How does Petaluma High compare to other high schools in Petaluma?

Petaluma High has a SchoolScope composite score of 60.4/100, placing it at the 75th percentile statewide. 23% of students exceed standard, with a total of 543 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Petaluma High?

23.3% of students at Petaluma High exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 45.0% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Petaluma High?

14.6% of students at Petaluma High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

Petaluma High

High School

Petaluma Joint Union High PetalumaSonoma County94952

📍 201 Fair Street

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of high schools

State Rank

of 1,739 California high schools

🌱

Building Momentum

Every school has strengths the data doesn’t fully capture. Visit and see for yourself.

Composite scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

School overview

Enrollment

1,253 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

22:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

41%

Teachers

57 full-time

College & career readiness

Graduation Rate

94.9%

AP Exam Prepared

Not offered

This school may not offer AP courses

A-G Completion

54.9%

College-Going Rate

79.3%

Data source: California Department of Education — ACGR, CCI, CGR reports

Dashboard indicators

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

5.7%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 53 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic30.6%

White60.9%

Asian1.7%

Black1.0%

Other5.9%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Petaluma High
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	23.3%
Met Standard	21.8%
Below Standard	55.0%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "45% proficient" for Petaluma High and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

23.3% of students exceeded standard while 21.8% met it. That exceeded rate is 7.8 points above the state average of 15.5%. That's 5.6 points above the Petaluma Joint Union High district average of 17.6%. Compared to the 1 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 23.3 points higher (vs 0.0% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

The graduation rate is 94.9% — above the state target. 54.9% of students complete A-G requirements for UC/CSU eligibility — a strong college readiness signal. 79.3% of graduates go on to college within a year.

Chronic absenteeism is 14.6%, better than the state average of 34.0%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →