KIPP Esperanza High School

East Palo Alto · San Mateo County · Sequoia Union High · Public

Public San Mateo County Sequoia Union High → ~57 seniors CDS 4169062…

Data Year

Compare with peers

Most similar nearby schools

Tide Academy → East Palo Alto Academy → Everest Public High School → Redwood High School → Mission Early College High School → Compare all similar →

A parent's read

Almost all graduates leave eligible for UC and CSU. 100% finish the A-G courses California's universities require before a student can even apply — most California schools manage about 6 in 10.
Worth asking about: attendance. 37% of students are chronically absent — above the state's ~23%. Ask what the school is doing about engagement; absenteeism is usually the earliest warning light.

Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.

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Where grads go — and what it costs & pays

UC Reach Score

Below the CA median below the state median

Top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors in the Class of 2025 — counts each campus admit, so a student admitted to several UCs counts more than once (which is why a strong school can score over 100).

UC admits by campus · Class of 2025

UCD

4 admitted

Net $14,741/yr avg

Grads earn $80,838 @10yr

Getting in is step one. The cost above is the average aid-receiving family's net price — yours depends on whether you qualify for aid — and your child's odds depend on their GPA + scores. See your family's real numbers at these campuses:

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Sources: UC Office of the President (admits); IPEDS net price + College Scorecard 10-yr earnings (cost & payoff). Full campus-by-campus breakdown below.

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How KIPP Esperanza High School compares for families

Real college outcomes data available below.

▸ StatewideUC Reach Score of 7 — 12 points below the California median of 19.
▸ vs Similar SchoolsTrails the peer median (UC Reach Score 7 vs a 11 median) across the 5 most similar nearby schools.

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Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.

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.

About half of students read and write at grade level — about the state norm.

About 1 in 3 students do math at grade level — above the state norm.

ELA — met or exceeded

n = 40

47.5%

incl. 22.5% exceeded

-13.0 pts vs. San Mateo County median (60.5%) · CA median 54.5% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 79.4%

Math — met or exceeded

n = 40

32.5%

incl. 10.0% exceeded

-2.6 pts vs. San Mateo County median (35.1%) · CA median 21.4% · 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 93% -4.2

Pacific Islander 3% +2.0

Black / African Am. 2% +1.0

Asian 1%

Two or more 1%

Not reported 1%

Program subgroups

Socioeconomically disadv. 94% +2.5

English learners 35% -1.5

Students w/ disabilities 20%

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.

37% of students miss 10%+ of school days — above the state's ~23%. Ask what the school is doing about engagement.

Chronic absent

37.3%

76 of 204 students

Absenteeism is up 23.5 pp since 2020-21. A rising absenteeism trend often precedes formal departure — worth investigating which subgroups are driving it.

San Mateo County median

19.8% · school is worse than 79% of 29 HS

Statewide median

22.8%

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).

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)

106 (2021) → 178 (2026)

+67.9%

Grade 12 (graduating class)

72 (2024) → 44 (2026)

-38.9%

If this trend holds (+8.0%/yr, Total enrollment)

At per-pupil funding of $ / student:

Horizon	Projected Total enrollment	Change	Funding impact / yr
1 yr (2027)	~192	+14	$0
3 yr (2029)	~224	+46	$0
5 yr (2031)	~261	+83	$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.

How does KIPP Esperanza High School really compare on getting kids to college?

We've ranked it #4 of 5 most similar nearby schools on UC Reach. Unlock the full snapshot to see the head-to-head — who's ahead, by how much, and where it's heading.

The full head-to-head table — every peer school's UC Reach, side by side.

Enrollment trend + 3-year projection — is this school growing or quietly shrinking?

The plain-English read on what it all means for your family.

Your similar-school group includes

Tide Academy · East Palo Alto Academy · Everest Public High School · Redwood High · Mission Early College High School · Robertson High (continuation) · +4 more

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.

83% of students who start the year here finish it here.

Critical

Compounding decline on both vectors.

