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KIPP Esperanza High

Q: Is KIPP Esperanza High a good school?

KIPP Esperanza High ranks 973 rd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 9-12

973^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 55% of California high schools

Summary

KIPP Esperanza High is a small public charter high school serving about 194 students in grades 9-12 in East Palo Alto, a community marked by stark educational contrasts with some of California's highest-performing schools located just a few miles away.

The school serves a student population with very high economic need, with nearly 96% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate much higher than neighboring schools like Palo Alto High or Henry M. Gunn High. Despite this challenge, KIPP's performance has been improving, now ranking in the 55th percentile statewide, and it graduates students at a rate above the California average. It stands out for its exceptional support for English Learners, who perform in the 96th percentile, and it outperforms other local schools serving similar communities, such as East Palo Alto Academy and Everest Public High.

This achievement is supported by significant resources, including a very low student-teacher ratio and per-student spending that is more than double that of many area schools. However, the school faces significant challenges with chronic absenteeism and math proficiency that lag behind state averages. Performance for students with special education needs has also been inconsistent year-to-year. Within the KIPP Esperanza High District, the school represents a committed effort to bridge opportunity gaps in a region of extreme inequality.

194

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

95.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1039 Garden St.
East Palo Alto, CA 94303-1748

(415) 528-1546

District: KIPP Esperanza High District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.4%

African American:

2.6%

Pacific Islander:

1.0%

See top rated California high schools

Compare KIPP Esperanza High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 41st percentile in 2023 → 55th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2023

✓Above the California median (55th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (34% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 19% California)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

California avg41%

973^rd of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 45%▲ up 14 pts since 2023

From bottom 41% (2023) to top 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

648^th of 1,543KIPP Esperanza High District among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.8	973 of 2162	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.1	1220 of 2159	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.6	1287 of 2170	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	89.5	45 of 1085	95.9%	★★★★★
2023	50.3	345 of 1064	67.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.8	604 of 1906	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.3	789 of 1915	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.0	1291 of 1915	32.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.0	554 of 1900	70.8%	★★★★☆
2024	50.4	895 of 1902	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.0	1027 of 1917	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.0	773 of 2013	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.2	1012 of 2026	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.3	1057 of 2030	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.0	1052 of 1942	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.9	1286 of 1948	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.6	1058 of 1963	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	27.4	898 of 1216	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	58.6	318 of 1197	73.4%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2024)96th percentile+52 vs school

Hispanic (2025)71st percentile+16 vs school

Female (2025)68th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)62nd percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)46th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2024)26th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy48%~ state avg

Mathematics32%-5 vs state

Science22%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near KIPP Esperanza High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
KIPP Esperanza High	Public, Charter	9-12	1039 Garden St.	East Palo Alto	94303	San Mateo County	KIPP Esperanza High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 528-1546	194	19	10.2	95.9%	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.6%)	185 (95.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52.8	973^rd of 2162 public high schools	55.0%		41.1	1220^th of 2159 public high schools	43.5%	247	20.6			21.6	47.5	47.5	32.5	32.5
East Palo Alto Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	1050 Myrtle St.	East Palo Alto	94303	San Mateo County	East Palo Alto Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 893-8900	278	21	12.9	63.3%	2 (0.7%)	7 (2.5%)	251 (90.3%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.4%)	10 (3.6%)	3 (1.1%)	22.8	1632^nd of 2162 public high schools	24.5%		29.8	1494^th of 2159 public high schools	30.8%	138		8.6		9.3	39.4	39.4	4.3	4.3
Oxford Day Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	763 Green St.	East Palo Alto	94303	San Mateo County	Oxford Day Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 260-3152	108	3	43.0	66.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	107 (99.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	17.5	1731^st of 2162 public high schools	19.9%		8.8	2129^th of 2159 public high schools	1.4%	398					11.8	11.8	12.5	12.5
Menlo-Atherton High	Public	9-12	555 Middlefield Rd.	Atherton	94027	San Mateo County	Sequoia Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 322-5311	2,158	120	17.9	33.0%	747 (34.6%)	69 (3.2%)	918 (42.5%)	180 (8.3%)	36 (1.7%)	96 (4.4%)	111 (5.1%)	87	264^th of 2162 public high schools	87.8%		90.7	207^th of 2159 public high schools	90.4%	57		52.6	7.1	51.2	69.3	69.3	50.9	50.9	$36,894	$36,108	$786
Palo Alto High	Public	9-12	50 Embarcadero Rd.	Palo Alto	94301	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 329-3701	1,891	113	16.7	13.3%	594 (31.4%)	37 (2.0%)	287 (15.2%)	709 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (1.5%)	233 (12.3%)	95.4	88^th of 2162 public high schools	95.9%		94.9	116^th of 2159 public high schools	94.6%	28	68.5		42.3	66.8	75.8	75.8	73.7	73.7	$40,594	$38,122	$2,472
Tide Academy	Public	9-12	150 Jefferson Dr.	Menlo Park	94025	San Mateo County	Sequoia Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 369-1411	212	22	9.4	40.1%	47 (22.2%)	5 (2.4%)	129 (60.8%)	11 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	13 (6.1%)	58.6	859^th of 2162 public high schools	60.3%		91.6	186^th of 2159 public high schools	91.4%	673		31.8		31.1	60.0	60.0	22.7	22.7	$68,709	$67,748	$961
Everest Public High	Public, Charter	9-12	455 Fifth Ave.	Redwood City	94063	San Mateo County	Everest Public High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 366-1050	224	12	18.4	81.7%	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	210 (93.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	7 (3.1%)	29.9	1486^th of 2162 public high schools	31.3%		28	1540^th of 2159 public high schools	28.7%	54			4.6	4.6	45.0	45.0	8.5	8.5
Summit Preparatory Charter High	Public, Charter	9-12	890 Broadway	Redwood City	94063	San Mateo County	Summit Preparatory Charter High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 556-1110	293	15	19.5	71.7%	22 (7.5%)	3 (1.0%)	242 (82.6%)	12 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.1%)	44.8	1145^th of 2162 public high schools	47.0%		62.5	706^th of 2159 public high schools	67.3%	439			20.2	20.2	44.7	44.7	16.7	16.7
Henry M. Gunn High	Public	9-12	780 Arastradero Rd.	Palo Alto	94306	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 354-8200	1,643	100	16.4	11.7%	450 (27.4%)	20 (1.2%)	215 (13.1%)	765 (46.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.2%)	188 (11.4%)	97.6	42^nd of 2162 public high schools	98.1%		97.8	47^th of 2159 public high schools	97.8%	5	80.3		41.2	78.6	84.4	84.4	80.4	80.4	$42,570	$40,014	$2,556
Woodside High	Public	9-12	199 Churchill Ave.	Woodside	94062	San Mateo County	Sequoia Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 367-9750	1,660	101	16.3	28.7%	575 (34.6%)	19 (1.1%)	880 (53.0%)	88 (5.3%)	9 (0.5%)	8 (0.5%)	81 (4.9%)	76.5	469^th of 2162 public high schools	78.3%		81.3	390^th of 2159 public high schools	81.9%	79		46.7	7.1	45.1	58.8	58.8	40.6	40.6	$40,030	$39,120	$910

Frequently Asked Questions about KIPP Esperanza High

What is the racial makeup of KIPP Esperanza High?

Students at KIPP Esperanza High are 95% Hispanic, 3% African American, 1% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend KIPP Esperanza High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 194 students attended KIPP Esperanza High.

Is KIPP Esperanza High a good school?

KIPP Esperanza High ranks 973^rd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is KIPP Esperanza High in?

KIPP Esperanza High District

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.