Tamalpais High School

Mill Valley · Marin County · Tamalpais Union High
Public Marin County 🏛 Tamalpais Union High → ~419 seniors CDS 2165482…
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Compare with peers

Most similar nearby schools

San Rafael High School → Redwood High School → Terra Linda High School → Archie Williams High School → Richmond High School → Compare all similar →

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)
1,584 (2018)1,346 (2026)
-15.0%
Grade 12 (graduating class)
365 (2018)335 (2026)
-8.2%

If this trend holds (-2.0%/yr, Total enrollment)

At per-pupil funding of $ / student:

Horizon Projected Total enrollment Change Funding impact / yr
1 yr (2027) ~1,319 -27 $0
3 yr (2029) ~1,266 -80 $0
5 yr (2031) ~1,216 -130 $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 Marin County baseline — the demographic tide is moving every CA HS, so a school's gap vs. county is the actionable signal.

Critical
Material decline in demand.

Enrollment -8.2% vs. county +7.3% — losing far faster than the county. Each enrolled family matters more, but the engine of new enrollment is breaking down.

-8.2%  school enrollment (2018–2026)
+7.3%  Marin County baseline
-15.5pp  gap vs. county
95.9%  retention (county median 94.2%)
Enrollment — indexed to 100 at 2018
Stability rate by year (raw %)
Stability rate
95.9%
1,440 of 1,502 students

62 of 1,502 students who enrolled at Tamalpais High School this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (4.1% non-stability). Mid-year transfers, dropouts, and other exits are all counted.

Marin County median
94.2% · school is in the 80th percentile of 10 HS
Statewide median
87.2% · in the 93rd percentile of 1,688 HS

Stability by student group

White (1,030) 97.4%
Socio. disadvantaged (230) 89.1%
Students w/ disabilities (224) 93.3%
Hispanic / Latino (186) 89.8%
Two or more races (151) 96.0%
Asian (75) 94.7%

Nearest peer high schools

San Rafael High School 93.5% Redwood High School 96.8% Terra Linda High School 94.9% Archie Williams High School 96.4% Richmond High School 83.0%

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
16.7%
249 of 1,492 students

Absenteeism is in the typical CA HS range. Worth monitoring alongside the demand and retention signals above.

Marin County median
17.4% · school is better than 70% of 10 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 = 324
70.7%
incl. 42.3% exceeded
+4.0 pts above Marin County median (66.7%) · CA median 54.3% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 79.3%
Math — met or exceeded
n = 326
53.4%
incl. 27.3% exceeded
+17.0 pts above Marin County median (36.4%) · 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

White 68%
Hispanic / Latino 13%
Two or more 10%
Asian 5%
Black / African Am. 3%

Program subgroups

Socioeconomically disadv. 16% +2.3
Students w/ disabilities 12%

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 — Tamalpais 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.

Total revenue
$120.6M
+19.3% since FY2017
Per-pupil revenue
$23,351
5,166 students enrolled
Revenue mix
State: 10.9%
Local: 85.9%
Federal: 3.2%
Instruction share
58.3%
of current spending · $11,214/pupil
Long-term debt
$93.0M
-15.2% since FY2017
Total revenue by year ($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 Tamalpais 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).

University of California outcomes · Class of 2025
★ Top 10% UC Reach
UC Reach
55%
231 admits / 419 seniors
+22.7 pp above peer median (32.4%) · Ranked #1 of 10 similar schools
5-year trend
2021 · 45.6% 2025 · 55.1%
Where this sits on the California curve
CA median
18.5%
Peer median
32.4%
Top 10%
53.3%
This school
55.1%
0%50%100%
CA median 18.5% Top 10% ≥ 53.3% This school 55.1%

Higher than 91% of California high schools (1105 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

📊 What this number means

Tamalpais High School's UC Reach of 55.1% clears the statewide top-10% cutoff (53.3%) — meaning roughly 55 top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors, well above what most California schools achieve.

Against similar schools, Tamalpais High School stands out clearly — the peer-group median is 32.4%.

For context, the elite tier (top 1%) clears 102.7% — a gap of 48 pp from where this school sits.

Overall, Tamalpais High School's UC Reach is higher than 91% of California high schools (1105 ranked).

