School Profile · Modesto
Thomas Downey High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
Thomas Downey posts 34% meeting the standard and 14.4% exceeding it, against 35% and 15.5% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
1000 Coffee Road, 95355·Modesto City High·Modesto·Grades 9-12·2,192 students·76% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(209) 574-1685·Website
Scope Score
49
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #907 statewide · #4 of 8 in Modesto City High
Thomas Downey High scores 49 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 48th 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 “34% proficient” and call it done. Thomas Downey deserves a closer read. The school sits in Modesto, where three in four 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
34%
State 35%
Graduate
93%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
30%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 34 are proficient by 11th grade → 93 graduate → 30 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
The 7 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
93.3%
State 87.6%
5.7pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
14.4%
State 15.5%
1.1pp below state avg
College readiness
30.0%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
34.2%
State 34.6%
0.4pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
25.7%
State 32.1%
6.4pp below state avg
Suspension rate
5.1%
State 4.0%
1.0pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
13.9%
State 17.7%
3.8pp 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.
Your other options
Nearby High Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 56
James C. Enochs High
Modesto City High · 3.1 mi
Solid
62/100
Fred C. Beyer High
Modesto City High · 2.3 mi
Solid
57/100
Grace M. Davis High
Modesto City High · 2.7 mi
Developing
47/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 53
Lakewood Elementary
Modesto City Elementary · 1.7 mi
Solid
57/100
Enslen Elementary
Modesto City Elementary · 1.5 mi
Solid
55/100
Sonoma Elementary
Modesto City Elementary · 1.3 mi
Developing
46/100
Nearby Middle Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 41
Elizabeth Ustach Middle
Sylvan Union Elementary · 2.2 mi
Developing
49/100
Somerset Middle
Sylvan Union Elementary · 1.6 mi
Developing
33/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic69.1%
White18.1%
Asian1.8%
Black1.6%
Other9.4%
GenderFemale 46.3%Male 53.7%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
2,192
742 above CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
76%
12pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
24:1
3 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$19,060
CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
13.9% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
At Thomas Downey High in Modesto, 41.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Thomas Downey High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 1.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (43.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 40.6 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 411 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Foster Youth+24.3pp
50.0% vs 25.7% overall · n=16
Suspension · Foster Youth+21.2pp
26.3% vs 5.1% overall · n=19
ELA · Disabilities−40.6pp
7.3% vs 47.9% overall · n=55
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−21.1pp
0.0% vs 21.1% overall · n=86
Math · English Learner−18.2pp
2.4% vs 20.5% overall · n=86
Math Exceeded · English Learner−7.8pp
0.0% vs 7.8% overall · n=86
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income411 tested
ELA 41.5%·Math 15.6%· +1.4pp vs district
Hispanic352 tested
ELA 43.0%·Math 14.5%· +0.8pp vs district
White110 tested
ELA 64.2%·Math 35.5%· +8.7pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$80K
$5K below CA median
Median Home Value
$415K
$245K below CA median
Bachelor's+
22%
13pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2022) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
17.3 years avg experience
122 teachers · 5% second-year
Teacher Credentials
76% fully credentialed
2.7% on intern/emergency permit
AP Courses Offered
16 AP courses
60 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%
93.3%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 57th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
14.4%
↓ vs CA 15.5% · 49th pctile
College readiness · 20%
30.0%
↓ vs CA 35.5% · 47th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
34.2%
↓ vs CA 34.6% · 50th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
25.7%
↑ vs CA 32.1% · 55th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
5.1%
↓ vs CA 4.0% · 45th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
13.9%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 54th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 551 | 21% | 27% | 25% | 28% | 48% | +1 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 551 | 8% | 13% | 19% | 60% | 21% | −3 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 557 | 5% | 19% | 64% | 12% |
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 | 411 | 41.5% | +1 | +3 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 351 | 43.0% | +1 | +4 |
| White | 110 | 64.2% | +9 | +2 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Downey High ← | — | 49 | 14.4% | 34.2% | — | 5.1% |
| James C. Enochs High | 3.1 mi | 62 | 22.8% | 46.6% | — | 3.2% |
| Fred C. Beyer High | 2.3 mi | 57 | 21.7% | 47.2% | — | 4.1% |
| Grace M. Davis High | 2.7 mi | 47 | 8.4% | 26.0% | — | 4.5% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
93.3%
AP Exam Prepared
30.0%
A-G Completion
36.9%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
58.1%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #944 → #1133 → #1108 → #941 → #907
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,739 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is Thomas Downey High a good high school?
Thomas Downey High has a Scope Score of 49 out of 100, placing it in the 48th percentile of California high schools and ranked #907 statewide. 14.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near 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 Thomas Downey High's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 34.2% of students at Thomas Downey High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 14.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 19.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 14.4% 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. 1,102 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Thomas Downey High rank in California?
Thomas Downey High ranks #907 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 48th 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 Thomas Downey High?
25.7% of students at Thomas Downey 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 5.1%. 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 Thomas Downey High compare to other schools in Modesto?
Thomas Downey High scores 49/100 (48th 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 2,192 students. Use the schools in Modesto page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Thomas Downey High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Thomas Downey High in Modesto, 41.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Thomas Downey High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 1.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (43.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 40.6 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 411 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.