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

Balboa High

Q: Is Balboa High a good school?

Balboa High ranks 400 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

400^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 81% of California high schools

Summary

Balboa High is a public high school in San Francisco, California, serving 1,251 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the San Francisco Unified School District, which is ranked 679 out of 1,543 districts in the state.

Balboa High consistently outperforms the district and state averages in academic achievement, particularly in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics. For example, in 2024-2025, 65.71% of Balboa High students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 53.21% for the district and 48.81% for the state. The school's performance is also strong for certain student subgroups, such as White students and English Language Learners. Balboa High's four-year graduation rate ranges from 86.2% to 89.5%, which is comparable to or better than the district and state averages.

Compared to nearby schools in the San Francisco Unified School District, Balboa High generally outperforms them in academic achievement and graduation rates. For instance, Asawa (Ruth) SF School of the Arts has higher test scores than Balboa High, but Balboa High still performs well above the district and state averages. However, Balboa High has relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.4% to 31.9% in recent years, which is an area of concern that the school and district may need to address.

1,238

Students ?

20.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,679

Per pupil spending ?

63.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1000 Cayuga Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94112-3236

(415) 469-4090

District: San Francisco Unified

Feeder schools for Balboa High:

Elementary:	Alamo Elementary
	Alvarado Elementary
	Argonne Elementary
	Bryant Elementary
	More...
	Carver (George Washington) Elementary
	Chavez (Cesar) Elementary
	Chin (John Yehall) Elementary
	Clarendon Alternative Elementary
	Cleveland Elementary
	Cobb (William L.) Elementary
	Drew (Charles) College Preparatory Academy
	El Dorado Elementary
	Feinstein (Dianne) Elementary
	Flynn (Leonard R.) Elementary
	Garfield Elementary
	Glen Park Elementary
	Grattan Elementary
	Guadalupe Elementary
	Harte (Bret) Elementary
	Hillcrest Elementary
	Jefferson Elementary
	Key (Francis Scott) Elementary
	King (Thomas Starr) Elementary
	Lafayette Elementary
	Lakeshore Alternative Elementary
	Lau (Gordon J.) Elementary
	Longfellow Elementary
	Malcolm X Academy
	McCoppin (Frank) Elementary
	McKinley Elementary
	Milk (Harvey) Civil Rights Elementary
	Miraloma Elementary
	Monroe Elementary
	Moscone (George R.) Elementary
	Muir (John) Elementary
	New Traditions Elementary
	Ortega (Jose) Elementary
	Parker (Jean) Elementary
	Parks (Rosa) Elementary
	Peabody (George) Elementary
	Redding Elementary
	Sanchez Elementary
	Serra (Junipero) Elementary
	Sheridan Elementary
	Sherman Elementary
	Sloat (Commodore) Elementary
	Spring Valley Elementary
	Stevenson (Robert Louis) Elementary
	Sunnyside Elementary
	Sunset Elementary
	Sutro Elementary
	Taylor (Edward R.) Elementary
	Tenderloin Community
	Ulloa Elementary
	Visitacion Valley Elementary
	Webster (Daniel) Elementary
	West Portal Elementary
	Yick Wo Elementary
Middle:	Aptos Middle
	Brown Junior (Willie L) Middle
	Denman (James) Middle
	Everett Middle
	More...
	Francisco Middle
	Giannini (A.P.) Middle
	Hoover (Herbert) Middle
	King Junior (Martin Luther) Academic Middle
	Lick (James) Middle
	Marina Middle
	Presidio Middle
	Roosevelt Middle
	Visitacion Valley Middle

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

49.4%

Hispanic:

34.6%

African American:

5.7%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Balboa High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 76th percentile in 2013 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (51% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of California high schools

✓93% 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 school51%

District avg48%

California avg41%

400^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 19%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 17High Schools in the San Francisco Unified

