Tamalpais Union high schools get mixed review on grades

English language learners in the Tamalpais Union High School District improved their grades significantly in the first semester of the 2025-26 school year, according to an administration report.

However, the number of D, F and incomplete marks for students from certain ethnic backgrounds did not improve — and got worse in some cases — over the same time frame, the report said.

Kelly Lara, assistant superintendent of educational services, presented the information to district trustees at their board meeting on Jan. 27.

“We’ve seen an increase in targeted areas where we know teachers and staff are working incredibly hard,” trustee Emily Uhlhorn said after the presentation. “And we know there is room for improvement in other targeted areas.”

The report highlighted D, F or incomplete grades in the first semester as compared to the average of the prior three years. The comparisons were both at the districtwide level and individually for Redwood, Archie Williams and Tamalpais high schools.

Lara said Redwood High School improved the most. About 8% of the 1,748 students had D, F or incomplete marks in the first semester, compared to a 9% average over the prior three years.

At Archie Williams, about 13% of the 1,054 students had D, F or incomplete marks in the first semester, compared to 12% in the prior three years.

At Tamalpais High School, about 14% of the 1,435 students had D, F or incomplete grades in the first semester, compared to an average of 12% over the previous three years.

Trustee Ida Green said she was “not shocked” that Redwood had the best overall improvement because she visited an English language learner classroom there and was impressed by the quality of instruction.

“I’m happy that their results show them to be uplifted,” Green said. “It’s good to see those results.”

All three schools showed improvement in grades for English language learners. In overall district results, about 20% of such students received poor marks in the first semester, a large drop from an average of 32% in the prior three years.

“The individual site teams and staff are focused on helping EL students,” Lara said. “Their collective work is making an impact.”

At the same time, poor grades for African American students increased at all three schools in the first semester. About 48% of 89 Black students districtwide had at least one D, F or incomplete mark, compared to an average of 35% in the previous three years.

Lara said the district is launching a series of targeted strategies to help all the students with poor marks. She said administrators will meet again with the teams of teachers and staff from each school site to refine their plans.

The goals include increased communication with students and parents, who receive printed and digital progress reports in each marking period, Lara said.

Besides measuring D, F, and incomplete grades for English language learners and five ethnicities, the report also looked at socioeconomic status, grade levels and classes in math, English, science and social studies.

Eleventh-graders districtwide had the biggest improvement in grades the first semester, when 11% of 1,085 students had poor marks. That compared to an average of 12% in the prior three years.