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

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its California rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Branciforte Middle

Q: Is Branciforte Middle a good school?

Branciforte Middle ranks 580 th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

580^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,740 California Middle Schools

Better than 79% of California middle schools

Summary

Branciforte Middle serves 409 students in grades 6–8 in Santa Cruz, California. In 2025–26, students scored above the state in English language arts (ELA), math and science, and above the district in ELA and math. The clearest takeaway is that Branciforte’s results are strong statewide across all three subjects, though science is a relative weak spot against its district.

Compared with nearby schools, Branciforte placed second in math, third in ELA and fifth in science among 11 schools. Its results were about 12 points above the nearby-school average in math, 17 points above in ELA and 8 points above in science. It also scored above the state by about 9 points in math, 12 in ELA and 12 in science. Against its district, Branciforte was about 5 points higher in math and 1 point higher in ELA, but 2 points lower in science. The nearby-school comparisons show a strong math standing, while science is less of a standout.

Results have improved over time: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, proficiency rose about 11 points in ELA, 14 in math and 9 in science, while Branciforte’s lead over the state widened in all three. SchoolDigger ranked the school 571st of 2,703 schools, at the 79th percentile with 4 stars in 2025–26, up 12 percentile points from 2023–24. Its student-teacher ratio was 17.8 in 2024–25, the second-lowest reported among the nearby schools. The school reported that 38% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–25; California provides free meals to all students statewide. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for Special Education Students was notably high, at the 95th percentile and 5 stars, compared with 79th percentile overall. Its ranking for Hispanic Students rose from the 34th percentile in 2023–24 to the 59th in 2025–26, though it remains below the overall ranking.

409

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,888

Per pupil spending ?

38.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

315 Poplar St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062-1131

(831) 429-3883

District: Santa Cruz City High

Students who attend Branciforte Middle usually attend:

High:

Soquel High

Feeder schools for Branciforte Middle:

Elementary:	Happy Valley Elementary
	Mountain Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.9%

White:

42.8%

Two or more races:

5.9%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Branciforte Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 77th percentile in 2015 → 79th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (53% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of California middle schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg51%

California avg42%

580^th of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Top 21%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From top 30% (2016) to top 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Santa Cruz City High

567^th of 1,530Santa Cruz City High 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
2026	74.7	580 of 2740	78.8%	★★★★☆
2025	68.8	698 of 2761	74.7%	★★★★☆
2024	58.8	912 of 2783	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.9	872 of 2781	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.0	943 of 2740	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.6	739 of 2715	72.8%	★★★★☆
2018	61.4	814 of 2480	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.6	873 of 2508	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.9	761 of 2497	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	73.0	576 of 2477	76.7%	★★★★☆
2013	53.2	1072 of 2379	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	55.5	936 of 2259	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	48.7	1132 of 2236	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.0	1254 of 2179	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.0	1105 of 2063	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	60.8	691 of 2005	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	63.4	615 of 1999	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	61.3	610 of 1804	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	62.6	567 of 1777	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	57.2	636 of 1769	64.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	54.0	495 of 1531	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.8	235 of 1491	84.2%	★★★★☆
2018	68.2	264 of 1369	80.7%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	41.3	682 of 1478	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.2	610 of 1521	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.7	343 of 1540	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	32.1	1013 of 1442	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.2	989 of 1364	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	80.8	423 of 2516	83.2%	★★★★☆
2025	77.5	492 of 2533	80.6%	★★★★☆
2024	69.5	646 of 2551	74.7%	★★★★☆
2023	58.0	864 of 2531	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.6	1012 of 2509	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.2	700 of 2380	70.6%	★★★★☆
2018	59.3	805 of 2262	64.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	976 of 2357	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.6	1355 of 2395	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.8	1576 of 2388	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.9	1297 of 2374	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.8	1441 of 2359	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.8	1198 of 2213	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.6	1350 of 2072	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	49.0	1114 of 2529	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.8	1275 of 2542	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	1336 of 2579	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.7	1265 of 2531	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.2	1326 of 2458	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.2	1070 of 2369	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.8	1468 of 2230	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	65.6	727 of 2514	71.1%	★★★★☆
2025	58.0	880 of 2534	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.5	1119 of 2552	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.5	778 of 2538	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.7	777 of 2527	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.9	666 of 2407	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	61.7	739 of 2273	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	70.7	159 of 554	71.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	91.5	82 of 1605	94.9%	★★★★★
2025	71.6	253 of 1566	83.8%	★★★★☆
2024	74.0	242 of 1552	84.4%	★★★★☆
2023	73.7	223 of 1531	85.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	84.7	144 of 1490	90.3%	★★★★★
2025	82.0	203 of 1520	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	72.7	375 of 1537	75.6%	★★★★☆
2023	66.4	480 of 1543	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.4	546 of 1555	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.5	419 of 1602	73.8%	★★★★☆
2018	71.3	426 of 1496	71.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2026)95th percentile+16 vs school

White (2026)90th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2026)83rd percentile+4 vs school

Multi-racial (2019)71st percentile~ school

Male (2026)71st percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)68th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)59th percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile-23 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)54th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy61%+12 vs state

Science48%+12 vs state

Mathematics47%+9 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Branciforte Middle and help other families decide.

