Paso Robles High School: Full Guide

Location: Paso Robles, CA

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

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

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

Let's get started!

Basic Information

Paso Robles High School is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Paso Robles, CA in San Luis Obispo County.

Based on its location, Paso Robles High is classified as a school in a small city. Here's the location on a map:

Contact Information

Mailing address:

Paso Robles High School
Po Box 7010
Paso Robles, CA 93447-7010

Phone number: 8057691500

Paso Robles High School homepage: http://www.pasoschools.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectionid=16

Principal: Randy Nelson
Email the principal: [email protected]

Student Demographics

Student Enrollment

The total enrollment at Paso Robles High School is 1968 students, making it a large high school, in the top 25% of all California high schools by size.

Attending Paso Robles High will feel like attending a small college. You'll have a few hundred students in your class, enough to provide an interesting set of activities, sports, and classes to try. But compared to the largest high schools in California, the student body size won't be overwhelming.

Growth in Student Body Size

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

From our calculations, the enrollment at Paso Robles High has steadily increased 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	277	258	535
10^th grade	241	268	509
11^th grade	270	212	482
12^th grade	209	233	442

As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 93 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.

There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of Paso Robles could be growing in population, thus sending more students into Paso Robles High. Alternatively, Paso Robles High could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.

Gender Split

Are there more boys or girls at Paso Robles High School?

From our statistics, Paso Robles High has a 51:49 split between male and female students in the high school grades.

Paso Robles High has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in San Luis Obispo 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 Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles High School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?

From our statistics, Paso Robles High has a diverse student body. No single ethnicity composes more than 50% of all students, which means you'll be surrounded by a diverse set of students in class. Only a third of California schools show this much diversity.

The most common ethnicity at Paso Robles High is white. In California, white students make up 26.3% of all California students, and are the second most common ethnicity after Hispanic students.

	Percentage	Number
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.4%	9
Asian	1.6%	33
Hispanic	44.3%	872
Black	1.8%	36
White	49.7%	979
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander	0.3%	7
Two or more races	1.6%	32

High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Paso Robles. 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 Paso Robles High Families

What are the family incomes of students at Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles High, 9.7% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 33.2% qualify for free lunches.

This means Paso Robles High has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, Paso Robles High is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Paso Robles is thus likely to be relatively high.

	Number	Percent
Reduced-price lunches	191	9.7%
Free lunches	654	33.2%
Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches	1123	57.0%

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

Paso Robles High is in the middle 50% of schools by income level. Generally, higher income level schools are better-funded and have a higher quality range of classes and activities. Paso Robles High is likely in the middle of the pack in this regard and will give you a good set of options to try.

If you have any interests that Paso Robles High doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.

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School Safety

How safe is Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles High students at risk.

In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 2 referrals to law enforcement (2 male, 0 female), and 0 school-related arrests. This is out of a total enrollment of 2015 students.

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

This means that 0.0 Paso Robles High is very safe and belongs to the majority of schools with a perfect law-enforcement related record. This doesn't rule out that there are still students with disruptive behavior, but historically there isn't strong precedent for getting law enforcement involved.

With this record, is Paso Robles High School significantly different from other schools in the area? It could be that Paso Robles 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:

Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Safety

School Name	Total Referred	Total Arrests	Enrollment
Liberty High (continuation)	2	0	127
Independence High	251	4	3271

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 Paso Robles High School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?

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

Graduation Rate

To start off, an important benchmark of academic achievement is graduation rate. For all students who start high school at Paso Robles High, the state of California wants as many students to graduate as possible, since a high school diploma can mean a big difference in getting a job.

At Paso Robles High, 92% (of 406) Paso Robles High students graduated within four years of starting high school.

Here's how this stacks up to other schools. The California state government has defined 90% as a target rate. The state average is around 80-85%.

Paso Robles High is in the 78th percentile of all public high schools in California for graduation rate. This is well above average. Generally, a graduation rate of above 90% is considered good and well above average, and below 75% is well below average.

Note: This data comes from a few years back, but the trends are likely to stay the same, since schools don't get significantly better or worse within a short period of time.

Standardized Testing

Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles High School SAT scores.

The average composite SAT score is a 1530 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 246 at Paso Robles High take the SAT.

This is an average SAT score, putting Paso Robles High School right around the national average. Because the SAT measures academic achievement, this suggests that Paso Robles High will offer a fairly standard high school education, neither strongly lacking or outperforming.

