight High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at William J. (Pete) Knight High?
Approximately 23.0:1 students per teacher at William J. (Pete) Knight High.
What is the student diversity at William J. (Pete) Knight High?
Student demographics at William J. (Pete) Knight High are roughly 3% White, 79% Hispanic, 13% Black, 2% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is William J. (Pete) Knight High in?
William J. (Pete) Knight High is part of Antelope Valley Union High.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.