Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! California test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Northgate High

Public Grades 9-12

164^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,137 California High Schools

Better than 92% of California high schools

Summary

Northgate High serves 1,546 students in grades 9–12 in Walnut Creek, an East Bay community, and is part of the Mt. Diablo Unified district. The most important takeaway is that Northgate’s 2025–2026 test results were well above state and district levels in all three subjects: 83% in English language arts (ELA), 61% in math and 54% in science.

ELA is Northgate’s strongest subject compared with nearby comprehensive high schools, while science is its least advantaged relative to state and district benchmarks. Among six nearby schools with current results, Northgate ranked second in ELA and third in math and science; it trailed Acalanes High in ELA and math, and Monte Vista High and Acalanes in science. Northgate’s results exceeded the state by 34 percentage points in ELA, 23 in math and 18 in science; its advantages over the district were 34, 22 and 20 points, respectively. Completion outcomes were also strong: graduation was about 100%, compared with 94% districtwide and 88% statewide.

Scores are higher overall than in 2022–2023: math rose 7 percentage points, while ELA and science each rose 2. The path was uneven—ELA dipped before rebounding, and science’s lead over the state narrowed. SchoolDigger gives Northgate five stars and ranks it in the 92nd percentile statewide for 2025–2026; nearby Monte Vista and Acalanes rank slightly higher, at the 96th and 95th percentiles. Northgate’s 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 23.1, and 22% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for Asian students was at the 73rd percentile in 2025–2026, up from the 56th percentile in 2023–2024, compared with the school’s overall 92nd-percentile rank. Its ranking for Multi-racial students was at the 75th percentile, down from the 87th percentile in 2023–2024.

1,546

Students ?

23.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$581

Per pupil spending ?

22.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

425 Castle Rock Rd.
Walnut Creek, CA 94598-4599

(925) 938-0900

District: Mt. Diablo Unified

Feeder schools for Northgate High:

Elementary:	Ayers Elementary
	Bancroft Elementary
	Highlands Elementary
	Mt. Diablo Elementary
	More...
	Silverwood Elementary
	Valle Verde Elementary
	Walnut Acres Elementary
Middle:	Diablo View Middle
	Foothill Middle
	Pine Hollow Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.9%

Two or more races:

18.6%

Asian:

16.7%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Northgate High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 93rd percentile in 2016 → 92nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (66% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of California high schools

✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school66%

District avg42%

California avg42%

164^th of 2,137

California public high schools ?

Top 8%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 7High Schools in the Mt. Diablo Unified

