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Watsonville High

Q: Is Watsonville High a good school?

Watsonville High ranks 1303 rd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1303^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 40% of California high schools

Summary

Watsonville High is a large, comprehensive public high school serving grades 9-12 to over 2,200 students in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, where over 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the area's economic challenges.

Academically, the school's test scores in English, math, and science are below state averages, placing it in the 40th percentile statewide; however, it demonstrates a significant strength in successfully graduating students, with a 91.2% graduation rate that exceeds the state average. The school also does a notably good job of keeping students in school, with a chronic absenteeism rate better than the district average and a dropout rate less than half the state's. Interestingly, when compared to another comprehensive high school in the same district, Aptos High, Watsonville High serves a student population with nearly double the rate of economic need but receives substantially less funding per student.

The data suggests Watsonville High is effective at supporting students to graduation despite academic hurdles, and it shows recent improvement in serving special education students. Nearby smaller schools like Diamond Technology Institute and Ceiba College Preparatory Academy achieve higher academic rankings with similar student demographics, indicating that different models can yield strong results. The school's most recent year shows an upward trend in its statewide ranking, offering a positive foundation for future growth.

2,215

Students ?

23.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

91.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

250 East Beach St.
Watsonville, CA 95076-4831

(831) 728-6390

District: Pajaro Valley Unified

Feeder schools for Watsonville High:

Elementary:	Hall District Elementary
	Landmark Elementary
	Mintie White Elementary
	Ohlone Elementary
	More...
	Radcliff Elementary
	T. S. MacQuiddy Elementary
Middle:	E. A. Hall Middle
	Pajaro Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

96.4%

White:

2.3%

Asian:

0.7%

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Compare Watsonville High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 32nd percentile in 2024 → 40th in 2025

Strengths

✓91% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 40th (2025) from a 32nd-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (24% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Science scores 19 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg21%

California avg41%

1,303^rd of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 40%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6High 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.4	1303 of 2162	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.2	1464 of 2159	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.2	1459 of 2170	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.1	1431 of 2123	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.5	1042 of 2133	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.1	1093 of 2017	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.1	1121 of 2021	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.3	1174 of 2039	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	38.2	1205 of 1994	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	29.7	1339 of 2426	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	31.8	1262 of 2354	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	31.1	1277 of 2367	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	34.5	1150 of 2281	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	29.9	1387 of 2238	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	30.0	1168 of 2117	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	26.8	1236 of 2063	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	26.7	1189 of 1968	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	33.6	955 of 1901	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	40.3	699 of 1653	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	28.0	880 of 1161	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.8	486 of 1117	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.2	769 of 1052	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	37.8	644 of 1085	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.1	715 of 1064	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.4	510 of 1044	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.6	337 of 941	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.9	341 of 938	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	1191 of 1906	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.4	1434 of 1915	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.8	1319 of 1915	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.0	1272 of 1858	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.7	998 of 1833	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.2	1049 of 1760	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.6	986 of 1900	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.6	1212 of 1902	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	1199 of 1917	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.9	1181 of 1861	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.3	696 of 1814	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.6	784 of 1742	55.0%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.5	237 of 410	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.0	225 of 328	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.4	171 of 299	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.6	167 of 290	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.2	1185 of 2013	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	1327 of 2026	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.6	1304 of 2030	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.1	1290 of 1943	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.3	781 of 1937	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.0	835 of 1862	55.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.7	1268 of 1942	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	1265 of 1948	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.5	1363 of 1963	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.4	1346 of 1916	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.9	1002 of 1880	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.1	1051 of 1834	42.7%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.2	61 of 85	28.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.8	72 of 85	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.6	67 of 74	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.9	738 of 1252	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.5	895 of 1216	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.1	1055 of 1197	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	16.8	992 of 1173	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.5	829 of 1193	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.7	990 of 1204	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	1047 of 1222	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.3	986 of 1173	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)48th percentile+8 vs school

Homeless (2025)42nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)41st percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)41st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)41st percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)38th percentile~ school

Male (2025)35th percentile-5 vs school

Migrant (2025)28th percentile-11 vs school

Disabled (2022)24th percentile-8 vs school

White (2024)15th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy39%-10 vs state

