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Thornton High

Public Grades 9-12

1769^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 18% of California high schools

Summary

Thornton High is a very small public high school serving 89 students in grades 9-12 within the Jefferson Union High district in Daly City, CA, but it faces significant academic and attendance challenges that set it apart from neighboring schools.

The school's academic performance is among the lowest in the state, with only about 15% of students proficient in English and less than 3% proficient in math, which is far below both the district and state averages. This is coupled with a critical chronic absenteeism rate of over 63%, meaning a majority of students miss a substantial amount of school. Furthermore, the graduation rate is 70%, notably lower than the district's 93% average. Interestingly, these struggles persist despite the school having a high per-student spending of over $23,000 and a low student-teacher ratio of about 11 to 1, which are resources that often support student success.

When compared to other schools in the same district, the differences are stark. For example, Westmoor High, less than two miles away, has much higher proficiency rates and a 93% graduation rate, while Jefferson High, just half a mile away, also performs significantly better. Thornton High's profile is most similar to other small schools serving high-need populations, like Jordan (June) School for Equity. The school's small size could be an asset for providing intensive, personalized support to address its deep-rooted challenges with attendance and student engagement.

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,115

Per pupil spending ?

52.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

115 First Ave.
Daly City, CA 94014-2643

(650) 550-7840

District: Jefferson Union High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.8%

Asian:

15.7%

White:

11.2%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 32nd percentile in 2013 → 18th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (9% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (70% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school9%

District avg42%

California avg41%

1,769^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 8% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5High Schools in the Jefferson Union High

513^th of 1,543Jefferson Union High 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	16.0	1769 of 2162	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.0	1704 of 2159	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.1	1774 of 2170	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	1824 of 2123	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.9	1737 of 2133	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.1	1848 of 2017	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	13.8	1630 of 2021	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	9.7	1895 of 2039	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.2	1830 of 1994	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	19.8	1657 of 2426	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	16.3	1761 of 2354	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.5	1622 of 2367	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	15.5	1803 of 2281	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	28.8	1443 of 2238	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	14.1	1787 of 2117	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	18.9	1550 of 2063	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	19.7	1446 of 1968	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	17.8	1472 of 1901	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	11.9	1592 of 1653	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	25.8	896 of 941	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.7	1361 of 1906	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	1558 of 1915	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	1578 of 1915	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.8	1643 of 1833	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.1	1625 of 1760	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.4	1571 of 1900	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.2	1833 of 1917	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.8	1740 of 1814	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.4	1643 of 1742	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	1957 of 2013	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	1566 of 2030	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	1898 of 1937	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.0	1751 of 1862	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.4	1811 of 1942	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.6	1670 of 1963	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.8	1533 of 1880	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.7	1720 of 1834	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	3.1	1214 of 1222	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)29th percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)17th percentile~ school

Male (2025)7th percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)5th percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile-15 vs school

White (2019)1st percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy15%-34 vs state

