Summary:
ZIP code 94401 has two high schools in San Mateo Union High School District: San Mateo High serves grades 9–12 and has 1,557 students, while The Bridge Academy serves grades 10–12 and has 54. The most important finding is that the schools’ reported outcomes differ sharply: San Mateo’s graduation rate is 96%, compared with 53% at The Bridge Academy.
San Mateo High stands out for stronger reported outcomes: in 2025–2026, its graduation rate was 44 percentage points higher than The Bridge Academy’s, its dropout rate was 25 points lower (3% versus 28%), and chronic absenteeism was 62 points lower (18% versus 80%). San Mateo also scored above state results in all three supplied subjects: about 13 points higher in ELA, 9 in math, and 8 in science, though it scored below its district in each. The Bridge Academy stands out for its smaller enrollment and lower student-teacher ratio, but its reported graduation, dropout, and absenteeism outcomes are weaker. Test scores were supplied only for San Mateo, so the schools cannot be compared on achievement results.
Results at San Mateo were mixed over time: from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, its ELA score dipped by about 1 point, while math rose by about 3 and science by about 1. SchoolDigger’s ranking also moved down, from the 87th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 83rd in 2025–2026. For additional context, in 2024–2025 The Bridge Academy had a 10.7 student-teacher ratio and $66,240 in spending per student, compared with 19.5 and $38,757 at San Mateo. Its free/reduced lunch eligible share that year was 83%, versus 38% at San Mateo. These are differences between the schools, not explanations for their outcomes.
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