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Public school district · California

South San Francisco Unified.Many schools. Many different stories.

Compare elementary, middle, and high schools across South San Francisco Unified—and look beyond a single district average.

Monte Verde ElementaryEl Camino HighBuri Buri ElementarySkyline ElementarySouth San Francisco HighJunipero Serra ElementaryWestborough MiddlePonderosa ElementaryAlta Loma MiddleSunshine Gardens ElementarySpruce ElementaryParkway Heights MiddleBaden High (Continuation)Martin ElementaryLos Cerritos ElementarySouth San Francisco UnifiedN ↑
15 schools mapped · Location contextOpen map →
Census district boundary
The K–12 path at a glance
Elementary9 schools
avg 38.8/1004 Strong, 3 Needs Support, +2 more
Middle3 schools
avg 34.9/1002 Solid, 1 Needs Support
High3 schools
avg 43.4/1001 Strong, 1 Developing, +1 more

Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.

Stage 1 of 3

The elementary years

One school defines the top: Monte Verde Elementary sits 15 points clear of the field — the other 8 elementary schools are a different conversation.

0100
Strong Solid Developing Needs Support district avg state avg

58 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 9 elementary schools — the average hides more than it tells.

The strength

Monte Verde Elementary (69/100) holds the Strong band — 51.3% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 22.7%. 1 school here ranks as a Growth Engine — returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide.

The catch

3 of 9 elementary schools sit in the Needs Support band — which campus you're zoned for carries real weight here.

Monte Verde Elementary
Building Momentum
93rd percentile · StrongScope Score 69/100
81st percentile · StrongScope Score 54/100
Skyline Elementary
Growth Engine
81st percentile · StrongScope Score 54/100

All 9 elementary schools, ranked, in the appendix →

Stage 2 of 3

The middle years

The middle schools sit at the state line (34.9 vs 38.6) — the 24-point school-to-school spread is where the choice lives.

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3 middle schools span 24 points around an average of 34.9.

The strength

Students are showing up: chronic absenteeism runs 13.4% against a state average of 18.1%.

The catch

1 of 3 middle schools sits in the Needs Support band — which campus you're zoned for carries real weight here.

Westborough Middle
Building Momentum
68th percentile · SolidScope Score 44/100
Alta Loma Middle
Building Momentum
59th percentile · SolidScope Score 40/100
Parkway Heights Middle
Building Momentum
13th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 21/100

Middle school detail in the appendix →

Stage 3 of 3

The high school years

46 points separate El Camino High (63) from Baden High (Continuation) (17) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.

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46 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 3 high schools — the average hides more than it tells.

1 continuation/alternative school not plotted — it ranks within its own class, not on this statewide axis.

The strength

El Camino High (63/100) holds the Strong band — 30.4% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 17.1%.

The catch

27.3% of students are chronically absent (state: 23.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.

El Camino High
Building Momentum
77th percentile · StrongScope Score 63/100
South San Francisco High
Building Momentum
41st percentile · DevelopingScope Score 50/100
19th percentile · Needs SupportWithin its own school classScope Score 17/100

High school detail in the appendix →

What it means for your family

If you're choosing a neighborhood

Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Monte Verde Elementary at 69/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.

If you already live here

No charters or magnets among the ranked schools here, so the main lever is an intra-district transfer — California districts run them on their own windows and criteria. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, ask the district office for this year's dates.

If your kid is enrolled now

A band is a position, not a prophecy — 2 campuses here rank as Growth Engine (1) or On the Rise (1), their returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.

The strongest-scoring run through the district:

Monte Verde Elementary 93rd percentile · StrongScope Score 69/100Westborough Middle 68th percentile · SolidScope Score 44/100El Camino High 77th percentile · StrongScope Score 63/100

Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.

What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.

South San Francisco Unified has 15 public schools in this SchoolScope results directory. Compare schools by their primary reporting level below.

2024–25 CAASPP reporting · SchoolScope analysis. Directory coverage, not a complete inventory of every campus. Each school appears at its primary reporting level; K–8 and K–12 campuses can serve additional grades. Sources and methodology →

One district, three stages

The average changes with the journey.

Elementary schools

Explore elementary →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

9 comparable schools · average 38.8/100 · range 11.4–69.1

Middle schools

Explore middle →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

3 comparable schools · average 34.9/100 · range 20.6–44.1

High schools

Explore high →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

2 comparable schools · average 56.5/100 · range 49.9–63.1

Explore South San Francisco Unified by place.

Districts nearby

DistrictAverage scoreRanked schoolsTop schoolDistance
South San Francisco Unifiedthis district40.5 / 10014Monte Verde Elementary—
Jefferson Union High61.8 / 1005Summit Public School: Shasta2.1 mi
Burlingame Elementary64.8 / 1007Franklin Elementary6.2 mi
San Mateo Union High69.9 / 1006Burlingame High7.3 mi
Hillsborough City Elementary83.5 / 1004North Hillsborough7.9 mi
Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary78.8 / 1003Ralston Intermediate12.0 mi

Averages blend every school level in a district and carry no score band. Compare a level at a time in the spreads above, then open the schools. Distances run between school-location centers.

