Design Tech High School
Redwood City · San Mateo County · San Mateo Union High · Public
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Most similar nearby schools
Summit Preparatory Charter High → Aspire East Palo Alto Charter → Hayward Twin Oaks Montessori → Kipp King Collegiate High Sch → Impact Academy Of Arts & Technology → Compare all similar →📋 At a glance
- Program details not reported to CRDC
- Academic signals not yet ingested for this school
Composed from federal CRDC offerings, EDFacts ACGR, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.
How Design Tech High School compares for families
One of California's strongest schools for college outcomes.
- ▸ Statewide69.6% UC Reach — 51.5 points above the California median of 18.1%. Ahead of 96% of California high schools.
- ▸ Locally🎓 Top 5% in California on UC Reach — plus 6 more top-ranks.
- ▸ vs Similar SchoolsBeats the peer median (69.6% UC Reach vs 29.6% median) across the 5 most similar nearby schools.
Design Tech High School sent 425 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 22.6% were admitted, producing a UC Reach of 69.6% — 51.5 percentage points above the California median of 18.1%, higher than 96% of California high schools. The school produces 13.0 UCLA + UC Berkeley admits per 100 seniors.
+40.0 pp above peer median (29.6%) · Ranked #1 of 6 similar schools
18.1%
29.6%
51.2%
69.6%
Higher than 96% of California high schools (978 ranked, ≥50 seniors)
Design Tech High School's UC Reach of 69.6% clears the statewide top-10% cutoff (51.2%) — meaning roughly 69 top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors, well above what most California schools achieve.
In San Mateo County — a competitive market where the median is already 31.9% — this still clears the county top-10% bar (64.6%).
Against similar schools, Design Tech High School stands out clearly — the peer-group median is 29.6%.
For context, the elite tier (top 1%) clears 97.3% — a gap of 28 pp from where this school sits.
Overall, Design Tech High School's UC Reach is higher than 96% of California high schools (978 ranked).
UC funnel — which kids are getting in at what GPA
Combining the school's applicant pool GPA, admit pool GPA, actual admit rate, and statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, we can read which GPA tiers tend to get in — and which don't.
| Campus | 4.00+ GPA | 3.70–3.99 GPA | 3.30–3.69 GPA | < 3.30 GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | Real shot | Long odds | Filtered out | Filtered out |
| UCLA | Real shot | Long odds | Filtered out | Filtered out |
| UC San Diego | Strong shot | Moderate | Long odds | Filtered out |
| UC Santa Barbara | Strong shot | Real shot | Long odds | Filtered out |
| UC Irvine | Strong shot | Real shot | Long odds | Filtered out |
| UC Davis | Strong shot | Strong shot | Real shot | Filtered out |
The numbers behind it
| Campus | Applicant GPA | Admit GPA | Lift ⓘ | Admit rate | vs peer schools @ same GPA ⓘ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | 4.08 | 4.18 | +0.10 | 16.7% | Peers +0.19 · wider |
| UCLA | 4.09 | 4.24 | +0.16 | 8.3% | Peers +0.22 · wider |
| UC San Diego | 4.06 | 4.22 | +0.16 | 30.9% | Peers +0.23 · wider |
| UC Santa Barbara | 4.07 | 4.25 | +0.18 | 30.4% | Peers +0.24 · wider |
| UC Irvine | 4.08 | 4.21 | +0.13 | 15.9% | Peers +0.18 · wider |
| UC Davis | 4.05 | 4.23 | +0.18 | 32.4% | Peers +0.19 · matches |
📊 Statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, 2025 (for reference)
| GPA band | UCB | UCLA | UCSD | UCSB | UCI | UCD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.00+ | 17.0% | 15.1% | 45.2% | 62.3% | 46.3% | 65.9% |
| 3.70–3.99 | 3.1% | 1.6% | 9.3% | 17.6% | 17.0% | 31.1% |
| 3.30–3.69 | 0.8% | 0.5% | 1.5% | 2.8% | 2.4% | 10.3% |
| 3.00–3.29 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 1.9% |
| < 3.00 | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.7% |
Where Design Tech High School sits vs. all California schools ⓘ
Overall, this school admits its UC applicants in line with what their GPAs predict (22.6% actual vs. 23.4% expected).
