School Profile · Salinas
Alisal High: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.
Alisal posts 38% meeting the standard against 35% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.
777 Williams Road, 93905·Salinas Union High·Salinas·Grades 9-12·2,742 students·95% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(831) 796-7600·Website
Scope Score
53
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #700 statewide · #3 of 7 in Salinas Union High
Alisal High scores 53 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 60th percentile of 1,739 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “38% proficient” and call it done. Alisal deserves a closer read. The school sits in Salinas, where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 56.4% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
38%
State 35%
Graduate
92%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
49%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 38 are proficient by 11th grade → 92 graduate → 49 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
56.4%
Low-income · ELA · met standard
Alisal's most underrated number
56.4% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.
Alisal low-income: 56.4%State low-income: 38.2%Alisal EL: 4.8%State EL: 10.4%
The 7 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
92.0%
State 87.6%
4.4pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
14.2%
State 15.5%
1.3pp below state avg
College readiness
49.0%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
38.4%
State 34.6%
3.8pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
12.5%
State 32.1%
19.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
3.5%
State 4.0%
0.5pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
15.3%
State 17.7%
2.4pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
No feeder data available for this level
▼
High School
Alisal High
53/100
This school
Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.
Your other options
Nearby High Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 37
Everett Alvarez High
Salinas Union High · 2.1 mi
Solid
50/100
Salinas Community
Monterey County Office of Education · 2.3 mi
Needs Support
24/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic98.0%
White0.3%
Asian0.1%
Black0.1%
Other1.5%
GenderFemale 48.5%Male 51.5%Non-binary 0.1%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
2,742
1,292 above CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
95%
31pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
23:1
2 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$16,456
District avg: $13,447 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
15.3% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$61,054 – $143,305
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Alisal High in Salinas, 56.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Alisal High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 16.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (56.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 51.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 614 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+9.3pp
21.8% vs 12.5% overall · n=275
Suspension · Homeless+6.7pp
10.2% vs 3.5% overall · n=177
ELA · English Learner−51.8pp
4.8% vs 56.5% overall · n=106
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−22.1pp
0.9% vs 23.1% overall · n=106
Math · Disabilities−18.5pp
1.7% vs 20.2% overall · n=60
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−5.3pp
0.0% vs 5.3% overall · n=60
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income614 tested
ELA 56.4%·Math 20.0%· +16.0pp vs district
Hispanic632 tested
ELA 56.3%·Math 20.1%· +15.6pp vs district
English Learner106 tested
ELA 4.8%·Math 2.8%· +1.3pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$69K
$16K below CA median
Median Home Value
$513K
$146K below CA median
Bachelor's+
6%
29pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2022) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
12.3 years avg experience
133 teachers · 1% first-year · 8% second-year
Teacher Credentials
83% fully credentialed
2.4% on intern/emergency permit
AP Courses Offered
38 AP courses
178 students qualified via AP exam
Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
92.0%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 55th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
14.2%
↓ vs CA 15.5% · 49th pctile
College readiness · 20%
49.0%
↑ vs CA 35.5% · 58th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
38.4%
↑ vs CA 34.6% · 53th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
12.5%
↑ vs CA 32.1% · 66th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.5%
↑ vs CA 4.0% · 52th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
15.3%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 49th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 642 | 23% | 33% | 22% | 22% | 57% | +9 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 643 | 5% | 15% | 24% | 56% | 20% | −3 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 785 | 4% | 24% | 65% | 7% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 614 | 56.4% | +16 | +18 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 632 | 56.3% | +16 | +17 |
| English Learners | 106 | 4.8% | +1 | −6 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alisal High ← | — | 53 | 14.2% | 38.4% | — | 3.5% |
| Everett Alvarez High | 2.1 mi | 50 | 9.9% | 31.3% | — | 4.7% |
| Salinas Community | 2.3 mi | 24 | 10.3% | 12.3% | — | 2.4% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
92.0%
AP Exam Prepared
49.0%
A-G Completion
50.1%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
82.7%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #859 → #706 → #752 → #722 → #700
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,739 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Alisal High a good high school?
Alisal High has a Scope Score of 53 out of 100, placing it in the 60th percentile of California high schools and ranked #700 statewide. 14.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near the California average of 15.5%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Alisal High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 38.4% of students at Alisal High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 14.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 24.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 14.2% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 1,285 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Alisal High rank in California?
Alisal High ranks #700 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 60th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Alisal High?
12.5% of students at Alisal High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 32.1%. The suspension rate is 3.5%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Alisal High compare to other schools in Salinas?
Alisal High scores 53/100 (60th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 2,742 students. Use the schools in Salinas page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Alisal High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Alisal High in Salinas, 56.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Alisal High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 16.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (56.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 51.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 614 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.