How safe is the school, really — beyond what the marketing says?
Based on the school’s accountability report, a student survey and news searches, we found no lockdown, threat or violence incident at Santa Teresa, and no published climate-survey results, so we cannot say how safe students feel today. Niche reports that 82% of the 71 students it surveyed feel safe at school. The school calls itself “a tremendously safe campus due to the vigilance of all students and staff”, and its safety page says earthquake, fire and lockdown drills are held every year.
| Item | What we found | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Students who feel safe at school | 82% of 71 students surveyed | Niche |
| Suspension rate | 5.87% in 2022–23, 1.88% in 2023–24, 3.72% in 2024–25 | State report card |
| Facility inspection | Several classrooms with daisy-chained electrical cords, a fire-safety item | September 2025 |
| Football equipment thefts | Reported before the 2024 season; no follow-up found | NBC Bay Area, 13 August 2024 |
The same report puts the expulsion rate at 0.05% in 2024–25. The latest chronic-absenteeism figure we could read is 18.5% for 2022–23, and the school’s 2023 inspection had also found fire extinguishers blocked by furniture in the 200 building, which the school says it corrected immediately.
How do students perform on state assessments in reading and math?
Santa Teresa students beat the district and the state on all three California tests in 2024–25. In the school’s accountability report, 73% met or exceeded the standard in English language arts, against 56% across East Side Union High School District and 48% across California; 49% did in mathematics, against 34% and 37%; and 53% did in science, against 40% and 32%.
| Subject | Santa Teresa, 2024–25 | District and California |
|---|---|---|
| English language arts | 73% | 56% and 48% |
| Mathematics | 49% | 34% and 37% |
| Science | 53% | 40% and 32% |
A year earlier the school stood at 67%, 43% and 47%. The gaps inside the school are wide: English learners met the standard at 19% in English and 6% in math, students with disabilities at 20% and 13%, and socioeconomically disadvantaged students at 63% and 38%. SchoolDigger ranks the school 192nd of 2,162 California high schools for 2025 and 3rd of 16 in its district.
How qualified and stable are the teachers?
Based on the state accountability reports, 85% of Santa Teresa’s teaching positions were held by fully credentialed teachers working in their assigned subjects in 2022–23, down from 90% in 2021–22; the 2024–25 report leaves the teacher tables blank, so we cannot say where the figure stands now. SchoolDigger counts 95 full-time teachers in 2025, which is 22.4 students for each teacher. We found no figures for turnover or average tenure.
| School year | Fully credentialed and properly assigned | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | 91.5% of 92.7 positions | Accountability report 2022–23 |
| 2021–22 | 90.1% of 93.6 positions | Accountability report 2022–23 |
| 2022–23 | 85.0%; 6.7 positions without full credentials or misassigned, 2.1 out of field | Accountability report 2024–25 |
A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class. The report gives average class sizes for 2023–24 of 26 in English, 28 in mathematics, 28 in science and 28 in social science. Principal Truc Chau leads the school with two associate principals, and the counseling page lists six counselors.
What’s the graduation rate, and how college-ready are graduates?
Based on California Department of Education data, 94.6% of Santa Teresa’s students graduated in four years in 2025, up from 93.3% in 2024 and level with 94.2% in 2023. Of the 521 students who completed in 2023, 81% went on to college within the year, and the school’s report card shows 61% of its 2021–22 graduates had completed the UC and CSU course requirements. Niche gives an average SAT of 1240 from 423 responses.
| Measure | Santa Teresa High | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 94.6% (536 students) | 2025 |
| Four-year graduation rate | 93.3% (524 students) | 2024 |
| Went on to college within the year | 81%: 218 community college, 83 CSU, 71 UC | 2023 completers |
| Completed UC and CSU course requirements | 61% of graduates | 2021–22 |
The school’s 2024–25 report card prints a graduation rate of 77.8% and a dropout rate of 15.2% for 2024–25, which sit far from every other year and from the figure above, so we have not used them; a family should ask the school which is correct. Through the Spartan Eastside Promise, seniors who complete all A–G courses with a C–minus or better and hold a 2.75 GPA are guaranteed admission to San José State University.
