Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Alianza Charter

Q: Is Alianza Charter a good school?

Alianza Charter ranks 3192 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

3192^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of California elementary schools

Summary

Alianza Charter is a K-8 charter school serving 626 students in Watsonville, part of the Pajaro Valley Unified school district, and it stands out as a school on a strong upward trajectory within a challenging local educational landscape.

The school's most compelling story is its significant academic improvement over the past decade and its current performance, which notably outpaces both the district and most nearby schools. In core subjects like English and Math, Alianza's proficiency rates are substantially higher than the district average and far exceed those of schools like T. S. MacQuiddy Elementary and Amesti Elementary. This is particularly impressive given that the school has also successfully reduced its chronic absenteeism rate, bringing it below the district average. Among local charter options, Alianza (ranked in the 46th percentile statewide) performs significantly better than the Watsonville Charter School of the Arts (16th percentile), which shares its address, and similarly to the higher-performing Linscott Charter.

While Alianza Charter shows clear strengths, especially in supporting English Learner students, parents should note some internal patterns. Academic performance tends to peak in the middle grades before dipping in 8th grade, and there is a consistent performance gap between female and male students. However, with higher per-student spending than other district schools and a demonstrated record of improvement, Alianza Charter represents a robust educational option in the area, effectively serving its community and achieving better outcomes than many comparable local schools.

626

Students ?

22.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$33,725

Per pupil spending ?

80.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

115 Casserly Rd.
Watsonville, CA 95076-8645

(831) 728-6333

District: Pajaro Valley Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.3%

White:

2.2%

Two or more races:

0.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Alianza Charter to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 3rd percentile in 2013 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 43 percentile points since 2013

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Pajaro Valley Unified

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (23% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg21%

California avg41%

Elementary school

3,192^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 22 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,539^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 23 pts since 2015

From bottom 21% (2015) to bottom 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 19Elementary Schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified

1253^rd 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	3192 of 5857	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.3	3216 of 5869	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.9	3434 of 5859	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.7	3979 of 5883	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.6	3155 of 5789	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	3633 of 5662	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	27.0	4086 of 5692	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.4	4676 of 5614	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.2	4309 of 5611	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	7.8	5379 of 5530	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.0	5070 of 5390	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.4	5264 of 5377	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	3.6	5292 of 5314	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.0	5167 of 5193	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.9	5068 of 5113	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	6.9	5049 of 5113	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.2	4785 of 4818	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	6.4	4781 of 4822	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	5.8	4790 of 4809	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	44.3	1531 of 3162	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.3	942 of 3245	71.0%	★★★★☆
2022	44.1	1530 of 3311	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.8	739 of 3275	77.4%	★★★★☆
2018	50.6	1224 of 3246	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.5	2924 of 5597	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.0	2595 of 5612	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.5	3175 of 5609	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.1	3480 of 5635	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.7	2824 of 5492	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.5	3879 of 5413	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.4	2011 of 5107	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.5	2032 of 5107	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.6	2248 of 5087	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.6	2787 of 5084	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.8	2235 of 4963	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.7	2893 of 4830	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.2	2645 of 5460	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.9	2828 of 5517	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.9	2767 of 5363	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.9	3589 of 5264	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.4	2441 of 5173	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.1	3690 of 5084	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.8	3285 of 5628	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.5	3784 of 5643	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.2	3460 of 5638	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.3	4207 of 5663	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.0	3193 of 5510	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.9	3057 of 5431	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.2	1539 of 2761	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.8	2098 of 2783	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	1758 of 2781	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.0	1863 of 2740	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.2	1907 of 2715	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.3	1808 of 2480	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.2	1720 of 2508	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	19.1	2056 of 2497	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.9	1955 of 2477	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.5	1825 of 2379	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	19.5	1926 of 2259	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	17.1	1953 of 2236	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	8.5	2065 of 2179	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	17.7	1785 of 2063	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	18.7	1713 of 2005	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	11.3	1855 of 1999	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	12.5	1652 of 1804	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	11.0	1652 of 1777	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	27.5	1358 of 1478	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	34.6	997 of 1521	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.1	845 of 1540	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	735 of 1442	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.7	821 of 1364	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.8	1382 of 2533	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.3	1893 of 2551	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.2	1729 of 2531	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.6	1389 of 2509	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.1	1790 of 2380	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	1826 of 2262	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.7	1001 of 2395	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.0	1531 of 2388	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.5	1167 of 2374	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.0	1389 of 2359	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.6	1408 of 2213	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.3	1358 of 2072	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.7	1486 of 2542	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.5	2202 of 2579	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.9	1677 of 2531	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.5	1679 of 2458	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.2	1756 of 2369	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	1796 of 2230	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.3	1520 of 2534	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.0	1961 of 2552	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.0	1525 of 2538	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.8	1951 of 2527	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.4	1566 of 2407	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.1	1527 of 2273	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

