Summary:
Santa Cruz City High includes nine schools: two middle schools, six high schools, and one alternative school, serving students across middle- and high-school grades. Results vary considerably from school to school, so an area-wide average can hide important differences. The clearest overall finding is that Santa Cruz High leads the traditional high schools, while the lower-performing schools have much weaker results in multiple subjects.
Santa Cruz High is the academic standout: its 11th-grade proficiency was 72% in ELA, 56% in math, and 63% in science—15, 24, and 24 percentage points above state results, respectively. Soquel High was next in all three subjects, at 68%, 39%, and 50%. At the other end, Costanoa Career Prep Continuation High had 11th-grade ELA and science results of 6% each, and its graduation rate was 48%; Ark Independent Studies had the lowest 11th-grade math result, 6%. The middle schools both exceeded state All Grades results in all three subjects: Branciforte Middle led in ELA and math, while Mission Hill Middle led in science.
Recent changes were mixed: the nine-school average fell 2 percentage points in ELA from 2024–25 to 2025–26, while math rose 2 points and science rose 3. Individual trends differed sharply: Delta Charter’s ELA result increased 38 points, while Ark Independent Studies fell 32 points; Alternative Family Education declined in all three subjects but had the lowest chronic absenteeism, 7%, compared with 18% statewide. SchoolDigger ranks Santa Cruz High in the 91st percentile and Costanoa in the 10th. As context, all schools report free/reduced lunch eligible figures for 2024–25; shares range from 23% at Santa Cruz High to 57% at Costanoa. These figures provide context, not an explanation for school results.
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