Is Thornton High a good school?

Thornton High ranks in the bottom 23.3% of California high schools.

How many students attend Thornton High?

In the 2022-23 school year, 77 students attended Thornton High.

What is the racial makeup of Thornton High?

Students at Thornton High are 47% Hispanic, 22% Asian, 14% White, 12% Two or more races, 4% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Thornton High

Summary:

Thornton High is a small public high school in Daly City, California, serving grades 9-12 and part of the Jefferson Union High School District. However, the school's performance data paints a concerning picture, with consistently low academic achievement, high dropout rates, and significant challenges across various student subgroups.

Thornton High has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of California high schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Its four-year graduation rates have ranged from 56.6% to 71.4% over the past five years, and its dropout rates have been high, ranging from 8.5% to 18.4%. The school has also experienced concerning rates of chronic absenteeism, with 33.5% to 61.2% of students chronically absent in recent years. These performance metrics are significantly below the district and state averages, and the school's underperformance extends across all student subgroups, including female, male, Hispanic, White, English Language Learners, and low socioeconomic status students.

In contrast, nearby Westmoor High and Jefferson High, which are also part of the Jefferson Union High School District, consistently rank in the top 50% and top 40% of California high schools, respectively, and have much higher graduation rates, lower dropout rates, and better academic performance. This stark contrast suggests that Thornton High may be facing significant challenges in providing a quality education to its students, and the district and school leadership have an opportunity to implement targeted interventions and strategies to address the root causes of the school's underperformance.

Detail:

Public 9-12

115 First Ave.
Daly City, CA 94014-2643

(650) 550-7840

District: Jefferson Union High

SchoolDigger Rank:
1782^nd of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,655

Student/teacher ratio: 11.4

Number of students: 77

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.8%

Asian:

22.1%

White:

14.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 40.3%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Thornton High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Thornton High ranks worse than 76.7% of high schools in California. It also ranks last among 5 ranked high schools in the Jefferson Union High School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.17. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Thornton High freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Thornton High has the smallest high school student body size in the Jefferson Union High School District. Student population at Thornton High is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (46.8%), Asian (22.1%), White (14.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 40.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Jefferson Union High School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Thornton High is 11.4, which is the lowest among 5 high schools in the Jefferson Union High School District! (See more...)

Compare Thornton High employs 6.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Thornton High is $7,655, which is the highest among 5 high schools in the Jefferson Union High School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Thornton High:

SchoolDigger ranks Thornton High 1782^nd of 2323 California public high schools. (See Thornton High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Jefferson Union High:

SchoolDigger ranks Jefferson Union High 518^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Thornton High?

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Rank History for Thornton High

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Rank History for all students at Thornton High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	11.91	1592^nd	1653	3.7%
2005	17.81	1472^nd	1901	22.6%
2006	19.68	1446^th	1968	26.5%
2007	18.89	1550^th	2063	24.9%
2008	14.07	1787^th	2117	15.6%
2009	28.82	1443^rd	2238	35.5%
2010	15.46	1803^rd	2281	21.0%
2011	20.51	1622^nd	2367	31.5%
2012	16.32	1761^st	2354	25.2%
2013	19.76	1657^th	2426	31.7%
2015	10.21	1830^th	1994	8.2%
2016	9.67	1895^th	2039	7.1%
2017	13.79	1630^th	2021	19.3%
2018	10.13	1848^th	2017	8.4%
2019	15.86	1737^th	2133	18.6%
2022	14.25	1824^th	2123	14.1%
2023	13.56	1886^th	2348	19.7%
2024	16.17	1782^nd	2323	23.3%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Thornton High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	25.78	896^th	941	4.8%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Thornton High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	9.98	1751^st	1862	6.0%
2019	9.46	1898^th	1937	2.0%
2023	17.71	1724^th	2247	23.3%
2024	10.35	1955^th	2235	12.5%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Thornton High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	8.12	1625^th	1760	7.7%
2019	10.76	1643^rd	1833	10.4%
2023	15.01	1724^th	2118	18.6%
2024	17.83	1638^th	2098	21.9%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Thornton High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	9.74	1720^th	1834	6.2%
2019	15.78	1533^rd	1880	18.5%
2023	11.54	1872^nd	2207	15.2%
2024	9.83	1898^th	2172	12.6%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Thornton High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	9.41	1643^rd	1742	5.7%
2019	9.76	1740^th	1814	4.1%
2023	7.53	2022^nd	2142	5.6%
2024	10.44	1841^st	2125	13.4%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Thornton High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	3.15	1214^th	1222	0.7%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Thornton High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1993	12	19	30	30	1	n/a	n/a	0	92
1994	21	20	39	42	2	n/a	n/a	0	124
1995	43	40	38	63	0	n/a	n/a	0	184
1996	43	40	38	63	0	n/a	n/a	0	184
1997	39	25	55	75	0	n/a	n/a	0	194
1998	30	24	46	56	0	n/a	n/a	0	156
1999	47	31	50	65	0	n/a	n/a	4	197
2000	57	27	40	65	1	n/a	n/a	6	196
2001	64	27	41	47	1	n/a	n/a	6	186
2002	51	20	48	83	6	n/a	n/a	14	222
2003	51	20	48	83	6	n/a	n/a	14	222
2004	60	21	38	79	1	n/a	n/a	13	212
2005	48	33	41	66	1	n/a	n/a	5	194
2006	49	33	55	67	4	n/a	n/a	0	208
2007	44	31	40	72	0	n/a	n/a	0	187
2008	33	27	43	67	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	170
2009	38	25	51	68	1	4	0	0	187
2010	45	28	54	82	4	9	4	0	226
2011	48	26	45	93	0	5	13	0	230
2012	35	15	31	92	0	6	24	0	203
2013	24	9	26	82	1	7	28	0	177
2014	16	8	16	87	1	5	33	0	166
2015	21	12	39	88	1	6	14	0	181
2016	8	11	21	70	1	4	6	0	121
2017	15	8	27	76	0	2	8	0	136
2018	22	10	22	73	2	1	13	0	143
2019	19	5	24	64	0	1	11	0	124
2020	24	3	36	70	0	0	7	0	140
2021	9	4	22	61	0	1	7	0	104
2022	4	4	8	41	0	0	8	0	65
2023	11	0	17	36	3	1	9	0	77

