Summary:
The three high schools in the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High district serve grades 9–12 and enroll 4,435 students: about 2,200 each at Mountain View High and Los Altos High, and 78 at Alta Vista High. The most important finding is that the two larger schools are well above state proficiency in all three subjects, while Alta Vista is below the state in every subject.
Mountain View leads in 2025–26, with 88% proficient in English, 73% in math, and 70% in science—39, 34, and 34 percentage points above the state, respectively. Los Altos ranks second, at 77% in English, 66% in math, and 67% in science; all are above state results. Alta Vista is well behind at 38%, 4%, and 8%, respectively, and has higher chronic absenteeism (78%, versus 10% at each larger school) and a lower graduation rate (83%, versus 98% at Mountain View and 97% at Los Altos).
Recent changes are mixed: Mountain View improved in all subjects from 2024–25 to 2025–26, by 8 percentage points in English and 4 points each in math and science. Los Altos slipped 1 point in English and 2 in math but rose 10 in science; Alta Vista gained 3 in English and fell 1 in math and 8 in science. SchoolDigger ranks Mountain View 31st of 2,137 schools (99th percentile, 5 stars), Los Altos 83rd (96th percentile, 5 stars), and Alta Vista 1,589th (26th percentile, 1 star). In 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 13%, 17%, and 50%, respectively; student–teacher ratios were 18.4, 18.1, and 13.7. These measures offer context, not explanations for school results.
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