Every year, families look at Cupertino High’s sky-high test scores, its STEM reputation, and its Niche and U.S. News rankings and assume one thing: this must give students an admissions edge.
But at a school where nearly 45% of juniors hold a 3.75–4.0 unweighted GPA, high achievement isn’t uncommon. That’s why admissions officers read Cupertino applicants through the lens of the school profile. And at a school this strong, the question isn’t just “Is my student doing well?” It’s “How are they making the most of this environment?”
This post breaks down exactly how AOs contextualize Cupertino High, and how your student can build a compelling, standout narrative within a competitive public high school.
According to Niche, Cupertino High earns an A+ overall rating, ranking #9 in Best Public High Schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and #39 Best STEM High Schools in California.
Similarly, U.S. News ranks Cupertino #29 in California, #7 in the San Jose Metro, and #258 nationally, with a 98.56/100 overall score and 73% AP participation.
These rankings can be helpful to compare Cupertino with other high schools in the area, but they aren’t what admissions officers look at when they’re evaluating your application. For that, they look to your school profile.
Admissions officers read your application in the context of the CHS school profile, which outlines the school’s academic environment, grading system, rigor expectations, and student outcomes.
An AO reading Cupertino’s school profile learns that many students earn perfect or near-perfect GPAs, and many are taking multiple AP courses. Even without explicit ranking or weighting, admissions officers can use this information to estimate where each applicant falls in the class.
Admissions officers read applicants in “school groups”: all Cupertino students applying to their college in that year are sorted—often by GPA or by an internal metric—to understand where each student sits relative to peers. Applicants may also be compared to data from previous years’ applicants from Cupertino.
At schools like Cupertino, these “soft” factors can really make a difference when many other applicants have strong GPAs and course rigor.
The University of California system releases admissions data for each high school. This information tells us a lot about the Cupertino students the UC is admitting.
Cuptertino’s UC GPA Data for 2024
First, take a look at GPA data from Cupertino broken down by UC campus:
These are weighted UC GPAs, not CHS GPAs, but they tell a clear story: Even at a school like Cupertino, UC admits have extremely high UC GPAs, often 4.2+. Lower enrolled GPAs at some campuses reflect yield patterns, not easier admissions, because students with lower GPAs are more likely to yield (accept admission to) a strong school they get into. Finally, AOs at UCs review applicants in context, but UC admissions have become increasingly competitive; even stellar CHS students aren’t shoo-ins to the UCs.
We can also see more data from specific UC campuses. Take a look at the admissions data for UC Berkeley:
Of the 293 students who applied from CHS, 52 were admitted and 39 enrolled. That’s almost an 18% admit rate, which is quite a bit higher than Cal’s average admit rate of about ~12%. From this data, we might assume that admissions officers are willing to admit slightly “deeper” into the class at Cupertino than they may be willing to at other schools. This could be good news, but remember that UC admissions have gotten so competitive that nothing is a guarantee.
When it comes to this data, knowledge is power. Understanding where you fall within these GPA bands at your school, when taking rigor into account, can help you build a smart school list and application strategy.
Students who benefit most from Cupertino High are those who:
Here’s what matters most from an admissions standpoint:
Admissions officers want to see that you’ve taken on as much rigor as you can reasonably handle. They appreciate thoughtful, sustained rigor aligned with your interests and future major.
Your application should answer: “What is my thing, and how have I pursued it over time?” This is how students stand out in a high-achieving peer group. As you plan your courses and extracurriculars, continue to revisit this question.
Magnitude, recognition, and impact are all important in your extracurriculars. The more you can show that you’ve meaningfully contributed to things that are important to you, the better.
At a school where many applicants look similar on paper, essays are one of the main places you stand out. Your topics and writing style are important.
Cupertino families routinely miscategorize “target” schools. Most selective colleges—including UCLA, Berkeley, Michigan, CMU engineering, UIUC CS—are reaches for everyone, not mid-range targets, simply because they admit so few students. Create a list with true safeties, targets, and reaches where every option is one you’d be happy with.
We work with students and families every day to help them understand their school context and college goals. Book a free intro call to talk about your admissions strategy.