Which future-critical STEM fields is this school genuinely strong in—and which ones are major gaps?
Based on our review, the strongest field is robotics, at 4.0 out of 5, followed by computer science at 3.0. AI and data, cybersecurity, Earth and geospatial, advanced manufacturing and biotechnology are at 2.0, clean energy is at 1.0, and aerospace and battery storage are at 0.0.
| Field | Grade | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Robotics | 4.0/5 | A FIRST Robotics Competition team since 2008, a robotics room and a micro:bit unit in class |
| Computer science | 3.0/5 | Exploring Computer Science, AP Computer Science Principles and IT Essentials |
| AI & data | 2.0/5 | Data work in AP courses; AI Engineering only at SVCTE |
| Cybersecurity | 2.0/5 | IT Essentials and an SVCTE course; no club or competition |
| Earth & geospatial | 2.0/5 | AP Environmental Science and AP Human Geography; no GIS |
| Advanced manufacturing | 2.0/5 | A makers space; welding and mechatronics at SVCTE |
| Biotechnology | 2.0/5 | AP Biology and Forensics with a DNA unit; no biotechnology course |
| Clean energy | 1.0/5 | AP Environmental Science |
| Aerospace | 0.0/5 | Nothing found |
| Batteries | 0.0/5 | Nothing found |
How strong is it in robotics, engineering and hands-on problem solving?
Based on FIRST’s records, robotics is advanced, at 4.0 out of 5. The school’s FIRST Robotics Competition team, Dark Matter (Team 2643), has competed every season since 2008, with 20 seasons and 40 events, 8 awards and a place at the 2019 FIRST Championship in Houston. In 2026 it ranked 12th of 37 at the Silicon Valley district event and 16th of 28 at Pinnacles, and no award is listed since 2020. The school’s report card says the 2025 classroom building has a Robotics Club room, and in class the only robotics is a micro:bit module in Exploring Computer Science: the catalog lists no robotics or engineering course.
| Area | What we found | Note |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST Robotics Competition | Team 2643, rookie year 2008; 2026: 7–5 at Silicon Valley, 5–7 at Pinnacles | No award since 2020; 157th of 344 California teams in 2026 |
| FIRST LEGO League | Santa Teresa hosted qualifiers on 20 November 2022 and 10 November 2024 | Younger-student feeder events |
| In class | Robotics module in Exploring Computer Science; engineering tasks in Physics | No robotics or engineering course |
| SVCTE | Mechatronics Engineering, for juniors and seniors | Placement is by lottery |
The team’s public GitHub repositories hold robot code for every season from 2022 to 2026, a scouting application and Arduino code for its operator board. We did not find who mentors the team or how many students are on it.
Do students get access to advanced coursework, specialist electives and serious competitions?
Based on the school’s course catalog and state report card, Santa Teresa offers about 25 Advanced Placement courses, and Niche reports that 30% of students take at least one and 61% of AP students pass at least one exam. The STEM courses include AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Precalculus, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1 and 2, AP Environmental Science and AP Computer Science Principles. The only serious competition record we found is robotics, and we found none for Science Olympiad, CyberPatriot or science fair.
| Route | Examples | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Placement | Calculus AB and BC, Precalculus, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics 1 and 2, Environmental Science, Computer Science Principles | The state report card also names Computer Science A |
| SVCTE, for juniors and seniors | AI Engineering, Cybersecurity, Mechatronics Engineering, Metals Technology | Free, split-day, up to 30 credits a semester; limited seats, placed by lottery |
| Competition | FIRST Robotics Competition, Team 2643 | No other STEM result found |
The catalog lists no engineering course and no AP Computer Science A page, and the SVCTE courses are taught off campus at 760 Hillsdale Ave. Niche’s AP figures carry no year.
