Blair High School

Pasadena · Los Angeles County · Pasadena Unified
Public Los Angeles County 🏛 Pasadena Unified → ~138 seniors CDS 1964881…
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Compare with peers

Most similar nearby schools

San Marino High School → Benjamin Franklin High School → City of Angels School → Pasadena High School → Woodrow Wilson High School → Compare all similar →

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)
1,099 (2018)951 (2026)
-13.5%
Grade 12 (graduating class)
154 (2018)160 (2026)
+3.9%

If this trend holds (-1.8%/yr, Total enrollment)

At per-pupil funding of $ / student:

Horizon Projected Total enrollment Change Funding impact / yr
1 yr (2027) ~934 -17 $0
3 yr (2029) ~901 -50 $0
5 yr (2031) ~869 -82 $0

Straight-line extrapolation of the recent annual rate — a what-if, not a forecast of intent. Default = California's LCFF base grant for grades 9–12 ($12,423/ADA). Edit the figure to match your school.

Enrollment stability & demand — 2024-25

Two complementary signals: retention (do students stay once enrolled?) and demand (are families choosing the school?). Read against the Los Angeles County baseline — the demographic tide is moving every CA HS, so a school's gap vs. county is the actionable signal.

Mixed signal
Demand outpacing county is masking internal churn.

Enrollment growth is beating Los Angeles County (+3.9% vs. -8.2%), but 97 of 636 students didn't maintain continuous enrollment. Why are families leaving once enrolled? Chronic absenteeism is rising (21.4%, +5.7 pts since 2016-17) — a watch signal worth monitoring as a leading indicator.

+3.9%  school enrollment (2018–2026)
-8.2%  Los Angeles County baseline
+12.1pp  gap vs. county
84.7%  retention (county median 87.3%)
Enrollment — indexed to 100 at 2018
Stability rate by year (raw %)
Stability rate
84.7%
539 of 636 students

97 of 636 students who enrolled at Blair High School this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (15.3% non-stability). Mid-year transfers, dropouts, and other exits are all counted.

Los Angeles County median
87.3% · school is in the 40th percentile of 387 HS
Statewide median
87.2% · in the 41st percentile of 1,688 HS

Stability by student group

Socio. disadvantaged (808) 86.5%
Hispanic / Latino (744) 86.4%
English learners (269) 71.0%
White (211) 92.4%
Students w/ disabilities (141) 86.5%
Black / African Am. (83) 85.5%

Nearest peer high schools

San Marino High School 96.3% Benjamin Franklin High School 86.6% City of Angels School 44.4% Pasadena High School 89.9% Woodrow Wilson High School 83.7%

Source: California Department of Education, Stability Rate 2024-25. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥100 cumulative enrollees so by-design-high-churn continuation schools don't dominate the bottom of the distribution. Cumulative enrollment counts every student on the rolls during the year, so it can exceed peak-day enrollment.

Chronic absenteeism — 2024-25

Share of students missing 10% or more of expected attendance — the leading indicator that often precedes the demand decline shown above. Families disengaging tend to raise absenteeism first, then formally leave. Basis: grades 9–12.

Chronic absent
23.5%
147 of 625 students

Absenteeism is up 7.8 pp since 2016-17. A rising absenteeism trend often precedes formal departure — worth investigating which subgroups are driving it.

Los Angeles County median
25.2% · school is better than 55% of 381 HS
Statewide median
22.9%
Chronic absenteeism by year (raw %)

Source: California Department of Education, Chronic Absenteeism 2024-25. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥100 eligible students. CDE didn't publish a usable 2019-20 file (COVID).

SBAC academic outcomes — grade 11, 2025

Share of grade-11 students meeting or exceeding the California standard on Smarter Balanced ELA and Math. This is the academic-readiness signal that pairs with UC Reach (post-grad outcomes), stability (retention), and absenteeism (engagement). Note: statewide median Math is only ~20% — a school at 20% isn't an outlier; one at 45%+ genuinely is.

ELA — met or exceeded
n = 145
51.0%
incl. 31.0% exceeded
-7.0 pts vs. Los Angeles County median (58.0%) · CA median 54.3% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 79.3%
Math — met or exceeded
n = 145
33.8%
incl. 17.9% exceeded
+8.8 pts above Los Angeles County median (25.0%) · CA median 21.1% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 53.6%

Source: California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Smarter Balanced research files. Benchmarks limited to non-virtual public & charter HS with ≥30 tested students.

Student composition — 2025-26

HS grades 9–12 racial/ethnic composition and program subgroups, from CDE Census Day Enrollment. Two-year shift shown when ≥1 pt — surfaces how the community served has changed since 2023-24.

Race / ethnicity

Hispanic / Latino 66% +1.8
White 19% -1.6
Black / African Am. 6%
Two or more 3%
Asian 3%
Filipino 2%
Not reported 1% +1.0

Program subgroups

Students w/ disabilities 59% -7.2
English learners 23% -5.1
Socioeconomically disadv. 11%

Source: California Department of Education, Census Day Enrollment 2025-26 (HS grades 9–12). Δ shown when shift is ≥1 pt since 2023-24. Categories below 0.5% omitted.