679^th of 1,543San Francisco 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
2025	80.4	400 of 2162	81.5%	★★★★☆
2024	84.3	338 of 2159	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	76.0	474 of 2170	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	82.3	324 of 2123	84.7%	★★★★☆
2019	62.9	679 of 2133	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.2	530 of 2017	73.7%	★★★★☆
2017	81.5	382 of 2021	81.1%	★★★★☆
2016	67.0	630 of 2039	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	80.2	362 of 1994	81.8%	★★★★☆
2013	57.7	589 of 2426	75.7%	★★★★☆
2012	58.5	575 of 2354	75.6%	★★★★☆
2011	57.3	611 of 2367	74.2%	★★★★☆
2010	57.6	565 of 2281	75.2%	★★★★☆
2009	54.5	607 of 2238	72.9%	★★★★☆
2008	59.4	485 of 2117	77.1%	★★★★☆
2007	53.4	578 of 2063	72.0%	★★★★☆
2006	45.0	736 of 1968	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	38.2	853 of 1901	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	31.8	890 of 1653	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	24.1	392 of 521	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.5	321 of 585	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.3	299 of 573	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.6	327 of 591	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.1	298 of 581	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.0	350 of 582	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.2	345 of 581	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	73.1	178 of 1161	84.7%	★★★★☆
2019	26.2	850 of 1117	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.0	532 of 1052	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	91.1	38 of 1085	96.5%	★★★★★
2023	56.9	246 of 1064	76.9%	★★★★☆
2022	90.1	31 of 1044	97.0%	★★★★★
2019	88.8	38 of 941	96.0%	★★★★★
2018	93.9	49 of 938	94.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.8	369 of 1906	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	79.2	376 of 1915	80.4%	★★★★☆
2023	76.0	407 of 1915	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	85.8	237 of 1858	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	61.6	610 of 1833	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.6	465 of 1760	73.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	1221 of 1900	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.6	711 of 1902	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.6	1337 of 1917	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	907 of 1861	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.2	1163 of 1814	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.6	875 of 1742	49.8%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	64.3	75 of 290	74.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.6	188 of 2013	90.7%	★★★★★
2024	90.7	150 of 2026	92.6%	★★★★★
2023	77.4	370 of 2030	81.8%	★★★★☆
2022	86.5	194 of 1943	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	69.4	479 of 1937	75.3%	★★★★☆
2018	79.1	334 of 1862	82.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.3	388 of 1942	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	85.1	282 of 1948	85.5%	★★★★☆
2023	74.4	455 of 1963	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	74.7	416 of 1916	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	60.3	653 of 1880	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.5	580 of 1834	68.4%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	18.0	476 of 574	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.1	346 of 515	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	644 of 1252	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	88.7	82 of 1216	93.3%	★★★★★
2023	64.9	268 of 1197	77.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.7	175 of 1155	84.8%	★★★★☆
2022	92.7	51 of 1204	95.8%	★★★★★
2019	44.6	698 of 1222	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

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+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile+9 vs school

White (2025)85th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)85th percentile~ school

Female (2025)81st percentile~ school

Male (2025)80th percentile~ school

Homeless (2022)74th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2025)49th percentile-33 vs school

Asian (2025)45th percentile-36 vs school

Hispanic (2025)36th percentile-46 vs school

African American (2023)25th percentile-53 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)17th percentile-67 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy66%+17 vs state

Mathematics46%+8 vs state

Science40%+8 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Balboa High and help other families decide.

Rate Balboa 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

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Balboa 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
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
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
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
Academy (The)- SF @McAteer	Public	9-12	555 Portola Dr.	San Francisco	94131	San Francisco County	San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 695-5700	123	12	9.9	56.1%	16 (13.0%)	8 (6.5%)	65 (52.8%)	23 (18.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (8.1%)	57.5	882^nd of 2162 public high schools	59.2%		62.7	702^nd of 2159 public high schools	67.5%	180	22.7		22.7	72.7	72.7	22.7	22.7	$27,925	$1,816	$26,109
Asawa (Ruth) SF School of the Arts A Public School	Public	9-12	555 Portola Dr.	San Francisco	94131	San Francisco County	San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 695-5700	680	34	20.2	22.2%	250 (36.8%)	26 (3.8%)	154 (22.6%)	118 (17.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	125 (18.4%)	95.9	81^st of 2162 public high schools	96.3%		95.5	102^nd of 2159 public high schools	95.3%	21	68.1		67.1	80.6	80.6	65.6	65.6	$24,773	$1,998	$22,775
S.F. County Court Woodside Learning Center	Public	6-12	375 Woodside Ave. W1	San Francisco	94127	San Francisco County	San Francisco County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 753-7792	17	2	8.5	82.4%	0 (0.0%)	5 (29.4%)	7 (41.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (29.4%)								(n/a)								$200,133	$22,849	$177,284
Burton (Phillip and Sala) Academic High	Public	9-12	400 Mansell St.	San Francisco	94134	San Francisco County	San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 469-4550	1,047	55	19.1	67.7%	15 (1.4%)	82 (7.8%)	478 (45.7%)	391 (37.3%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (2.4%)	55 (5.3%)	65.4	681^st of 2162 public high schools	68.5%		76.7	463^rd of 2159 public high schools	78.6%	218	41.8		41.8	56.5	56.5	26.4	26.4	$24,090	$1,612	$22,478
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
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
Marshall (Thurgood) High	Public	8-12	45 Conkling St.	San Francisco	94124	San Francisco County	San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 695-5612	475	33	14.3	78.9%	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.0%)	366 (77.1%)	41 (8.6%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.8%)	21 (4.4%)	11.7	1930^th of 2162 public high schools	10.7%		13.3	1879^th of 2159 public high schools	13.0%	51	4.7		4.2	9.3	9.3	5.8	5.8	$27,339	$1,484	$25,855

Frequently Asked Questions about Balboa High

Is Balboa High a good school?

Balboa High ranks 400^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Balboa High?

What district is Balboa High in?

San Francisco Unified

What is the racial makeup of Balboa High?

Students at Balboa High are 49% Asian, 35% Hispanic, 6% African American, 5% Two or more races, 4% White, 1% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Balboa High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,238 students attended Balboa High.

Rate Balboa High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia High School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in San Francisco, CA

Sign up for updates!

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

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.