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Tomales High

Q: Is Tomales High a good school?

Tomales High ranks 1422 nd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1422^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 34% of California high schools

Summary

Tomales High is a small, rural public high school serving about 127 students in grades 9-12 within the Shoreline Unified school district, offering a uniquely personalized environment with a very low student-to-teacher ratio of just 8-to-1 and spending significantly more per student than most other local schools.

The school demonstrates a notable paradox: it achieves an excellent graduation rate of over 96%, far exceeding the state average, yet its students' proficiency on state tests in English and Science is low. Its performance has also been highly volatile from year to year, with its statewide ranking fluctuating dramatically. A key challenge is chronic absenteeism, which at 28% is higher than both the district and state averages. Interestingly, mathematics is a relative strength compared to its English scores, and the school's small size means the performance of just a few students can greatly affect its annual ratings.

When compared to nearby high schools, Tomales's high spending and low student ratio stand out. For instance, Technology High spends about half as much per student, has larger classes, yet achieves much higher test scores and far lower absenteeism with a similar graduation rate. Similarly, Credo High operates with fewer resources per student and also shows stronger academic results. This comparison suggests that while Tomales High successfully supports students to graduation, there is significant potential to improve how its substantial resources translate into consistent academic achievement.

127

Students ?

7.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$34,877

Per pupil spending ?

73.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3850 Irvin Rd.
Tomales, CA 94971-0198

(707) 878-2286

District: Shoreline Unified

Feeder schools for Tomales High:

Elementary:	Bodega Bay Elementary
	Inverness Elementary
	Tomales Elementary
Middle:	West Marin Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

68.5%

White:

23.6%

Two or more races:

3.1%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Tomales High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2015 → 34th in 2025

Strengths

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

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (21% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 19% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 34 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg32%

California avg41%

1,422^nd of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 34 pts since 2015

From top 32% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

822^nd of 1,543Shoreline 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	33.2	1422 of 2162	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	72.4	534 of 2159	75.3%	★★★★☆
2023	42.7	1155 of 2170	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.2	1226 of 2123	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.2	956 of 1290	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.1	851 of 2133	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.3	503 of 2017	75.1%	★★★★☆
2017	72.8	545 of 2021	73.0%	★★★★☆
2016	67.2	627 of 2039	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	66.3	634 of 1994	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	65.9	396 of 2426	83.7%	★★★★☆
2012	64.5	425 of 2354	81.9%	★★★★☆
2011	66.1	374 of 2367	84.2%	★★★★☆
2010	70.8	269 of 2281	88.2%	★★★★☆
2009	56.6	561 of 2238	74.9%	★★★★☆
2008	67.8	307 of 2117	85.5%	★★★★☆
2007	53.5	575 of 2063	72.1%	★★★★☆
2006	50.2	633 of 1968	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	40.6	792 of 1901	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	48.8	514 of 1653	68.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	44.8	405 of 1044	61.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.3	1815 of 1906	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	31.7	1274 of 1915	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.3	1020 of 1858	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	13.5	925 of 1054	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.6	862 of 1833	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.0	435 of 1760	75.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.2	1412 of 1900	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	72.6	432 of 1902	77.3%	★★★★☆
2023	28.1	1374 of 1917	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.2	1199 of 1861	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.3	1174 of 1814	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	75.8	394 of 1742	77.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.4	1449 of 2013	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	70.9	479 of 2026	76.4%	★★★★☆
2023	39.3	1191 of 2030	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	1228 of 1943	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.6	1419 of 1937	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	61.8	682 of 1862	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.1	1214 of 1942	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	67.4	557 of 1948	71.4%	★★★★☆
2023	50.2	864 of 1963	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.1	1334 of 1916	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.9	795 of 1880	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.2	587 of 1834	68.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	70.5	328 of 1222	73.2%	★★★★☆

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 (2019)73rd percentile+13 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)61st percentile+19 vs school

Male (2025)37th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)28th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)26th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2025)5th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics27%-10 vs state

Science20%-13 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy15%-34 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a principal
Sunday, January 12, 2025

Tomales high school is a very special school and community, WASC accredited, Boosters and community supported, and with an 8:1 student to teacher ratio where all students can have success. It offers an amazing amount of scholarships for their seniors. It is a safe school with high marks in school safety, ELA and CAST test scores. It can improve math scores but that s something it knows and is already working to improve. With only about 140 students, it has the time and energy to focus on every single student's academic and transition plan for the future. It has a very strong FFA program and new CTE building to back the strong commitment for student learning. Football and soccer are strong with other sports on the rise. Also and AP Honor roll school and winner of the female diversity science award. Free tutoring after school and push in tutoring in real time for students while they are learning. Close Quote

