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San Francisco Unified

Near Average2024–25 data101 schools · avg 44.5/100

San Francisco Unified has 101 ranked schools across elementary, middle and high levels with an average Scope Score of 44.5/100 — 0.8 points near the California state average of 43.8. The highest-scoring school is Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila at 85/100, where 59.2% of students exceed the state standard. The district spends $17,416 per student (above the state average of $14,815). 11 schools show positive growth trajectories. Chronic absenteeism averages 26.7%, above the state average. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025 and NCES fiscal data, analyzed by SchoolScope.

Avg Scope Score
44.5
State avg: 43.8
SchoolScope composite
Score Range
74.5
11.0 – 85.4
Avg Exceeded %
23.2%
State avg: 21.6%
CDE CAASPP 2025
Chronic Absenteeism
26.7%
State avg: 18.1%
CDE Attendance 2025
Schools Ranked
101
With Scope Scores
LevelAvg ScoreSchoolsExceededAbsent
ElementaryDeveloping
44.4/100
7125.2%24.3%
MiddleDeveloping
41.7/100
1320.0%23.5%
HighDeveloping
47.2/100
1717.1%39.2%

K–12 pipeline

The typical school path in San Francisco Unified, top-scoring shown first.

Elementary
44.4
avg score · 71 schools
Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila
Strong
85/100
Yu (Alice Fong) Elementary
Strong
80/100
Sunset Elementary
Strong
78/100
+68 more elementary schools
→
Middle
41.7
avg score · 13 schools
Giannini (A.P.) Middle
Solid
68/100
Roosevelt Middle
Solid
68/100
Presidio Middle
Solid
63/100
+10 more middle schools
→
High
47.2
avg score · 17 schools
Lowell High
Strong
85/100
Asawa (Ruth) SF Sch of the Arts, A Public School
Strong
81/100
Washington (George) High
Solid
70/100
+14 more high schools

District Analysis

Strongest level: San Francisco Unified's high schools lead the district with an average Scope Score of 47.2.

Growth story: District-wide elementary growth averages +0.6pp (state avg: -3.0pp), suggesting schools are making incremental gains.

Consistency: Score range of 74.5 points — showing significant variation between schools.

Absenteeism: District chronic absenteeism averages 26.7%, 8.5pp below the state average of 18.1%.

Suspensions: District suspension rate averages 1.7%, near the state average of 1.7%.

Top school: Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila leads the district at 85 with 59.2% exceeding standard.

How we score · Scope Score methodology

School archetypes in San Francisco Unified

20 On the Rise11 Growth Engine9 Strong All-Around8 High Ceiling45 Building Momentum

Hidden gems: 31 schools in San Francisco Unified are classified as On the Rise (20) or Growth Engine (11) — showing positive growth trajectories that raw proficiency scores alone don't capture. These are schools where students leave with more than they arrived with.

Archetypes are data-driven labels based on Scope Score dimensions. Learn more

Student demographics

Hispanic
35.2%
White
13.9%
Asian
25.8%
Black
8.2%
Other
16.8%
Free/Reduced Lunch
56%
Economic need indicator · district avg
CDE CAASPP 2025

District averages · California Department of Education enrollment data

District Funding

San Francisco Unified spends $17,416 per student in current expenditures — $2,601 above the state average of $14,815.

Per-Pupil Spending
$17,416
State avg: $14,815
District Enrollment
51,790
Students for funding calc
2016–2020 Trend
↑ 51%
$11,532 → $17,416
Spending Efficiency
2.56
Scope Score per $1K spent
Spending Breakdown
Instruction 56%Support 41%Other 3%
NCES F-33 Finance · District-level data — not school-specific

Data source: NCES Common Core of Data, Fiscal Survey (F-33) · 2019–2020

Teacher compensation

Salary Range
$69,525–$131,654
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
Teaching Staff
3,263
Full-time equivalent teachers

CDE Form J-90 salary schedule · 2024–25

Elementary Schools (71)

San Francisco Unified has 71 ranked elementary schools averaging a Scope Score of 44.4 — 0.6 points near the state average of 43.8. 10 of 71 elementary schools score above 70.

