High Schools in Berkeley Unified

Berkeley Unified has two high schools: Berkeley High, serving grades 9–12, and Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA), serving grades 10–12; together they range from a large comprehensive school to a small academy. The clearest difference is in 2025–26 ELA and math proficiency: Berkeley High led BTA by 66 percentage points in ELA and 41 points in math. The most important takeaway is that families will see very different reported academic results depending on which school they consider.

Berkeley High stands out for proficiency: 71% in ELA and 59% in math, both above state results of 49% and 38%; its science result was also higher than the state’s, 51% versus 36%. BTA’s results were lower, at 6% in ELA and 18% in math, below state levels in both subjects. Still, both schools reported graduation rates around 96%, compared with 88% statewide. Attendance is a major contrast: chronic absenteeism was 93% at BTA versus 14% at Berkeley High and 18% statewide. BTA’s science result was not reported, so the schools cannot be compared on that subject.

Recent test changes were mixed: from 2024–25 to 2025–26, Berkeley High rose 1 point in both ELA and math; BTA’s ELA fell 12 points while its math rose 18. The equal-school average moved down 6 points in ELA and up 10 in math, but this is not a student-weighted district result. SchoolDigger’s ranking for BTA improved from the 1st percentile in 2023–24 to the 20th in 2025–26, while Berkeley High stayed around the 90th–91st percentiles. In 2024–25, BTA had 54 students, a 9.1 student-teacher ratio, and spending of $78,635 per student; Berkeley High had 3,218 students, a ratio of 18.4, and spending of $24,999. That year, free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 56% at BTA and 25% at Berkeley High; these figures describe context, not a cause of outcomes. BTA’s small enrollment means its results may be particularly sensitive to which students are represented.