Does STEM translate into recognised qualifications, university preparation and credible next-step pathways?
Based on the school’s own pages, the clearest recognised credential is in IT: IT Essentials prepares students for the CompTIA A+ certification exam. The state report card also describes a four-year, Oracle Certified computer science pathway, but the catalog names no Oracle course or exam, and we found no count of certificates earned. For university preparation, seniors who finish A–G with a C–minus or better and hold a 2.75 GPA are guaranteed admission to San José State University through the Spartan Eastside Promise, and SVCTE courses count toward A–G.
| Credential or route | Where it comes from | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| CompTIA A+ exam preparation | IT Essentials, no prerequisite | Exam results not published |
| Oracle Certified pathway | State report card; four years | No exam or completer counts |
| Industry training | SVCTE: OSHA safety training in Construction Technology; NATEF-certified Electric Vehicles/Automotive Services | Not published |
| Guaranteed SJSU admission | Spartan Eastside Promise | Apply to the CSU by 30 November |
SVCTE also lists college-credit and pre-apprenticeship routes by name only. The certifications above are the course providers’, and none of the counts is for STEM alone.
Will your child be ready for jobs that don’t exist yet?
Here’s what the evidence actually shows for Santa Teresa High School — not what the brochure claims.
44/100 — Weak overall. Santa Teresa’s robotics provision is advanced: FIRST Robotics Competition Team 2643 has competed every season since 2008 and reached the 2019 FIRST Championship in Houston, a robotics room opened in the campus’s 2025 classroom building, and Exploring Computer Science students build with micro:bit robots.
But: aerospace and battery storage are absent, and clean energy is lacking.
Best positioned forRobotics
Underdeveloped inAerospace, Batteries, Clean Energy
Future-critical exposure2/15 domains
Very strong
- None
Strong
- Robotics
Limited
- Computer Science
Little / no pathway
- AI & Data
- Cybersecurity
- Clean Energy
- Earth & Geospatial
- Aerospace
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Batteries
- Biotechnology
Best fit for
Less ideal for
Where the marketing exceeds the evidence
No Oracle credential and no AP Computer Science A course identified.
Where the school is stronger than its marketing suggests
Curriculum
- AP Computer Science Principles, which covers abstractions, algorithms and large data sets, and AP Statistics
- Exploring Computer Science’s Computing and Data Analysis module, in which students analyse large data sets in Excel
Evidence seen
- SVCTE, the shared career-technical programme for juniors and seniors, lists an AI Engineering course (“Develop intelligent systems that learn from data and adapt to new challenges”); students attend at the SVCTE campus and placement is by lottery
What's missing
- No artificial-intelligence or machine-learning course in the school’s own catalog
- No AI or data-science club or competition result found
Curriculum
- IT Essentials, which covers networking fundamentals, cybersecurity, virtualization and cloud computing and prepares students for the CompTIA A+ certification exam
- AP Computer Science Principles, which covers cybersecurity concerns
Evidence seen
- SVCTE lists a Cybersecurity course (“Learn to tackle technical challenges in networked systems and protect critical data”), open to juniors and seniors by lottery
What's missing
- No CyberPatriot, capture-the-flag or other competition record found
- The clubs page names “hacking” among its clubs, but the club list sits in a separate spreadsheet that was not available to this review
Curriculum
- Exploring Computer Science ends with a Robotics module in which students build and test micro:bit robots
- Physics asks students to “tackle creative engineering tasks, designing devices or programs”
Evidence seen
- FIRST’s event records list Team 2643 “Dark Matter” of Santa Teresa High, rookie year 2008: 20 seasons, 40 events, 8 awards (including FIRST Dean’s List Finalist in 2018, 2019 and 2020) and a place at the 2019 FIRST Championship in Houston
- In 2026 the team ranked 12th of 37 at the Silicon Valley district event and 16th of 28 at Pinnacles, finishing 157th of 344 teams in FIRST California; its public GitHub repositories hold robot code for every season from 2022 to 2026, a scouting application and Arduino code for its operator board
