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Watsonville Prep

Q: Is Watsonville Prep a good school?

Watsonville Prep ranks 3451 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

3451^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of California elementary schools

Summary

Watsonville Prep is a K-8 school serving 488 students on Main Street in Watsonville, a community where it stands out for its academic results compared to most other local elementary schools.

When looking at test scores, Watsonville Prep's proficiency rates in English, math, and science are significantly higher than those at nearly all nearby schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified district, such as Radcliff Elementary and Amesti Elementary. It is particularly effective in supporting English Learners and has a lower rate of chronic student absenteeism than its neighbors. The only school with comparable performance is Linscott Charter, which excels in English.

It's important to note that recent school data shows a dip in Watsonville Prep's statewide ranking and test scores from the previous year. Furthermore, while the school excels with several student groups, it has a notable weakness in serving students in special education. Overall, Watsonville Prep demonstrates that strong outcomes are possible for the community it serves, but it also faces clear challenges that require attention.

488

Students ?

23.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,474

Per pupil spending ?

77%

Free/discounted lunch ?

407 Main St.
Watsonville, CA 95076-4603

(831) 217-4883

District: Watsonville Prep District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.3%

Asian:

1.8%

White:

1.0%

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Compare Watsonville Prep to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 51st percentile in 2022 → 41st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2022

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

California avg41%

Elementary school

3,451^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 10 pts since 2022

From top 49% (2022) to bottom 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,160^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 42%

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

772^nd of 1,543Watsonville Prep District 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.4	3451 of 5857	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.6	2313 of 5869	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.7	3017 of 5859	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.2	2900 of 5883	50.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	81.9	216 of 3162	93.2%	★★★★★
2023	86.5	177 of 3245	94.5%	★★★★★
2022	82.2	269 of 3311	91.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.9	3782 of 5597	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.0	2039 of 5612	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.1	2749 of 5609	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.1	2934 of 5635	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.3	2348 of 5107	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.2	1133 of 5107	77.8%	★★★★☆
2023	59.5	1695 of 5087	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.7	1540 of 5084	69.7%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	83.1	35 of 364	90.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.7	2674 of 5460	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.4	1435 of 5517	74.0%	★★★★☆
2023	58.7	1821 of 5363	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.6	1705 of 5264	67.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.5	2960 of 5628	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.6	2430 of 5643	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.4	3094 of 5638	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.6	2678 of 5663	52.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	23.8	2177 of 2635	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

English Language Learner (2024)93rd percentile+33 vs school

Homeless (2024)90th percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2025)54th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)51st percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)47th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)32nd percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2024)17th percentile-43 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)73rd percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)73rd percentile+15 vs school

Female (2025)59th percentile~ school

Male (2025)56th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Mathematics32%-5 vs state

Science22%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Watsonville Prep

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 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th 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 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 All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Watsonville Prep	Public, Charter	K-8	407 Main St.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Watsonville Prep District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 217-4883	488	21	23.6	77.0%	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	470 (96.3%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	36.4	3451^st of 5857 public elementary schools	41.1%		54.6	2313^th of 5869 public elementary schools	60.6%	1138	21.7		21.7	31.6	40.7	36.7	42.0	56.9		41.6	36.8	31.5	30.0	34.0	29.3		32.3	$17,474	$1,377	$16,097
Radcliff Elementary	Public	K-5	550 Rodriguez St.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6469	409	20	20.3	97.1%	8 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	401 (98.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5.8	5812^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.8%		7.7	5788^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.4%	24	1.7		1.7	9.5	4.8	16.1				9.9	5.3	1.6	13.6				6.6
Linscott Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	220 Elm St.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6301	258	9	28.7	65.9%	28 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	217 (84.1%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.5%)	49.4	2627^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.1%		45.6	2826^th of 5869 public elementary schools	51.8%	199	31.0	10.0	20.3	37.0	46.4	50.0	67.9	73.3	50.0	54.3	29.6	17.9	31.0	53.6	40.0	30.0	33.7
Mintie White Elementary	Public	K-5	515 Palm Ave.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6321	493	22	22.3	94.1%	23 (4.7%)	1 (0.2%)	459 (93.1%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	7	5778^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.3%		9.5	5702^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	2.8%	76	6.1		6.1	17.1	7.6	7.7				11.0	18.6	6.5	4.6				10.3
Landmark Elementary	Public	K-5	235 Ohlone Pkwy.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 761-7940	419	23	18.3	91.2%	19 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	379 (90.5%)	17 (4.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	9	5686^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.9%		8.9	5733^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	2.3%	47	12.1		12.1	8.1	8.5	24.1				13.8	14.0	1.4	13.3				10.0
Starlight Elementary	Public	K-5	225 Hammer Dr.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6974	383	18	21.3	91.6%	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	374 (97.7%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18.3	4982^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	14.9%		16.6	5157^th of 5869 public elementary schools	12.1%	175	8.6		8.6	17.2	31.6	19.3				22.7	33.3	27.6	14.3				25.2
T. S. MacQuiddy Elementary	Public	K-5	330 Martinelli St.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6315	438	20	22.0	92.9%	27 (6.2%)	1 (0.2%)	400 (91.3%)	9 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5.3	5832^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	0.4%		6	5841^st of 5869 public elementary schools	0.5%	9	5.0		5.0	8.9	2.4	15.2				8.7	11.5	2.4	3.9				5.9
H. A. Hyde Elementary	Public	K-5	125 Alta Vista St.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6243	476	23	21.0	91.6%	12 (2.5%)	2 (0.4%)	458 (96.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	9.7	5647^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.6%		15.6	5246^th of 5869 public elementary schools	10.6%	401	9.7		9.7	10.6	10.4	22.2				14.4	22.4	11.7	9.7				14.4
Ann Soldo Elementary	Public	K-5	1140 Menasco Dr.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 786-1310	377	19	19.4	92.8%	11 (2.9%)	1 (0.3%)	355 (94.2%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	9.5	5659^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.4%		14.8	5326^th of 5869 public elementary schools	9.3%	333	13.0		13.0	16.1	15.5	18.2				16.6	16.1	12.3	5.5				11.3
Freedom Elementary	Public	K-5	25 Holly Dr.	Freedom	95019	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6260	479	20	24.5	91.4%	19 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	456 (95.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.3	5669^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.2%		12.4	5524^th of 5869 public elementary schools	5.9%	145	6.2		6.2	10.6	19.2	10.2				13.0	21.4	19.2	6.3				15.1

Frequently Asked Questions about Watsonville Prep

What district is Watsonville Prep in?

Watsonville Prep District

How many students attend Watsonville Prep?

In the 2024-25 school year, 488 students attended Watsonville Prep.

Is Watsonville Prep a good school?

Watsonville Prep ranks 3451^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Watsonville Prep?

Students at Watsonville Prep are 96% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 1% White.

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Schools in Watsonville, CA

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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.