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

Kathleen MacDonald High

Q: Is Kathleen MacDonald High a good school?

Kathleen MacDonald High ranks 427 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

427^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 80% of California high schools

Summary

Kathleen MacDonald High is a mid-sized, 4-star public high school serving grades 9-12 for 683 students in San Jose, part of the Santa Clara Unified School District, and ranks above average statewide.

The school has clear strengths, including notably high science proficiency and an exceptional record of success with Special Education students, where it performs better than most schools in California. Furthermore, student attendance is very good and improving, with a chronic absenteeism rate much lower than the state average and competitive with high-performing neighbors like Piedmont Hills High and Milpitas High. The school invests significantly more per student than nearby comprehensive high schools, which may support these positive areas.

However, math proficiency is a key challenge, lagging behind the district average and schools like Adrian Wilcox High and Mission Early College High in its own district. While a solid choice, it sits in the middle tier within Santa Clara Unified, offering a comprehensive program with a distinctive profile of strong science, excellent special education support, and an area for growth in mathematics.

683

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$42,730

Per pupil spending ?

31.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3588 Zanker Rd.
San Jose, CA 95134

(669) 369-4400

District: Santa Clara Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.0%

Asian:

31.9%

White:

12.4%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Kathleen MacDonald High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of California high schools

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Santa Clara Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg53%

California avg41%

427^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 20%

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5High Schools in the Santa Clara Unified

401^st of 1,543Santa Clara Unified among California districts

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)

Special Education (2025)84th percentile+4 vs school

Asian (2025)80th percentile~ school

Male (2025)79th percentile~ school

Female (2025)78th percentile~ school

White (2025)77th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)73rd percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)52nd percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy65%+16 vs state

Science51%+19 vs state

Mathematics35%~ state avg

★

No ratings yet

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

Rate Kathleen MacDonald 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 Kathleen MacDonald 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 (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 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	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
Kathleen MacDonald High	Public	9-12	3588 Zanker Rd.	San Jose	95134	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(669) 369-4400	683	36	18.8	31.8%	85 (12.4%)	20 (2.9%)	314 (46.0%)	218 (31.9%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.6%)	36 (5.3%)	79	427^th of 2162 public high schools	80.2%					(n/a)		51.3		51.3		64.8	64.8		35.1	35.1	$42,730	$42,594	$136
Santa Clara County Community	Public	6-12	1290 Ridder Park Dr. MC213	San Jose	95131	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 453-6968	107	8	13.7	58.9%	17 (15.9%)	6 (5.6%)	74 (69.2%)	6 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.9%)								(n/a)	15.8			16.7	7.1		21.7	16.7		19.1
Santa Clara County Court	Public	6-12	1290 Ridder Park Dr. MC213	San Jose	95131	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 573-3070	44	10	4.3	93.2%	1 (2.3%)	8 (18.2%)	33 (75.0%)	2 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.1	2065^th of 2162 public high schools	4.5%					(n/a)		4.4		3.6		5.9	5.0		0.0	0.0
Opportunity Youth Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	1290 Ridder Park Dr.	San Jose	95131	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(844) 692-4888	283	8	33.8	69.6%	19 (6.7%)	11 (3.9%)	242 (85.5%)	5 (1.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	13.4	1861^st of 2162 public high schools	13.9%		15.8	1794^th of 2159 public high schools	16.9%	67			2.4	2.4		14.7	14.7		5.0	5.0
Mission Early College High	Public	9-12	3000 Mission College Blvd.	Santa Clara	95054	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 855-5532	183	8	23.0	31.1%	40 (21.9%)	22 (12.0%)	48 (26.2%)	63 (34.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.5%)	93.5	132^nd of 2162 public high schools	93.9%		93.9	135^th of 2159 public high schools	93.7%	3		50.0	65.5	58.5		87.8	87.8		49.0	49.0	$28,298	$28,162	$136
San Jose Conservation Corps Charter	Public, Charter	12	1560 Berger Dr.	San Jose	95112	Santa Clara County	San Jose Conservation Corps Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 459-6404	158	7	23.7	75.3%	5 (3.2%)	4 (2.5%)	140 (88.6%)	5 (3.2%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.3%)								(n/a)			6.9	6.9
Calaveras Hills	Public	9-12	1331 East Calaveras Blvd.	Milpitas	95035	Santa Clara County	Milpitas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 635-2690	105	9	11.4	74.3%	3 (2.9%)	7 (6.7%)	59 (56.2%)	23 (21.9%)	2 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (10.5%)	15	1806^th of 2162 public high schools	16.5%		18.7	1726^th of 2159 public high schools	20.1%	80		8.6		8.1		23.1	23.1		2.6	2.6	$47,900	$44,944	$2,956
Milpitas High	Public	9-12	1285 Escuela Pkwy.	Milpitas	95035	Santa Clara County	Milpitas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 635-2800	2,926	136	21.4	44.0%	105 (3.6%)	42 (1.4%)	555 (19.0%)	1,989 (68.0%)	2 (0.1%)	10 (0.3%)	221 (7.6%)	93	145^th of 2162 public high schools	93.3%		91.5	191^st of 2159 public high schools	91.2%	46		60.4	23.8	59.3		77.6	77.6		57.1	57.1	$24,065	$22,824	$1,241
Milpitas Middle College High	Public	9-12	1450 Escuela Pkwy.	Milpitas	95035	Santa Clara County	Milpitas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 947-5355	55	3	17.3	41.8%	3 (5.5%)	1 (1.8%)	23 (41.8%)	24 (43.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.8%)	3 (5.5%)	88.3	236^th of 2162 public high schools	89.1%		87.6	267^th of 2159 public high schools	87.6%	31		52.2		52.2		73.9	73.9		47.8	47.8	$40,632	$39,490	$1,142
Adrian Wilcox High	Public	9-12	3250 Monroe St.	Santa Clara	95051	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 423-2400	1,614	87	18.5	26.0%	242 (15.0%)	25 (1.5%)	638 (39.5%)	610 (37.8%)	6 (0.4%)	11 (0.7%)	78 (4.8%)	84.4	323^rd of 2162 public high schools	85.1%		73.9	507^th of 2159 public high schools	76.5%	184		28.2	49.4	42.3		74.4	74.4		44.7	44.7	$35,482	$35,346	$136

Frequently Asked Questions about Kathleen MacDonald High

Is Kathleen MacDonald High a good school?

Kathleen MacDonald High ranks 427^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Kathleen MacDonald High?

Students at Kathleen MacDonald High are 46% Hispanic, 32% Asian, 12% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American.

How many students attend Kathleen MacDonald High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 683 students attended Kathleen MacDonald High.

What district is Kathleen MacDonald High in?

Santa Clara Unified

Rate Kathleen MacDonald High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia High School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in San Jose, CA

Sign up for updates!

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

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.