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Starlight Elementary

Public Grades K-5

4982^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of California elementary schools

Summary

Starlight Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 383 students in Watsonville, CA, operating within the larger Pajaro Valley Unified district, which faces significant academic challenges across its schools.

While Starlight's test scores are below state averages, it is important for parents to know that the school performs better than most other traditional elementary schools in its own district, such as Ann Soldo Elementary, Amesti Elementary, and T. S. MacQuiddy Elementary. It shows particular strength in supporting English Language Learners and has made good progress in reducing chronic student absences since the pandemic. However, performance varies widely by grade, with upper-grade math and science scores being a notable concern.

The analysis reveals that Linscott Charter, a nearby school in the same district, achieves much higher results, suggesting different educational models can yield different outcomes in the same community. Starlight's performance has stabilized after a period of decline, indicating recent efforts may be having an effect, but it continues to operate in a context where most district schools rank very low compared to the rest of California.

383

Students ?

21.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$33,358

Per pupil spending ?

91.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

225 Hammer Dr.
Watsonville, CA 95076-3160

(831) 728-6974

District: Pajaro Valley Unified

Students who attend Starlight Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cesar E. Chavez Middle
High:	Pajaro Valley High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.7%

White:

1.6%

Asian:

0.8%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 21st percentile in 2013 → 15th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (22% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg21%

California avg41%

4,982^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From bottom 30% (2015) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.3	4982 of 5857	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.6	5157 of 5869	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	5029 of 5859	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.5	5106 of 5883	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.4	5125 of 5789	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.5	4963 of 5662	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	13.7	5218 of 5692	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	24.5	4222 of 5614	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.2	3918 of 5611	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	25.3	4379 of 5530	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	18.0	4775 of 5390	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	36.5	3498 of 5377	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	25.1	4216 of 5314	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	20.4	4391 of 5193	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	16.7	4548 of 5113	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	14.7	4658 of 5113	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	7.5	4719 of 4818	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	12.1	4508 of 4822	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	10.1	4663 of 4809	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	23.4	2158 of 2585	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.0	1699 of 2128	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	33.6	2289 of 3162	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.2	1939 of 3245	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.5	1770 of 3311	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.9	1728 of 3275	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.8	1886 of 3246	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.7	4785 of 5597	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	4796 of 5612	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	4815 of 5609	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.1	4992 of 5635	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.5	4828 of 5492	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.1	4836 of 5413	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.4	4018 of 5107	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	4311 of 5107	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.5	4146 of 5087	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.1	4273 of 5084	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.9	4183 of 4963	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.0	4109 of 4830	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	15.9	344 of 364	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.9	309 of 356	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.2	4344 of 5460	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	4792 of 5517	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.8	4707 of 5363	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.8	4515 of 5264	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.8	4314 of 5173	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	4330 of 5084	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.4	4605 of 5628	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	5133 of 5643	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	4860 of 5638	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.7	4744 of 5663	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.8	4841 of 5510	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	4665 of 5431	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	28.1	1932 of 2635	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.7	1224 of 2420	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)28th percentile+15 vs school

Special Education (2024)27th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)21st percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)18th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2019)17th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile~ school

Homeless (2024)5th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics25%-12 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy23%-26 vs state

Science9%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Starlight 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 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 (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	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
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
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
Landmark Elementary	Public	K-5	235 Ohlone Pkwy.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 761-7940	419	23	18.3	91.2%	19 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	379 (90.5%)	17 (4.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	9	5686^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.9%		8.9	5733^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	2.3%	47	12.1		12.1	8.1	8.5	24.1				13.8	14.0	1.4	13.3				10.0	$27,382	$24,678	$2,704
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
Radcliff Elementary	Public	K-5	550 Rodriguez St.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6469	409	20	20.3	97.1%	8 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	401 (98.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5.8	5812^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.8%		7.7	5788^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.4%	24	1.7		1.7	9.5	4.8	16.1				9.9	5.3	1.6	13.6				6.6	$29,954	$27,330	$2,624
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
Watsonville Prep	Public, Charter	K-8	407 Main St.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Watsonville Prep District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 217-4883	488	21	23.6	77.0%	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	470 (96.3%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	36.4	3451^st of 5857 public elementary schools	41.1%		54.6	2313^th of 5869 public elementary schools	60.6%	1138	21.7		21.7	31.6	40.7	36.7	42.0	56.9		41.6	36.8	31.5	30.0	34.0	29.3		32.3	$45,321	$43,884	$1,437
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
Linscott Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	220 Elm St.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6301	258	9	28.7	65.9%	28 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	217 (84.1%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.5%)	49.4	2627^th of 5857 public elementary schools	55.1%		45.6	2826^th of 5869 public elementary schools	51.8%	199	31.0	10.0	20.3	37.0	46.4	50.0	67.9	73.3	50.0	54.3	29.6	17.9	31.0	53.6	40.0	30.0	33.7	$29,753	$28,142	$1,611
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Starlight Elementary

How many students attend Starlight Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 383 students attended Starlight Elementary.

Is Starlight Elementary a good school?

Starlight Elementary ranks in the bottom 14.9% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Starlight Elementary?

Students at Starlight Elementary are 98% Hispanic, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of Starlight Elementary attend?

Students who attend Starlight Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cesar E. Chavez Middle
High : Pajaro Valley High

What district is Starlight Elementary in?

Pajaro Valley Unified

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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.