District-wide growth averages +0.6pp, suggesting schools are adding value beyond what students arrive with.

The highest-scoring elementary school is Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila with a Scope Score of 85 and 59.2% exceeding standard.

#SchoolExceededScore
1Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila
San Francisco Unified High Ceiling
59.2%Strong
85/100
2Yu (Alice Fong) Elementary
San Francisco Unified High Ceiling
55.5%Strong
80/100
3Sunset Elementary
San Francisco Unified High Ceiling
53.9%Strong
78/100
4Lawton Alternative
San Francisco Unified High Ceiling
53.4%Strong
78/100
5Stevenson (Robert Louis) Elementary
San Francisco Unified Growth Engine
44.3%Strong
75/100
6Peabody (George) Elementary
San Francisco Unified High Ceiling
52.9%Strong
75/100
7Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary
San Francisco Unified High Ceiling
51.1%Strong
73/100
8New Traditions Elementary
San Francisco Unified Strong All-Around
47.9%Strong
73/100
9Clarendon Alternative Elementary
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
48.7%Strong
72/100
10Chin (John Yehall) Elementary
San Francisco Unified High Ceiling
55.1%Strong
72/100
11Alamo Elementary
San Francisco Unified Growth Engine
43.1%Solid
70/100
12Grattan Elementary
San Francisco Unified Growth Engine
42.4%Solid
70/100
13Key (Francis Scott) Elementary
San Francisco Unified Strong All-Around
43.1%Solid
67/100
14Ulloa Elementary
San Francisco Unified Strong All-Around
44.4%Solid
66/100
15Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary
San Francisco Unified Growth Engine
38.1%Solid
64/100
16Sutro Elementary
San Francisco Unified Solid Base
38.9%Solid
63/100
17Lafayette Elementary
San Francisco Unified Solid Base
44.8%Solid
63/100
18King (Thomas Starr) Elementary
San Francisco Unified Strong All-Around
41.7%Solid
62/100
19Argonne Elementary
San Francisco Unified Growth Engine
36.0%Solid
62/100
20Yick Wo Elementary
San Francisco Unified Solid Base
33.4%Solid
59/100
21Ortega (Jose) Elementary
San Francisco Unified Strong All-Around
37.3%Solid
59/100
22Miraloma Elementary
San Francisco Unified Solid Base
44.3%Solid
59/100
23Jefferson Elementary
San Francisco Unified Culture First
34.2%Solid
55/100
24McKinley Elementary
San Francisco Unified Solid Base
38.5%Solid
54/100
25Sunnyside Elementary
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
40.6%Solid
53/100
26West Portal Elementary
San Francisco Unified Growth Engine
32.9%Solid
53/100
27Alvarado Elementary
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
34.6%Solid
53/100
28Sloat (Commodore) Elementary
San Francisco Unified Culture First
29.0%Solid
53/100
29Feinstein (Dianne) Elementary
San Francisco Unified Culture First
26.9%Solid
51/100
30McCoppin (Frank) Elementary
San Francisco Unified On the Rise
29.9%Solid
51/100

Middle Schools (13)

San Francisco Unified has 13 ranked middle schools averaging a Scope Score of 41.7 — 1.3 points near the state average of 40.5.

District-wide growth averages +1.0pp, suggesting schools are adding value beyond what students arrive with.

The highest-scoring middle school is Giannini (A.P.) Middle with a Scope Score of 68 and 39.2% exceeding standard.

