Foothill High

Foothill High is a small public high school serving only grades 11–12 for 268 students in San Jose's East Side Union High district, but it faces severe academic and engagement challenges that set it apart from every nearby school.

The school is in a state of acute crisis, with a graduation rate of only 44.6% and alarmingly high chronic absenteeism at 75.6%, meaning 3 out of 4 students miss too much school. Academically, proficiency rates are in the single digits, including 0% in mathematics, which is the lowest among all local schools. This is despite the school spending more per student than many neighbors, at $22,860, and having a relatively small class size. The stark contrast with nearby schools is telling: KIPP San Jose Collegiate, just over a mile away, graduates 99.2% of its students with strong academic results, and even other schools serving high-needs populations, like Independence High or ACE Charter High, far outperform Foothill in every key metric.

This comparison shows that the challenges at Foothill High are not inevitable given its student population, pointing instead to a need for deep, systemic change. The school's role serving only upper grades suggests it may function as an alternative for students who have struggled elsewhere, but its outcomes, even compared to a similar school like Pegasus High, are critically low. For any improvement to occur, addressing the foundational issue of student attendance and engagement appears to be an urgent prerequisite.