UC Outcomes Trend — 2018–2025
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 | 72 | 12 | 9 | 16.7% | 8.7% | 75.0% | 4.08 | 4.18 |
| UCLA → Elite | 72 | 6 | 4 | 8.3% | 4.3% | 66.7% | 4.09 | 4.24 |
| UC San Diego → Selective | 81 | 25 | —† | 30.9% | 18.1% | — | 4.06 | 4.22 |
| UC Santa Barbara → Selective | 69 | 21 | —† | 30.4% | 15.2% | — | 4.07 | 4.25 |
| UC Irvine → Selective | 63 | 10 | —† | 15.9% | 7.2% | — | 4.08 | 4.21 |
| UC Davis → | 68 | 22 | 5 | 32.4% | 15.9% | 22.7% | 4.05 | 4.23 |
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.
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
Program subgroups
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.
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.
Absenteeism is down 5.6 pp since 2016-17. Engagement improving — a positive trajectory worth understanding and reinforcing.
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).
Enrollment trend & projection
If this trend holds (+0.2%/yr, Total enrollment)
At per-pupil funding of $ / student:
| Horizon | Projected Total enrollment | Change | Funding impact / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 yr (2027) | ~564 | +1 | $0 |
| 3 yr (2029) | ~567 | +4 | $0 |
| 5 yr (2031) | ~570 | +7 | $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.
Design Tech High School — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot
Public · Redwood City · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools
- ▸On UC Reach, Design Tech High School sits near the top of its similar-school group (ranked #1 of 6): 70% vs. a peer median of 30%.
- ▸Design Tech High School's UC Reach has stepped down from a peak of 78% in 2024 to 70% in 2025 — a 8-point decline worth tracking.
- ▸Senior-class enrollment is up 2% (128→130 from 2018 to 2026), trailing the peer-group median of +7%.
- ▸Enrollment has been growing (+0.2%/yr); projects to ~567 by 2029.
Enrollment projection
Your school vs. its 10 most similar nearby schools
| School | Type | Size | UC Reach | Enroll. trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design Tech High School | Public | 563 | 69.6% | +2% |
| Peer-group median | 29.6% | +7% | ||
| Summit Preparatory Charter High | Public | 380 | — | +38% |
| Aspire East Palo Alto Charter | Public | 449 | — | -46% |
| Hayward Twin Oaks Montessori | Public | 583 | 7.3% | +56% |
| Kipp King Collegiate High Sch | Public | 671 | 57.6% | +40% |
| Impact Academy Of Arts & Technology | Public | 688 | — | -35% |
| Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay | Public | 518 | — | +244% |
| Madison Park Academy 6-12 | Public | 620 | — | +20% |
| Terra Nova High School | Public | 713 | 10.1% | -36% |
| Half Moon Bay High School | Public | 834 | 29.6% | -6% |
| Oceana High School | Public | 450 | 50.7% | -26% |
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 →
Enrollment stability & demand — 2024-25
Two complementary signals: retention (do students stay once enrolled?) and demand (are families choosing the school?). Read against the San Mateo County baseline — the demographic tide is moving every CA HS, so a school's gap vs. county is the actionable signal.
Design Tech High School outperformed San Mateo County on enrollment (school +1.6% vs. county -5.3%) AND maintains 97.4% stability. Replicable model — worth documenting what's working.
15 of 567 students who enrolled at Design Tech High School this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (2.6% non-stability). Mid-year transfers, dropouts, and other exits are all counted.
Stability by student group
Nearest peer high schools
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.
District financial profile — San Mateo Union High (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.
Local: 85.0%
Federal: 3.6%
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 San Mateo Union High 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).