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Tierra Pacifica Charter

Q: Is Tierra Pacifica Charter a good school?

Tierra Pacifica Charter ranks 2171 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

2171^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 63% of California elementary schools

Summary

Tierra Pacifica Charter is a small, K-8 public charter school serving 166 students within the Live Oak Elementary district in Santa Cruz, known for achieving strong academic results with notably lower per-student spending than its neighbors.

Academically, the school consistently performs above state and district averages, with a particular strength in mathematics where its 52% proficiency rate outpaces both the district (38%) and state (37%). It holds its own against other high-performing local schools like Main Street Elementary and De Laveaga Elementary. However, performance can vary significantly by grade, with exceptional results in some grades (like 3rd and 8th grade math) and much lower scores in others (notably 5th grade), which may be a point of inquiry for parents.

As a charter school, Tierra Pacifica operates with greater flexibility, which shows in its efficient spending and smaller class sizes—it now has a student-teacher ratio of 17.5 to 1. The school serves a population with a lower rate of economic disadvantage (29% qualifying for free/reduced lunch) compared to other schools in its district, such as Live Oak Elementary (59%) and Del Mar Elementary (62%). A trend to watch is a recent increase in chronic student absenteeism, which has risen to 16.9%.

166

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,628

Per pupil spending ?

28.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

986 Bostwick Ln.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062-1756

(831) 462-9404

District: Live Oak Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.3%

Hispanic:

24.1%

Two or more races:

7.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Tierra Pacifica Charter to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 85th percentile in 2015 → 63rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (51% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Live Oak Elementary

✓Above the California median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school51%

District avg42%

California avg41%

Elementary school

2,171^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 37%▼ down 22 pts since 2015

From top 15% (2015) to top 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

392^nd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 14%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the Live Oak Elementary

543^rd of 1,543Live Oak Elementary among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.0	2171 of 5857	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.0	1551 of 5869	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	63.3	1872 of 5859	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	78.3	1268 of 5883	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	74.9	330 of 1417	76.7%	★★★★☆
2019	82.3	1056 of 5789	81.8%	★★★★☆
2018	78.4	1208 of 5662	78.7%	★★★★☆
2017	78.6	1185 of 5692	79.2%	★★★★☆
2016	78.1	1197 of 5614	78.7%	★★★★☆
2015	85.6	847 of 5611	84.9%	★★★★☆
2013	85.1	752 of 5530	86.4%	★★★★☆
2012	73.2	1368 of 5390	74.6%	★★★★☆
2011	77.6	1126 of 5377	79.1%	★★★★☆
2010	63.9	1785 of 5314	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	63.5	1748 of 5193	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.2	1988 of 5113	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.1	1590 of 5113	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	81.2	910 of 4818	81.1%	★★★★☆
2005	81.2	881 of 4822	81.7%	★★★★☆
2004	75.7	1089 of 4809	77.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	82.5	986 of 5612	82.4%	★★★★☆
2021	56.6	498 of 1267	60.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.7	1765 of 2598	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	74.2	661 of 2651	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	45.7	1546 of 2661	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.8	392 of 2761	85.8%	★★★★☆
2024	62.4	832 of 2783	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	73.8	601 of 2781	78.4%	★★★★☆
2022	86.0	364 of 2740	86.7%	★★★★☆
2021	80.2	144 of 894	83.9%	★★★★☆
2019	84.9	370 of 2715	86.4%	★★★★☆
2018	93.8	157 of 2480	93.7%	★★★★★
2017	91.6	204 of 2508	91.9%	★★★★★
2016	95.6	80 of 2497	96.8%	★★★★★
2015	87.0	295 of 2477	88.1%	★★★★☆
2013	90.1	84 of 2379	96.5%	★★★★★
2012	84.1	204 of 2259	91.0%	★★★★★
2011	83.2	227 of 2236	89.8%	★★★★☆
2010	77.7	360 of 2179	83.5%	★★★★☆
2009	90.6	96 of 2063	95.3%	★★★★★
2008	80.3	282 of 2005	85.9%	★★★★☆
2007	93.1	68 of 1999	96.6%	★★★★★
2006	87.3	165 of 1804	90.9%	★★★★★
2005	97.4	15 of 1777	99.2%	★★★★★
2004	84.4	212 of 1769	88.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	76.8	325 of 1602	79.7%	★★★★☆
2018	95.2	14 of 1496	99.1%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Female (2024)82nd percentile+9 vs school

White (2025)32nd percentile-31 vs school

Middle school

White (2019)80th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy52%+3 vs state

Mathematics52%+15 vs state

Science43%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Tierra Pacifica Charter

