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School Profile · Visalia

Golden West High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Golden West posts 33% meeting the standard and 10.3% exceeding it, against 35% and 15.5% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

1717 North McAuliff Street, 93292·Visalia Unified·Visalia·Grades 9-12·2,059 students·71% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(559) 730-7814·Website
Scope Score
51
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #812 statewide · #3 of 7 in Visalia Unified

Golden West High scores 51 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 53rd 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 →

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “33% proficient” and call it done. Golden West deserves a closer read. The school sits in Visalia, where two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
33%
State 35%
Graduate
97%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
45%
State 36%

Of 100 students here: 33 are proficient by 11th grade → 97 graduate → 45 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
96.7%
State 87.6%
9.1pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
10.3%
State 15.5%
5.2pp below state avg
College readiness
45.2%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
32.5%
State 34.6%
2.1pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
18.9%
State 32.1%
13.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
5.6%
State 4.0%
1.5pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
16.7%
State 17.7%
1.0pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Golden West High
51/100
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

All schools in Visalia →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

Sierra View Jr. Academy
Ave 256 · Pentecostal · Grades Pre-K-10 · 78 students
10:1Private9.3 mi

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic77.0%
White12.6%
Asian4.0%
Black0.9%
Other5.6%
GenderFemale 47.9%Male 52.1%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
2,059
609 above CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
71%
7pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$18,171
District avg: $12,738 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
16.7% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$66,787 – $128,563
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Golden West High in Visalia, 47.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 39.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Golden West High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 7.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (9.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (50.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 45.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 321 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Foster Youth+24.4pp
43.3% vs 18.9% overall · n=30
Suspension · Black+24.4pp
30.0% vs 5.6% overall · n=20
ELA · English Learner−45.0pp
7.8% vs 52.8% overall · n=51
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−18.1pp
0.0% vs 18.1% overall · n=54
Math · Disabilities−12.2pp
0.0% vs 12.2% overall · n=53

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income321 tested
ELA 47.5%·Math 9.1%· +7.8pp vs district
Hispanic344 tested
ELA 50.1%·Math 11.7%· +8.0pp vs district
Disabilities54 tested
ELA 11.3%·Math 0.0%· +0.4pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 63%Support 35%Other 3%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$83K
$2K below CA median
Median Home Value
$366K
$293K below CA median
Bachelor's+
19%
16pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
12.1 years avg experience
98 teachers · 5% first-year · 5% second-year
Teacher Credentials
86% fully credentialed
5.0% on intern/emergency permit
AP Courses Offered
17 AP courses
89 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 nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
96.7%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 61th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
10.3%
↓ vs CA 15.5% · 45th pctile
College readiness · 20%
45.2%
↑ vs CA 35.5% · 56th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
32.5%
↓ vs CA 34.6% · 49th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
18.9%
↑ vs CA 32.1% · 60th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
5.6%
↓ vs CA 4.0% · 43th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
16.7%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 44th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1144318%35%23%24%53%+6
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 114412%10%20%68%12%−11
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/114614%20%68%9%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged32147.5%+8+9
Hispanic/Latino34450.1%+8+11
Students with Disabilities5411.3%+0−6
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Golden West High ←—5110.3%32.5%—5.6%
La Sierra High1.2 mi4510.0%37.5%—7.9%
Visalia Charter Independent Study0.8 mi448.0%28.8%—0.6%
California average—4715.5%34.6%—4.0%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
96.7%
AP Exam Prepared
45.2%
A-G Completion
39.1%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
72.2%
Scope Score history
63%51%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #575 → #715 → #640 → #764 → #812
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 Golden West High a good high school?
Golden West High has a Scope Score of 51 out of 100, placing it in the 53rd percentile of California high schools and ranked #812 statewide. 10.3% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 5.2 percentage points below 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 Golden West High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 32.5% of students at Golden West High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 10.3% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 22.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 10.3% 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. 884 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Golden West High rank in California?
Golden West High ranks #812 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 53rd 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 Golden West High?
18.9% of students at Golden West 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 5.6%. 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 Golden West High compare to other schools in Visalia?
Golden West High scores 51/100 (53rd 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 2,059 students. Use the schools in Visalia page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Golden West High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Golden West High in Visalia, 47.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 39.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Golden West High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 7.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (9.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (50.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 45.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 321 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.
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