493^rd of 968Mt. Diablo Unified 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
2026	91.9	164 of 2137	92.3%	★★★★★
2025	89.5	207 of 2162	90.4%	★★★★★
2024	93.5	143 of 2159	93.4%	★★★★★
2023	94.5	123 of 2170	94.3%	★★★★★
2022	95.2	109 of 2123	94.9%	★★★★★
2021	96.2	41 of 1290	96.8%	★★★★★
2019	91.8	153 of 2133	92.8%	★★★★★
2018	92.4	149 of 2017	92.6%	★★★★★
2017	92.7	139 of 2021	93.1%	★★★★★
2016	92.2	136 of 2039	93.3%	★★★★★
2015	94.0	101 of 1994	94.9%	★★★★★
2013	72.1	270 of 2426	88.9%	★★★★☆
2012	79.2	156 of 2354	93.4%	★★★★★
2011	80.2	147 of 2367	93.8%	★★★★★
2010	87.8	53 of 2281	97.7%	★★★★★
2009	83.2	69 of 2238	96.9%	★★★★★
2008	87.2	41 of 2117	98.1%	★★★★★
2007	90.6	25 of 2063	98.8%	★★★★★
2006	89.2	36 of 1968	98.2%	★★★★★
2005	92.3	10 of 1901	99.5%	★★★★★
2004	91.0	17 of 1653	99.0%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	74.8	153 of 575	73.4%	★★★★☆
2025	67.4	236 of 585	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.1	253 of 573	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.9	281 of 591	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	80.0	107 of 581	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	58.2	276 of 582	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.8	225 of 581	61.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	92.7	62 of 1161	94.7%	★★★★★
2021	96.4	21 of 555	96.2%	★★★★★
2019	80.4	136 of 1117	87.8%	★★★★☆
2018	98.9	23 of 1052	97.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	90.8	146 of 1865	92.2%	★★★★★
2025	91.8	138 of 1906	92.8%	★★★★★
2024	93.5	114 of 1915	94.0%	★★★★★
2023	92.8	136 of 1915	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	94.8	92 of 1858	95.0%	★★★★★
2021	94.6	45 of 1054	95.7%	★★★★★
2019	92.3	130 of 1833	92.9%	★★★★★
2018	90.5	147 of 1760	91.6%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	90.5	137 of 1880	92.7%	★★★★★
2025	85.7	193 of 1900	89.8%	★★★★☆
2024	84.3	235 of 1902	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	91.3	126 of 1917	93.4%	★★★★★
2022	97.9	43 of 1861	97.7%	★★★★★
2019	91.3	107 of 1814	94.1%	★★★★★
2018	96.0	58 of 1742	96.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	81.7	300 of 1999	85.0%	★★★★☆
2025	89.4	168 of 2013	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	80.6	320 of 2026	84.2%	★★★★☆
2023	88.5	191 of 2030	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	97.0	57 of 1943	97.1%	★★★★★
2021	96.7	31 of 1126	97.2%	★★★★★
2019	77.2	344 of 1937	82.2%	★★★★☆
2018	86.2	219 of 1862	88.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	90.7	166 of 1932	91.4%	★★★★★
2025	83.8	300 of 1942	84.6%	★★★★☆
2024	91.5	170 of 1948	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	92.7	153 of 1963	92.2%	★★★★★
2022	95.5	96 of 1916	95.0%	★★★★★
2021	96.1	43 of 1122	96.2%	★★★★★
2019	87.4	201 of 1880	89.3%	★★★★☆
2018	92.0	147 of 1834	92.0%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	75.4	145 of 588	75.3%	★★★★☆
2025	77.6	133 of 577	76.9%	★★★★☆
2024	83.1	76 of 574	86.8%	★★★★☆
2023	73.0	143 of 541	73.6%	★★★★☆
2022	79.2	81 of 515	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	77.4	86 of 422	79.6%	★★★★☆
2018	80.3	59 of 366	83.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	83.6	128 of 1235	89.6%	★★★★☆
2025	81.1	139 of 1252	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	78.9	163 of 1216	86.6%	★★★★☆
2023	93.9	51 of 1197	95.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	77.7	218 of 1132	80.7%	★★★★☆
2025	68.4	357 of 1155	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	85.5	130 of 1173	88.9%	★★★★☆
2023	81.9	199 of 1193	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	88.3	100 of 1204	91.7%	★★★★★
2019	71.8	310 of 1222	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	77.5	255 of 1173	78.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Disabled (2022)95th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)92nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)91st percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)90th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)85th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)81st percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)75th percentile-17 vs school

Asian (2026)73rd percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy83%+34 vs state

Mathematics61%+23 vs state

Science54%+18 vs state

3.0

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★1

Rate Northgate High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, May 3, 2016

If you have a high performing child then you are in great shape. If you have a child in the middle ground or WORSE (IEP or 504) then you are in BIG trouble. My child had a 504 plan where the documented LD specified that she take tests in an environment other than the class room. Northgate said we do have the facilities to do this. She was not allowed in Resource, not allowed in the hall, not allowed in the library. They did enforce her 504 modifications with their teachers.

Why? Because they can't retain their teachers. My kids had NO spanish teacher, no algebra teacher etc. for more than the first 3 months. The AP and Honors classes ALways had teachers.

In 10 years we have had 3 principals and the entire Vice principal Staff left in 2014- 2015 and almost all.

School Digger you need to change your criteria. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, September 10, 2010

quality of math / science teachers could be better. There are up to 35 students per class. Close Quote

