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Mountain Elementary

Q: Is Mountain Elementary a good school?

Mountain Elementary ranks 707 th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

707^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 88% of California elementary schools

Summary

Mountain Elementary is a K–6 school in Soquel, California, serving 143 students. In 2025–26, 74% of students were proficient in English language arts (ELA), 67% in math and 59% in science. The key takeaway is that Mountain performs strongly across all three subjects, with results well above California’s in each.

Mountain’s all-grades results rank second among nearby schools with reported results in every subject, behind Happy Valley Elementary. Compared with California, Mountain was ahead by 24 percentage points in ELA, 28 in math and 23 in science; its district, Mountain Elementary, reported the same results. Within Mountain, fourth-grade ELA was especially strong at 90%, compared with 46% statewide and 75% at Happy Valley. Fifth grade is a relative soft spot: Mountain’s fifth-grade ELA was 64%, slightly below Main Street Elementary at 64.3%; fifth-grade math was 55%, below Happy Valley’s 80%. Grade-level results can be more sensitive to small numbers of students at this school.

ELA and math have risen over four reported years: ELA increased from 60% in 2022–23 to 74% in 2025–26, and math from 56% to 67%. Science has fluctuated more, falling to 29% in 2023–24 before reaching 59% in 2025–26. SchoolDigger ranks Mountain 705th of 5,804 schools, at the 88th percentile with four stars; its rank improved from the 75th percentile in 2023–24. Chronic absenteeism was 10% in 2025–26, 8 percentage points below California’s 18%. In 2024–25, the student-teacher ratio was 17.8 and 15% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the second-lowest rate among nearby schools. SchoolDigger’s rankings suggest relative results for female students were lower than the school’s overall standing: the female-student ranking was at the 69th percentile, compared with 88th overall in 2025–26. The male-student ranking rose sharply, from the 52nd percentile in 2023–24 to the 97th in 2024–25.

143

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$38,274

Per pupil spending ?

14.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

81%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

3042 Old San Jose Rd.
Soquel, CA 95073-9752

(831) 475-6812

District: Mountain Elementary

Students who attend Mountain Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Branciforte Middle
High:	Soquel High

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.8%

Hispanic:

18.2%

Two or more races:

9.1%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 75th percentile in 2024 → 88th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (69% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 88th (2026) from a 75th-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school69%

District avg69%

California avg42%

707^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Top 12%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 6% (2016) to top 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

125^th of 1,530Mountain Elementary 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	88.9	707 of 5817	87.8%	★★★★☆
2025	83.1	1009 of 5857	82.8%	★★★★☆
2024	72.6	1472 of 5869	74.9%	★★★★☆
2023	76.8	1289 of 5859	78.0%	★★★★☆
2022	81.5	1126 of 5883	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	75.1	1376 of 5789	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	89.9	641 of 5662	88.7%	★★★★☆
2017	86.3	854 of 5692	85.0%	★★★★☆
2016	94.5	343 of 5614	93.9%	★★★★★
2015	96.0	269 of 5611	95.2%	★★★★★
2013	87.1	640 of 5530	88.4%	★★★★☆
2012	81.2	960 of 5390	82.2%	★★★★☆
2011	81.7	909 of 5377	83.1%	★★★★☆
2010	88.3	554 of 5314	89.6%	★★★★☆
2009	90.1	472 of 5193	90.9%	★★★★★
2008	85.6	724 of 5113	85.8%	★★★★☆
2007	75.1	1169 of 5113	77.1%	★★★★☆
2006	73.3	1201 of 4818	75.1%	★★★★☆
2005	73.8	1168 of 4822	75.8%	★★★★☆
2004	74.5	1133 of 4809	76.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	64.5	1751 of 5581	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.9	1287 of 5635	77.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.1	192 of 5628	96.6%	★★★★★
2024	45.7	2712 of 5643	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.3	1796 of 5638	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.4	2488 of 5510	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	91.8	459 of 5431	91.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	79.4	425 of 2536	83.2%	★★★★☆
2025	73.6	636 of 2598	75.5%	★★★★☆
2024	48.3	1459 of 2651	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.3	1185 of 2661	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.4	1389 of 2726	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.6	1354 of 2834	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.2	545 of 2737	80.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2025)97th percentile+14 vs school

White (2026)83rd percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)69th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy74%+24 vs state