#SchoolExceededScore
1Giannini (A.P.) Middle
San Francisco Unified Strong All-Around
39.2%Solid
68/100
2Roosevelt Middle
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
40.4%Solid
68/100
3Presidio Middle
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
34.3%Solid
63/100
4Aptos Middle
San Francisco Unified Growth Engine
28.4%Solid
57/100
5Hoover (Herbert) Middle
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
25.4%Solid
53/100
6Marina Middle
San Francisco Unified Growth Engine
21.2%Developing
47/100
7Brown Jr. (Willie L) Middle
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
20.7%Developing
41/100
8Francisco Middle
San Francisco Unified On the Rise
15.2%Developing
35/100
9Denman (James) Middle
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
11.3%Developing
30/100
10King Jr. (Martin Luther) Academic Middle
San Francisco Unified On the Rise
7.4%Needs Support
27/100
11Lick (James) Middle
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
7.9%Needs Support
25/100
12Everett Middle
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
3.5%Needs Support
15/100
13Visitacion Valley Middle
San Francisco Unified On the Rise
4.5%Needs Support
14/100

High Schools (17)

San Francisco Unified has 17 ranked high schools averaging a Scope Score of 47.2 — 0.3 points near the state average of 47.5. 2 of 17 high schools score above 70.

The highest-scoring high school is Lowell High with a Scope Score of 85 and 50.4% exceeding standard.

#SchoolExceededScore
1Lowell High
San Francisco Unified High Ceiling
50.4%Strong
85/100
2Asawa (Ruth) SF Sch of the Arts, A Public School
San Francisco Unified Strong All-Around
43.7%Strong
81/100
3Washington (George) High
San Francisco Unified Strong All-Around
28.6%Solid
70/100
4Lincoln (Abraham) High
San Francisco Unified Strong All-Around
29.8%Solid
67/100
5Balboa High
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
20.7%Solid
63/100
6Wallenberg (Raoul) Traditional High
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
24.9%Solid
60/100
7Burton (Phillip and Sala) Academic High
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
17.1%Solid
59/100
8Galileo High
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
24.5%Solid
58/100
9Academy (The)- SF @McAteer
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
20.4%Solid
54/100
10Independence High
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
15.8%Developing
44/100
11Mission High
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
2.1%Developing
35/100
12Jordan (June) School for Equity
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
1.6%Developing
31/100
13O'Connell (John) High
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
8.5%Developing
31/100
14Marshall (Thurgood) High
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
0.0%Needs Support
25/100
15Wells (Ida B.) High
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
1.7%Needs Support
18/100
16S.F. International High
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
0.7%Needs Support
12/100
17Downtown High
San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
0.0%Needs Support
11/100

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

What Scope Scores can't tell you about San Francisco Unified

  • Class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality
  • Quality of arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs
  • Teacher experience, turnover, and professional development
  • Campus safety, bullying climate, and social-emotional support
  • Parent and community engagement levels
  • Quality of special education and gifted programs
  • How resources are distributed across schools within the district

Scope Scores measure academic performance and school climate using public data. They are one lens among many. Full methodology

Frequently asked questions

Is San Francisco Unified a good school district?
San Francisco Unified has 101 ranked schools averaging a Scope Score of 44.5/100, which is 0.8 points near the California state average of 43.8. 23.2% of students exceed the state standard on average. The Scope Score measures academic performance and school climate across six dimensions. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What is the best school in San Francisco Unified?
The highest-scoring school in San Francisco Unified is Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila with a Scope Score of 85/100 and 59.2% exceeding standard. See methodology.
How much does San Francisco Unified spend per student?
San Francisco Unified spends $17,416 per student in current expenditures. The state average is $14,815. Spending data comes from the NCES Common Core of Data Fiscal Survey (F-33). Higher spending does not automatically mean better outcomes — the Scope Score measures what happens in the classroom regardless of budget.
What is the teacher salary range in San Francisco Unified?
Teacher salaries in San Francisco Unified range from $69,525–$131,654 based on the district's salary schedule (CDE Form J-90). The California statewide median teacher salary is approximately $98,000.
What does the Scope Score measure?
The Scope Score is SchoolScope's proprietary composite rating (0–100) based on six dimensions of publicly available California school data: the exceeded-vs-met standard split, overall proficiency, grade-level growth, chronic absenteeism, suspension rate, and ELPAC English Learner proficiency. Full methodology and weights.

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