Willow Glen High School

San Jose · Santa Clara County · San Jose Unified
Public Santa Clara County 🏛 San Jose Unified → ~379 seniors CDS 4369666…
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Most similar nearby schools

Abraham Lincoln High → Yerba Buena High School → Andrew P Hill High School → Del Mar High School → Pioneer High School → Compare all similar →

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)
1,698 (2018)1,537 (2026)
-9.5%
Grade 12 (graduating class)
389 (2018)359 (2026)
-7.7%

If this trend holds (-1.2%/yr, Total enrollment)

At per-pupil funding of $ / student:

Horizon Projected Total enrollment Change Funding impact / yr
1 yr (2027) ~1,518 -19 $0
3 yr (2029) ~1,481 -56 $0
5 yr (2031) ~1,444 -93 $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 Santa Clara County baseline — the demographic tide is moving every CA HS, so a school's gap vs. county is the actionable signal.

Action needed
Watch — engagement collapsing under a stable surface.

On the surface Willow Glen High School looks fine — enrollment is -7.7% vs. Santa Clara County -6.2%, and 90.6% of students stay through year-end. But <strong>chronic absenteeism is at 30.5%, up +12.4 pts since 2016-17 (county median 18.9%). Disengagement leads departure — families pull back from the day-to-day before they formally leave. The demand signal usually follows within 2–3 years.

-7.7%  school enrollment (2018–2026)
-6.2%  Santa Clara County baseline
-1.5pp  gap vs. county
90.6%  retention (county median 90.2%)
Enrollment — indexed to 100 at 2018
Stability rate by year (raw %)
Stability rate
90.6%
1,479 of 1,633 students

154 of 1,633 students who enrolled at Willow Glen High School this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (9.4% non-stability). Mid-year transfers, dropouts, and other exits are all counted.

Santa Clara County median
90.2% · school is in the 53rd percentile of 60 HS
Statewide median
87.2% · in the 69th percentile of 1,688 HS

Stability by student group

Hispanic / Latino (916) 87.1%
Socio. disadvantaged (724) 88.5%
White (472) 94.7%
English learners (271) 79.7%
Students w/ disabilities (245) 88.2%
Two or more races (101) 97.0%

Nearest peer high schools

Abraham Lincoln High 86.7% Yerba Buena High School 89.6% Andrew P Hill High School 81.4% Del Mar High School 91.0% Pioneer High School 93.0%

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
30.5%
486 of 1,593 students

Absenteeism is up 12.4 pp since 2016-17. A rising absenteeism trend often precedes formal departure — worth investigating which subgroups are driving it.

Santa Clara County median
19.0% · school is worse than 64% of 58 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 = 339
51.6%
incl. 27.1% exceeded
-6.2 pts vs. Santa Clara County median (57.8%) · CA median 54.3% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 79.3%
Math — met or exceeded
n = 340
34.7%
incl. 17.9% exceeded
+3.5 pts above Santa Clara County median (31.2%) · 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 55% +2.3
White 29% -1.9
Two or more 7%
Asian 6%
Black / African Am. 2%
Filipino 1%

Program subgroups

Students w/ disabilities 38% -2.6
English learners 17% +2.3
Socioeconomically disadv. 14%

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 — San Jose 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
$510.7M
+14.4% since FY2017
Per-pupil revenue
$18,617
27,430 students enrolled
Revenue mix
State: 25.4%
Local: 68.0%
Federal: 6.6%
Instruction share
56.0%
of current spending · $8,277/pupil
Long-term debt
$607.0M
-0.6% since FY2017
Total revenue by year ($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 San Jose 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
30%
115 admits / 379 seniors
On the peer median (30.9%) · Ranked #6 of 11 similar schools
5-year trend
2021 · 18.8% 2025 · 30.3%
Where this sits on the California curve
CA median
18.5%
Peer median
30.9%
Top 10%
53.3%
This school
30.3%
0%50%100%
CA median 18.5% Top 10% ≥ 53.3% This school 30.3%

Higher than 73% of California high schools (1105 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

📊 What this number means

Willow Glen High School's UC Reach of 30.3% is above the California median (18.5%). The top 10% of CA schools achieve 53.3% or higher.

