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Santa Cruz City Elementary

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At a glance

368^thof 1,530 California districts▼ 8

Better than 75% of California districts

Elementary 5Grades K-5

133 Mission Street Ste. 100
Santa Cruz, CA 95060-3747·(831) 429-3410·All California district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2026

2026: better than 75.9% of districts

Schools

1,756

Students

Top rankedWestlake Elementary801^st of 5,817 California elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Gault Elementary up 206 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Bay View Elementary 18.7 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

Compare California districts →See the top-ranked California schools →

Summary:

Santa Cruz City Elementary includes five K–5 schools: De Laveaga, Westlake, Bay View, Gault, and Monarch. In 2025–2026, the five-school average was about 54% proficient in ELA, 50% in math, and 52% in science, compared with state averages of 49%, 38%, and 36%. The district was rated four stars by SchoolDigger and ranked 217th of 968 districts. The clearest takeaway is that Westlake Elementary leads all three subjects and is above the state in each.

Westlake Elementary scored 68% in ELA, 63% in math, and 72% in science—18, 25, and 36 percentage points above the state, respectively. At the other end, Gault Elementary had the lowest results in all three subjects, at 46%, 43%, and 40%. But lowest in this group does not mean below the state in every subject: Gault was 3 points below the state in ELA and 5 points above in math and 4 points above in science. The widest school-to-school gap was in science, at 32 points. Monarch ranked second in ELA and science but fourth in math; Bay View was near the state in ELA and math, with stronger science results.

Recent changes were mixed: from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, the unweighted school average fell 4 percentage points in ELA, rose 1 point in math, and rose 3 points in science. SchoolDigger’s percentile rankings improved for Bay View (49 to 68) and Gault (53 to 59), while they slipped for De Laveaga (73 to 67), Westlake (87 to 86), and Monarch (77 to 71); these rankings are a separate measure from test-score changes. Other school differences may help families compare: reported 2024–2025 student–teacher ratios ranged from 18.7 at Bay View to 23.5 at De Laveaga Elementary. The 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible measures ranged from 25% at Westlake to 48% at Gault, but these figures do not explain the achievement differences. Attendance also does not neatly track scores: Monarch’s chronic absenteeism was 20%, yet it placed second in ELA and science, while De Laveaga had the lowest absenteeism, 6%, without leading a subject.

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				Vaccination (2024-25)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th 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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	63.8	1890^th of 5817 public elementary schools	67.5%		64.5	1860^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.2%	30	46.0	46.0	42.2	54.6	55.6	51.7	53.3	53.0	36.5	47.1	95%	1%	$36,370	$33,756	$2,614
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%)	63.1	1920^th of 5817 public elementary schools	67.0%		66.6	1761^st of 5857 public elementary schools	69.9%	159	44.3	44.3	49.3	50.6	47.1	49.1	50.8	51.8	47.1	50.0	≥ 98%		$24,104	$23,622	$482
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%)	54.4	2367^th of 5817 public elementary schools	59.3%		50.3	2573^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	56.1%	206	40.0	40.0	49.0	41.4	50.0	46.4	53.9	36.2	40.0	43.2	≥ 98%		$29,954	$28,478	$1,476
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%)	87	801^st of 5817 public elementary schools	86.2%		86.7	836^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.7%	35	72.2	72.2	69.1	58.9	73.3	67.5	66.2	54.8	67.8	63.2	≥ 98%		$28,128	$26,044	$2,084
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%)	68.4	1663^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	71.4%		77.2	1270^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.3%	393	58.3	58.3	43.8	55.0	66.7	56.7	37.5	45.0	50.0	45.0			$32,890	$32,316	$574

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Santa Cruz City High	0.56 mi	9	567^th
Santa Cruz County Office of Education	1.15 mi	5
Pacific Collegiate Charter District	1.15 mi	1	61^st
Santa Cruz County Regional Occupational Program	1.51 mi	1
Live Oak Elementary	2.97 mi	8	635^th

See the top CA California districts

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.