District financial profile — Pasadena Unified (FY2020)

From 4 years of NCES F-33 filings (the federally-mandated district finance survey). Public schools don't have their own books — the district does. These figures show the financial scale, revenue dependence, instruction-vs-overhead mix, and long-term debt that shape what a school can sustain.

Total revenue
$301.8M
+0.3% since FY2017
Per-pupil revenue
$19,709
15,313 students enrolled
Revenue mix
State: 39.5%
Local: 44.4%
Federal: 16.1%
Instruction share
54.9%
of current spending · $8,584/pupil
Long-term debt
$338.4M
-21.3% since FY2017
Total revenue by year ($M)
Total expenditure by year ($M)

Source: NCES F-33 Annual Survey of School System Finances (Urban Institute Education Data API). Latest year currently published: FY2020. F-33 is a district-level federal filing — it reflects the Pasadena Unified as a whole, not this individual school's books. Revenue mix shows where the district's dollars come from (state aid dominates in CA via LCFF). Instruction share is current expenditure on instruction ÷ total current expenditure (national benchmark ~60%). Long-term debt is end-of-year outstanding (mostly facilities bonds).

University of California outcomes · Class of 2025
UC Reach
25%
35 admits / 138 seniors
On the peer median (25.6%) · Ranked #5 of 9 similar schools
5-year trend
2021 · 10.4% 2025 · 25.4%
Where this sits on the California curve
CA median
18.5%
Peer median
25.6%
Top 10%
53.3%
This school
25.4%
0%50%100%
CA median 18.5% Top 10% ≥ 53.3% This school 25.4%

Higher than 65% of California high schools (1105 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

📊 What this number means

Blair High School's UC Reach of 25.4% is above the California median (18.5%). The top 10% of CA schools achieve 53.3% or higher.

For context, the elite tier (top 1%) clears 102.7% — a gap of 77 pp from where this school sits.

Overall, Blair High School's UC Reach is higher than 65% of California high schools (1105 ranked).

UC Application Reach
115.2%
159 applications
Most seniors are applying to at least one of the six most selective UCs (applications counted at each campus).
In context: CA median 78.3% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 245.8% · Los Angeles Co. Top 10% ≥ 252.7% · higher than 66% of CA HS.
UC Admit Rate
22.0%
35 / 159 applications
In context: CA median 26.0% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.5% · higher than 27% of CA HS.
UC Yield Rate
25.7%
9 enrolled of 35 admitted
Yield vs. Enrollment Reach: Yield answers "of UC admits, what % chose UC?" — denominator is just the admits. A small admitted cohort can post a low yield even when the school sends a healthy share of its class to UC.
UC Enrollment Reach
6.5%
9 enrollees / 138 seniors
Enrollment Reach vs. Yield: Reach answers "of the whole senior class, what % ended up at UC?" — denominator is everyone. High Yield with low Enrollment Reach is common at elite privates: most admits matriculate, but the school sends most of its class to non-UC selective colleges.
Student-Counselor Ratio
380:1
2.5 FTE counselors · 951 students
In context: CA median 338:1 · 42 more students per counselor · ASCA target 250:1.
A-G Completion
57%
74 of 129 graduates · 2024-25 cohort
In context: CA median 55.9% · +1.5 pp above · Los Angeles Co. 68.2%.
Selective UC Reach (UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCD)
18.1
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 15.7 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 42.4 · higher than 58% of CA HS.
Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA)
5.1
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 3.5 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 11.1 · higher than 64% of CA HS.
Senior Class Size
138
CDE grade 12 (exact)
Total School Enrollment
1,053
All grades · CDE Census Day
Economic Connectedness
0.99
46th percentile in CA · cross‑class friendships

Blair High School — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot

Public · Pasadena · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools

  • On UC Reach, Blair High School sits in the middle of its similar-school group (ranked #5 of 9): 25% vs. a peer median of 26%.
  • Its UC Reach has risen 12 points since 2018.
  • Across the top-6 UC campuses, Blair High School is admitting at roughly +6 percentage points above what its average applicant GPA (3.887) alone would predict (26% actual vs. 19% expected). That's a meaningful signal — it can reflect UC's track record with this school's graduates, students presenting strongly in UC's holistic review (essays, EC's, context), or institutional familiarity helping at the margin. The data can't distinguish which, but the pattern itself is real and worth understanding.
  • Senior-class enrollment is up 4% (154→160 from 2018 to 2026), outpacing the peer-group median of -12%.
  • At its recent rate (-1.8%/yr), enrollment projects to ~901 by 2029 — about 50 fewer students than today.

Enrollment projection

951 students (2026)
~901 projected (2029)
at -1.8%/yr

That's about 50 fewer students. At per-student funding of $ per student, that's roughly $0 in annual state funding at risk.