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

Hispanic (2025)61st percentile+15 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)52nd percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)52nd percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)48th percentile~ school

Male (2025)42nd percentile-4 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)58th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2025)45th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)42nd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)40th percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)8th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-6 vs state

Mathematics28%-10 vs state

Listening27%~ state avg

Science25%-8 vs state

Writing19%~ state avg

Overall12%~ state avg

Reading8%~ state avg

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Alianza Charter and help other families decide.

Rate Alianza Charter

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Alianza Charter

Load more schools when map is moved

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)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)							CSA Spanish Listening (2025)							CSA Spanish Writing (2025)							CSA Spanish Reading (2025)							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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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
Alianza Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	115 Casserly Rd.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6333	626	28	22.3	80.2%	14 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	609 (97.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	40.3	3192^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	45.5%		39.3	3216^th of 5869 public elementary schools	45.2%	24	16.7	14.8	10.5	15.9	3.4	6.8	11.6	52.6	9.8	31.3	22.2	25.4	15.3	27.4	18.0	24.6	7.5	27.0	22.0	17.0	19.1	10.3	8.2	6.0	12.7	0.0	10.2	8.0	31.3	17.0	24.6	34.6	39.3	49.3	52.4	50.0	30.5	42.5	29.5	32.8	29.9	23.8	31.0	18.6	27.7	$33,725	$31,626	$2,099
Watsonville Charter School of the Arts	Public, Charter	K-8	115 Casserly Rd. West Campus	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-8123	415	18	22.8	55.9%	98 (23.6%)	1 (0.2%)	297 (71.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.6%)	19.1	4915^th of 5857 public elementary schools	16.1%		25.8	4293^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	26.9%	622																													16.3	21.6	18.6	37.5	18.8	34.7	22.2	25.5	42.9	29.9	27.5	10.4	18.4	13.3	23.4	30.2	20.2	$32,540	$30,780	$1,760
Amesti Elementary	Public	K-5	25 Amesti Rd.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6250	431	24	18.3	95.6%	16 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	409 (94.9%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	6.6	5796^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.0%		8	5772^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	1.7%	24																													4.4		4.4	2.8	20.0	11.5				11.2	5.6	6.4	9.1				7.2	$30,267	$27,416	$2,851
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	$30,744	$27,564	$3,180
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	$28,182	$25,392	$2,790
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	$26,671	$24,114	$2,557
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	$26,813	$23,996	$2,817
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	$27,022	$24,526	$2,496
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	$33,358	$30,924	$2,434
Calabasas Elementary	Public	K-6	202 Calabasas Rd.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6368	512	23	22.0	97.1%	23 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	482 (94.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	9.6	5652^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	3.5%		10.3	5673^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	3.3%	21																													6.4		6.4	11.4	13.8	18.8	18.6			15.6	18.5	17.2	11.5	8.5			14.1	$28,503	$25,790	$2,713

Frequently Asked Questions about Alianza Charter

What district is Alianza Charter in?

Pajaro Valley Unified

Is Alianza Charter a good school?

Alianza Charter ranks 3192^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Alianza Charter?

In the 2024-25 school year, 626 students attended Alianza Charter.

What is the racial makeup of Alianza Charter?

Students at Alianza Charter are 97% Hispanic, 2% White.

Rate Alianza Charter!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Watsonville, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Alianza Charter!

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.