Summary
Balboa High is a San Francisco Unified high school in San Francisco, California, serving grades 9–12 and 1,238 students. Its 2025–26 graduation rate was 95%, above the state’s 88%, but chronic absenteeism was 34%, compared with 18% statewide. The biggest concern is that proficiency has fallen substantially since 2023–24, even though Balboa’s latest scores remain competitive with nearby schools.
Compared with nearby schools, Balboa ranks fourth of nine in ELA, third in math and fourth in science. Its latest results were 50% in ELA, 33% in math and 38% in science; nearby-school averages were 47%, 27% and 36%, respectively. Against the state, ELA and science were slightly higher, while math was lower by 5 points. All three subjects were below the San Francisco Unified averages; math had the largest gap, at 13 points.
The decline is clear: from 2023–24 to 2025–26, ELA fell from 70% to 50%, math from 44% to 33%, and science from 41% to 38%. SchoolDigger’s overall standing also dropped from the 81st percentile and 4 stars in 2024–25 to the 61st percentile and 3 stars in 2025–26, still the third-highest nearby result with a ranking that year. Balboa has 20 students per teacher, compared with a nearby-school average of 15.4, and 64% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25, above the nearby average of 57%. SchoolDigger’s statewide rankings also show notable differences in how well the school serves particular groups: Special Education Students ranked at the 30th percentile, down from the 93rd in 2023–24, and Hispanic Students ranked at the 26th percentile, down from the 63rd.
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