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Pacific Collegiate Charter

Public, Charter Grades 7-12

13^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 99% of California high schools

Summary

Pacific Collegiate Charter (PCC) is a highly selective and academically rigorous public charter school serving about 540 students in grades 7-12 within the Pacific Collegiate Charter District in Santa Cruz, consistently ranking among the top 1-2% of all California high schools.

The school's academic performance is exceptional, with student proficiency rates far exceeding both state averages and nearby comprehensive high schools like Santa Cruz High and Soquel High; for example, 86% of PCC students are proficient in English compared to 48% statewide, and its 11th graders achieve a remarkable 95% proficiency rate. PCC also maintains very low chronic absenteeism at 8%, a key factor in its success, which starkly contrasts with higher rates at nearby alternative schools such as Costanoa Continuation High.

While PCC demonstrates high effectiveness across all student subgroups, it serves a significantly lower percentage of economically disadvantaged students compared to other local schools. This performance gap between this charter and traditional public schools highlights its unique model, though questions about the scalability of its approach and its variable per-student spending remain part of the broader conversation about educational excellence and access.

536

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

9.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3004 Mission St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060-6225

(831) 479-7785

District: Pacific Collegiate Charter District

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.8%

Hispanic:

16.0%

Two or more races:

14.4%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Pacific Collegiate Charter to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2022 → 99th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (73% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of California high schools

✓91% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (86%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

California avg41%

Middle school

192^nd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 2 pts since 2022

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

13^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2022

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

35^th of 1,543Pacific Collegiate Charter 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.6	192 of 2761	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	95.6	132 of 2783	95.3%	★★★★★
2023	94.8	162 of 2781	94.2%	★★★★★
2022	91.4	240 of 2740	91.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.0	169 of 2533	93.3%	★★★★★
2024	93.3	174 of 2551	93.2%	★★★★★
2023	93.7	164 of 2531	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	88.1	269 of 2509	89.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.9	93 of 2395	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	94.9	77 of 2388	96.8%	★★★★★
2023	76.9	360 of 2374	84.8%	★★★★☆
2022	60.2	716 of 2359	69.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.7	64 of 2542	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	55.1	871 of 2458	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.8	207 of 2534	91.8%	★★★★★
2024	96.1	106 of 2552	95.8%	★★★★★
2023	94.3	146 of 2538	94.2%	★★★★★
2022	92.7	182 of 2527	92.8%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.6	103 of 726	85.8%	★★★★☆
2024	83.7	85 of 701	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	65.6	242 of 677	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.4	127 of 665	80.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.5	240 of 1520	84.2%	★★★★☆
2024	87.9	110 of 1537	92.8%	★★★★★
2023	90.8	60 of 1543	96.1%	★★★★★
2022	83.3	181 of 1555	88.4%	★★★★☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.1	13 of 2162	99.4%	★★★★★
2024	99.2	12 of 2159	99.4%	★★★★★
2023	99.5	7 of 2170	99.7%	★★★★★
2022	98.0	44 of 2123	97.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.5	10 of 1906	99.5%	★★★★★
2024	99.1	5 of 1915	99.7%	★★★★★
2023	99.0	8 of 1915	99.6%	★★★★★
2022	95.0	88 of 1858	95.3%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.7	10 of 1900	99.5%	★★★★★
2022	93.8	88 of 1861	95.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.2	13 of 1942	99.3%	★★★★★
2024	99.1	20 of 1948	99.0%	★★★★★
2023	99.7	7 of 1963	99.6%	★★★★★
2022	99.2	20 of 1916	99.0%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.2	13 of 577	97.7%	★★★★★
2023	97.2	4 of 541	99.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.1	18 of 1155	98.4%	★★★★★
2024	97.3	12 of 1173	99.0%	★★★★★
2023	98.3	9 of 1193	99.2%	★★★★★
2022	95.5	24 of 1204	98.0%	★★★★★

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)

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)97th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)96th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)86th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)84th percentile-9 vs school

High school

Female (2025)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)99th percentile~ school

Male (2025)99th percentile~ school

White (2025)98th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)98th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy86%+37 vs state

Science69%+36 vs state

Mathematics64%+27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pacific Collegiate Charter

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 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	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
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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	$18,421	$2,017	$16,404
San Lorenzo Valley High	Public	9-12	7105 Highway 9	Felton	95018	Santa Cruz County	San Lorenzo Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 335-4425	578	27	21.0	20.2%	465 (80.4%)	3 (0.5%)	72 (12.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.1%)	83.2	355^th of 2162 public high schools	83.6%		90	225^th of 2159 public high schools	89.6%	130		57.3		55.9			66.1	66.1			39.0	39.0	$18,071	$875	$17,196

Frequently Asked Questions about Pacific Collegiate Charter

How many students attend Pacific Collegiate Charter?

In the 2024-25 school year, 536 students attended Pacific Collegiate Charter.

Is Pacific Collegiate Charter a good school?

Yes! Pacific Collegiate Charter is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 13^th of 2162 California high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Pacific Collegiate Charter?

Students at Pacific Collegiate Charter are 62% White, 16% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

What district is Pacific Collegiate Charter in?

Pacific Collegiate Charter District

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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.