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Thornton High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	92	5.0	18.4	0
1994	124	5.0	24.8	0
1995	184	6.0	30.7	0
1996	184	6.0	30.7	0
1997	194	6.0	32.3	0
1998	156	7.0	22.3	0
1999	197	7.0	28.1	0
2000	196	7.0	28.0	0
2001	186	7.0	26.6	0
2002	222	8.0	27.8	0
2003	222	8.0	27.8	0
2004	212	8.0	26.5	0
2005	194	8.0	24.3	0
2006	208	8.0	26.0	0
2007	187	5.8	32.2	0
2008	170	0.2	850.0	n/a
2009	187	10.1	18.3	10.2
2010	226	16.8	13.4	21.7
2011	230	n/a	n/a	3
2012	203	13.0	15.6	n/a
2013	177	11.0	16.0	38.4
2014	166	10.8	15.3	9.6
2015	181	11.0	16.4	44.2
2016	121	11.0	11.0	52.9
2017	136	10.2	13.3	44.9
2018	143	11.2	12.7	51.7
2019	124	9.2	13.4	35.5
2020	140	n/a	n/a	37.1
2021	104	10.0	10.4	45.2
2022	65	9.2	7.0	40
2023	77	6.7	11.4	40.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Thornton High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	92	5.0	18.4	0
1994	124	5.0	24.8	0
1995	184	6.0	30.7	0
1996	184	6.0	30.7	0
1997	194	6.0	32.3	0
1998	156	7.0	22.3	0
1999	197	7.0	28.1	0
2000	196	7.0	28.0	0
2001	186	7.0	26.6	0
2002	222	8.0	27.8	0
2003	222	8.0	27.8	0
2004	212	8.0	26.5	0
2005	194	8.0	24.3	0
2006	208	8.0	26.0	0
2007	187	5.8	32.2	0
2008	170	0.2	850.0	n/a
2009	187	10.1	18.3	10.2
2010	226	16.8	13.4	21.7
2011	230	n/a	n/a	3
2012	203	13.0	15.6	n/a
2013	177	11.0	16.0	38.4
2014	166	10.8	15.3	9.6
2015	181	11.0	16.4	44.2
2016	121	11.0	11.0	52.9
2017	136	10.2	13.3	44.9
2018	143	11.2	12.7	51.7
2019	124	9.2	13.4	35.5
2020	140	n/a	n/a	37.1
2021	104	10.0	10.4	45.2
2022	65	9.2	7.0	40
2023	77	6.7	11.4	40.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Thornton High

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$7,655

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Thornton High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 1737^th of 2133 High schools	Ranks 1886^th of 2348 High schools	1.1%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Thornton High)	7.6	14	6.4%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Jefferson Union High)	56.1	56	0.1%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	57.3	55.4	1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Thornton High)	0	4.8	4.8%
11th Grade Mathematics (Jefferson Union High)	35	30.6	4.4%
11th Grade Mathematics (California)	32.2	27.4	4.9%
12th Grade Science (Thornton High)	11.8	8	3.8%
12th Grade Science (Jefferson Union High)	21.5	34.6	13.1%
12th Grade Science (California)	25.6	26.9	1.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	124	77	37.9%
African American	5	0	100%
American Indian	0	3
Asian	24	17	29.2%
Hispanic	64	36	43.8%
Pacific Islander	1	1
White	19	11	42.1%
Two or More Races	11	9	18.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	35.5%	40.3%	4.8%