Mathematics67%+28 vs state

Science59%+23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mountain Elementary

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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 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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Mountain Elementary	Public	K-6	3042 Old San Jose Rd.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Mountain Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-6812	143	8	17.8	14.7%	97 (67.8%)	1 (0.7%)	26 (18.2%)	6 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (9.1%)	88.9	707^th of 5817 public elementary schools	87.8%		83.1	1009^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.8%	302	59.1		59.1	63.6	90.0	63.6	83.3			73.7	76.2	75.0	54.6	58.3			66.7	81%	0%	$38,274	$1,756	$36,518
Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary	Public	K-5	8005 Winkle Ave.	Santa Cruz	95065	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5670	214	9	24.3	30.4%	113 (52.8%)	0 (0.0%)	82 (38.3%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.5%)	55.6	2294^th of 5817 public elementary schools	60.6%		53.2	2414^th of 5857 public elementary schools	58.8%	120	38.5		38.5	53.9	43.8	57.7				51.6	47.5	34.4	36.0				40.2	92%	0%	$11,949	$780	$11,169
Happy Valley Elementary	Public	K-6	3125 Branciforte Dr.	Santa Cruz	95065	Santa Cruz County	Happy Valley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-1456	106	6	16.5	7.5%	82 (77.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (7.5%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (13.2%)	96.6	173^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	97.0%		95.1	323^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	94.5%	150	60.0		60.0	82.4	75.0	86.7	100.0			84.1	94.1	81.0	80.0	81.8			84.4			$19,080	$490	$18,590
Main Street Elementary	Public	K-5	3400 North Main St.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5650	383	17	23.2	24.8%	234 (61.1%)	3 (0.8%)	105 (27.4%)	8 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	29 (7.6%)	74.6	1382^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	76.2%		66	1788^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.5%	406	57.1		57.1	63.6	54.2	64.3				60.2	56.8	48.6	47.1				50.0	90%	0%	$11,189	$466	$10,723
Soquel Elementary	Public	K-5	2700 Porter St.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5655	337	15	22.0	40.1%	132 (39.2%)	6 (1.8%)	160 (47.5%)	14 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	22 (6.5%)	43.4	3025^th of 5817 public elementary schools	48.0%		49.7	2611^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.4%	414	26.9		26.9	51.5	43.1	36.5				44.4	45.5	36.5	23.1				35.9	94%	0%	$12,225	$585	$11,640
Mar Vista Elementary	Public	K-7	6860 Soquel Dr.	Aptos	95003	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 761-6177	270	15	17.8	54.1%	136 (50.4%)	1 (0.4%)	102 (37.8%)	9 (3.3%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.1%)	18 (6.7%)	39.7	3251^st of 5817 public elementary schools	44.1%		39.2	3271^st of 5857 public elementary schools	44.2%	20	31.3		31.3	38.5	40.0	43.8	46.2			43.5	35.9	17.5	31.3	44.0			31.3	≥ 95%		$24,443	$2,747	$21,696
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%		$21,775	$482	$21,293
Ocean Alternative Education Center	Public	K-8	984 Bostwick Ln. Ste. 6	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-0767	76	4	21.5	47.4%	40 (52.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (31.6%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (14.5%)								(n/a)		33.3	36.4						44.4	47.2				27.3		16.7	32.1
Tierra Pacifica Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	986 Bostwick Ln.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Tierra Pacifica Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(831) 462-9404	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)																		≥ 95%		$14,222	$00	$14,222
Green Acres Elementary	Public	K-5	966 Bostwick Ln.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-0111	262	12	21.8	54.2%	104 (39.7%)	7 (2.7%)	128 (48.9%)	10 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.6%)	58.7	2128^th of 5817 public elementary schools	63.4%		51.2	2538^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.7%	410	40.0		40.0	47.2	47.6	52.3				49.2	61.1	33.3	44.4				45.5	95%	0%

Frequently Asked Questions about Mountain Elementary

What schools do graduates of Mountain Elementary attend?

Students who attend Mountain Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Branciforte Middle
High : Soquel High

Is Mountain Elementary a good school?

Mountain Elementary ranks 707^th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Mountain Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 143 students attended Mountain Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Mountain Elementary?

Students at Mountain Elementary are 68% White, 18% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What district is Mountain Elementary in?

Mountain Elementary

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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.