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Branciforte Middle

Q: Is Branciforte Middle a good school?

Branciforte Middle ranks 698 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

698^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 75% of California middle schools

Summary

Branciforte Middle is a public middle school in Santa Cruz, California, serving 435 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Santa Cruz City High District, which is ranked 500 out of 1565 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Branciforte Middle's performance is generally above the state average in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, but lags behind nearby Mission Hill Middle and Scotts Valley Middle schools. In the 2024-2025 school year, Branciforte's proficiency rates ranged from 51.67% to 65.91% in ELA/Literacy and 35.51% to 42.98% in Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 47.84% to 49.65% in ELA/Literacy and 33.94% to 37.3% in Mathematics. The school's performance is particularly strong in ELA/Literacy for White students, but weaker for Hispanic students and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Branciforte Middle has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 15.4% to 25.5% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school's spending per student has increased from $5,490 in 2020-2021 to $20,291 in 2023-2024, and the student-teacher ratio has increased from 17.6 in 2021-2022 to 19.1 in 2023-2024, both higher than nearby schools. Addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism and targeting interventions to support underperforming student groups should be priorities for Branciforte Middle.

409

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,291

Per pupil spending ?

38.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

315 Poplar St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062-1131

(831) 429-3883

District: Santa Cruz City High

Students who attend Branciforte Middle usually attend:

High:

Soquel High

Feeder schools for Branciforte Middle:

Elementary:	Happy Valley Elementary
	Mountain Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.9%

White:

42.8%

Two or more races:

5.9%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Branciforte Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 55th percentile in 2013 → 75th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (49% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2013

✓Above the California median (75th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg47%

California avg41%

698^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 25%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Santa Cruz City High

541^st of 1,543Santa Cruz City High 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.8	698 of 2761	74.7%	★★★★☆
2024	58.8	912 of 2783	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.9	872 of 2781	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.0	943 of 2740	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.6	739 of 2715	72.8%	★★★★☆
2018	61.4	814 of 2480	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.6	873 of 2508	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.9	761 of 2497	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	73.0	576 of 2477	76.7%	★★★★☆
2013	53.2	1072 of 2379	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	55.5	936 of 2259	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	48.7	1132 of 2236	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.0	1254 of 2179	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.0	1105 of 2063	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	60.8	691 of 2005	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	63.4	615 of 1999	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	61.3	610 of 1804	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	62.6	567 of 1777	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	57.2	636 of 1769	64.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	54.0	495 of 1531	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.8	235 of 1491	84.2%	★★★★☆
2018	68.2	264 of 1369	80.7%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	41.3	682 of 1478	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.2	610 of 1521	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.7	343 of 1540	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	32.1	1013 of 1442	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.2	989 of 1364	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.5	492 of 2533	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	69.5	646 of 2551	74.7%	★★★★☆
2023	58.0	864 of 2531	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.6	1012 of 2509	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.2	700 of 2380	70.6%	★★★★☆
2018	59.3	805 of 2262	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.6	1355 of 2395	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.8	1576 of 2388	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.9	1297 of 2374	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.8	1441 of 2359	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.8	1198 of 2213	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.6	1350 of 2072	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.8	1275 of 2542	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	1336 of 2579	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.7	1265 of 2531	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.2	1326 of 2458	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.2	1070 of 2369	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.8	1468 of 2230	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.0	880 of 2534	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.5	1119 of 2552	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.5	778 of 2538	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.7	777 of 2527	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.9	666 of 2407	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	61.7	739 of 2273	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	70.7	159 of 554	71.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.6	253 of 1566	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	74.0	242 of 1552	84.4%	★★★★☆
2023	73.7	223 of 1531	85.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.0	203 of 1520	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	72.7	375 of 1537	75.6%	★★★★☆
2023	66.4	480 of 1543	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.4	546 of 1555	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.5	419 of 1602	73.8%	★★★★☆
2018	71.3	426 of 1496	71.5%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2025)87th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2025)84th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)81st percentile+6 vs school

Multi-racial (2019)71st percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)68th percentile~ school

Male (2025)65th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)54th percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile-25 vs school

Hispanic (2025)43rd percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy60%+11 vs state

