Downtown High is a small public high school in San Francisco, California, serving 103 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the San Francisco Unified School District, which is ranked 619 out of 1,560 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating.
Downtown High faces significant challenges, with a student population that is predominantly Hispanic (48.54%) and African American (30.1%), and high rates of poverty (71.84% to 75.69% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch). The school's academic performance is alarmingly low, with 0% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science, compared to much higher district and state averages. Downtown High also struggles with extremely high chronic absenteeism rates (81.5% to 95.4%) and low graduation rates (44.6% to 60.4%), which are significantly worse than nearby schools like Marshall (Thurgood) High, Wells (Ida B.) High, and O'Connell (John) High.
Despite the small student population and relatively low student-teacher ratio, Downtown High has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of California high schools over the past decade, suggesting that the school faces unique and deep-rooted challenges that will require a comprehensive and coordinated approach involving the school, San Francisco Unified School District, and community stakeholders to provide the necessary resources and support for the students and staff.
San Francisco Unified
Students at Downtown High are 49% Hispanic, 30% African American, 8% Two or more races, 4% White, 4% Asian, 3% American Indian, 3% Pacific Islander.
In the 2022-23 school year, 103 students attended Downtown High.
Downtown High ranks in the bottom 8.0% of California high schools.