Gonzales High School: Full Guide

Location: Gonzales, CA

Are you a student or parent at Gonzales High School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?

We've written the best guide to Gonzales High available. Here we'll cover:

Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
How safe Gonzales High is to attend
SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Gonzales High students
Which AP/IB classes you can take at Gonzales High
Every sports team you can join at Gonzales High

Let's get started!

Basic Information

Gonzales High School is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Gonzales, CA in Monterey County.

Based on its location, Gonzales High is classified as a school in a distant town, or more than 10 miles from an urbanized area. Here's the location on a map:

Contact Information

Mailing address:

Gonzales High School
Po Box G
Gonzales, CA 93926-0238

Phone number: 8316752495

Gonzales High School homepage: http://www.gonzales.k12.ca.us/

Principal: Cheryl Alves De Souza
Email the principal: [email protected]

Student Demographics

Student Enrollment

The total enrollment at Gonzales High School is 749 students, making it a somewhat large high school, in the top half of all California high schools by size.

As a mid-sized high school, Gonzales High strikes the balance between size and comfort. There will be enough students to provide a diversity of experiences, like clubs and sports, for you to join. But it'll be small enough that you'll likely get to know most people in your class.

Growth in Student Body Size

Is Gonzales High School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.

From our calculations, the enrollment at Gonzales High has decreased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.

	Male Students	Female Students	All Students
9^th grade	97	85	182
10^th grade	97	88	185
11^th grade	72	105	177
12^th grade	106	98	204

As you can see in the table above, the senior class is 22 students larger than the freshman class. This suggests that Gonzales High is shrinking in size and taking on fewer students.

There are a few reasons this can happen. The population of Gonzales could be decreasing, thus sending fewer students into Gonzales High. Alternatively, other schools (like charter or private schools) might be appearing, drawing students away.

Gender Split

Are there more boys or girls at Gonzales High School?

From our statistics, Gonzales High has a 50:50 split between male and female students in the high school grades.

Gonzales High has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in Monterey County. Since the student body is roughly half and half, it should feel like there are equal numbers of boys and girls in your classes.

This usually means that Gonzales High doesn't strongly select for either males or females, unlike other schools that have a large majority of males or females.

Ethnicity Breakdown

What's the racial diversity at Gonzales High School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?

From our statistics, Gonzales High has a very homogenous student body, with over 90% of students identifying as one ethnicity. This is especially extreme - fewer than 10% of California schools show as little racial diversity as Gonzales High does. When attending class, you'll be surrounded by students of the same ethnicity.

The majority of students at Gonzales High are Hispanic. In California, Hispanic students make up the majority of all students at 51.5%, and are thus the most common ethnicity. Predominantly Hispanic schools are the most common type of homogenous school, and Gonzales High fits within this category.

	Percentage	Number
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.0%	0
Asian	0.8%	6
Hispanic	95.1%	713
Black	0.5%	4
White	2.9%	22
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander	0.4%	3
Two or more races	0.1%	1

High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Gonzales. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.

Income Level of Gonzales High Families

What are the family incomes of students at Gonzales High School? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.

To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.

To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.

The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.

At Gonzales High, 10.4% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 75.0% qualify for free lunches.

This means Gonzales High has a high percentage of students at or near poverty. Almost a third of all schools in California show this level of poverty, and by National Center for Education Statistics standards, Gonzales High can be classified as a high poverty school. The income level of families in Gonzales is thus likely to be low.

	Number	Percent
Reduced-price lunches	78	10.4%
Free lunches	562	75.0%
Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches	109	14.5%

As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Gonzales and doesn't speak much about the school itself.

Unfortunately, schools in areas of lower income levels are likely to be more poorly funded. As a result, they might feature less advanced coursework like AP/IB classes, and you may not have a full range of sports and extracurriculars to draw from. Because Gonzales High is an especially high poverty-level school, it might not have the resources you need to meet your full potential.

You definitely don't have control over the city, the school, or other families, but you can structure your own learning to be more productive. If you'd like to open yourself to more opportunities, you can look into whether it's possible to transfer to a nearby school with higher income levels.

If not, don't be alarmed - it's possible that Gonzales High has all that you need for your ambition. And you can definitely be proactive about learning outside of your school, looking to your community or to the Internet to find more resources.

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School Safety

How safe is Gonzales High School to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?

To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at Gonzales High: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.

These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other Gonzales High students at risk.

In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 14 referrals to law enforcement (10 male, 4 female), and 4 school-related arrests (4 males, 0 females). This is out of a total enrollment of 758 students.

To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.

This means that 2.3 Gonzales High has minor safety issues. For every 100 students, there were just 2.3 law-enforcement related actions, but this is still higher than 75% of California schools.

With this record, is Gonzales High School significantly different from other schools in the area? It could be that Gonzales High has an especially bad record, or it could be that the local area shows a pattern.

Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:

Gonzales Unified School District Safety

School Name	Total Referred	Total Arrests	Enrollment
Somavia High	0	0	51

Academic Performance

Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at Gonzales High School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?

We've compiled everything we could find about Gonzales High's academics here.

Standardized Testing

Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Gonzales High School students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.

Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.

SAT Scores

As you probably know, the SAT is a critical test used for college admissions. The higher the score you get, the better your academic performance compared to students nationwide, and the easier it is to get into top colleges.

We did in-depth research and found the average Gonzales High School SAT scores.

The average composite SAT score is a 1230 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 101 at Gonzales High take the SAT.

This is a very low SAT score, putting Gonzales High in the bottom 25% of all California schools, and well below the national average. Only 13% of SAT takers here score above the national average. Unfortunately, this suggests that most students attending Gonzales High are not high-achieving, and may find it difficult to be admitted to a good college.

Note, however, that an average is just an average - you still have the potential to rise above expectations. If you work hard and earn an SAT score well above Gonzales High's average, you'll have a great shot at entering a good college.

Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:

Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)

Source	Critical Reading	Math	Writing	Composite
Gonzales High	418	393	419	1230
California	498	510	496	1504
United States	495	511	484	1490

Note that the SAT has since changed to a 1600 scale, but the trends above for your high school are likely to continue. Just use this guide to convert between the old 2400 scale and the new 1600 scale.

To learn more about SAT percentile rankings, read our guide on what SAT percentiles really mean.

How good is 1230 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1230 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1230 or any other SAT score!

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ACT Scores

In California, the ACT is less popular than the SAT. Fewer students take the ACT, and typically these students are more motivated and academically prepared for college. Therefore, it's harder to compare Gonzales High School ACT scores with the rest of the country.

At Gonzales High, the average ACT composite score was 16, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 54 out of 748 total students take the ACT.

Unfortunately, this is well below average performance, putting Gonzales High in the bottom 25% of high schools in California. Most students who take the ACT here are well below the national average.

Since the ACT tests what you learn in school, this may be a warning sign that the quality of education you'll receive at Gonzales High may be lacking compared to other schools.

Here are the average English, Math, Reading, and Science scores for Gonzales High compared to California and the US:

Average ACT Scores

Source	English	Math	Reading	Science
Gonzales High	15	16	16	17
California	21.8	22.8	22.3	21.7
United States	20.3	20.9	21.3	20.8

Scores provided are for the 2013-14 school year.

Find out more about percentile rankings and the ACT in this article.

Every individual is different. What counts as a good ACT score for you? Learn more with this article!

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Advanced Placement (AP)

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give Gonzales High School students credit for college.

Here's what we're looking for: high average AP test scores as well as high AP passing rates.

AP Scores

Every year, roughly 152 students in grades 9-12 at Gonzales High take 284 AP exams. It's important to understand how students score on the AP - earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP test means passing the test and often earning college credit.

The average score of all AP exams taken at Gonzales High is 1.6 out of 5.

Compared to schools across California, this score puts Gonzales High at below average performance. On AP tests, the passing score is considered a 3, and unfortunately the number of students who don't pass is greater than the number of do. This performance places Gonzales High School in the bottom 25 % of schools for AP tests.

This isn't all bad news for you, though. It's still good that Gonzales High offers AP classes so you have the opportunity to take courses at a college level. Your school might be new to offering AP courses, and typically teachers get better at preparing students for AP tests over time. Finally, as you'll see below, there are still students who earn a passing grade of 3 or above - and with hard work, you can be one of them.

We have specific data on how many students got a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (out of 5) on AP exams in the chart below:

AP Test-Taking Statistics

Another way to gauge the quality of a school's AP program is to see how many AP students actually took AP exams at Gonzales High School. If a lot of students enroll in AP courses but don't actually take the AP tests, it can be a sign that students don't feel adequately prepared to take the test, or the school isn't encouraging students to take the exams enough.

At Gonzales High, there is a total enrollment of 310 in AP courses (a student taking more than one AP course counts more than once).

Of AP-taking students, 118 took AP tests for ALL AP courses. 118 students took AP tests for SOME AP Courses, and 2 took AP courses but took NO tests.

This is good test participation. Most students at Gonzales High School are taking some or all AP exams available to them, and only a minority of students end up taking zero AP tests. This means most students feel well enough prepared to take the nationwide AP tests for their courses.

There's still some room for improvement. Gonzales High could reduce the number of AP students who take zero AP exams, and encourage students to take all AP exams available to them. Some students may not feel confident that they'll pass, so they choose not to take the test. By building a better AP program Gonzales High could improve their AP exam participation.

Note: The most recent data we have available is from 2012, so the statistics may have changed since then. Most likely, however, the trends are likely to continue - above average schools are likely to stay above average, and below average schools are likely to stay below average.