Science41%+8 vs state

Mathematics40%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Branciforte Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores 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)				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 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Branciforte Middle	Public	6-8	315 Poplar St.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3883	409	23	17.8	38.1%	175 (42.8%)	7 (1.7%)	192 (46.9%)	8 (2.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.9%)	68.8	698^th of 2761 public middle schools	74.7%		58.8	912^th of 2783 public middle schools	67.2%	214	41.0	41.0	65.9	61.4	51.7	60.0	35.5	40.8	43.0	39.7	$20,291	$3,354	$16,937
Mission Hill Middle	Public	6-8	425 King St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3860	510	28	18.2	32.0%	268 (52.5%)	5 (1.0%)	166 (32.5%)	14 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	54 (10.6%)	76.9	543^rd of 2761 public middle schools	80.3%		67.4	731^st of 2783 public middle schools	73.7%	188	48.5	48.5	56.1	64.1	56.5	58.9	44.5	52.4	49.7	49.0	$16,074	$2,506	$13,568
Shoreline Middle	Public	6-8	855 17th Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-6565	478	26	18.3	64.9%	160 (33.5%)	7 (1.5%)	286 (59.8%)	13 (2.7%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	5 (1.0%)	60.7	888^th of 2761 public middle schools	67.8%		52.1	1102^nd of 2783 public middle schools	60.4%	214	53.1	53.1	46.3	46.1	58.2	50.0	38.5	29.9	39.9	36.1	$21,007	$1,598	$19,409
New Brighton Middle	Public	6-8	250 Washburn Ave.	Capitola	95010	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5660	585	28	20.9	30.3%	329 (56.2%)	4 (0.7%)	198 (33.8%)	10 (1.7%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	36 (6.2%)	69.9	680^th of 2761 public middle schools	75.4%		64.7	792^nd of 2783 public middle schools	71.5%	112	42.6	42.6	56.4	64.8	53.1	57.9	43.5	47.6	35.1	41.8	$13,408	$799	$12,609
Scotts Valley Middle	Public	6-8	8 Bean Creek Rd.	Scotts Valley	95066	Santa Cruz County	Scotts Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 438-0610	463	24	19.6	11.2%	303 (65.4%)	1 (0.2%)	85 (18.4%)	31 (6.7%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.4%)	85.7	356^th of 2761 public middle schools	87.1%		86.9	345^th of 2783 public middle schools	87.6%	11	56.7	56.7	71.7	66.4	70.3	69.5	44.1	53.9	59.6	52.6	$15,475	$858	$14,617
San Lorenzo Valley Middle	Public	6-8	7179 Hacienda Way	Felton	95018	Santa Cruz County	San Lorenzo Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 335-4452	396	20	20.0	24.0%	300 (75.8%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (16.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	29 (7.3%)	56.1	997^th of 2761 public middle schools	63.9%		46.6	1262^nd of 2783 public middle schools	54.7%	265	38.1	38.1	45.7	43.1	51.7	46.5	30.2	41.8	39.8	37.7	$16,940	$1,120	$15,820
Aptos Junior High	Public	7-8	1001 Huntington Dr.	Aptos	95003	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 688-3234	587	27	22.0	51.1%	254 (43.3%)	3 (0.5%)	295 (50.3%)	10 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.1%)	50	1181^st of 2761 public middle schools	57.2%		56.7	973^rd of 2783 public middle schools	65.0%	208	30.2	30.2		49.6	36.6	43.3		37.8	33.2	35.6
C. T. English Middle	Public	6-8	23800 Summit Rd.	Los Gatos	95033	Santa Cruz County	Loma Prieta Joint Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 353-1123	164	9	17.2	11.0%	116 (70.7%)	1 (0.6%)	19 (11.6%)	12 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (9.8%)	94.5	169^th of 2761 public middle schools	93.9%		93.7	192^nd of 2783 public middle schools	93.1%	23	69.1	69.1	66.7	80.8	74.6	73.9	75.9	78.9	63.6	72.7	$19,760	$743	$19,017
Rolling Hills Middle	Public	6-8	130 Herman Ave.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6341	588	28	21.1	94.6%	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	568 (96.6%)	11 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	10	2612^th of 2761 public middle schools	5.4%		10.1	2662^nd of 2783 public middle schools	4.3%	50	6.9	6.9	11.3	21.5	23.3	18.7	7.1	10.5	5.9	7.8
Cesar E. Chavez Middle	Public	6-8	440 Arthur Rd.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 761-7699	548	27	20.3	91.1%	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	541 (98.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	8.9	2649^th of 2761 public middle schools	4.1%		9.3	2688^th of 2783 public middle schools	3.4%	39	7.0	7.0	15.3	17.6	12.1	14.8	4.9	10.8	8.3	8.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Branciforte Middle

How many students attend Branciforte Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 409 students attended Branciforte Middle.

What high school do graduates of Branciforte Middle attend?

Students who attend Branciforte Middle usually go on to attend Soquel High

Is Branciforte Middle a good school?

Branciforte Middle ranks 698^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Branciforte Middle in?

Santa Cruz City High

What is the racial makeup of Branciforte Middle?

Students at Branciforte Middle are 47% Hispanic, 43% White, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% African American.

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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.