Enrollment -38.9% vs. county -17.4% AND stability (82.8%) below the county median. Recruitment and retention both under pressure — likely a foundational rather than tactical problem. Chronic absenteeism is also at 37.3% (up +23.5 pts from 2020-21) — engagement and demand are both signaling decline.

-38.9% senior class, grade 12 (2024–2026)

-17.4% San Mateo County baseline

-21.5pp gap vs. county

82.8% retention (county median 93.1%)

Senior class (grade 12) — indexed to 100 at 2024

Stability rate by year (raw %)

Stability rate

82.8%

173 of 209 students

36 of 209 students who enrolled at KIPP Esperanza High School this year didn't maintain continuous enrollment (17.2% non-stability). Mid-year transfers, dropouts, and other exits are all counted.

San Mateo County median

93.1% · school is in the 21st percentile of 29 HS

Statewide median

87.3% · in the 35th percentile of 1,734 HS

Stability by student group

Hispanic / Latino (199) 82.9%

Socio. disadvantaged (196) 85.7%

English learners (92) 69.6%

Students w/ disabilities (47) 83.0%

Nearest peer high schools

Tide Academy 95.4% East Palo Alto Academy 93.1% Everest Public High School 89.7% Redwood High 41.3% Mission Early College High School 96.7%

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 — Sequoia 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

$274.6M

+23.6% since FY2017

Per-pupil revenue

$29,134

9,424 students enrolled

Revenue mix

State: 16.6%
Local: 79.5%
Federal: 3.9%

Instruction share

53.6%

of current spending · $11,688/pupil

Long-term debt

$494.2M

+37.6% 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 Sequoia 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).

Key takeaway · Class of 2025

KIPP Esperanza High School sent 71 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 5.6% were admitted, producing a UC Reach Score of 7 (top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors, counting a student at each campus that admitted them) — 12 points below the California median of 19, higher than 7% of California high schools..

UC Reach Score 7 ⓘ 4 admits (counted at each UC) / 57 seniors -4 pts vs. peer median (11) · #4 of 5 similar schools methodology

Where this sits on the California curve

CA median
19

Peer median
11

Top 10%
53

This school
7

050100

CA median 19 Top 10% ≥ 53 This school 7

Higher than 7% of California high schools (1105 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

What this number means

KIPP Esperanza High School's UC Reach Score of 7 is below the California median (19). The top 10% of CA schools achieve 53 or higher.

But in San Mateo County, where the local median is 33 and the top-10% bar is 66, this score is mid-pack rather than exceptional — typical of its market rather than a standout.

Overall, KIPP Esperanza High School's UC Reach is higher than 7% of California high schools (1105 ranked).

UC Application Reach Score ⓘ

125

71 applications

Most seniors are applying to at least one of the six most selective UCs (applications counted at each campus).

In context: CA median 81 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 240 · San Mateo Co. Top 10% ≥ 332 · higher than 69% of CA HS.

UC Admit Rate ⓘ

5.6%

4 / 71 applications

In context: CA median 26.1% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.4% · higher than 0% of CA HS.

UC Yield Rate ⓘ

N/A

— enrolled of 4 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 Score ⓘ

N/A

— enrollees / 57 seniors

Enrollment Reach vs. Yield: Reach answers "of the whole senior class, what share 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.

A-G Completion ⓘ

Most graduates leave here ready to apply to UC and CSU — almost all finish the required courses, versus about 6 in 10 statewide.

100%

60 of 60 graduates · 2024-25 cohort

In context: CA median 55.9% · +44.1 pp above · San Mateo Co. 67.2%.

Selective UC Reach (UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCI — incl. the Elite two) ⓘ

N/A

Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA) ⓘ

N/A

Senior Class Size ⓘ

CDE grade 12 (exact)

Total School Enrollment ⓘ

194

All grades · CDE Census Day

Avg. Applicant GPA · top-6 UCs ⓘ

3.62

UC Outcomes Trend — 2024–2025

UC Admit Rate %

UC Reach Score (where available)

UC Admits (count, right axis)

Class size from CDE grade 12 enrollment. Campus-level data: applicant and admit totals count a student once at EACH campus. A senior admitted to UCLA and UC San Diego adds 2 to the admit total, so the total can exceed the senior class — that is the metric working as defined, not an error. The admit RATE is unaffected: both its numerator and denominator are campus-level.

Campus Breakdown — 2025

Campus	Applicants	Admits	Enrollees	Admit Rate	UC Reach Score	Yield	Avg GPA (App)	Avg GPA (Adm)
UC Berkeley → Elite	14	—^†	—^†	—^†	—^†	—	3.74	—^†
UCLA → Elite	6	—^†	—^†	—^†	—^†	—	3.55	—^†
UC San Diego → Selective	9	—^†	—^†	—^†	—^†	—	3.44	—^†
UC Santa Barbara → Selective	9	—^†	—^†	—^†	—^†	—	3.63	—^†
UC Irvine → Selective	9	—^†	—^†	—^†	—^†	—	3.58	—^†
UC Davis →	24	4	—^†	16.7%	7	—	3.64	—^†

† = UCOP-suppressed (count below 3 students, hidden for privacy — actual value is 0, 1, or 2, not necessarily zero). 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 is measured against the whole senior class. 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.

Fewer than 15% of seniors are earning UC admission. This may reflect a high non-UC college-going rate, significant A-G completion gaps, or an early-stage UC pipeline. A deeper review of A-G readiness and counseling capacity is warranted.

Note: the UC Reach Score sums campus-level admits across the top-six UC campuses, so a student admitted to both UCLA and UCSD is counted at each. It reflects competitive admit volume relative to class size — admit-events, not distinct students — which is why a Score can exceed 100.

Compare with other schools → See San Mateo County rankings →

For School Admins

The full Reach Report for KIPP Esperanza High School

A board- and LCAP-ready intelligence brief: your enrollment retention and college outcomes, benchmarked against your closest competitors, with a 5-year forecast, concrete steps to act on, and the rigor + outcomes story you can share with your families. Built from primary public data — prepared for you, not auto-generated.

✓Your UC Reach Score (7) ranked head-to-head against your closest competitor schools
✓Your 5-year enrollment forecast (currently 8.0%/yr) with the revenue at stake
✓Student-retention benchmarking vs your county median — and the LCAP evidence to back your goals

See a sample report →

At a glance

JSON · Using this page with an AI assistant

KIPP Esperanza High School is a public high school in East Palo Alto, San Mateo County, California with 57 seniors in the Class of 2025.

Its UC Reach Score is 7 (Below the CA median, below the state median): 4 UC admits (counted at each UC) from a senior class of 57, so a student admitted to several campuses counts at each. That is higher than 7% of California high schools.

In 2025 its students filed 71 UC applications and received 4 offers, a UC admit rate of 5.6% (counted at each campus).

100% of its graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU eligibility (California median 56%).

Enrollment was 178 students in 2026, up 68% since 2021.

Sources: University of California Office of the President (admissions), California Department of Education (enrollment, A-G, college-going), and the school's own published documents where named.

Questions families ask

What is KIPP Esperanza High School's UC Reach Score? KIPP Esperanza High School's UC Reach Score is 7 (Below the CA median, below the state median): 4 UC admits (counted at each UC) from a senior class of 57, so a student admitted to several campuses counts at each. That is higher than 7% of California high schools.

How many students from KIPP Esperanza High School got into a UC? In 2025 its students filed 71 UC applications and received 4 offers, a UC admit rate of 5.6% (counted at each campus).

What percentage of KIPP Esperanza High School graduates complete the A-G requirements? 100% of its graduates completed the A-G courses required for UC and CSU eligibility (California median 56%).

How many students attend KIPP Esperanza High School? Enrollment was 178 students in 2026, up 68% since 2021.

Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com). These figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

What does AI tell parents about KIPP Esperanza High School?

When a parent asks an AI assistant about KIPP Esperanza High School, the answer is built from a handful of sources, and Reach is often one of them. We will send your school a short report on what AI says about KIPP Esperanza High School and where it comes from. The first report is free.

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