Mountain View High School freshmen start work in an algebra class on the first day of school in August 2024. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney.
The Mountain View Los Altos High School District was named the top school district in the San Francisco Bay Area and the second-best district in the state, according to a 2026 list from Niche, a school ratings website.
As part of its ranking system, Niche uses data from the U.S. Department of Education and other sources to assess factors such as standardized test scores, college readiness, graduation rates and teacher quality.
Superintendent Eric Volta told the Voice that being at the top of any list is a source of pride for the district, especially given the quality of schools on the Peninsula.
Neighboring school district, Palo Alto Unified earned the No. 2 spot in the Bay Area and ranked fourth in California. Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District came in third in the Bay Area and fifth in the state.
“I think the rating is, rather than a school district rating, probably a community rating,” Volta said. “I think it’s more indicative of the community that we work in and get students to come to school from.”
MVLA serves roughly 4,500 students across its two main schools, Mountain View High and Los Altos High, as well as Alta Vista High, the district’s alternative campus. Niche found that while nationally, districts spend an average of $17,834 per student, MVLA spends $27,608 per student.
Volta attributed MVLA’s ability to spend that much to the district’s funding structure. Unlike most school districts across California, which receive funding based on how many students they have, MVLA is primarily funded through local property tax revenue, which results in the district getting a far greater amount than it otherwise would. This allows the district to spend more money on resources that foster student success, Volta said, such as tutors and wellness services.
State data shows that MVLA’s average graduation rate is about 94%, which is above the state average of about 90%. Additionally, Volta shared that 78% of district students are eligible for college “right out of the gate.”
This spring, MVLA eleventh graders significantly outperformed their peers across Santa Clara County and California on both English and math standardized tests, according to recently released scores. In English language arts, 78.55% of MVLA eleventh graders scored proficient or advanced, compared to 65.43% of eleventh graders across the county and 56.96% statewide. For math, 67.5% of MVLA eleventh graders scored proficient or advanced, compared to 47.08% countywide and 30.49% statewide.
The success of the district’s students is in large part due to the quality of teachers MVLA attracts, Volta said, adding that one key factor behind the district’s success in recruiting strong educators is its commitment to paying competitive salaries.
According to data from the California Department of Education, MVLA teachers on average earn the most in the state, with an average salary of more than $170,500. In June of this year, the school board approved a 4% raise for district teachers, meaning that MVLA educators now earn between $106,025 and $205,547 annually, depending on their education level and number of years in the school district.
“The interaction between the teacher, the student and the curriculum – that’s where learning takes place,” Volta said.
Most Popular