Schools Near Northgate High

Load more schools when map is moved

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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
Northgate High	Public	9-12	425 Castle Rock Rd.	Walnut Creek	94598	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 938-0900	1,546	67	23.1	22.4%	709 (45.9%)	23 (1.5%)	256 (16.6%)	258 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.5%)	287 (18.6%)	91.9	164^th of 2137 public high schools	92.3%		89.5	207^th of 2162 public high schools	90.4%	43		54.6		54.2	82.9	82.9	61.1	61.1	$581	$344	$237
Ygnacio Valley High	Public	9-12	755 Oak Grove Rd.	Concord	94518	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 685-8414	1,059	56	18.9	81.5%	52 (4.9%)	34 (3.2%)	827 (78.1%)	85 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.8%)	51 (4.8%)	32.1	1445^th of 2137 public high schools	32.4%		24	1613^th of 2162 public high schools	25.4%	168		20.8		21.3	37.4	37.4	17.3	17.3	$1,221	$462	$759
Las Lomas High	Public	9-12	1460 South Main St.	Walnut Creek	94596	Contra Costa County	Acalanes Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 280-3920	1,577	81	19.4	15.4%	806 (51.1%)	45 (2.9%)	268 (17.0%)	271 (17.2%)	5 (0.3%)	6 (0.4%)	174 (11.0%)	83.9	319^th of 2137 public high schools	85.1%		90.9	183^rd of 2162 public high schools	91.5%	136		52.0		51.7	67.0	67.0	50.8	50.8
Clayton Valley Charter High	Public, Charter	9-12	1101 Alberta Way	Concord	94521	Contra Costa County	Clayton Valley Charter High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 682-7474	2,373	94	25.1	22.3%	477 (20.1%)	68 (2.9%)	694 (29.2%)	257 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.2%)	868 (36.6%)								(n/a)
Prospect High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	One Santa Barbara Rd.	Pleasant Hill	94523	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 682-8000	60	6	10.4	66.7%	13 (21.7%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (68.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	5 (8.3%)	10.7	1908^th of 2137 public high schools	10.7%		23.9	1618^th of 2162 public high schools	25.2%	290				0.0	0.0	0.0	9.1	9.1	$974	$974	$00
Contra Costa County Regional Occupational Program	Public	9-12	77 Santa Barbara Rd.	Pleasant Hill	94523	Contra Costa County	Contra Costa County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(925) 942-3368	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Acalanes Center for Independent Study	Public	9-12	1963 Tice Valley Blvd.	Walnut Creek	94595	Contra Costa County	Acalanes Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 280-3945	61	6	9.5	16.4%	39 (63.9%)	1 (1.6%)	11 (18.0%)	7 (11.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.9%)	62.6	760^th of 2137 public high schools	64.4%		54	947^th of 2162 public high schools	56.2%	187			18.2	18.2	68.0	68.0	28.0	28.0
Monte Vista High	Public	9-12	3131 Stone Valley Rd.	Danville	94526	Contra Costa County	San Ramon Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 552-2800	2,042	93	22.0	5.4%	864 (42.3%)	21 (1.0%)	174 (8.5%)	777 (38.1%)	3 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	199 (9.7%)	95.5	77^th of 2137 public high schools	96.4%		96.6	67^th of 2162 public high schools	96.9%	10	65.6		64.2	64.6	78.9	78.9	64.4	64.4	$19,674	$19,524	$150
Acalanes High	Public	9-12	1200 Pleasant Hill Rd.	Lafayette	94549	Contra Costa County	Acalanes Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 280-3970	1,256	64	19.5	7.3%	787 (62.7%)	19 (1.5%)	150 (11.9%)	152 (12.1%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	134 (10.7%)	94.4	111^th of 2137 public high schools	94.8%		95.1	93^rd of 2162 public high schools	95.7%	18		61.8	16.7	60.1	85.2	85.2	70.3	70.3
Concord High	Public	9-12	4200 Concord Blvd.	Concord	94521	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 687-2030	1,137	58	19.5	69.6%	219 (19.3%)	30 (2.6%)	656 (57.7%)	114 (10.0%)	5 (0.4%)	5 (0.4%)	103 (9.1%)	32.7	1433^rd of 2137 public high schools	32.9%		36.6	1340^th of 2162 public high schools	38.0%	93		20.2		19.9	40.1	40.1	16.6	16.6	$554	$198	$356

Frequently Asked Questions about Northgate High

Is Northgate High a good school?

Yes. Northgate High ranks in the top 7.7% of California high schools.

What district is Northgate High in?

Mt. Diablo Unified

How many students attend Northgate High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,546 students attended Northgate High.

What schools feed into Northgate High?

Northgate High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ayers Elementary
Elementary : Bancroft Elementary
Elementary : Highlands Elementary
Elementary : Mt. Diablo Elementary
Elementary : Silverwood Elementary
Elementary : Valle Verde Elementary
Elementary : Walnut Acres Elementary
Middle : Diablo View Middle
Middle : Foothill Middle
Middle : Pine Hollow Middle

What is the racial makeup of Northgate High?

Students at Northgate High are 46% White, 19% Two or more races, 17% Asian, 17% Hispanic, 1% African American.

Rate Northgate High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia High School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Walnut Creek, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Northgate High!

Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

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.