- The state report card says “an award-winning Robotics program” and that the 2025 classroom building has a Robotics Club room; Santa Teresa hosted FIRST LEGO League qualifiers in November 2022 and November 2024
- SVCTE lists Mechatronics Engineering (“design, build, and program robots by mixing electrical and mechanical engineering”) for juniors and seniors
What's missing
- No robotics or engineering course in the school’s own catalog; the programme runs as a team
- No award listed for any season since 2020, and no team meeting times for 2026–27: the team site marks its meeting schedule “Not Available/Currently Discontinued”
Curriculum
- AP Environmental Science, which the school describes as “equivalent to a one-semester introductory college course in environmental science”; the course page does not mention energy or climate
Evidence seen
- Solar panels over the parking lots, added in 2010, are a facility and not instruction
- SVCTE lists Electrical Maintenance and Clean Diesel Technology, both marked as not offered in fall 2026
What's missing
- No energy, solar or climate-technology course, laboratory or club identified
- No clean-energy project or competition record found
Curriculum
- AP Biology, Physiology and AP Chemistry
- Forensics, a “UC-approved laboratory course” with a unit on DNA and biotechnology
Evidence seen
- SVCTE lists Medical Science, Medical Assisting, Pharmacy Technician, Dental Assisting and Veterinary Science for juniors and seniors
What's missing
- No biotechnology, genetics-laboratory or bioengineering course identified
- No research, science-fair or biotechnology competition result found
Curriculum
- Exploring Computer Science (grades 9–12): six modules from human-computer interaction and web design in HTML and CSS to Scratch programming, data analysis and robotics
- AP Computer Science Principles, with MIT App Inventor, and IT Essentials
Evidence seen
- The state report card lists a four-year, “Oracle Certified” computer science pathway and names AP Computer Science A among 26 AP courses
- SVCTE lists Advanced Mobile Apps & Web Development for juniors and seniors
What's missing
- No AP Computer Science A page in the catalog, and the 2022–23 state report counted no AP computer science enrollment
- No Oracle exam result, coding competition or student software record other than the robotics team’s code
Curriculum
- AP Environmental Science and AP Human Geography
What's missing
- No geographic-information-systems, mapping or remote-sensing course identified
- No Earth-science course in the science catalog, which lists Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physiology, Forensics and four AP sciences
- No fieldwork record or field-science competition result found
What's missing
- No aerospace, aviation or space-science course, club or competition identified in the catalog or the SVCTE course list
- Physics and AP Physics cover mechanics, but no aerospace application is stated
Evidence seen
- The 2025 classroom building includes “a large makers space that supports student collaboration and curiosity” (architect’s description)
- SVCTE lists Metals Technology (welding), Construction Technology and Mechatronics Engineering for juniors and seniors
What's missing
- No manufacturing or engineering course in the school’s own catalog
- No SkillsUSA or manufacturing-credential record found
What's missing
- No battery or energy-storage course, laboratory, club or competition identified
- SVCTE lists Electric Vehicles/Automotive Services, certified by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation; what it teaches about batteries is not stated
Creativity cannot be graded the way a course can. It can only be evidenced through what students made.
| Criterion | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art + technology | ||||
| Design | ||||
| Architecture | ||||
| Engineering design | ||||
| Media / digital production | ||||
| Maker learning | ||||
| Interdisciplinary projects |
One strand runs for three years or more, and it fills the whole window. Every year is level at 2 of 7 criteria — 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 — so the chart shows one practice sustained rather than a spread widening.
The record — 1 artefact
The school’s FIRST Robotics Competition team, Dark Matter, entered regional or district events every season in the window, and its public repositories hold the robot code for 2023 to 2026, a scouting application and the Arduino code for its operator board.
FIRST event records · team code repositories on GitHub, 2023–2026
Nothing found for
No student work was found evidencing these. For a school this well documented, an unrecorded programme is unlikely to be a large one.
