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Terra Nova High

Q: Is Terra Nova High a good school?

Terra Nova High ranks 496 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

496^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 77% of California high schools

Summary

Terra Nova High is a public high school serving about 740 students in grades 9-12 in the coastal community of Pacifica, part of the Jefferson Union High district, and is currently ranked among the top 25% of high schools statewide.

The school's greatest strengths are its excellent student engagement and outcomes, with a 95% graduation rate, a very low dropout rate, and a chronic absenteeism rate significantly better than the district and state averages. In English Language Arts, student proficiency is strong and exceeds many nearby comprehensive high schools like Westmoor High and South San Francisco High. However, math proficiency, while solid, is an area where the school trails higher-performing neighbors such as Mills High and Oceana High.

Analysis shows the school is very effective for female students, but there is a notable performance gap for male students. Support for special education and economically disadvantaged students has also been inconsistent in recent years. While the school spends more per student than several comparable schools, its academic results are similar, which may prompt questions about resource allocation. Overall, Terra Nova is a stable and reliable choice with high graduation success, though families may want to consider its specific program strengths.

740

Students ?

20.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,148

Per pupil spending ?

14.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1450 Terra Nova Blvd.
Pacifica, CA 94044-3615

(650) 550-7600

District: Jefferson Union High

Feeder schools for Terra Nova High:

Elementary:	Cabrillo Elementary
	Ocean Shore Elementary
	Ortega Elementary
	Sunset Ridge Elementary
	More...
	Vallemar Elementary
Middle:	Ingrid B. Lacy Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.9%

Hispanic:

28.5%

Two or more races:

14.7%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Terra Nova High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 80th percentile in 2015 → 77th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (47% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of California high schools

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg42%

California avg41%

496^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 23%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	74.9	496 of 2162	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	73.8	510 of 2159	76.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.4	419 of 2170	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	87.0	249 of 2123	88.3%	★★★★☆
2021	93.8	74 of 1290	94.3%	★★★★★
2019	61.2	709 of 2133	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.1	468 of 2017	76.8%	★★★★☆
2017	76.1	480 of 2021	76.2%	★★★★☆
2016	76.5	435 of 2039	78.7%	★★★★☆
2015	77.7	407 of 1994	79.6%	★★★★☆
2013	67.1	365 of 2426	85.0%	★★★★☆
2012	62.9	470 of 2354	80.0%	★★★★☆
2011	72.3	266 of 2367	88.8%	★★★★☆
2010	64.0	421 of 2281	81.5%	★★★★☆
2009	67.1	302 of 2238	86.5%	★★★★☆
2008	62.9	420 of 2117	80.2%	★★★★☆
2007	67.9	303 of 2063	85.3%	★★★★☆
2006	75.5	189 of 1968	90.4%	★★★★★
2005	65.2	336 of 1901	82.3%	★★★★☆
2004	65.9	248 of 1653	85.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.5	287 of 585	50.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	56.2	319 of 1161	72.5%	★★★★☆
2019	34.0	663 of 1117	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.0	552 of 1052	47.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.5	250 of 1906	86.9%	★★★★☆
2024	76.3	418 of 1915	78.2%	★★★★☆
2023	82.7	306 of 1915	84.0%	★★★★☆
2022	88.9	197 of 1858	89.4%	★★★★☆
2021	94.0	52 of 1054	95.1%	★★★★★
2019	61.7	609 of 1833	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.7	444 of 1760	74.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.6	584 of 1900	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.0	705 of 1902	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	77.2	351 of 1917	81.7%	★★★★☆
2022	87.9	153 of 1861	91.8%	★★★★★
2019	47.9	930 of 1814	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	68.9	518 of 1742	70.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.1	1240 of 2013	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.0	988 of 2026	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.7	1000 of 2030	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.4	373 of 1943	80.8%	★★★★☆
2019	51.0	905 of 1937	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.4	823 of 1862	55.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.4	667 of 1942	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.6	583 of 1948	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	69.8	523 of 1963	73.4%	★★★★☆
2022	80.9	312 of 1916	83.7%	★★★★☆
2021	93.6	74 of 1122	93.4%	★★★★★
2019	53.5	786 of 1880	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.6	472 of 1834	74.3%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	390 of 577	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.0	287 of 574	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.1	262 of 541	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.7	384 of 515	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.1	280 of 422	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.7	207 of 366	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.5	601 of 1252	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	25.6	950 of 1216	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	65.9	258 of 1197	78.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.1	459 of 1155	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.5	472 of 1173	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.6	527 of 1193	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.4	241 of 1204	80.0%	★★★★☆
2019	46.5	675 of 1222	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	66.6	431 of 1173	63.3%	★★★☆☆

