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High Schools in Santa Cruz City High

At a glance

DistrictSanta Cruz City High541^st of 1,543 California districtsFull district overview →

Schools

3,426

Students

5-star school

Top rankedSanta Cruz High203^rd of 2,162 California high schools

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Biggest riser

Soquel High up 37 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Delta Charter 13.2 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

1★

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

Summary:

The Santa Cruz City High district serves grades 9-12 across six diverse schools in the Santa Cruz area, ranging from large traditional high schools to smaller charter and alternative programs, with the district ranking in the top 35% statewide.

Santa Cruz High stands out as the district's top performer, earning a 5-star rating with the strongest academic scores and a 96.7% graduation rate, showing consistent improvement over recent years. Soquel High also excels with the highest graduation rate (97.0%) and low chronic absenteeism. In contrast, Costanoa Continuation High faces significant challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism and the lowest academic performance in the district.

Overall, the Santa Cruz City High district outperforms state averages in graduation rates and English, Math, and Science proficiency. However, internal disparities exist, with mathematics being a particular challenge across most schools. Alternative programs like Delta Charter and Ark Independent Studies show more variable performance, and the data suggests a strong link between regular attendance and academic success.

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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 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 (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/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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	$25,653	$24,348	$1,305
Costanoa Career Prep 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	$43,439	$40,868	$2,571
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	$19,860	$19,110	$750
Soquel High	Public	9-12	401 Old San Jose Rd.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3909	1,074	54	19.9	29.1%	510 (47.5%)	7 (0.7%)	424 (39.5%)	17 (1.6%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	113 (10.5%)	80	411^th of 2162 public high schools	81.0%		77.4	448^th of 2159 public high schools	79.2%	37	50.4	31.9	40.6	72.5	72.5	34.2	34.2	$22,084	$21,306	$778
Delta Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	6500 Soquel Dr. Bldg 500	Aptos	95003	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 477-5212	113	9	13.2	38.9%	59 (52.2%)	1 (0.9%)	43 (38.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.3%)	24.5	1605^th of 2162 public high schools	25.8%		30.1	1486^th of 2159 public high schools	31.2%	119	12.2	18.9	15.4	24.4	24.4	2.4	2.4	$26,081	$25,820	$261
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	$29,505	$28,920	$585

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Santa Cruz City Elementary	0.28 mi	5	360^th
Live Oak Elementary	1.25 mi	8	543^rd
Tierra Pacifica Charter District	1.31 mi	1
Santa Cruz County Regional Occupational Program	1.62 mi	1
Santa Cruz County Office of Education	1.65 mi	5

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.