AP Passing Rates

For AP students at Gonzales High School who take the exam, it's important to know how they do. Here we have specific data on how many students got a passing grade (a 3 or above) on all, some, or none of the AP exams that they took.

Of all AP test takers, 10 students passed every AP test they took, which is a fantastic job. 15 students passed some but not all AP exams, and 89 students didn't pass ANY AP exam they took.

Unfortunately, this is poor performance compared to other high schools. At Gonzales High School, the majority of AP students fail ALL of the AP exams they take. This usually means that they're not adequately prepared for the national AP exam at the end of the year.

This isn't necessarily the school's fault. AP courses may be too advanced for the typical student at Gonzales High, and it's still a good thing that AP courses are offered at all. Furthermore, it's possible that a majority of the AP exams taken by students at Gonzales High are on the more difficult side.

However, if you're a student at Gonzales High, this is a warning that you'll have to go above and beyond the typical student to pass your AP exams. This may entail self-studying, figuring out who the better AP teachers are and trying to get into their classes, and working hard.

To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at Gonzales High School, you'll have to talk to your guidance counselor (who can then help you find that information). For instance, one AP Calculus teacher may have an above-90% passing rate, while another might only have a 50% passing rate. If you can, you'll want to take the class with the teacher who has more students get a 3 or above on the AP exam.

Find out more about the average score for each AP subject here.

State Tests

As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Gonzales High School must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.

If Gonzales High students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at Gonzales High.

English/Language Arts

At Gonzales High School, 39% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.

This is considered below average and puts Gonzales High in the bottom 50% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. The majority of Gonzales High students do not pass state standards, and only a small percentage pass.

This specific percentage isn't much cause for concern - because the Common Core is new, the pass rate at Gonzales High will likely rise over time. But it still reflects Gonzales High's below average standing among California high schools.

English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)

Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.

Math

The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.

At Gonzales High School, 4% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Gonzales High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Gonzales High students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.

Math Test Results (2015)

Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.

Academic Offerings

In addition to the standard high school curriculum, many high schools like Gonzales High School offer advanced coursework as part of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

Brief Intro to AP/IB

AP and IB courses are designed at the difficulty level of college introductory classes. There are several important benefits to taking advanced coursework at Gonzales High. First, taking more advanced classes shows colleges that you're committed to challenging yourself academically, and that you're one of the more advanced students at Gonzales High. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.

Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Gonzales High AP/IB coursework as college coursework. In some cases, you'll be able to skip introductory-level classes and move to more advanced classes. In other cases, you'll be able to avoid having to take required courses and might even be able to graduate earlier than the standard 4 years. Often this will require you to pass the AP test, getting a score of 3 or above.

So what advanced courses does Gonzales High School offer?

AP Courses

Gonzales High School offers AP courses in 4 subjects.

This is a relatively low number of AP subjects, putting Gonzales High School in the bottom 50% of California schools offering AP courses. You'll likely be able to take the most popular courses like Calculus, English, and US History, but you won't have most other subjects available.

The total number of AP subjects is 38, so Gonzales High is missing most. If you want to take any AP courses not being offered at Gonzales High, ask your counselor for ideas on how to cover the gap. If you're a strong student, you might consider transferring schools to access a more advanced curriculum.

Of course, keep in mind that even though Gonzales High doesn't offer many AP courses, it might teach the ones it does offer quite well. You can see student performance in the AP score analysis section above.

The following AP courses were offered at Gonzales High during 2015-2016:

Course Title
English Language and Composition
Environmental Science
Spanish Language and Culture
United States History

Sports Teams

Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at Gonzales High School. Sports are an integral part of many students' high school experiences. The more sports that are available, and the more levels supported (Frosh, JV, Varsity), the more likely you'll be able to participate in a sport at Gonzales High.

By the way, the Gonzales High mascot is the Spartans. Go Spartans!

Gonzales High School fields 9 teams for girls' sports. This is a relatively number that puts Gonzales High in the bottom 50% of California schools that offer girls' sports. This is understandable - sports teams are expensive to support, and many schools would rather put those resources elsewhere. If you participate in a sport that Gonzales High doesn't offer, consider joining a local non-school team to get practice and compete.

And now for the boys: Gonzales High School fields 17 teams for boys' sports. This puts Gonzales High in the top 50% of California schools that offer boys' sports. You won't get every sport and level possible here, but you'll have a decent number of options. If you participate in a sport that Gonzales High doesn't offer, consider looking for a local non-school team that you can join.

Boys Teams	Girls Teams
Basketball Var JV Fr	Basketball Var JV Fr
Football Var JV Fr
Wrestling Var JV Fr
Volleyball Var JV Fr	Volleyball Var JV Fr
Baseball Var JV Fr
	Softball Var JV Fr
Crosscountry Var JV Fr	Crosscountry Var JV Fr
Soccer Var JV Fr	Soccer Var JV Fr

What’s Next?

Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!

Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.

Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.

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