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Kathleen MacDonald High

Q: Is Kathleen MacDonald High a good school?

Kathleen MacDonald High ranks 683 rd of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

683^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,135 California High Schools

Better than 68% of California high schools

Summary

Kathleen MacDonald High serves 683 students in grades 9–12 in San Jose’s Santa Clara Unified. Its clearest academic concern is math: in 2025–2026, 28% of students were proficient, 10 percentage points below California and 22 points below the district.

English is the school’s strongest subject relative to the state and district: 61% were proficient, 12 points above the state and 1 point above the district. Science proficiency was 43%, 7 points above the state but 8 points below the district. Among seven nearby high schools, Kathleen MacDonald was third-lowest in math; its result was also well below the nearby-school average of 41%. Its English result was close to the nearby average of 59%, but below Adrian Wilcox High (75%) and Mission Early College High (90%). Graduation is a separate bright spot: 97% of students graduated, compared with 92% in the district and 88% statewide.

Results have weakened recently: math proficiency fell 7 points and science fell 8 points from the prior year, while the school’s English advantage over the state narrowed from 16 points to 12. SchoolDigger’s overall statewide standing also dropped, from the 80th percentile and 4 stars in 2024–2025 to the 68th percentile and 3 stars in 2025–2026. Its statewide effectiveness percentiles for Asian Students and Low Socio Economic Status Students are also notable measures of how well it serves those groups: they fell from 80 to 42 and from 73 to 49, respectively, compared with the school’s overall percentile of 68. Contextually, the student–teacher ratio was 18.8 in 2024–2025, and 32% were free/reduced lunch eligible (sy 2024–2025). Results cover only two school years, and the 12th-grade science result is suppressed.

683

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$42,730

Per pupil spending ?

31.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

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

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 80th percentile in 2025 → 68th in 2026

Strengths

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Above the California median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2025

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

!Mathematics scores 10 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg55%

California avg42%

683^rd of 2,135

California public high schools ?

Top 32%▼ down 12 pts since 2025

From top 20% (2025) to top 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

380^th of 1,530Santa Clara 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	66.6	683 of 2135	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	79.0	427 of 2162	80.2%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	50.3	332 of 575	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	79.1	117 of 585	80.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	59.7	712 of 1864	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	76.7	411 of 1906	78.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.8	1032 of 1880	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.1	907 of 1900	52.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	48.5	1016 of 1997	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	69.0	551 of 2013	72.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	68.0	588 of 1930	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	77.0	406 of 1942	79.1%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	49.2	484 of 1235	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.8	199 of 1252	84.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	76.3	244 of 1130	78.4%	★★★★☆
2025	75.4	269 of 1155	76.7%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2026)78th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)70th percentile~ school

Female (2026)62nd percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2026)61st percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)49th percentile-19 vs school

Hispanic (2026)45th percentile-23 vs school

Asian (2026)42nd percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy61%+12 vs state

Science43%+7 vs state

Mathematics28%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Kathleen MacDonald High

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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 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	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%)	66.6	683^rd of 2135 public high schools	68.0%		79	427^th of 2162 public high schools	80.2%	256		44.4		43.0				61.4	61.4				28.1	28.1	$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)				28.6					25.0					10.0
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%)								(n/a)
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%)	14.2	1773^rd of 2135 public high schools	17.0%		13.4	1861^st of 2162 public high schools	13.9%	88			6.0	5.9				12.8	12.8				7.8	7.8
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%)	97.3	43^rd of 2135 public high schools	98.0%		93.5	132^nd of 2162 public high schools	93.9%	89		69.4		69.4				89.8	89.8				75.5	75.5	$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)			19.2	19.2
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%)	17.6	1692^nd of 2135 public high schools	20.7%		15	1806^th of 2162 public high schools	16.5%	114		8.8		7.7				35.1	35.1				0.0	0.0	$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%)	89.4	212^th of 2135 public high schools	90.1%		93	145^th of 2162 public high schools	93.3%	67		60.1		59.6				70.1	70.1				57.9	57.9	$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%)	63.5	742^nd of 2135 public high schools	65.2%		88.3	236^th of 2162 public high schools	89.1%	506		33.3		33.3				55.6	55.6				38.9	38.9	$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%)	88.9	228^th of 2135 public high schools	89.3%		84.4	323^rd of 2162 public high schools	85.1%	95		54.7	66.2	59.1				74.8	74.8				47.7	47.7	$35,482	$35,346	$136

Frequently Asked Questions about Kathleen MacDonald High

Is Kathleen MacDonald High a good school?

Kathleen MacDonald High ranks 683^rd of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 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

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Latest California data All new data »

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

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

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 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.