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Watsonville Charter School of the Arts

Public, Charter Grades K-8

4915^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of California elementary schools

Summary

Watsonville Charter School of the Arts is a K-8 public charter school serving 415 students within the larger Pajaro Valley Unified School District, an area where most schools face significant academic challenges.

This school occupies a unique middle ground in its community: while its academic performance, with about 30% of students proficient in English and 20% in math, lags behind state averages, it consistently outperforms most traditional neighborhood schools in the district, such as Starlight Elementary and T. S. MacQuiddy Elementary. It serves a student population with a lower rate of economic disadvantage than these nearby schools and has made notable improvements in reducing chronic absenteeism. However, it is the lowest-performing among local charter options, with Linscott Charter and the co-located Alianza Charter achieving higher rankings.

Parents should note the school's performance varies widely by grade, with 8th graders scoring significantly higher than 4th graders, indicating inconsistency. Despite its "Arts" focus, the school's statewide ranking has declined over several years. A key positive is its relative strength in supporting English Language Learner students, where it scores above the state average. The school operates with lower per-student spending than many peers but achieves better results than most district schools, suggesting efficient use of resources within a challenging broader environment.

415

Students ?

22.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$32,540

Per pupil spending ?

55.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

115 Casserly Rd. West Campus
Watsonville, CA 95076

(831) 728-8123

District: Pajaro Valley Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

71.6%

White:

23.6%

Two or more races:

3.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Watsonville Charter School of the Arts to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 33rd percentile in 2013 → 16th in 2025

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg21%

California avg41%

Elementary school

4,915^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 32% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,909^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 36% (2015) to bottom 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^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	19.1	4915 of 5857	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	4293 of 5869	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	4764 of 5859	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	4674 of 5883	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.9	4205 of 5789	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	3694 of 5662	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.1	3505 of 5692	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	27.5	3974 of 5614	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	28.5	3829 of 5611	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.7	3693 of 5530	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	42.5	3115 of 5390	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	37.5	3424 of 5377	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	43.1	2982 of 5314	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	36.0	3308 of 5193	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	29.6	3623 of 5113	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	36.7	3130 of 5113	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	28.0	3447 of 4818	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	47.7	2311 of 4822	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	48.7	2226 of 4809	53.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	47.0	1360 of 3162	57.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.3	4733 of 5597	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.6	4196 of 5612	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.2	4300 of 5609	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	4156 of 5635	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.9	4804 of 5492	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	4307 of 5413	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.4	4621 of 5107	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.3	3941 of 5107	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	4123 of 5087	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.9	3790 of 5084	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	3576 of 4963	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.4	2828 of 4830	41.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.1	4793 of 5460	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	4633 of 5517	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	4668 of 5363	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	4548 of 5264	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.0	4229 of 5173	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.7	3931 of 5084	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.7	4578 of 5628	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.4	4240 of 5643	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	4929 of 5638	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.1	4798 of 5663	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.6	2870 of 5510	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.6	2812 of 5431	48.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.8	2334 of 2598	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.9	2017 of 2651	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.6	1909 of 2761	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.5	2104 of 2783	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.9	1342 of 2781	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.3	1454 of 2740	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.3	1472 of 2715	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.4	1595 of 2480	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.4	1714 of 2508	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	24.5	1849 of 2497	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.2	1596 of 2477	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	32.4	1505 of 2179	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	43.0	1131 of 2063	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	29.6	1448 of 2005	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	62.6	630 of 1999	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	75.1	378 of 1804	79.0%	★★★★☆
2005	55.7	691 of 1777	61.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.3	1899 of 2533	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	1821 of 2551	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.8	1395 of 2531	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	1589 of 2509	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.1	1819 of 2380	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.4	1471 of 2262	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	1644 of 2395	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.2	1832 of 2388	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.4	1076 of 2374	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.0	1077 of 2359	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.5	1143 of 2213	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.6	1314 of 2072	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.7	2084 of 2542	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	2035 of 2579	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	58.5	776 of 2531	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.9	1113 of 2458	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.8	1250 of 2369	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.2	1861 of 2230	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.7	1664 of 2534	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.0	2042 of 2552	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.6	1105 of 2538	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.6	1150 of 2527	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.4	952 of 2407	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.4	1522 of 2273	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	37.0	937 of 1537	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.7	563 of 1543	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.3	1077 of 1555	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

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

English Language Learner (2024)57th percentile+30 vs school

Male (2025)19th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)12th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)10th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)10th percentile-7 vs school

Middle school

White (2024)39th percentile+15 vs school

Male (2025)34th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)31st percentile~ school

Female (2025)25th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)18th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy30%-19 vs state

Mathematics20%-17 vs state

Science19%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Watsonville Charter School of the Arts

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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)				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
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
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
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 Watsonville Charter School of the Arts

What is the racial makeup of Watsonville Charter School of the Arts?

Students at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts are 72% Hispanic, 24% White, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Watsonville Charter School of the Arts in?

Pajaro Valley Unified

How many students attend Watsonville Charter School of the Arts?

In the 2024-25 school year, 415 students attended Watsonville Charter School of the Arts.

Is Watsonville Charter School of the Arts a good school?

Watsonville Charter School of the Arts ranks in the bottom 16.1% of California elementary schools.

Rate Watsonville Charter School of the Arts!

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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.