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Valencia Elementary

Public Grades K-6
1225th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,857 California Elementary Schools
Better than 79% of California elementary schools
Summary

Valencia Elementary is a standout K-6 public school serving 487 students in Aptos, California, consistently earning high marks for academic excellence within the broader Pajaro Valley Unified district.

The school's greatest strength is its strong and consistent academic performance, with student proficiency in English and Math significantly exceeding both district and state averages. This is particularly notable because Valencia serves a diverse student population and achieves these results with moderate per-student spending, outperforming nearby schools like Rio del Mar Elementary and Mar Vista Elementary that have similar or fewer economic challenges. The school shows effective support for all students, with high rankings across different student groups, and has made a strong recovery in academic scores and attendance since the pandemic.

When compared to other local schools, Valencia competes closely with top performers like Mountain Elementary while serving more than double the percentage of students qualifying for free lunch. Its ability to deliver such high-quality education within a lower-ranked district makes it a true gem in the Aptos area, offering families academic outcomes comparable to schools in much higher-performing districts like Mountain Elementary and Soquel Union Elementary.

487
Students ?
20.2
Student/teacher ratio ?
$25,969
Per pupil spending ?
37%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 250 Aptos School Rd.
       Aptos, CA  95003-4078

(831) 728-7836

District: Pajaro Valley Unified


Students who attend Valencia Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Aptos Junior High
High:    Aptos High
Racial breakdown:

White:
62.2%
Hispanic:
30.4%
Two or more races:
6.6%
more
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At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 72nd percentile in 2013 → 79th in 2025
Strengths
✓Test scores above the California average (57% vs 41% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 21% of California elementary schools
✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2013
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school57%
District avg21%
California avg41%
1,225th of 5,857
California public elementary schools ?
Top 21%▲ up 4 pts since 2015
From top 25% (2015) to top 21% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 19Elementary Schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified
1253rd of 1,543Pajaro Valley Unified 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202578.31225 of 585779.1%★★★★☆
202482.91042 of 586982.2%★★★★☆
202376.81285 of 585978.1%★★★★☆
202279.21222 of 588379.2%★★★★☆
201978.21249 of 578978.4%★★★★☆
201876.41295 of 566277.1%★★★★☆
201775.41316 of 569276.9%★★★★☆
201675.11302 of 561476.8%★★★★☆
201572.01418 of 561174.7%★★★★☆
201370.71542 of 553072.1%★★★★☆
201273.21372 of 539074.5%★★★★☆
201176.11201 of 537777.7%★★★★☆
201071.81377 of 531474.1%★★★★☆
200983.7807 of 519384.5%★★★★☆
200877.21100 of 511378.5%★★★★☆
200781.4917 of 511382.1%★★★★☆
200686.6658 of 481886.3%★★★★☆
200583.6786 of 482283.7%★★★★☆
200475.31106 of 480977.0%★★★★☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202254.1717 of 222767.8%★★★☆☆
201975.1419 of 258583.8%★★★★☆
201883.4240 of 212888.7%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202574.31324 of 559776.3%★★★★☆
202479.01134 of 561279.8%★★★★☆
202375.51263 of 560977.5%★★★★☆
202280.21105 of 563580.4%★★★★☆
201974.61313 of 549276.1%★★★★☆
201876.51224 of 541377.4%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202563.91502 of 510770.6%★★★★☆
202468.01275 of 510775.0%★★★★☆
202352.22106 of 508758.6%★★★☆☆
202245.82470 of 508451.4%★★★☆☆
201943.52715 of 496345.3%★★☆☆☆
201845.32531 of 483047.6%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202567.61405 of 546074.3%★★★★☆
202464.21561 of 551771.7%★★★★☆
202359.11794 of 536366.5%★★★☆☆
202257.01859 of 526464.7%★★★☆☆
201960.81730 of 517366.6%★★★☆☆
201847.82505 of 508450.7%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202579.81078 of 562880.8%★★★★☆
202483.4949 of 564383.2%★★★★☆
202373.21363 of 563875.8%★★★★☆
202270.41509 of 566373.4%★★★★☆
201979.01129 of 551079.5%★★★★☆
201874.61298 of 543176.1%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202552.01010 of 284764.5%★★★☆☆
202461.9676 of 263574.3%★★★★☆
202365.1562 of 242076.8%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202565.1942 of 259863.7%★★★☆☆
202473.7676 of 265174.5%★★★★☆
202371.2762 of 266171.4%★★★★☆
202278.8494 of 272681.9%★★★★☆
201972.0736 of 283474.0%★★★★☆
201864.01041 of 273762.0%★★★☆☆
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)
Male (2025)81st percentile~ school
Female (2025)76th percentile-3 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)74th percentile-5 vs school
Hispanic (2025)71st percentile-8 vs school
Disabled (2022)68th percentile-11 vs school
Special Education (2025)65th percentile-15 vs school
White (2025)64th percentile-15 vs school
By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy63%+14 vs state
Mathematics54%+17 vs state
Science47%+14 vs state

3.0
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Frequently Asked Questions about Valencia Elementary

Valencia Elementary ranks 1225th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 487 students attended Valencia Elementary.

Students who attend Valencia Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Aptos Junior High
High : Aptos High

Students at Valencia Elementary are 62% White, 30% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races.

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CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Aptos, CA

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Latest California data All new data »
2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026
2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025
2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025


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.

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