What a family should ask about directly
- Aerospace and battery storage have no provision in the catalog, and clean energy has only AP Environmental Science. A student set on any of them should ask what exists beyond the catalog, including clubs, and whether the robotics team takes on projects in those fields.
- Robotics runs as a team, not a course, and the team’s own site marks its meeting schedule “Not Available/Currently Discontinued”. Ask when Team 2643 meets this year, how many students are on it, and who mentors it.
- Much of the technical depth sits at SVCTE, the shared career-technical campus at 760 Hillsdale Ave, which takes only juniors and seniors and, in its own words, places students by lottery “due to limited space”. Ask how many Santa Teresa students win a seat in AI Engineering, Cybersecurity and Mechatronics Engineering.
- The state report card describes a four-year, “Oracle Certified” computer science pathway and names AP Computer Science A, while the catalog lists Exploring Computer Science, AP Computer Science Principles and IT Essentials. Ask which courses make up the pathway, whether AP Computer Science A runs this year, and whether students sit an Oracle exam.
| Domain | Evidence class | Key sources |
|---|---|---|
| AI & Data | Verified | School course catalog (AP Computer Science Principles, AP Statistics, Exploring Computer Science); SVCTE course list (AI Engineering); no AI course on campus found |
| Cybersecurity | Verified | School course catalog (IT Essentials); SVCTE course list (Cybersecurity); no club or competition found |
| Robotics | Officially recorded · Corroborated · School-reported | FIRST event records for Team 2643; the team’s public GitHub repositories; state report card for 2024–25; NorCal and California Northern FIRST LEGO League event listings; school catalog (Exploring Computer Science) |
| Clean Energy | Verified | School course catalog (AP Environmental Science); SVCTE course list; no energy course found |
| Biotechnology | Verified | School course catalog (AP Biology, Physiology, Forensics); SVCTE course list; no biotechnology course found |
| Computer Science | Verified · School-reported | School course catalog; state report card for 2024–25 and 2022–23 (Oracle Certified pathway, AP course lists) |
| Earth & Geospatial | Verified | School course catalog (AP Environmental Science, AP Human Geography); no geospatial course found |
| Aerospace | Verified | School course catalog and SVCTE course list searched; nothing found |
| Advanced Manufacturing | Verified · Corroborated | SVCTE course list (Metals Technology, Construction Technology, Mechatronics Engineering); architect’s description of the 2025 classroom building |
| Batteries & Energy Storage | Verified | SVCTE course list (Electric Vehicles/Automotive Services); nothing on batteries found |
Academics
Independent, thinking citizens of our new connected and rapidly changing world.
We are a public high school for grades 9–12 in San José, California, part of East Side Union High School District. Our mission is “to provide a safe and caring learning environment” and “to participate in a multicultural, democratic society.” The courses below are in our 2026–27 course catalog; ask below about any of them.
Mathematics, science and computing
Our mathematics follows the Common Core State Standards, with a focus on “understanding how to solve math problems instead of rote memorization.” In physics we “emphasize scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and experimental design,” and students apply what they learn to engineering tasks.
- Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry, Math Analysis, AP Precalculus, AP Statistics and AP Calculus AB and BC
- Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physiology and Forensics, with AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science and AP Physics 1 & 2
- Exploring Computer Science, with a robotics module using micro:bit robots, and AP Computer Science Principles
- IT Essentials, which prepares students for the CompTIA A+ certification exam
Multimedia
We are a multimedia magnet school. Students take four years of multimedia courses focusing on Adobe Creative Suite software tools, along with graphic design, digital video and music production.
- Multimedia 1, with Illustrator and Photoshop and a personal art portfolio website
- Multimedia 2, on motion and interface design, and Multimedia 3, on video and audio production
- Photography, and Yearbook & Journalism
- AP Drawing & Painting, AP 2D Art & Design and AP Art History
Silicon Valley Career Technical Education
SVCTE is “a free, hands‑on technical training program for juniors and seniors.” Students split their school day between Santa Teresa and the SVCTE campus, free bus transportation is provided, and, due to limited space, final placement is determined through a lottery system.
