School Profile · San Jose
Pioneer High: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.
Pioneer posts 35.3% exceeding the standard — versus 15.5% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.
1290 Blossom Hill Road, 95118·San Jose Unified·San Jose·Grades 9-12·1,393 students·31% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(408) 535-6310
Scope Score
70
🌱 Building Momentum · Strong
ranked #182 statewide · #2 of 8 in San Jose Unified
Pioneer High scores 70 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 90th 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 “61% proficient” and call it done. Pioneer deserves a closer read. The school sits in San Jose, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 76.8% of students leave measurably college-ready, versus 35.5% statewide.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
61%
State 35%
Graduate
97%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
77%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 61 are proficient by 11th grade → 97 graduate → 77 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
53.3%
Low-income · ELA · met standard
Pioneer's most underrated number
53.3% 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.
Pioneer low-income: 53.3%State low-income: 38.2%
The 7 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
96.9%
State 87.6%
9.3pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
35.3%
State 15.5%
19.8pp above state avg
College readiness
76.8%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
60.9%
State 34.6%
26.3pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
21.4%
State 32.1%
10.7pp below state avg
Suspension rate
4.1%
State 4.0%
0.1pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
13.5%
State 17.7%
4.2pp 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
Elementary
▼
High School
Pioneer High
70/100
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
3 within ~3 mi · avg 81
Leland High
San Jose Unified · 2.8 mi
Strong
86/100
Leigh High
Campbell Union High · 2.1 mi
Strong
81/100
Branham High
Campbell Union High · 1 mi
Strong
77/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 79
Williams Elementary
San Jose Unified · 3.3 mi
Strong
82/100
Oster Elementary
Union Elementary · 2 mi
Strong
79/100
Steindorf STEAM K-8 Magnet
Cambrian · 2.4 mi
Strong
78/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Basis Independent Silicon Valley
Parkmoor Ave · Nonsectarian · Grades 5-12 · 823 students
9:1Private5 mi
Champion School
Camden Ave · Nonsectarian · Grades Pre-K-12 · 102 students
11:1Private1.3 mi
Second Start-Pine Hill School
Bouret Dr · Nonsectarian · Grades 1-12 · 91 students
7:1Private0.7 mi
Spectrum Center-San Jose
Sands Dr · Nonsectarian · Grades 3-12 · 43 students
7:1Private2.8 mi
S.a.g.e Academy
W Campbell Ave J70 · Nonsectarian · Grades Pre-K-12 · 31 students
28:1Private4.7 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic41.0%
White35.3%
Asian11.1%
Black2.2%
Other10.5%
GenderFemale 50.4%Male 49.5%Non-binary 0.1%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
1,393
Near CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
31%
33pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$21,134
District avg: $13,878 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
13.5% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$70,000 – $134,400
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Pioneer High in San Jose, 53.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 26.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Pioneer High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 26.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (25.0% Math proficient); White students (78.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 66.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 75 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · English Learner+20.3pp
41.7% vs 21.4% overall · n=132
Suspension · Disabilities+6.9pp
11.0% vs 4.1% overall · n=118
ELA · English Learner−66.5pp
5.9% vs 72.4% overall · n=17
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−43.8pp
0.0% vs 43.8% overall · n=17
Math · English Learner−49.5pp
0.0% vs 49.5% overall · n=19
Math Exceeded · English Learner−26.9pp
0.0% vs 26.9% overall · n=19
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income76 tested
ELA 53.3%·Math 25.0%· +26.9pp vs district
White117 tested
ELA 78.6%·Math 58.6%· +7.4pp vs district
Hispanic110 tested
ELA 57.9%·Math 25.4%· +27.4pp 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
$153K
$68K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.49M
$836K above CA median
Bachelor's+
54%
19pp above 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
12.2 years avg experience
85 teachers · 9% first-year · 5% second-year
Teacher Credentials
85% fully credentialed
AP Courses Offered
49 AP courses
219 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%
96.9%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 61th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
35.3%
↑ vs CA 15.5% · 70th pctile
College readiness · 20%
76.8%
↑ vs CA 35.5% · 74th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
60.9%
↑ vs CA 34.6% · 68th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
21.4%
↑ vs CA 32.1% · 58th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
4.1%
↓ vs CA 4.0% · 50th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
13.5%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 43th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 304 | 44% | 29% | 13% | 14% | 72% | +25 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 305 | 27% | 23% | 20% | 30% | 50% | +26 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 329 | 19% | 34% | 41% | 6% |
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 | 75 | 53.3% | +27 | +15 |
| White | 117 | 78.6% | +7 | +17 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 107 | 57.9% | +27 | +19 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer High ← | — | 70 | 35.3% | 60.9% | — | 4.1% |
| Leland High | 2.8 mi | 86 | 56.5% | 81.3% | — | 2.2% |
| Leigh High | 2.1 mi | 81 | 44.8% | 69.8% | — | 0.5% |
| Branham High | 1 mi | 77 | 42.7% | 69.4% | — | 1.3% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
96.9%
AP Exam Prepared
76.8%
A-G Completion
63.6%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
88.6%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #182 → #211 → #293 → #170 → #182
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 Pioneer High a good high school?
Pioneer High has a Scope Score of 70 out of 100, placing it in the 90th percentile of California high schools and ranked #182 statewide. 35.3% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 19.8 percentage points above 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 Pioneer High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 60.9% of students at Pioneer High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 35.3% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 25.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 35.3% 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. 609 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Pioneer High rank in California?
Pioneer High ranks #182 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 90th 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 Pioneer High?
21.4% of students at Pioneer 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 4.1%. 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 Pioneer High compare to other schools in San Jose?
Pioneer High scores 70/100 (90th 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 1,393 students. Use the schools in San Jose page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Pioneer High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Pioneer High in San Jose, 53.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 26.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Pioneer High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 26.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (25.0% Math proficient); White students (78.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 66.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 75 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.