Default = California's LCFF base grant for grades 9–12 ($12,423 per ADA) — adjust to your district's actual per-pupil figure. Projection extrapolates the recent annual rate — not a forecast of intent.

Your school vs. its 10 most similar nearby schools

School Type Size UC Reach Enroll. trend
Blair High School Public 951 25.4% +4%
Peer-group median 25.6% -12%
San Marino High School Public 961 72.2% -27%
Benjamin Franklin High School Public 1182 21.2% +2%
City of Angels School Public 898 0.9% -54%
Pasadena High School Public 1197 27.1% -20%
Woodrow Wilson High School Public 1201 24.1% -7%
Ramon C. Cortines School Of Visual And Performing Arts Public 1069 -14%
John Muir High School Public 1282 17.5% +50%
South Pasadena High School Public 1496 46.2% +3%
Downtown Business High Public 791 -10%
Gabrielino High School Public 1368 31.5% -24%

UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class (can exceed 100% when students are admitted to multiple campuses). Enrollment trend = first-to-latest grade-12 change on file. Similar schools matched on proximity, size, type. Methodology →

Avg. Applicant GPA · top-6 UCs
3.87
Avg. Admitted GPA · top-6 UCs
4.11

Admit rate vs. CA peer average, by campus

How does this school's admit rate at each UC compare to other CA schools whose applicant pool averages the same GPA?

Campus Applicant GPA (avg) Actual admit rate CA peer avg Δ Verdict
UC Berkeley 3.88 10.7% 11.6% -0.9pp On target
UCLA 3.89 11.8% 9.0% +2.8pp On target
UC San Diego 3.89 36.7% 22.5% +14.2pp Over
UC Santa Barbara 3.89 26.9% 28.3% -1.4pp On target
UC Davis 3.88 52.6% 32.2% +20.4pp Over
"Applicant GPA" is the average GPA of this school's UC applicant pool — not an individual student GPA. "CA peer avg" is the application-weighted statewide admit rate at this school-pool GPA, fit separately per campus. At any given pool GPA, real admit rates span widely (UCSD ranges 8% → 65% across CA schools) because UCs use comprehensive review — context-of-opportunity, geography, demographics, and applicant essays all weigh in beyond GPA. A large negative residual flags this school is admitted at a meaningfully lower rate than other CA schools at the same pool GPA — not that students here were "rejected at expected rate X." "Over" / "Under" use a ±5-point band. Campuses with fewer than 5 applicants are omitted.

Where Blair High School sits vs. all California schools

Overall, this school admits its UC applicants 6.2 points above what their GPAs predict (25.5% actual vs. 19.4% expected).

UC Outcomes Trend — 2018–2025

UC Admit Rate %
UC Reach % (where available)
UC Admits (count, right axis)

Class size from CDE grade 12 enrollment. Campus-level data — applicant/admit totals may count a student at multiple campuses more than once.

Campus Breakdown — 2025

Campus Applicants Admits Enrollees Admit Rate UC Reach Yield Avg GPA (App) Avg GPA (Adm)
UC Berkeley → Elite 28 3 10.7% 2.2% 3.88
UCLA → Elite 34 4 11.8% 2.9% 3.89
UC San Diego → Selective 30 11 3 36.7% 8.0% 27.3% 3.89 4.11
UC Santa Barbara → Selective 26 7 3 26.9% 5.1% 42.9% 3.89 4.22
UC Irvine → Selective 22 3.77
UC Davis → 19 10 3 52.6% 7.2% 30.0% 3.88 4.03
⚠ Campus-level totals may count one student admitted to multiple UC campuses more than once. Admit Volume metrics are not the same as UC Reach, which requires unique-student counts. See methodology →

What This Means

A large share of the senior class applies to UC, indicating strong college-going culture and UC pipeline development.
A large share of the class applies to UC, so the admit rate runs lower than the application volume alone might suggest — expected when many students apply broadly, including to reach campuses. UC Reach (which credits every admit relative to the class) is the truer read of how the class fares: a strong Reach alongside a moderate admit rate is healthy, not a contradiction.
Students are earning UC admission but enrolling elsewhere at a notable rate. This may reflect competition from private colleges, out-of-state flagships, cost considerations, or UC campus fit. Student outcome surveys can clarify.
The school generates broad UC access, but fewer students are reaching the most selective UC campuses (UCLA, Berkeley, UCSD, UCSB, UCI). Targeted academic enrichment and campus-fit advising may help.
Berkeley/UCLA admit volume is modest relative to overall UC reach. This is common and reflects the highly selective nature of those campuses, but may be a target area for the school's highest-performing students.
UC Reach has improved meaningfully compared to the prior year — a positive trajectory worth monitoring and reinforcing.
Note: admit counts used here are campus-level totals. A student admitted to both UCLA and UCSD is counted twice. When UCOP unique-student data becomes available it will be loaded automatically and the labels will update.
Compare with other schools → See Los Angeles County rankings →

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