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Tierra Pacifica Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	986 Bostwick Ln.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 462-9404	166	9	17.5	28.9%	105 (63.3%)	3 (1.8%)	40 (24.1%)	4 (2.4%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (7.2%)	58	2171^st of 5857 public elementary schools	62.9%		71	1551^st of 5869 public elementary schools	73.6%	620	35.3	54.6	42.9	52.9	62.5	17.7	53.3	75.0	54.6	52.2	76.5	50.0	5.9	53.3	62.5	72.7	52.2						$13,628	$00	$13,628
Ocean Alternative Education Center	Public	K-8	984 Bostwick Ln. Ste. 6	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-0767	76	4	21.5	47.4%	40 (52.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (31.6%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (14.5%)								(n/a)			60.0							50.0							38.6						$22,434	$944	$21,490
Green Acres Elementary	Public	K-5	966 Bostwick Ln.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-0111	262	12	21.8	54.2%	104 (39.7%)	7 (2.7%)	128 (48.9%)	10 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.6%)	51.2	2538^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.7%		56.4	2220^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.2%	318	25.0		25.0	48.8	52.2	37.2				46.2	53.7	54.4	22.7				43.5	91.7	96.7	95.0		93.3	$21,740	$1,474	$20,266
Live Oak Elementary	Public	K-5	1916 Capitola Rd.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-2000	362	15	24.1	58.6%	90 (24.9%)	5 (1.4%)	252 (69.6%)	7 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.7%)	35.7	3527^th of 5857 public elementary schools	39.8%		44.3	2909^th of 5869 public elementary schools	50.4%	618	27.9		27.9	33.3	37.3	51.2				39.1	27.1	27.9	37.2				29.8	93.9	96.3		96.3	95.1	$19,181	$1,390	$17,791
De Laveaga Elementary	Public	K-5	1145 Morrissey Blvd.	Santa Cruz	95065	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3807	481	20	23.5	27.7%	221 (45.9%)	6 (1.2%)	200 (41.6%)	19 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.1%)	66.6	1761^st of 5857 public elementary schools	69.9%		70.8	1559^th of 5869 public elementary schools	73.4%	202	42.0		42.0	50.0	56.0	62.5				55.9	51.7	50.7	39.5				47.4	96.6	96.6			96.6	$16,889	$1,887	$15,002
Del Mar Elementary	Public	K-5	1959 Merrill St.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 477-2063	322	14	23.0	62.4%	109 (33.9%)	7 (2.2%)	189 (58.7%)	7 (2.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	42.3	3048^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.0%		51.3	2494^th of 5869 public elementary schools	57.5%	554	22.2		22.2	43.8	46.9	31.5				40.4	52.1	51.0	13.0				37.8	95.8	95.8			97.2	$21,045	$1,565	$19,480
Gault Elementary	Public	K-5	1320 Seabright Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3856	314	14	22.4	48.1%	100 (31.8%)	2 (0.6%)	192 (61.1%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.1%)	50.3	2573^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	56.1%		46.5	2764^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.9%	191	32.8		32.8	45.5	53.7	44.3				47.1	50.9	41.5	24.6				38.2	97.0					$22,403	$3,402	$19,001
Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary	Public	K-5	8005 Winkle Ave.	Santa Cruz	95065	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5670	214	9	24.3	30.4%	113 (52.8%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (38.3%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.5%)	53.2	2414^th of 5857 public elementary schools	58.8%		55.7	2251^st of 5869 public elementary schools	61.6%	163	43.8		43.8	37.5	57.1	54.8				49.5	37.5	46.4	25.0				35.9						$14,816	$1,236	$13,580
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch	Public	K-5	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	114	5	22.8	27.2%	63 (55.3%)	1 (0.9%)	26 (22.8%)	3 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (18.4%)	77.2	1270^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.3%		75.1	1365^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.7%	95	71.4		71.4	57.9	68.0	76.2				67.7	36.8	60.0	42.9				47.7						$23,997	$2,508	$21,489
Soquel Elementary	Public	K-5	2700 Porter St.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5655	337	15	22.0	40.1%	132 (39.2%)	6 (1.8%)	160 (47.5%)	14 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	22 (6.5%)	49.7	2611^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.4%		56.5	2208^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.4%	403	40.0		40.0	42.6	40.0	49.1				44.0	40.8	39.2	34.6				38.1	91.1	96.4	96.4		96.4	$13,999	$1,422	$12,577

Frequently Asked Questions about Tierra Pacifica Charter

What district is Tierra Pacifica Charter in?

Live Oak Elementary

How many students attend Tierra Pacifica Charter?

In the 2024-25 school year, 166 students attended Tierra Pacifica Charter.

Is Tierra Pacifica Charter a good school?

Tierra Pacifica Charter ranks 2171^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Tierra Pacifica Charter?

Students at Tierra Pacifica Charter are 63% White, 24% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% African American, 1% American Indian.

Rate Tierra Pacifica Charter!

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Schools in Santa Cruz, CA

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.