Schools Near Thornton High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CAST Science (2024)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Thornton High	Public	9-12	115 First Ave.	Daly City	94014	San Mateo County	Jefferson Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 550-7840	77	7	11.4	40.3%	11 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (46.8%)	17 (22.1%)	3 (3.9%)	1 (1.3%)	9 (11.7%)	16.2	1782^nd of 2323 public high schools	23.3%		13.6	1886^th of 2348 public high schools	19.7%	104		3.9	2.8	31.6	31.6	0.0	0.0	$7,655
Jefferson High	Public	9-12	6996 Mission St.	Daly City	94014	San Mateo County	Jefferson Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 550-7700	1,159	56	20.8	36.8%	59 (5.1%)	25 (2.2%)	567 (48.9%)	447 (38.6%)	1 (0.1%)	17 (1.5%)	39 (3.4%)	36.7	1220^th of 2323 public high schools	47.5%		47.6	920^th of 2348 public high schools	60.8%	300	18.8		18.4	44.2	44.2	15.6	15.6	$6,444
Westmoor High	Public	9-12	131 Westmoor Ave.	Daly City	94015	San Mateo County	Jefferson Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 550-7400	1,302	59	22.1	31.6%	92 (7.1%)	12 (0.9%)	329 (25.3%)	798 (61.3%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.4%)	60 (4.6%)	75.5	391^st of 2323 public high schools	83.2%		78.6	353^rd of 2348 public high schools	85.0%	38		39.0	39.0	65.6	65.6	35.1	35.1	$6,310
Summit Public School: Shasta	Public, Charter	9-12	905 Campus Dr.	Daly City	94015	San Mateo County	Summit Public School: Shasta District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 799-4719	442	17	25.6	26.0%	17 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	116 (26.2%)	243 (55.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	61 (13.8%)	87.7	205^th of 2323 public high schools	91.2%		84.1	254^th of 2348 public high schools	89.2%	49		51.0	51.0	75.2	75.2	44.8	44.8
El Camino High	Public	9-12	1320 Mission Rd.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8806	1,173	62	18.8	24.7%	92 (7.8%)	9 (0.8%)	436 (37.2%)	560 (47.7%)	3 (0.3%)	16 (1.4%)	57 (4.9%)	82.7	287^th of 2323 public high schools	87.6%		79.1	338^th of 2348 public high schools	85.6%	51		46.7	46.7	72.9	72.9	37.7	37.7	$5,776
City Arts & Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	350 Seneca Ave.	San Francisco	94112	San Francisco County	City Arts & Leadership Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 841-2200	473	21	22.5	68.5%	14 (3.0%)	43 (9.1%)	380 (80.3%)	16 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	14 (3.0%)	34.1	1309^th of 2323 public high schools	43.7%		50.2	859^th of 2348 public high schools	63.4%	450		9.3	9.3	49.1	49.1	9.9	9.9
Balboa High	Public	9-12	1000 Cayuga Ave.	San Francisco	94112	San Francisco County	San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 469-4090	1,278	59	21.6	61.3%	52 (4.1%)	61 (4.8%)	391 (30.6%)	684 (53.5%)	4 (0.3%)	25 (2.0%)	60 (4.7%)	80.6	319^th of 2323 public high schools	86.3%		72.8	437^th of 2348 public high schools	81.4%	118	42.2		41.3	69.5	69.5	43.8	43.8	$6,103
Jordan (June) School for Equity	Public	9-12	325 La Grande Ave.	San Francisco	94112	San Francisco County	San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 452-4922	201	15	13.2	63.2%	1 (0.5%)	24 (11.9%)	143 (71.1%)	17 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	13 (6.5%)	9.9	2024^th of 2323 public high schools	12.9%		17.1	1776^th of 2348 public high schools	24.4%	248	2.0		2.0	17.8	17.8	0.0	0.0	$6,103
Lowell High	Public	9-12	1101 Eucalyptus Dr.	San Francisco	94132	San Francisco County	San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 759-2730	2,632	111	23.7	37.2%	442 (16.8%)	72 (2.7%)	467 (17.7%)	1,380 (52.4%)	6 (0.2%)	11 (0.4%)	254 (9.7%)	96.3	59^th of 2323 public high schools	97.5%		99.2	12^th of 2348 public high schools	99.5%	47	63.4	37.5	62.6	84.5	84.5	66.3	66.3	$6,103
Baden High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	825 Southwood Dr.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8769	122	8	14.4	44.3%	10 (8.2%)	3 (2.5%)	83 (68.0%)	22 (18.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	3 (2.5%)	13.7	1857^th of 2323 public high schools	20.1%		10.1	2052^nd of 2348 public high schools	12.6%	195		3.6	3.6	24.2	24.2	0.0	0.0	$8,809

Thornton High

Thornton High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Jefferson Union High:

What do you think?

Rank History for Thornton High

Rank History for all students at Thornton High

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Thornton High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Thornton High

Rank History for Female students at Thornton High

Rank History for Male students at Thornton High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Thornton High

Rank History for White students at Thornton High

Enrollment information for Thornton High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Thornton High

Student/Teacher Ratio Thornton High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Thornton High

Impact of COVID-19 on Thornton High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Thornton High

Thornton High

Jefferson High

Westmoor High

Summit Public School: Shasta

El Camino High

City Arts & Leadership Academy

Balboa High

Jordan (June) School for Equity

Lowell High

Baden High (Continuation)

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