But in Santa Clara County, where the local median is 33.1% and the top-10% bar is 79.3%, this score is mid-pack rather than exceptional — typical of its market rather than a standout.

For context, the elite tier (top 1%) clears 102.7% — a gap of 72 pp from where this school sits.

Overall, Willow Glen High School's UC Reach is higher than 73% of California high schools (1105 ranked).

UC Application Reach
123.5%
468 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% · Santa Clara Co. Top 10% ≥ 359.1% · higher than 69% of CA HS.
UC Admit Rate
24.6%
115 / 468 applications
In context: CA median 26.0% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.5% · higher than 42% of CA HS.
UC Yield Rate
30.4%
35 enrolled of 115 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
9.2%
35 enrollees / 379 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
404:1
3.8 FTE counselors · 1,537 students
In context: CA median 338:1 · 66 more students per counselor · ASCA target 250:1.
A-G Completion
52%
184 of 351 graduates · 2024-25 cohort
In context: CA median 55.9% · -3.5 pp vs. median · Santa Clara Co. 67.2%.
UC 6-Yr Grad Rate
89%
74% finished in 4 yrs · N=27 entered 2019
In context: CA median 88.6%.
Selective UC Reach (UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCD)
22.2
per 100 seniors · campus-level total
In context: CA median 15.7 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 42.4 · higher than 66% of CA HS.
Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA)
5.0
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
379
CDE grade 12 (exact)
Total School Enrollment
1,543
All grades · CDE Census Day
Economic Connectedness
1.48
82nd percentile in CA · cross‑class friendships

Willow Glen High School — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot

Public · San Jose · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools

  • On UC Reach, Willow Glen High School sits in the middle of its similar-school group (ranked #6 of 11): 30% vs. a peer median of 31%.
  • Its UC Reach has risen 10 points since 2018.
  • Senior-class enrollment is down 8% (389→359 from 2018 to 2026), tracking the peer-group median of -6%.
  • At its recent rate (-1.2%/yr), enrollment projects to ~1481 by 2029 — about 56 fewer students than today.

Enrollment projection

1537 students (2026)
~1481 projected (2029)
at -1.2%/yr

That's about 56 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
Willow Glen High School Public 1537 30.3% -8%
Peer-group median 30.9% -6%
Abraham Lincoln High Public 1575 17.6% -17%
Yerba Buena High School Public 1555 33.6% -5%
Andrew P Hill High School Public 1497 12.0% -7%
Del Mar High School Public 1318 10.4% +22%
Pioneer High School Public 1342 35.4% -10%
Branham High School Public 1819 33.1% +30%
Westmont High School Public 1631 28.7% +12%
Leland High School Public 1441 61.3% -19%
Prospect High School Public 1436 36.3% -2%
William C. Overfelt High Public 1357 11.8% -9%

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
4.05
Avg. Admitted GPA · top-6 UCs
4.27

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 4.04 16.7% 13.3% +3.4pp On target
UCLA 4.12 10.0% 10.0% 0.0pp On target
UC San Diego 4.05 28.6% 18.9% +9.7pp Over
UC Santa Barbara 4.02 34.5% 33.9% +0.5pp On target
UC Irvine 4.06 16.7% 28.7% -12.1pp Under
UC Davis 4.03 34.8% 33.1% +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 Willow Glen High School sits vs. all California schools

Overall, this school admits its UC applicants in line with what their GPAs predict (24.6% actual vs. 23.6% 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 72 12 6 16.7% 3.2% 50.0% 4.04 4.31
UCLA → Elite 70 7 4 10.0% 1.8% 57.1% 4.12 4.32
UC San Diego → Selective 84 24 6 28.6% 6.3% 25.0% 4.05 4.28
UC Santa Barbara → Selective 87 30 9 34.5% 7.9% 30.0% 4.02 4.30
UC Irvine → Selective 66 11 3 16.7% 2.9% 27.3% 4.06 4.11
UC Davis → 89 31 7 34.8% 8.2% 22.6% 4.03 4.25
⚠ 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 solid. A meaningful share of the senior class is achieving UC admission, and there is likely room to grow both application volume and admission outcomes.
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.
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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