- Courses that include AI Engineering, Cybersecurity and Mechatronics Engineering
- Metals Technology, Construction Technology and Electric Vehicles/Automotive Services
- Medical Science, Pharmacy Technician and Veterinary Science, among the health courses
- Work Experience, from our own alternate electives
Languages, social science and English
Our world languages are approved for A–G, and our social science courses run from World History and US History to Ethnic Studies, Psychology & Philosophy and Sociology.
- Spanish, French, Vietnamese and American Sign Language
- English 1–3, ERWC, Genres of Composition, Gothic Literature and Creative Writing
- AP World History, AP US History, AP American Gov. & Macro-Econ., AP Psychology and AP Human Geography
Clubs, robotics and the arts
We offer more than 30 clubs and activities, “community service clubs, robotics, hacking, dance clubs, drama, business, and many more.” Our new building, completed in spring 2025, houses four classrooms, one of which serves as the Robotics Club room.
- A robotics club in its own room in our new classroom building
- Drama & Theater, Guitar, and Music & Colorguard
- The Spartan Eastside Promise, which guarantees admission to San José State University to seniors with a 2.75 GPA who complete all A–G courses with a C–minus or better
- An AP Class & Elective Fair each winter, and a College Fair each fall
Advanced Placement courses in our 2026–27 course catalog
Ask about academics
Calendar
Our 2026–27 school year.
The dates still ahead of us that East Side Union High School District and our principal have published, soonest first. Our own events sit in a Google Calendar on our site, so ask below if you need us to confirm a date before you make plans.
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
Ask about the calendar
Our Story
Santa Teresa High School cultivates a culture of empathy and success.
We are Santa Teresa High School, a public high school for grades 9–12 in San José, California, part of East Side Union High School District. We are the Saints, our mascot is the St. Bernard, our colors are blue and orange, and we are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Respect
We keep our campus clean, communicate openly with our peers and behave well in the surrounding community.
Achievement
We work hard, persist and ask for help when we need it.
Can Do
We try new things like sports and clubs, keep our commitments and help others.
Milestones
Our main campus was built.
We opened on July 1, 1974.
Construction began on a new building between our gym and the 800 Building.
We completed the building in spring 2025, with four classrooms, one of which is our Robotics Club room.
Leadership
Truc Chau
Leads Santa Teresa High School; the principal’s office is at 408-347-6210.
My Nguyen
Reached at 408-347-6230.
Leslee Oliver-Barton
Reached at 408-347-6220.
Ask about our story
Give
Our parent organizations carry our giving.
Three parent organizations raise money for our students, and each takes gifts directly. Gifts go to the organization you choose, not to the school’s own account.
Parent Teacher Organization
The ST PTO “unites parents, teachers, students, and staff to enrich the school experience.” It takes donations online and puts them toward teacher and staff appreciation, student scholarships and enrichment programs, and school events.
Music & Arts Association
The STMAA is “committed to enriching the vibrant music and arts programs at Santa Teresa High School.” It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, takes gifts online through its donate page, and thanks its sponsors each year.
Athletic Boosters
The ST Athletic Boosters are “dedicated to supporting Santa Teresa High School’s athletic programs.” In football season they run the snack shack and an apparel booth, and they meet on the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm in our library.
Volunteering
The district takes volunteer applications online, and every school event needs hands.
Ask about giving
News
What’s happening on our campus.
Recent messages from our principal, newest first.
Homecoming Week, AP exam registration and the free SAT
Together, we can make Homecoming Week positive, safe, and memorable for every Saint. AP registration is due by October 30 to avoid extra fees, and current juniors at Santa Teresa and Phoenix can take the official SAT at no cost, with registration closing January 11, 2027.
Graduation orders for seniors
The graduation company will be on campus Tuesday to take orders from seniors, with a second order day on Wednesday, September 23. We will continue sharing graduation information throughout the year.
Ask about the news
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