Enrollment
1,393
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · San Jose, CA
Pioneer High
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 063459005732
👥 S:T ratio 10
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pioneer High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #6 of 42
- high schools in San Jose · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 22.5:1
- students per teacher
- 21.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Pioneer High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer High ranks #6 of 42 high schools in San Jose, CA.
School address
District: San Jose Unified · California
NCES ID 063459005732 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pioneer High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pioneer High
Pioneer High is a large high school in San Jose, California, enrolling 1,393 students.
At 22.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 21.5% free-meal eligibility runs 61% below the California average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,393 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 419 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #211.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (41%) and White (35%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 19 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 232 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among San Jose's high schools, it stands alongside Evergreen Valley High (2,703 students): Pioneer High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.5:1 vs 23.7:1).
San Jose Unified also operates Abraham Lincoln High (1,590 students) and Willow Glen High (1,543 students) alongside Pioneer High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Pioneer High compares
Pioneer High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.5% | ▼ 61% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,393 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.5:1
Leaner classes than 9% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,393
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
22.5:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 58% in California - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
22.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,122
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 232 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 71 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 41.0%
White 35.2%
Asian 14.2%
Two or More 7.1%
African American 2.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 41.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.2, Pioneer High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Jose Unified, which includes Pioneer High.
$16,122
Per student
-2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.7%
State 23.6%
Federal 8.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Pioneer High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Willow Glen High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Leland High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Willow Glen Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Herbert Hoover Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pioneer High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,590
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,543
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,471
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,180
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 910
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar high schools in San Jose
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Evergreen Valley High
Standard public school
2,703 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Independence High
Standard public school
2,289 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Silver Creek High
Standard public school
2,139 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Santa Teresa High
Standard public school
2,134 students 22:1 students per teacher
Piedmont Hills High
Standard public school
1,918 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Leigh High
Standard public school
1,884 students 25.8:1 students per teacher
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,393 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pioneer High's federal record.
- Compare Pioneer High against another school. Compare schools
- San Jose Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Pioneer High
How many students attend Pioneer High?
Pioneer High has 1,393 students enrolled. It is a high school in San Jose, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pioneer High?
The student-teacher ratio at Pioneer High is 22.5:1, which is 5% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pioneer High?
21.5% of students at Pioneer High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer High?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer High is Hispanic or Latino at 41.0% of enrollment, in San Jose, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer High?
Pioneer High has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pioneer High rank among high schools in San Jose?
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer High ranks #6 of 42 high schools in San Jose, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in San Jose on the city page.
Is Pioneer High a good school?
Pioneer High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in San Jose Unified?
Besides Pioneer High, San Jose Unified also operates Abraham Lincoln High (1,590 students), Willow Glen High (1,543 students), and Leland High (1,471 students). See the San Jose Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.