Summary:
The Tamalpais Union High school district in California serves grades 9-12 across five high schools, including three traditional comprehensive schools, one alternative, and one continuation school, forming a high-performing system in the 78th percentile statewide.
Among the comprehensive schools, Redwood High stands out as the top performer with the highest state ranking, best test scores in math and science, a 98.8% graduation rate, and the lowest chronic absenteeism at 9.4%. It is closely followed by the similarly high-achieving Tamalpais High and Archie Williams High, which also boast graduation rates above 95% and academic proficiency far exceeding state averages. The district's alternative school, Tamiscal High (Alternative), shows remarkable recent improvement, jumping to the 83rd percentile with a strong 94.1% graduation rate and a supportive environment with a low student-teacher ratio.
The continuation school, San Andreas High (Continuation), serves a high-need population and faces significant challenges, including very low test proficiency and a 91.5% chronic absenteeism rate, despite receiving the highest per-student funding in the district. A key takeaway is the strong correlation between chronic absenteeism and school performance, with lower rates at the top schools. The district demonstrates two models: efficient, excellent outcomes at larger comprehensive schools and high-intensity, high-resource support at smaller specialized schools to meet distinct student needs.
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