How does San Mateo High compare to other high schools in San Mateo?

San Mateo High has a SchoolScope composite score of 65.3/100, placing it at the 85th percentile statewide. 33% of students exceed standard, with a total of 586 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at San Mateo High?

32.7% of students at San Mateo High exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 53.8% 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 San Mateo High?

20.3% of students at San Mateo 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.

San Mateo High

High School

San Mateo Union High San MateoSan Mateo County94401

📍 506 North Delaware Street

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of high schools

State Rank

of 1,739 California high schools

💪

Strong All-Around

Strong across every dimension we measure — academics, growth, culture, and engagement.

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

1,578 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

18:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

28%

Teachers

87 full-time

College & career readiness

Graduation Rate

91.3%

AP Exam Prepared

70.6%

A-G Completion

60.1%

College-Going Rate

79.6%

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

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Declined

-5.7 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Maintained

-0.8 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

10.8%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 330 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic49.4%

White16.2%

Asian21.4%

Black1.1%

Other11.9%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for San Mateo High
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	32.7%
Met Standard	21.1%
Below Standard	46.2%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "54% proficient" for San Mateo High and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

32.7% of students exceeded standard while 21.1% met it. That exceeded rate is 17.2 points above the state average of 15.5%. That's near the San Mateo Union High district average of 32.0%. Nearby schools (within ~3 miles) average 31.6% exceeded — about the same. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

The graduation rate is 91.3% — above the state target. 60.1% of students complete A-G requirements for UC/CSU eligibility — a strong college readiness signal. 79.6% of graduates go on to college within a year.

Chronic absenteeism is 20.3%, better than the state average of 34.0%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →