Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
High Schools

Best High Schools
in San Francisco Unified

This page covers 17 high schools in San Francisco Unified. Rankings use a composite of graduation rates, neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

17
Schools Ranked
California
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

High Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 17
1
rank
Wallenberg (Raoul) Traditional High
Grades 09–12549 students
Ranked for: strong graduation rate (98%) · above-average investment ($27,106/student)
75
/100
Graduation Rate
98%
Above nat'l avg
Student:Teacher
18.6:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
56/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
2
rank
Washington (George) High
Grades 09–122,036 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
74
/100
Graduation Rate
91%
Above nat'l avg
Student:Teacher
23.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
3
rank
Galileo High
Grades 09–121,826 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
73
/100
Graduation Rate
87%
Nat'l avg 86.5%
Student:Teacher
21.7:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
4
rank
Academy (The)- SF @McAteer
Grades 09–12320 students
Ranked for: strong graduation rate (98%) · above-average investment ($27,106/student)
72
/100
Graduation Rate
98%
Above nat'l avg
Student:Teacher
16.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
40/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
5
rank
Asawa (Ruth) SF Sch of the Arts A Public School
Grades 09–12679 students
Ranked for: strong graduation rate (98%) · above-average investment ($27,106/student)
71
/100
Graduation Rate
98%
Above nat'l avg
Student:Teacher
19.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
40/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
6
rank
Balboa High
Grades 09–121,278 students
Ranked for: strong graduation rate (93%) · above-average investment ($27,106/student)
71
/100
Graduation Rate
93%
Above nat'l avg
Student:Teacher
21.7:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
54/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
7
rank
Lincoln (Abraham) High
Grades 09–121,997 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
70
/100
Graduation Rate
91%
Above nat'l avg
Student:Teacher
22.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
57/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
8
rank
Lowell High
Grades 09–122,632 students
Ranked for: strong graduation rate (100%) · above-average investment ($27,106/student)
70
/100
Graduation Rate
100%
Above nat'l avg
Student:Teacher
23.7:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
9
rank
O'Connell (John) High
Grades 09–12506 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
70
/100
Graduation Rate
87%
Nat'l avg 86.5%
Student:Teacher
16.3:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
10
rank
Burton (Phillip and Sala) Academic High
Grades 09–121,060 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($27,106/student)
69
/100
Graduation Rate
91%
Above nat'l avg
Student:Teacher
20.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
48/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$27,106
Above nat'l avg
7 more high schools in San Francisco Unified not shown here.
View all schools in San Francisco Unified
How We Rank High Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the high school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Graduation Rate
40%
The most direct outcome measure available at the school level. Percentage of students who complete high school, from EDFacts federal data.
Neighborhood Opportunity
25%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score reflecting long-run economic outcomes for children raised in this neighbourhood.
Student-Teacher Ratio
20%
Lower ratio = smaller classes. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
15%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
17
High Schools
106
Total Schools
75
#1 Score
67
Avg Score
Top Ranked High School
1
Wallenberg (Raoul) Traditional High
Score: 75/10098% graduation
Compare San Francisco Unified with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), EDFacts (graduation rates), and the Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.