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Best Public Schools in Santa Cruz, CA

At a glance

Schools

8,991

Students

Districts

5-star schools

Top rankedPacific Collegiate Charter13^th of 2,162 California high schools

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Biggest riser

Bay View Elementary up 1,112 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Santa Cruz County Special Education 7 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

5 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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Summary:

Santa Cruz, California is home to 26 public schools serving grades K-12 across eight different school districts, offering a mix of traditional, charter, and alternative education options within this coastal community.

The academic landscape features standout performers like Pacific Collegiate Charter, a top-ranked charter school, and strong traditional schools such as Santa Cruz High and Happy Valley Elementary. However, performance varies significantly, with schools like Costanoa Continuation High facing substantial challenges. A noticeable pattern across most schools is that English scores tend to be stronger than math scores.

Parents will find considerable differences between districts and school types. The Pacific Collegiate Charter District and Happy Valley Elementary district are high-achieving, while schools in the Live Oak Elementary district generally have lower rankings. Small elementary schools often show advantages, and alternative programs offer diverse results, from the successful Alternative Family Education to those serving high-needs populations.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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)	% MMR (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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th 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 11th 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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Brook Knoll Elementary	Public	K-5	151 Brook Knoll Dr.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Scotts Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 423-2454	498	22	22.4	13.9%	332 (66.7%)	3 (0.6%)	75 (15.1%)	31 (6.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	50 (10.0%)	86.2	871^st of 5857 public elementary schools	85.1%		90.4	680^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.4%	191	44.0				44.0	73.1	75.4	72.0					73.4	79.5	62.3	51.4					64.8							$14,904	$984	$13,920
Santa Cruz County Regional Occupational Program	Public	10-12	400 Encinal St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(831) 466-5762	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Pacific Collegiate Charter	Public, Charter	7-12	3004 Mission St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Pacific Collegiate Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 479-7785	536	31	17.5	9.7%	331 (61.8%)	2 (0.4%)	86 (16.0%)	37 (6.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	77 (14.4%)	99.1	13^th of 2162 public high schools	99.4%		99.2	12^th of 2159 public high schools	99.4%	1		58.8		80.8	68.6					89.1	77.3	95.2	86.1					60.2	58.8	77.8	64.0
Bonny Doon Elementary	Public	K-6	1492 Pine Flat Rd.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Bonny Doon Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 427-2300	92	6	15.3	22.8%	65 (70.7%)	3 (3.3%)	13 (14.1%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (10.9%)	70.5	1582^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	73.0%		83.9	1001^st of 5869 public elementary schools	82.9%	581	63.6				63.6	68.4	42.9	54.6					56.5	73.7	50.0	18.2					52.2							$27,235	$1,422	$25,813
Happy Valley Elementary	Public	K-6	3125 Branciforte Dr.	Santa Cruz	95065	Santa Cruz County	Happy Valley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-1456	106	6	16.5	7.5%	82 (77.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (7.5%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (13.2%)	95.1	323^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	94.5%		95.5	305^th of 5869 public elementary schools	94.8%	18	64.3				64.3	77.8	61.1	92.9	93.3				80.0	94.4	77.8	78.6	80.0				83.1							$16,983	$415	$16,568
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
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
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
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
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
Bay View Elementary	Public	K-5	1231 Bay St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3991	394	21	18.7	45.2%	162 (41.1%)	1 (0.3%)	198 (50.3%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.4%)	64.5	1860^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.2%		43.4	2972^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	49.4%	1112	38.9				38.9	56.7	50.0	59.3					55.3	56.5	52.5	27.8					46.7	93.3		93.3				$20,624	$4,224	$16,400
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
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
Westlake Elementary	Public	K-5	1000 High St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3878	453	22	20.5	24.5%	277 (61.1%)	5 (1.1%)	101 (22.3%)	24 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	44 (9.7%)	86.7	836^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.7%		89	752^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	87.2%	84	62.8				62.8	56.9	73.3	68.8					66.8	62.5	67.1	63.6					64.5	92.8					95.2	$22,072	$3,059	$19,013
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
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
Harbor High	Public	9-12	300 La Fonda Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3810	1,013	55	18.5	38.2%	350 (34.6%)	6 (0.6%)	564 (55.7%)	27 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	64 (6.3%)	66.4	667^th of 2162 public high schools	69.1%		68.9	584^th of 2159 public high schools	73.0%	83			34.6	33.3	34.0							59.7	59.7							25.7	25.7							$18,858	$2,563	$16,295
Costanoa Continuation High	Public	9-12	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	77	3	22.7	57.1%	15 (19.5%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (74.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.5%)	13.3	1868^th of 2162 public high schools	13.6%		16.6	1770^th of 2159 public high schools	18.0%	98			4.0	13.3	7.5							4.4	4.4							0.0	0.0							$22,210	$2,267	$19,943
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
Santa Cruz High	Public	9-12	415 Walnut Ave.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3960	1,093	46	23.8	22.7%	634 (58.0%)	18 (1.6%)	317 (29.0%)	27 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	95 (8.7%)	89.7	203^rd of 2162 public high schools	90.6%		93.8	140^th of 2159 public high schools	93.5%	63			51.7	50.6	51.1							69.0	69.0							50.6	50.6							$17,409	$1,956	$15,453
Alternative Family Education	Public, Alternative	K-12	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	110	4	27.5	34.5%	59 (53.6%)	4 (3.6%)	25 (22.7%)	5 (4.5%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (14.5%)								(n/a)					66.7								64.1								37.5							$20,011	$2,254	$17,757
Ark Independent Studies	Public	6-12	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	56	2	27.1	41.1%	25 (44.6%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.4%)	44.5	1154^th of 2162 public high schools	46.6%		67.1	612^th of 2159 public high schools	71.7%	542					26.3							53.3	53.3							13.3	13.3							$22,913	$2,179	$20,734
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 County Special Education	Public, Alternative	K-12	400 Encinal St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 466-5700	105	15	7.0	34.3%	50 (47.6%)	1 (1.0%)	36 (34.3%)	9 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.6%)								(n/a)																												$149,864	$4,253	$145,611
Santa Cruz County Court	Public	7-12	400 Encinal St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 466-5728	20	2	10.0	85.0%	4 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (75.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.0%)								(n/a)																												$50,038	$5,664	$44,374
Santa Cruz County Community	Public	7-12	400 Encinal St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 466-5728	730	32	22.6	58.5%	256 (35.1%)	9 (1.2%)	426 (58.4%)	12 (1.6%)	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.5%)	31.3	1461^st of 2162 public high schools	32.4%		30	1488^th of 2159 public high schools	31.1%	27				19.2	18.0						9.1	32.9	31.1						8.3	6.4	6.4							$31,571	$2,919	$28,652

Cities Near Santa Cruz

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Scotts Valley	4.07 mi	4	158^th
Felton	5.18 mi	4	196^th
Soquel	5.43 mi	4	200^th
Capitola	6.15 mi	1	170^th
Ben Lomond	6.68 mi	1

See the top CA California cities

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.