Vihaan Tigadikar

Freshman Neha Gaddam works on her geometry homework during class. Gaddam decided to enroll at Cal High this year despite living closer to Dougherty Valley High School.

Over the past two years, more than 200 students have transferred from Dougherty Valley High School to Cal High, according to school records.
Transfers from Dougherty were down more than 21 percent this year, according to figures provided by Cal registrar Vinita Battu. But the number of students transferring from Dougherty to Cal is still more than double of those going from Cal to Dougherty.
In the 2022-23 school year, 118 students transferred to Cal from Dougherty, while only 38 students transferred to Dougherty from Cal. That trend has slightly declined this year, but it is still prevalent, with 93 students transferring to Cal from Dougherty. The number of students leaving Cal for Dougherty has remained steady with 40 this year, records show.
Dougherty, the district’s newest, largest and highest ranked high school, has long had a reputation for competitive academics and exceptional test scores.
In fact, Dougherty was recently ranked No. 3 in the San Francisco Bay Area, No. 19 in California and No. 153 nationally, according to US News and World Report’s top high school rankings.
Conversely, Cal was ranked No. 37 in the Bay Area, No. 205 in the state and No. 1,311 nationally.
Junior Phillip Chellakan, who transferred to Cal this year from Dougherty, said his former school’s culture heavily prioritizes academic performance.
“Whether it’s academics or competitiveness between students, everything is just high level [at Dougherty],” Chellakan said.
A few other recent Dougherty transfer students, including junior Sanjit Bommadevara and senior Jordan Obinyan, commented about their former school’s academics as well, saying it as the reason they transferred to Cal this year.
“I think Dougherty was really competitive last year and that put a lot of stress on people,” Bommadevara said.
In the 2021-22 school year, 91 percent of Dougherty students met or exceeded the ELA standard and 82 percent met or exceeded the math standard for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) testing, according to GreatSchools.
These figures are far above the national average and higher than all other high schools in the district.
U.S.News and World Report’s scorecard indicates Dougherty has a 98 percent graduation rate, compared to 96 percent for Cal. Dougherty’s proficiency rate also shows the following: 96 percent in reading, 88 percent in math, and 74 percent in science. Nearly 75 percent of Dougherty students passed at least one AP exam last year.
Cal’s proficiency rates are: 77 percent in reading, 61 percent in math and 50 percent in science. Nearly 50 percent of Cal students passed at least one AP exam, according to the scorecard.
Many students who transferred to Cal from Dougherty attribute Dougherty’s academic success to a competitive environment with high pressure from peers, parents and teachers to perform. Chellakan said that pressure was what eventually led him to leave for Cal this year.
“[After coming to Cal,] it’s just a lot easier to get in the shower, come to school every single day, and be motivated,” Chellakan said.
Cal Principal Demetrius Ball sees many students transferring from Dougherty each year and believes it is because of Cal’s friendly environment.
“I think our community in general values balance so that’s why folks want to come here,” Ball said. “Academics is super important to us, obviously. But also [our other] programs are really important.”
Ball cited Cal’s strong music, drama and sports programs as factors of why many students may find Cal more welcoming.
“We’re better than Dougherty,” Ball joked.
Many middle schoolers who live closer to Dougherty end up enrolling at Cal freshman year for similar reasons. Sophomore Rahul Misra made this decision at the end of eighth grade.
Misra said his brother had transferred from Dougherty to Cal in the middle of his high school career and enjoyed Cal more, so Misra enrolled in Cal as well. Even though he has to travel farther to school, he is glad he is at Cal because he feels the teachers are easier.
“I don’t regret starting at Cal, because I knew I would like [it] better,” Rahul said.
Not all students transferring from Dougherty chose to do so because of academics. Junior Saesha Ray recently transferred from Dougherty because of her extracurricular activities.
“With block schedule [at Cal], it’s easier to balance extracurriculars and school at the same time,” Ray said.
Ray mainly transferred because Cal is closer to the dance studio she attends after school.
Ray also said that most Dougherty students are smart because of their work ethic and not just because of the school.
“[Your success] completely depends on the person you are in academics,” Ray said.
Dougherty students also have conflicting perspectives on social life there. Chellakan, who left Dougherty, said Cal’s social life is better and more friendly as people tend to gravitate toward each other.
“A lot of people describe DV as a bit soul crushing,” Chellakan said.
But Dougherty senior Kaitlyn Huang thinks differently about Dougherty’s social scene.
“Dougherty tends to be labeled as an academic[ly] focused school but I believe many people still find balance within their social lives especially with the open community on campus,” Huang said. “I don’t mind the environment because it helps me stay productive.”
Huang said she actually loves Dougherty because she thrives under pressure and believes the school is better than how people portray it.
“I thought about transferring [to Cal] before I entered high school since I was scared of what everyone said, but I am very glad I decided not to,” Huang said.
Although one student declined to be interviewed because they did not want others to know that they had transferred from Dougherty, Chellakan finds it amusing to see Cal students’ reactions when they find out he was at Dougherty.
“I like to see people’s reactions when I say that I’m already transferred,” Chellakan said. “It’s super funny because everybody understands how it is.”