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School Profile · Pescadero

Pescadero High: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Pescadero posts 60% meeting the standard, and 30.9% going well past it. Most kids here keep up. Fewer get pushed further. Ask the school what it does for a child who already finds the work easy.

350 Butano Cut Off, 94060 (opens in new tab)·La Honda-Pescadero Unified·Pescadero·Grades 9-12·81 students·35% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(650) 879-0274
Scope Score
51
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #735 statewide

Pescadero High scores 51 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 66th percentile of 2,160 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 “60% proficient” and call it done. Pescadero deserves a closer read. The school sits in Pescadero, where one in three 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
60%
State 36%
Graduate
85%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
40%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 60 are proficient by 11th grade → 85 graduate → 40 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
85.0%
State 87.6%
2.6pp below state avg
Exceeded standard
30.9%
State 15.8%
15.1pp above state avg
College readiness
40.0%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
59.5%
State 35.7%
23.8pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
36.9%
State 30.2%
6.7pp above state avg
Suspension rate
5.2%
State 3.6%
1.5pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
15.4%
State 18.0%
2.6pp 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
Pescadero High
51/100
This school

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Your other options

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic77.8%
White22.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 34.6% (29pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
81
1,369 below CA avg (~1,450)
Student-Teacher Ratio
14:1
8 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$23,794
District avg: $23,742 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
15.4% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$71,359 – $128,319
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Pescadero High in Pescadero, 83.3% of hispanic students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 54.7% district-wide and 38.8% statewide. Pescadero High outperforms its district average for hispanic students by 28.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Hispanic students (27.8% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 18 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · RW+13.1pp
50.0% vs 36.9% overall · n=18

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Hispanic18 tested
ELA 83.3%·Math 27.8%· +28.6pp vs district

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 58%Support 40%Other 2%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$128K
$43K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.40M
$743K above CA median
Bachelor's+
34%
1pp 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
6.9 years avg experience
10 teachers · 40% first-year · 10% second-year
Teacher Credentials
96% fully credentialed
AP Exam Qualifiers
4 students qualified via AP

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 →

Frequently asked questions

Is Pescadero High a good high school?
Pescadero High has a Scope Score of 51 out of 100, placing it in the 66th percentile of California high schools and ranked #735 statewide. 30.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 15.1 percentage points above the California average of 15.8%. 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 Pescadero High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 59.5% of students at Pescadero High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 30.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 28.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 30.9% 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. 42 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Pescadero High rank in California?
Pescadero High ranks #735 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 66th 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 Pescadero High?
36.9% of students at Pescadero High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 5.2%. 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 Pescadero High compare to other schools in Pescadero?
Pescadero High scores 51/100 (66th 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 81 students. Use the schools in Pescadero page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Pescadero High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Pescadero High in Pescadero, 83.3% of hispanic students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 54.7% district-wide and 38.8% statewide. Pescadero High outperforms its district average for hispanic students by 28.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Hispanic students (27.8% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 18 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.

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%
85.0%
↓ vs CA 87.6% · 47th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
30.9%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 66th pctile
College readiness · 20%
40.0%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 53th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
59.5%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 67th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
36.9%
↓ vs CA 30.2% · 45th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
5.2%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 43th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
15.4%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 49th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 112152%33%10%5%86%+39
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 112110%24%48%19%33%+10
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11270%19%78%4%

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
Hispanic/Latino1883.3%+29+44
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Pescadero High ←5130.9%59.5%5.2%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
85.0%
AP Exam Prepared
40.0%
A-G Completion
35.3%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
82.4%
Scope Score history
60%51%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #392 → #973 → #1306 → #1228 → #735
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue