The Nueva School

San Mateo · San Mateo County · Private independent

Private San Mateo County ~108 seniors

Data Year

Compare with peers

Most similar nearby schools

Menlo School → Head-Royce School the → Pinewood School → Quarry Lane School → Lick Wilmerding High School → Compare all similar →

⭐Top 10% UC Reach in California 📝SAT 1480 avg 🏅15 National Merit Semifinalists 🎓Top 4 UC Reach in San Mateo 🎓Top 10% UC Reach in CA

📋 At a glance

Programs & features

🏆 15 National Merit Semifinalists last year

Academic signals

📝 SAT avg 1480 (25-75: 1430–1540)
📝 ACT avg 34.0 (25-75: 32–35)

Composed from federal CRDC offerings, EDFacts ACGR, the school's own published profile, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.

🎓 Where grads go

64.8% UC Reach — top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors in the Class of 2025. Counts each campus admit, so multi-admits count more than once.

UC admits by campus · Class of 2025

UCB

18 admitted

3 enrolled

UCLA

7 admitted

UCSD

10 admitted

UCSB

12 admitted

UCI

4 admitted

UCD

19 admitted

Source: University of California Office of the President, Admissions by Source School. Full campus-by-campus breakdown below.

💡

How The Nueva School compares for families

One of California's strongest schools for college outcomes.

▸ NationallySAT mean 1480 (≈ top 3% of US test-takers) · ACT mean 34.0 (≈ top 1%) · 15 National Merit Semifinalists last year (NMSF is the top 1% of US PSAT scorers) · Top 5% of the 218 curated private schools in our database on SAT mean.
▸ Statewide64.8% UC Reach — 46.7 points above the California median of 18.1%. Ahead of 96% of California high schools.
▸ Locally🎓 Top 4 in San Mateo County on UC Reach — plus 1 more top-rank.
▸ vs Similar SchoolsBeats the peer median (64.8% UC Reach vs 61.4% median) across the 5 most similar nearby schools.

For Parents

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No SBAC data for private schools — and that's not the metric you want anyway

California's Smarter Balanced (CAASPP) assessment is administered by the state, by statute, to public & charter schools only. Private schools don't sit for it. That's why the SBAC card is missing on this profile — not a data gap on our side, a deliberate scope of the state's testing program.

For private schools, UC Reach is the stronger academic signal anyway. SBAC measures grade-11 inputs (proficiency on a state standard); UC Reach measures outputs (who actually got into the most selective UCs). For private-school families weighing tuition against college outcomes, the outputs are the relevant signal.

Scroll up to the UC Reach card for The Nueva School's 2025 number, statewide percentile, and 5-year trend.

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment (9–12)

921 (2020) → 952 (2025)

+3.4%

Grade 12 (graduating class)

91 (2020) → 108 (2025)

+18.7%

If this trend holds (+0.6%/yr, Total enrollment)

At tuition of $ / student:

Horizon	Projected Total enrollment	Change	Tuition impact / yr
1 yr (2026)	~958	+6	$0
3 yr (2028)	~969	+17	$0
5 yr (2030)	~980	+28	$0

Straight-line extrapolation of the recent annual rate — a what-if, not a forecast of intent. Edit the figure to match your school.

The Nueva School — Enrollment & Outcomes Snapshot

Private · secular · San Mateo · vs. 10 most similar nearby schools

▸On UC Reach, The Nueva School sits in the middle of its similar-school group (ranked #4 of 11): 65% vs. a peer median of 61%.
▸The Nueva School's UC Reach has declined meaningfully from a peak of 93% in 2020 to 65% in 2025 — a 29-point drop that warrants attention. Multi-year UC Reach declines of this size often signal something specific (leadership change, comp-program shift, demographic move) rather than year-to-year noise. This is the kind of trajectory an Enrollment Trend Audit unpacks.
▸Senior-class enrollment is up 19% (91→108 from 2020 to 2025), outpacing the peer-group median of +12%.
▸Enrollment has been growing (+0.7%/yr); projects to ~971 by 2028.

Enrollment projection

952 students (2025)

→

~971 projected (2028)

at +0.7%/yr

Your school vs. its 10 most similar nearby schools

School	Type	Size	UC Reach	Enroll. trend
The Nueva School	Private · secular	952	64.8%	+19%
Peer-group median			61.4%	+12%
Menlo School	Private · secular	805	62.4%	+6%
Head-Royce School the	Private · secular	902	60.0%	+12%
Pinewood School	Private · secular	612	60.4%	+0%
Quarry Lane School	Private · secular	1035	112.8%	+34%
Lick Wilmerding High School	Private · secular	559	55.4%	+14%
Moreau Catholic High School	Private · Catholic	806	43.9%	-18%
Crystal Springs Uplands Sch	Private · secular	347	63.7%	+11%
Archbishop Riordan High School	Private · Catholic	1192	58.6%	+104%
Basis Independent Silicon Vall	Private	819	194.4%	+14%
Castilleja School	Private · secular	416	113.7%	-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, and religious orientation. Methodology →

📊 Key takeaway · Class of 2025

The Nueva School sent 405 applications to the six most selective University of California campuses and 17.3% were admitted, producing a UC Reach of 64.8% — 46.7 percentage points above the California median of 18.1%, higher than 96% of California high schools. The school produces 23.1 UCLA + UC Berkeley admits per 100 seniors.

University of California outcomes · Class of 2025

★ Top 10% UC Reach

UC Reach ⓘ

65%

70 admits / 108 seniors
+3.4 pp above peer median (61.4%) · Ranked #4 of 11 similar schools

5-year trend

2021 · 86.6% 2025 · 64.8%

Where this sits on the California curve

CA median
18.1%

Peer median
61.4%

Top 10%
51.2%

This school
64.8%

0%50%100%

CA median 18.1% Top 10% ≥ 51.2% This school 64.8%

Higher than 96% of California high schools (978 ranked, ≥50 seniors)

📊 What this number means

The Nueva School's UC Reach of 64.8% clears the statewide top-10% cutoff (51.2%) — meaning roughly 64 top-6 UC admits per 100 seniors, well above what most California schools achieve.

In San Mateo County — a competitive market where the median is already 31.9% — this still clears the county top-10% bar (64.6%).

For context, the elite tier (top 1%) clears 97.3% — a gap of 32 pp from where this school sits.

Overall, The Nueva School's UC Reach is higher than 96% of California high schools (978 ranked).

UC Application Reach ⓘ

375.0%

405 applications

Strong UC pursuit. The typical senior is applying to about 4 top-6 UC campuses — a signal of a college-driven student body.

In context: CA median 74.9% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 241.0% · San Mateo Co. Top 10% ≥ 344.3% · higher than 98% of CA HS.

UC Admit Rate ⓘ

17.3%

70 / 405 applications

In context: CA median 26.1% · Top 10% statewide ≥ 40.5% · higher than 5% of CA HS.

UC Yield Rate ⓘ

4.3%

3 enrolled of 70 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 ⓘ

2.8%

3 enrollees / 108 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.

Selective UC Reach (UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCD) ⓘ

47.2

per 100 seniors · campus-level total

In context: CA median 15.4 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 41.5 · higher than 94% of CA HS.

Elite UC Reach (UCB + UCLA) ⓘ

23.1

per 100 seniors · campus-level total

In context: CA median 3.3 · Top 10% statewide ≥ 9.7 · higher than 99% of CA HS.

Senior Class Size ⓘ

108

Private School Affidavit

Total School Enrollment ⓘ

952

All grades · Private School Affidavit

Private-school figures come from the California Private School Affidavit. Per CDE, inclusion in private-school data is not an evaluation, approval, or endorsement of a school.

Avg. Applicant GPA · top-6 UCs ⓘ

4.21

Avg. Admitted GPA · top-6 UCs ⓘ

4.27

GPA figures reflect 2024 — UC has not yet released applicant/admit GPA for 2025.

UC funnel — which kids are getting in at what GPA

Combining the school's applicant pool GPA, admit pool GPA, actual admit rate, and statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, we can read which GPA tiers tend to get in — and which don't.

🎯 Who's actually getting into UC from The Nueva School

Campus	4.00+ GPA	3.70–3.99 GPA	3.30–3.69 GPA	< 3.30 GPA
UC Berkeley	Real shot	Long odds	Filtered out	Filtered out
UCLA	Real shot	Long odds	Filtered out	Filtered out
UC San Diego	Strong shot	Real shot	Long odds	Filtered out
UC Santa Barbara	Strong shot	Moderate	Long odds	Filtered out
UC Irvine	Strong shot	Real shot	Long odds	Filtered out
UC Davis	Strong shot	Real shot	Moderate	Filtered out

Strong shot = ≥30% statewide admit rate at this band · Real shot = 10–29% · Moderate = 5–9% · Long odds = 1–4% · Filtered out = under 1%. Tiers map this school's likely outcomes by GPA tier using statewide CA admit rates from UCOP 2024.

The numbers behind it

Campus	Applicant GPA	Admit GPA	Lift ⓘ	Admit rate	vs peer schools @ same GPA ⓘ
UC Berkeley	4.21	4.28	+0.06	26.4%	Peers +0.11 · wider
UCLA	4.22	4.28	+0.06	9.9%	Peers +0.13 · wider
UC San Diego	4.21	4.27	+0.06	14.5%	Peers +0.12 · wider
UC Santa Barbara	4.21	4.28	+0.07	30.7%	Peers +0.12 · wider
UC Irvine	4.21	4.22	+0.01	11.5%	Peers +0.07 · wider
UC Davis	4.22	4.27	+0.05	25.0%	Peers +0.08 · matches

📊 Statewide CA admit rates by individual GPA band, 2024 (for reference)

GPA band	UCB	UCLA	UCSD	UCSB	UCI	UCD
4.00+	17.1%	14.4%	43.5%	57.3%	46.0%	64.1%
3.70–3.99	2.8%	1.5%	11.2%	9.2%	16.5%	27.5%
3.30–3.69	0.8%	0.9%	1.4%	2.3%	3.4%	9.1%
3.00–3.29	0.5%	0.4%	0.1%	0.5%	0.4%	2.1%
< 3.00	0.6%	0.2%	0.2%	0.5%	0.3%	0.6%

How we infer the tier labels: Each tier comes from the statewide CA admit rate at that GPA band at that UC. The "vs peers" column compares this school's lift (admit GPA − applicant GPA) to the average lift at ~100–300 other CA schools with similar applicant pool GPA. What this isn't: a guarantee. UC comprehensive review weighs essays, course rigor, demographics, and context-of-opportunity beyond GPA. A 3.9 with strong context can land an admit; a 4.0 with weak essays can be denied. Use as a baseline expectation, not a verdict. Per-campus year is shown when it differs from the headline year (UCOP doesn't always publish admit-GPA for every campus every year).

Where The Nueva School sits vs. all California schools ⓘ

Overall, this school admits its UC applicants in line with what their GPAs predict (19.7% actual vs. 23.9% expected), based on 2024 data.

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) '24	Avg GPA (Adm) '24
UC Berkeley → Elite	81	18	3	22.2%	16.7%	16.7%	4.21	4.28
UCLA → Elite	79	7	—^†	8.9%	6.5%	—	4.22	4.28
UC San Diego → Selective	72	10	—^†	13.9%	9.3%	—	4.21	4.27
UC Santa Barbara → Selective	65	12	—^†	18.5%	11.1%	—	4.21	4.28
UC Irvine → Selective	50	4	—^†	8.0%	3.7%	—	4.21	4.22
UC Davis →	58	19	—^†	32.8%	17.6%	—	4.22	4.27

† = 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 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 65% 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 very low yield: this school's students are earning UC admission at high rates and then enrolling elsewhere — almost certainly at the most selective private universities (Ivies, Stanford, MIT, the top liberal-arts colleges) or elite out-of-state flagships. UC is functioning as a credentialing-grade backup rather than a destination.

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 and UCLA admit volume is strong — a clear high-end signal for this school's academic preparation.

UC Reach has declined meaningfully year-over-year. This should be reviewed in context of applicant volume, GPA trends, course rigor changes, and peer-school performance before drawing conclusions.

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.

Compare with other schools → See San Mateo County rankings →