UC Application Reach
264.0%
1106 applications
Strong UC pursuit. The typical senior is applying to about 3 top-6 UC campuses — a signal of a college-driven student body.
In context: CA median 78.3% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 245.8% · higher than 92% of CA HS.
UC Admit Rate
20.9%
231 / 1106 applications
In context: CA median 26.0% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.5% · higher than 20% of CA HS.
UC Yield Rate
21.2%
49 enrolled of 231 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
11.7%
49 enrollees / 419 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
269:1
5.0 FTE counselors · 1,346 students
In context: CA median 338:1 · 69 fewer students per counselor · ASCA target 250:1.
A-G Completion
87%
360 of 414 graduates · 2024-25 cohort
In context: CA median 55.9% · +31.1 pp above · Marin Co. 69.6%.
UC 6-Yr Grad Rate
95%
81% finished in 4 yrs · N=58 entered 2019
In context: CA median 88.6% · +6.2 pp above.
Selective UC Reach (UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCD)
41.8
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 15.7 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 42.4 · higher than 90% of CA HS.
Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA)
10.5
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 3.5 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 11.1 · higher than 89% of CA HS.
Senior Class Size
419
CDE grade 12 (exact)
Total School Enrollment
1,470
All grades · CDE Census Day
Economic Connectedness
1.59
87th percentile in CA · cross‑class friendships

Tamalpais High School — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot

Public · Mill Valley · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools

  • On UC Reach, Tamalpais High School sits near the top of its similar-school group (ranked #1 of 10): 55% vs. a peer median of 32%.
  • Its UC Reach has risen 21 points since 2018.
  • Senior-class enrollment is down 8% (365→335 from 2018 to 2026), trailing the peer-group median of +1%.
  • At its recent rate (-2.0%/yr), enrollment projects to ~1266 by 2029 — about 80 fewer students than today.

Enrollment projection

1346 students (2026)
~1266 projected (2029)
at -2.0%/yr

That's about 80 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
Tamalpais High School Public 1346 55.1% -8%
Peer-group median 32.4% +1%
San Rafael High School Public 1308 11.4% +36%
Redwood High School Public 1745 54.5% +8%
Terra Linda High School Public 1205 32.4% -1%
Archie Williams High School Public 1057 29.9% +27%
Richmond High School Public 1233 14.2% -12%
El Cerrito High School Public 1361 39.3% -6%
Galileo High Public 1806 -15%
Balboa High School Public 1195 38.0% +3%
Westmoor High School Public 1273 25.2% -21%
Albany High School Public 1123 48.3% +15%

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
4.02
Avg. Admitted GPA · top-6 UCs
4.24

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 4.05 11.8% 13.5% -1.7pp On target
UCLA 4.07 9.1% 9.6% -0.5pp On target
UC San Diego 4.03 24.9% 19.4% +5.5pp Over
UC Santa Barbara 4.01 27.8% 33.3% -5.5pp Under
UC Irvine 3.98 18.8% 25.6% -6.8pp Under
UC Davis 3.98 34.6% 32.7% +1.8pp On target
"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 Tamalpais High School sits vs. all California schools

Overall, this school admits its UC applicants in line with what their GPAs predict (20.9% actual vs. 21.9% 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 212 25 12 11.8% 6.0% 48.0% 4.05 4.23
UCLA → Elite 208 19 10 9.1% 4.5% 52.6% 4.07 4.24
UC San Diego → Selective 189 47 7 24.9% 11.2% 14.9% 4.03 4.26
UC Santa Barbara → Selective 234 65 16 27.8% 15.5% 24.6% 4.01 4.27
UC Irvine → Selective 101 19 18.8% 4.5% 3.98 4.17
UC Davis → 162 56 4 34.6% 13.4% 7.1% 3.98 4.22
⚠ 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.
UC Reach is very strong — more than 55% of seniors are earning UC admission. This places the school among California's highest-performing high schools on this metric.
Strong UC Reach paired with low yield: students are earning UC admission at high rates and then enrolling elsewhere. The pattern is characteristic of competitive college-preparatory schools where many students choose more selective private colleges or out-of-state flagships over UC — UC functions as a strong backup option rather than a first choice.
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.
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.
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