Tamalpais Union High, CA

Original Research by School Decision on Tamalpais Union High

Tamalpais Union High School District serves high school students across Marin County from five campuses: the main schools at Tamalpais, Redwood, and Archie Williams, plus the alternative programs at Tamiscal and the continuation school at San Andreas. The district enrolls students across all four high school grades in roughly balanced class sizes.

The academic profile shows room for improvement. In English language arts, proficiency is solid, though math proficiency sits at a middling level and science proficiency lags further behind. State assessment data was available only for this single year, so trend information is not visible here. The district's chronic absenteeism sits just below the midpoint among Marin County's other districts, suggesting moderate attendance stability. Graduation rate data was not available. Among Marin County districts, the district spends at the upper end of the middle range on a per-pupil basis.

The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic enrollment and smaller populations of students of other backgrounds. Data on free-and-reduced-price-lunch eligibility and on students with disabilities was not provided, leaving gaps in the fuller picture of economic and special-population needs within the district.

The most significant forces reshaping the district right now are enrollment decline and ongoing budget strain. The district's enrollment has fallen considerably from prior years and is projected to contract further, driving staffing cuts and program consolidation. The district is weighing a merger of its two alternative education campuses, Tamiscal and San Andreas, which families have flagged as a loss of program choice and physical space. For parents considering the district, this means expecting continued structural changes in course offerings and support services as the district adapts to smaller numbers.

On the facilities front, voters defeated a large bond in March 2024 but approved a much smaller one in November 2024. The scaled-back measure funds roof repairs, classroom modernization, and safety improvements at drop-off areas across the three main high schools, but not the major campus overhauls that had been proposed, such as a new commons building at Redwood. Families should expect aging facilities to remain a feature of the campus experience.

Property tax and funding sustainability is another ongoing question. The district relies heavily on a local parcel tax passed by voters in 2020, which carries an automatic annual cost-of-living increase. This tax is set to expire in June 2029, and the district is planning a nine-year renewal ballot measure for November 2026. For any family moving into the district, this means a recurring property-tax obligation and the likelihood of a parcel tax renewal measure during their high school years.

Curriculum-wise, the district has adopted a new ethnic studies graduation requirement called Community and Consciousness, which replaces World Cultures and Geography beginning with the class of 2028. This change predates California's statewide ethnic studies mandate and is now part of the social studies graduation requirement, so every student will encounter it.

The district's housing market spans the wealthy coastal and hillside communities of Marin. Home values across the district's service area are very high, and rental housing in areas like Mill Valley and Tiburon is correspondingly expensive. Affordability by national standards remains well beyond reach, though some areas within the district's footprint are less costly than others. The local economic context reflects a median household income well above national levels, and the unemployment rate is modest, pointing to overall regional economic stability even amid the district's enrollment pressures.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

4,730

Grades

09–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 14%

Black 2%

White 70%

Asian 5%

Two+ 9%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr ALL

41%

—

Gr 11

41%

—

Math

Gr ALL

26%

—

Gr 11

26%

—

Science

Gr ALL

25%

—

Gr 11

30%

—

Gr 12

—

Gr HS

28%

—

Gr UG_SEC

28%

—

Schools in this District

5 schools are officially reported under this district.

Redwood High

San Andreas High (Continuation)

Archie Williams High

Tamalpais High

Tamiscal High (Alternative)

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$1.97M

Year-over-year change+2.1%

Range across 21 ZIP codes$888K to $4.1M

vs. state typical2.54x

vs. national typical5.35x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (21 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
94941	Mill Valley	$2.1M	+4.2%	22.4%
94946	Nicasio	$2.1M	-1.5%	16.4%
94924	Bolinas	$1.9M	+2.9%	16.2%
94965	Sausalito	$1.5M	-0.8%	8.7%
94930	Fairfax	$1.2M	+2.2%	8.5%
94970	Stinson Beach	$3.4M	+6.0%	4.3%
94920	Tiburon	$3.3M	+4.7%	3.9%
94960	San Anselmo	$1.7M	+3.3%	3.4%
94904	Kentfield	$2.3M	+1.3%	2.9%
94952	Petaluma	$1.1M	-0.1%	2.8%

Showing top 10 of 21 ZIP codes by land area weight

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$4,197/mo

Year-over-year change+5.9%

Range across 10 ZIP codes$2,875 to $5,685/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (10 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
94941	Mill Valley	$4,394	+7.4%	22.4%
94965	Sausalito	$3,746	+0.3%	8.7%
94920	Tiburon	$4,878	+13.4%	3.9%
94960	San Anselmo	$3,695	—	3.4%
94952	Petaluma	$2,885	+1.8%	2.8%
94925	Corte Madera	$5,685	—	1.9%
94939	Larkspur	$3,697	+3.4%	1.2%
94947	Novato	$3,495	+5.3%	0.0%
94903	San Rafael	$3,142	+3.4%	0.0%
94901	San Rafael	$2,875	+4.2%	0.0%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$9,948/mo

Home price / national median income23.6x

Annual rent / national median income60.1%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$5,751/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$776,233 (-1.1% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Academic Performance
Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.