Mathematics20%-17 vs state

Science13%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Watsonville High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations 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)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	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 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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Watsonville High	Public	9-12	250 East Beach St.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6390	2,215	94	23.5	91.1%	52 (2.3%)	5 (0.2%)	2,136 (96.4%)	16 (0.7%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.1%)	38.4	1303^rd of 2162 public high schools	39.7%		31.2	1464^th of 2159 public high schools	32.2%	161			13.5	13.5				38.9	38.9				19.9	19.9
Ceiba College Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	260 West Riverside Dr.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Ceiba College Preparatory Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 786-2100	501	31	16.3	76.4%	11 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	484 (96.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	80.7	397^th of 2162 public high schools	81.6%		50.3	990^th of 2159 public high schools	54.1%	593	8.2	55.1	29.6	26.6	25.0	34.9	33.3	71.4	37.6	27.1	48.8	25.6	36.7	34.3							$18,004	$3,134	$14,870
Diamond Technology Institute	Public, Charter	9-12	112 Diamond Dr.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6225	87	5	17.0	77.0%	4 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (93.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	65.4	683^rd of 2162 public high schools	68.4%		78.8	426^th of 2159 public high schools	80.3%	257		66.7		66.7				66.7	66.7				7.1	7.1
New School Community Day	Public	9-12	165 Harkins Slough Rd.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 761-6140	42	4	10.5	95.2%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7.9	2125^th of 2162 public high schools	1.7%		8.1	2159^th of 2159 public high schools	0.0%	34								6.7	6.7				0.0	0.0
Santa Cruz County Career Advancement Charter	Public, Charter	12	229 Green Valley Rd.	Freedom	95019	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 466-5697	207	8	27.4	12.1%	44 (21.3%)	0 (0.0%)	161 (77.8%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)								(n/a)			0.0	0.0																	$24,407	$1,409	$22,998
Pajaro Valley High	Public	9-12	500 Harkins Slough Rd.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-8102	1,293	60	21.6	84.3%	23 (1.8%)	2 (0.2%)	1,253 (96.9%)	11 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.3%)	34.1	1397^th of 2162 public high schools	35.4%		38.3	1287^th of 2159 public high schools	40.4%	110			15.3	15.3				40.0	40.0				8.9	8.9
Renaissance High Continuation	Public	9-12	11 Spring Valley Rd.	La Selva Beach	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6344	112	16	7.2	92.9%	4 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	105 (93.8%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9	2068^th of 2162 public high schools	4.3%		11.4	1980^th of 2159 public high schools	8.3%	88			0.0	0.0				4.6	4.6				1.5	1.5
Aptos High	Public	9-12	100 Mariner Way	Aptos	95003	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-7832	1,274	58	21.9	47.6%	511 (40.1%)	4 (0.3%)	676 (53.1%)	26 (2.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.2%)	51 (4.0%)	64.6	696^th of 2162 public high schools	67.8%		71.2	548^th of 2159 public high schools	74.6%	148			35.4	35.4				46.5	46.5				30.8	30.8
North Monterey County High	Public	9-12	13990 Castroville Blvd.	Castroville	95012	Monterey County	North Monterey County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 633-5221	1,250	57	21.7	84.5%	94 (7.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1,132 (90.6%)	11 (0.9%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.6%)	36	1359^th of 2162 public high schools	37.1%		42.9	1175^th of 2159 public high schools	45.6%	184		17.7		17.4				52.1	52.1				7.9	7.9							$17,089	$3,421	$13,668
North Monterey County Center for Independent Study	Public	7-12	17500 Pesante Rd.	Salinas	93907	Monterey County	North Monterey County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 633-7050	96	4	23.5	83.3%	18 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (78.1%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42.4	1203^rd of 2162 public high schools	44.4%		35.3	1360^th of 2159 public high schools	37.0%	157		17.7		18.6				35.3	31.1				32.4	31.9	75.0	85.0	85.0	85.0	80.0	85.0	$21,049	$1,802	$19,247

Frequently Asked Questions about Watsonville High

What district is Watsonville High in?

Pajaro Valley Unified

What is the racial makeup of Watsonville High?

Students at Watsonville High are 96% Hispanic, 2% White.

What schools feed into Watsonville High?

Watsonville High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Hall District Elementary
Elementary : Landmark Elementary
Elementary : Mintie White Elementary
Elementary : Ohlone Elementary
Elementary : Radcliff Elementary
Elementary : T. S. MacQuiddy Elementary
Middle : E. A. Hall Middle
Middle : Pajaro Middle

Is Watsonville High a good school?

Watsonville High ranks 1303^rd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Watsonville High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,215 students attended Watsonville High.

Rate Watsonville High!

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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.