Note, however, that this is just an average - the top students can still exceed the average significantly. If you can rise far above your school average, you'll have a great shot at entering a strong college.

Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:

Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)

Source	Critical Reading	Math	Writing	Composite
Paso Robles High	519	513	502	1530
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 1530 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1530 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1530 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 Paso Robles High School ACT scores with the rest of the country.

At Paso Robles High, the average ACT composite score was 23, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 85 out of 1968 total students take the ACT.

This is above average performance, putting Paso Robles High in the top 50% of California high schools. Since the ACT tests what you learn in school, these ACT scores are a good indication that you'll get an above-average education at Paso Robles High.

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

Average ACT Scores

Source	English	Math	Reading	Science
Paso Robles High	22	24	24	23
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 Paso Robles 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 242 students in grades 9-12 at Paso Robles High take 434 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 Paso Robles High is 3.0 out of 5.

This is a solid achievement showing above average performance. The majority of students get a passing grade of 3 or above, placing them above the national average. This performance places Paso Robles High School in the top 25% of schools for AP tests.

Paso Robles High therefore has a robust AP program with classes that will help you pass the AP exam. Furthermore, a sizable number of students still earn a 4 or a 5 on their AP tests, so if you're motivated to do well, you can still get a great AP score.

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 Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles High, there is a total enrollment of 363 in AP courses (a student taking more than one AP course counts more than once).

Of AP-taking students, 0 took AP tests for ALL AP courses. 260 students took AP tests for SOME AP Courses, and 73 took AP courses but took NO tests.

It seems that most students at Paso Robles High School who take AP courses do not take any AP exams at the end of the year. This is quite unusual, and it's possible that there is a reporting error from the high school to the government (where we got this information). Another possibility is that Paso Robles High offers an AP course to students, but don't expect them to take the actual AP exam.

You may want to ask your school counselor about whether AP course students usually sign up for the test. If not, ask why that is.

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.

To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles High.

English/Language Arts

At Paso Robles High School, 73% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.

This is considered good and puts Paso Robles High in the top 25% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Most Paso Robles High students pass or exceed state standards, though there is also a sizable portion of students who fail to meet state standards.

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 Paso Robles High School, 38% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Paso Robles High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles High. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.

Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles High School offer?

AP Courses

Paso Robles High School offers AP courses in 13 subjects.

This is a reasonable number of AP subjects, putting Paso Robles High School in the top 50% of California schools that offer AP courses. You'll likely have access to some of the most popular math and humanities AP subjects, as well as a few others.

The total number of AP subjects is 38, so Paso Robles High is missing a large number of subjects, including some popular ones. If there are any AP courses you want to take that aren't being offered at Paso Robles High, ask your counselor for ideas on how to cover the gap.

Of course, keep in mind that quality matters even more than quantity - even if Paso Robles High doesn't offer every AP course under the sun, the classes might still be taught very well. You can see student performance in the AP score analysis section above.

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

Course Title
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Chemistry
English Language and Composition
English Literature and Composition
Macroeconomics
Psychology
Spanish Language and Culture
Statistics
Studio Art: 2-D Design
United States Government and Politics
United States History

Sports Teams

Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at Paso Robles 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 Paso Robles High.

By the way, the Paso Robles High mascot is the Bearcats. Go Bearcats!

Paso Robles High School fields 16 teams for girls' sports. This is a sizable number that puts Paso Robles High in the top 50% of California schools that offer girls' sports. You won't get the full range of sports and levels, but you'll be able to try out for a few options. If you participate in a sport that Paso Robles High doesn't offer, consider looking for a local non-school team that you can join.

And now for the boys: Paso Robles High School fields 21 teams for boys' sports. This puts Paso Robles High in the top 25% of California schools that offer boys' sports. Boys will have a large pick of sports to try out for.

Boys Teams	Girls Teams
Basketball Var JV Fr	Basketball Var JV Fr
Golf Var JV Fr	Golf Var JV Fr
Tennis Var JV Fr	Tennis 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
Waterpolo Var JV Fr	Waterpolo Var JV Fr
Trackfield Var JV Fr	Trackfield Var JV Fr
Crosscountry Var JV Fr	Crosscountry Var JV Fr
Soccer Var JV Fr	Soccer Var JV Fr
	Fieldhockey Var JV Fr
Swimming Var JV Fr	Swimming 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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