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)87th percentile+10 vs school

Disabled (2022)73rd percentile-16 vs school

Hispanic (2025)69th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2025)66th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)60th percentile-17 vs school

Special Education (2025)52nd percentile-25 vs school

Asian (2025)51st percentile-26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)38th percentile-39 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)32nd percentile-45 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy64%+15 vs state

Mathematics41%+4 vs state

Science37%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Terra Nova 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 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
Terra Nova High	Public	9-12	1450 Terra Nova Blvd.	Pacifica	94044	San Mateo County	Jefferson Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 550-7600	740	37	20.0	14.9%	310 (41.9%)	7 (0.9%)	211 (28.5%)	91 (12.3%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.4%)	109 (14.7%)	74.9	496^th of 2162 public high schools	77.1%		73.8	510^th of 2159 public high schools	76.4%	14	38.4	20.0	36.7	64.0	64.0	41.4	41.4	$28,148	$26,262	$1,886
Oceana High	Public	9-12	401 Paloma Ave.	Pacifica	94044	San Mateo County	Jefferson Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 550-7300	471	28	16.9	18.7%	106 (22.5%)	7 (1.5%)	117 (24.8%)	177 (37.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	52 (11.0%)	86.5	274^th of 2162 public high schools	87.3%		81.2	392^nd of 2159 public high schools	81.8%	118	55.3	26.7	51.7	67.3	67.3	50.0	50.0	$34,107	$31,552	$2,555
Capuchino High	Public	9-12	1501 Magnolia Ave.	San Bruno	94066	San Mateo County	San Mateo Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 558-2799	1,061	57	18.6	34.2%	174 (16.4%)	8 (0.8%)	584 (55.0%)	183 (17.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (4.1%)	67 (6.3%)	69.6	609^th of 2162 public high schools	71.8%		69.2	574^th of 2159 public high schools	73.4%	35		35.7	35.7	61.0	61.0	25.9	25.9	$42,058	$41,062	$996
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	$34,332	$31,816	$2,516
South San Francisco High	Public	9-12	400 B St.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8754	1,239	68	18.2	41.8%	60 (4.8%)	16 (1.3%)	777 (62.7%)	320 (25.8%)	4 (0.3%)	15 (1.2%)	47 (3.8%)	64.1	710^th of 2162 public high schools	67.2%		70.5	558^th of 2159 public high schools	74.2%	152		27.2	27.2	58.9	58.9	26.5	26.5	$26,788	$24,668	$2,120
Mills High	Public	9-12	400 Murchison Dr.	Millbrae	94030	San Mateo County	San Mateo Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 558-2599	1,115	54	20.4	20.3%	119 (10.7%)	3 (0.3%)	226 (20.3%)	655 (58.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.0%)	100 (9.0%)	95.3	90^th of 2162 public high schools	95.8%		93.3	150^th of 2159 public high schools	93.1%	60		49.0	49.0	81.9	81.9	63.3	63.3	$39,075	$38,144	$931
Community Day	Public	6-12	201 West Orange Ave.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 616-3882	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)								$1,158	$00	$1,158
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
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	$26,166	$24,628	$1,538
Peninsula High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	860 Hinckley Rd.	Burlingame	94010	San Mateo County	San Mateo Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 558-2402	123	9	13.2	49.6%	7 (5.7%)	1 (0.8%)	93 (75.6%)	7 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (8.1%)	5 (4.1%)	17.3	1736^th of 2162 public high schools	19.7%		10.6	2035^th of 2159 public high schools	5.7%	299		9.1	9.1	11.4	11.4	5.9	5.9	$74,166	$71,092	$3,074

Frequently Asked Questions about Terra Nova High

What district is Terra Nova High in?

Jefferson Union High

Is Terra Nova High a good school?

Terra Nova High ranks 496^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Terra Nova High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 740 students attended Terra Nova High.

What schools feed into Terra Nova High?

Terra Nova High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cabrillo Elementary
Elementary : Ocean Shore Elementary
Elementary : Ortega Elementary
Elementary : Sunset Ridge Elementary
Elementary : Vallemar Elementary
Middle : Ingrid B. Lacy Middle

What is the racial makeup of Terra Nova High?

Students at Terra Nova High are 42% White, 29% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 12% Asian.

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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.