Science9%-24 vs state

Mathematics3%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Thornton High

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 (2024)
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 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
Thornton High	Public	9-12	115 First Ave.	Daly City	94014	San Mateo County	Jefferson Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 550-7840	89	8	11.5	52.8%	10 (11.2%)	2 (2.2%)	55 (61.8%)	14 (15.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	6 (6.7%)	16	1769^th of 2162 public high schools	18.2%		20	1704^th of 2159 public high schools	21.1%	65	4.0	15.0	8.9	14.7	14.7	2.7	2.7	$23,115	$1,229	$21,886
Jefferson High	Public	9-12	6996 Mission St.	Daly City	94014	San Mateo County	Jefferson Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 550-7700	1,072	55	19.4	41.1%	41 (3.8%)	23 (2.1%)	544 (50.7%)	402 (37.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (1.6%)	40 (3.7%)	45.5	1131^st of 2162 public high schools	47.7%		40.3	1231^st of 2159 public high schools	43.0%	100	25.7	19.1	25.2	46.5	46.5	20.2	20.2	$20,792	$1,702	$19,090
Westmoor High	Public	9-12	131 Westmoor Ave.	Daly City	94015	San Mateo County	Jefferson Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 550-7400	1,278	64	19.8	40.8%	84 (6.6%)	9 (0.7%)	376 (29.4%)	736 (57.6%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	62 (4.9%)	80.8	396^th of 2162 public high schools	81.7%		81.6	383^rd of 2159 public high schools	82.3%	13		40.9	40.9	65.4	65.4	37.8	37.8	$20,340	$1,469	$18,871
Summit Public School: Shasta	Public, Charter	9-12	905 Campus Dr.	Daly City	94015	San Mateo County	Summit Public School: Shasta District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 799-4719	458	17	26.8	32.8%	16 (3.5%)	4 (0.9%)	128 (27.9%)	262 (57.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	46 (10.0%)	88.9	219^th of 2162 public high schools	89.9%		91.8	183^rd of 2159 public high schools	91.5%	36		40.0	40.0	75.5	75.5	49.1	49.1	$14,683	$464	$14,219
El Camino High	Public	9-12	1320 Mission Rd.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8806	1,053	60	17.6	25.1%	65 (6.2%)	6 (0.6%)	399 (37.9%)	502 (47.7%)	2 (0.2%)	15 (1.4%)	64 (6.1%)	87.2	261^st of 2162 public high schools	87.9%		88.1	260^th of 2159 public high schools	88.0%	1		48.0	48.0	74.0	74.0	40.4	40.4	$20,433	$1,465	$18,968
City Arts & Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	350 Seneca Ave.	San Francisco	94112	San Francisco County	City Arts & Leadership Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 841-2200	397	23	17.2	52.9%	8 (2.0%)	24 (6.0%)	330 (83.1%)	6 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (5.8%)	32.7	1432^nd of 2162 public high schools	33.8%		37.8	1298^th of 2159 public high schools	39.9%	134		15.9	15.9	36.1	36.1	8.1	8.1	$17,313	$1,735	$15,578
Balboa High	Public	9-12	1000 Cayuga Ave.	San Francisco	94112	San Francisco County	San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 469-4090	1,238	62	20.0	63.7%	44 (3.6%)	70 (5.7%)	428 (34.6%)	611 (49.4%)	1 (0.1%)	17 (1.4%)	67 (5.4%)	80.4	400^th of 2162 public high schools	81.5%		84.3	338^th of 2159 public high schools	84.3%	62	42.1		40.5	65.7	65.7	45.8	45.8	$23,679	$2,580	$21,099
Jordan (June) School for Equity	Public	9-12	325 La Grande Ave.	San Francisco	94112	San Francisco County	San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 452-4922	176	13	13.1	70.5%	4 (2.3%)	16 (9.1%)	128 (72.7%)	15 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.3%)	9 (5.1%)	14.7	1815^th of 2162 public high schools	16.0%		11.8	1959^th of 2159 public high schools	9.3%	144	7.9		7.5	22.2	22.2	3.1	3.1	$33,669	$1,175	$32,494
Lowell High	Public	9-12	1101 Eucalyptus Dr.	San Francisco	94132	San Francisco County	San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 759-2730	2,571	123	20.9	42.5%	397 (15.4%)	58 (2.3%)	441 (17.2%)	1,346 (52.4%)	3 (0.1%)	7 (0.3%)	316 (12.3%)	97.2	50^th of 2162 public high schools	97.7%		97	71^st of 2159 public high schools	96.7%	21	67.3	42.3	66.2	87.0	87.0	71.4	71.4	$21,746	$1,660	$20,086
Baden High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	825 Southwood Dr.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8769	130	10	12.4	46.9%	13 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (67.7%)	20 (15.4%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.2%)	11	1965^th of 2162 public high schools	9.1%		16.6	1771^st of 2159 public high schools	18.0%	194		0.0	0.0	13.0	13.0	2.3	2.3	$25,562	$1,975	$23,587

Frequently Asked Questions about Thornton High

What district is Thornton High in?

Jefferson Union High

What is the racial makeup of Thornton High?

Students at Thornton High are 62% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 11% White, 7% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% Pacific Islander, 1% Not Specified.

Is Thornton High a good school?

Thornton High ranks in the bottom 18.2% of California high schools.

How many students attend Thornton High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 89 students attended Thornton High.

Rate Thornton High!

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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.