Cities served

City pages include schools from other districts too. Check the district named on each school profile.

Patterns across the district

What kinds of schools are here?

Patterns worth exploring.

Choose a pattern to find matching schools in the lists below. Open a profile to see the underlying measures and questions to ask on a visit.

How patterns are defined →

Archetypes describe reported patterns, not school quality or fit. Available measures differ by school level.

Schools in South San Francisco Unified

Browse by level, then compare the evidence behind each profile.

Map ↗

Elementary schools in South San Francisco Unified · 9 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Monte Verde Elementary
South San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
51.3%93rd percentile · StrongScope Score 69/100
Buri Buri Elementary
South San Francisco Unified Solid Base
37.5%81st percentile · StrongScope Score 54/100
Skyline Elementary
South San Francisco Unified Growth Engine
33.1%81st percentile · StrongScope Score 54/100
Junipero Serra Elementary
South San Francisco Unified Culture First
34.2%76th percentile · StrongScope Score 50/100
Ponderosa Elementary
South San Francisco Unified Culture First
20.6%62nd percentile · SolidScope Score 41/100
Sunshine Gardens Elementary
South San Francisco Unified On the Rise
13.3%50th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 36/100

Middle schools in South San Francisco Unified · 3 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
Westborough Middle
South San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
24.1%68th percentile · SolidScope Score 44/100
Alta Loma Middle
South San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
21.2%59th percentile · SolidScope Score 40/100
Parkway Heights Middle
South San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
8.7%13th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 21/100

High schools in South San Francisco Unified · 3 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
El Camino High
South San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
30.4%77th percentile · StrongScope Score 63/100
South San Francisco High
South San Francisco Unified Building Momentum
20.0%41st percentile · DevelopingScope Score 50/100
Baden High (Continuation)
South San Francisco Unified continuation high school
1.1%19th percentile · Needs SupportWithin its own school classScope Score 17/100
Compare selected schools

Select two to four schools at the same level. Rankings and score bands compare each school with its own enrollment group.

District finance · FY 2024–25

Where the district's dollars go.

South San Francisco Unified spent $23,037 per student in FY 2024–25 — $2,546 more than the median California district ($20,491), about 12% higher. About 58 cents of every dollar goes to classroom instruction.

Current expense per student

Current expense of education per unit of average daily attendance, from the district's annual SACS filing to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus. Spending is context, not a measure of school quality.

Share by function

  • Instruction58%
  • Instruction support11%
  • Student services13%
  • Administration6%
  • Buildings & maintenance12%

Shares of the same current-expense total, by SACS function. Names are simplified from the filing's own categories.

The system behind the schools

The people behind the classrooms — district-grain context that never enters a school's score.

People
Teacher salary range$67,889–$125,220
Teaching staff468 · FTE
District enrollment8,182 · students
Who attends
Hispanic 49.5% · White 6.4% · Black 1.0% · Asian 14.5% · Other 28.6%
Free/reduced lunch43% · economic need indicator

CDE Form J-90 salary schedule 2024–25 · CDE enrollment (district averages)

See how the school years fit together.

Explore the next stage, then verify the schools available for your address.

These are browsing links, not a feeder path. Assignments vary by residence, program, permits, and available space.

Looking beyond South San Francisco Unified?

Explore public, private, and early-learning options.

Know what you’re comparing.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 15 schoolsMethodology · Download this data (CSV)

Free to download, CC BY 4.0 with attribution.

Frequently asked questions

How many schools are listed in South San Francisco Unified?
This SchoolScope directory lists 15 public schools in South San Francisco Unified with 2024–25 reporting records. This is directory coverage, not a complete campus inventory. Each school appears under its primary reporting level; a K–8 or K–12 campus may serve additional grades.
Which schools have the highest scores in South San Francisco Unified?
Among comprehensive public schools listed here, the highest Scope Score at each primary reporting level is: Elementary: Monte Verde Elementary (69/100). Middle: Westborough Middle (44/100). High: El Camino High (63/100). These are separate level rankings, not a single cross-level league table. A score does not establish fit or enrollment eligibility. See the methodology.
Can I compare elementary, middle, and high schools directly?
Compare schools at the same level and within the same enrollment group. Scope Score formulas and available measures differ by level. The plots show comprehensive public schools separately for each level; individual profiles explain their comparison group.
Does living in South San Francisco Unified guarantee a particular school?
A district outline does not establish assignment to an individual school. Attendance boundaries, programs, permits, and available space can affect enrollment. Confirm the requirements directly with the district.
What does a SchoolScope pattern mean?
Archetypes summarize patterns in publicly reported academic and school-climate measures. They describe reported results, not a school’s quality or a child’s fit. Open the school profile for reporting years, missing measures, and questions to ask. Read how the patterns are defined.
Where do these results come from?
The underlying public data comes from the California Department of Education, including CAASPP reporting for 2024–25. Scope Scores and archetypes are SchoolScope calculations, not official CDE ratings. View CDE data and SchoolScope’s methodology and limitations.