Overview
- Tuesday reports using San Francisco Chronicle data show Mission High in San Francisco had a 45 percent UC Berkeley acceptance rate in 2025, with 34 of 76 applicants admitted, far above the statewide average of about 15 percent.
- The same coverage notes Mission High’s 2025 state-assessment results were very low, with 17 percent of 11th graders proficient in English and 6 percent in math, raising questions about admitted students’ academic preparation.
- A UC Berkeley spokesperson said Mission High’s elevated admit rate has persisted for several years and denied the university targets any individual school.
- Thousands of UC faculty and critics point to a UC San Diego working-group report that found students lacking basic math skills rose from about 30 in 2020 to roughly 900 in 2025 and are urging reconsideration of test-optional admissions.
- Observers caution that small applicant pools, differences in who applies, holistic review elements such as essays and grades, outreach programs and possible grade-inflation can all shape school-level admit rates, and they say the debate will focus next on remediation costs, student outcomes and whether admissions rules should change.