by a student
Wednesday, September 15, 2021

it is a really good school and really fun. Close Quote

Schools Near Tomales 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
Tomales High	Public	9-12	3850 Irvin Rd.	Tomales	94971	Marin County	Shoreline Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 878-2286	127	16	7.8	73.2%	30 (23.6%)	0 (0.0%)	87 (68.5%)	1 (0.8%)	3 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.1%)	33.2	1422^nd of 2162 public high schools	34.2%		72.4	534^th of 2159 public high schools	75.3%	888	20.0		20.0	14.7	14.7	27.3	27.3	$34,877	$620	$34,257
Analy High	Public	9-12	6950 Analy Ave.	Sebastopol	95472	Sonoma County	West Sonoma County Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 824-2300	1,473	77	19.1	40.9%	905 (61.4%)	24 (1.6%)	414 (28.1%)	48 (3.3%)	15 (1.0%)	3 (0.2%)	46 (3.1%)	79.5	419^th of 2162 public high schools	80.6%		67.7	603^rd of 2159 public high schools	72.1%	184	42.4		42.4	67.5	67.5	41.2	41.2	$13,553	$492	$13,061
Technology High	Public	9-12	550 Bonnie Ave.	Rohnert Park	94928	Sonoma County	Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 792-4825	343	16	21.9	20.7%	195 (56.9%)	10 (2.9%)	64 (18.7%)	48 (14.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.4%)	98.4	27^th of 2162 public high schools	98.8%		99.1	16^th of 2159 public high schools	99.3%	11	82.6		82.8	92.1	92.1	69.1	69.1	$17,082	$757	$16,325
Credo High	Public, Charter	9-12	1300 Valley House Dr. Ste. 100	Rohnert Park	94928	Sonoma County	Credo High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 664-0600	441	32	13.6	28.3%	270 (61.2%)	4 (0.9%)	88 (20.0%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (13.4%)	92	166^th of 2162 public high schools	92.3%		93.9	136^th of 2159 public high schools	93.7%	30		60.0	60.0	77.2	77.2	49.6	49.6	$16,679	$469	$16,210
El Camino High	Public	9-12	5450 Snyder Ln.	Rohnert Park	94928	Sonoma County	Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 792-4750	48	2	21.8	66.7%	10 (20.8%)	2 (4.2%)	29 (60.4%)	1 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (12.5%)	25.2	1592^nd of 2162 public high schools	26.4%					(n/a)		15.8	15.8	0.0	0.0			$17,268	$1,574	$15,694
Rancho Cotate High	Public	9-12	5450 Snyder Ln.	Rohnert Park	94928	Sonoma County	Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 792-4750	1,755	76	23.0	47.1%	563 (32.1%)	41 (2.3%)	915 (52.1%)	55 (3.1%)	11 (0.6%)	20 (1.1%)	144 (8.2%)	43.7	1176^th of 2162 public high schools	45.6%		39.3	1257^th of 2159 public high schools	41.8%	81	0.0	18.0	17.5	51.8	51.8	12.4	12.4	$16,759	$771	$15,988
Petaluma High	Public	9-12	201 Fair St.	Petaluma	94952	Sonoma County	Petaluma Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 778-4651	1,193	57	20.9	40.9%	712 (59.7%)	15 (1.3%)	371 (31.1%)	22 (1.8%)	4 (0.3%)	4 (0.3%)	55 (4.6%)	67.5	647^th of 2162 public high schools	70.1%		67.3	608^th of 2159 public high schools	71.8%	39	37.9	15.4	36.9	53.2	53.2	36.9	36.9	$16,495	$788	$15,707
Carpe Diem High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	199 Fair St.	Petaluma	94952	Sonoma County	Petaluma Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 778-4796	19	2	9.5	42.1%	14 (73.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$27,201	$1,222	$25,979
Elsie Allen High	Public	9-12	599 Bellevue Ave.	Santa Rosa	95407	Sonoma County	Santa Rosa High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 890-3810	1,029	60	17.0	71.7%	59 (5.7%)	15 (1.5%)	865 (84.1%)	43 (4.2%)	9 (0.9%)	9 (0.9%)	26 (2.5%)	21	1675^th of 2162 public high schools	22.5%		19	1719^th of 2159 public high schools	20.4%	44	11.2	9.1	11.1	33.8	33.8	3.7	3.7	$19,388	$1,169	$18,219
San Antonio High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	500 Vallejo St.	Petaluma	94952	Sonoma County	Petaluma Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 778-4758	65	8	8.5	84.6%	17 (26.2%)	2 (3.1%)	41 (63.1%)	1 (1.5%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.1%)	12	1914^th of 2162 public high schools	11.5%		11	2007^th of 2159 public high schools	7.0%	93	6.3		6.3	19.2	19.2	0.0	0.0	$28,848	$4,414	$24,434

Frequently Asked Questions about Tomales High

What is the racial makeup of Tomales High?

Students at Tomales High are 69% Hispanic, 24% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 2% Not Specified.

What district is Tomales High in?

Shoreline Unified

What schools feed into Tomales High?

Tomales High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bodega Bay Elementary
Elementary : Inverness Elementary
Elementary : Tomales Elementary
Middle : West Marin Elementary

Is Tomales High a good school?

Tomales High ranks 1422^nd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Tomales High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 127 students attended Tomales High.

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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.