Rate Branciforte Middle

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 Branciforte Middle

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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th 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 All Grades	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
Branciforte Middle	Public	6-8	315 Poplar St.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3883	409	23	17.8	38.1%	175 (42.8%)	7 (1.7%)	192 (46.9%)	8 (2.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.9%)	74.7	580^th of 2740 public middle schools	78.8%		68.8	698^th of 2761 public middle schools	74.7%	118	47.7	47.7	60.1	67.9	55.7	61.1	50.0	49.6	41.3	46.9	$21,888	$1,702	$20,186
Mission Hill Middle	Public	6-8	425 King St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3860	510	28	18.2	32.0%	268 (52.5%)	5 (1.0%)	166 (32.5%)	14 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	54 (10.6%)	74.4	584^th of 2740 public middle schools	78.7%		76.9	543^rd of 2761 public middle schools	80.3%	41	59.3	59.3	54.4	57.7	61.4	57.9	39.4	51.0	49.1	46.5	$18,803	$986	$17,817
Shoreline Middle	Public	6-8	855 17th Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Live Oak Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 475-6565	478	26	18.3	64.9%	160 (33.5%)	7 (1.5%)	286 (59.8%)	13 (2.7%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	5 (1.0%)	52.6	1117^th of 2740 public middle schools	59.2%		60.7	888^th of 2761 public middle schools	67.8%	229	43.2	43.2	43.5	50.6	51.0	48.5	26.1	40.0	30.6	32.5
New Brighton Middle	Public	6-8	250 Washburn Ave.	Capitola	95010	Santa Cruz County	Soquel Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 464-5660	585	28	20.9	30.3%	329 (56.2%)	4 (0.7%)	198 (33.8%)	10 (1.7%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	36 (6.2%)	65	813^th of 2740 public middle schools	70.3%		69.9	680^th of 2761 public middle schools	75.4%	133	52.5	52.5	56.5	56.1	58.2	57.0	26.6	37.4	43.4	36.2	$10,605	$334	$10,271
Scotts Valley Middle	Public	6-8	8 Bean Creek Rd.	Scotts Valley	95066	Santa Cruz County	Scotts Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 438-0610	463	24	19.6	11.2%	303 (65.4%)	1 (0.2%)	85 (18.4%)	31 (6.7%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.4%)	85.4	356^th of 2740 public middle schools	87.0%		85.7	356^th of 2761 public middle schools	87.1%		57.7	57.7	60.1	71.9	68.6	66.6	50.0	67.7	56.7	58.0	$16,115	$544	$15,571
San Lorenzo Valley Middle	Public	6-8	7179 Hacienda Way	Felton	95018	Santa Cruz County	San Lorenzo Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 335-4452	396	20	20.0	24.0%	300 (75.8%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (16.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	29 (7.3%)	61.5	901^st of 2740 public middle schools	67.1%		56.1	997^th of 2761 public middle schools	63.9%	96	39.6	39.6	48.6	45.4	52.4	49.1	38.4	43.5	50.3	44.3	$17,665	$372	$17,293
Aptos Junior High	Public	7-8	1001 Huntington Dr.	Aptos	95003	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-7834	587	27	22.0	51.1%	254 (43.3%)	3 (0.5%)	295 (50.3%)	10 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.1%)	47	1275^th of 2740 public middle schools	53.5%		50	1181^st of 2761 public middle schools	57.2%	94	36.8	36.8		45.0	39.9	42.4		36.6	31.2	33.8	$19,760	$1,884	$17,876
C. T. English Middle	Public	6-8	23800 Summit Rd.	Los Gatos	95033	Santa Cruz County	Loma Prieta Joint Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 353-1123	164	9	17.2	11.0%	116 (70.7%)	1 (0.6%)	19 (11.6%)	12 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (9.8%)	94.6	152^nd of 2740 public middle schools	94.5%		94.5	169^th of 2761 public middle schools	93.9%	17	75.0	75.0	69.4	78.0	78.9	75.0	74.2	64.0	75.0	71.3	$20,671	$293	$20,378
Rolling Hills Middle	Public	6-8	130 Herman Ave.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 728-6341	588	28	21.1	94.6%	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	568 (96.6%)	11 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	10.1	2593^rd of 2740 public middle schools	5.4%		10	2612^th of 2761 public middle schools	5.4%	19	12.1	12.1	12.5	12.4	26.9	17.3	6.9	10.2	12.2	9.8	$20,562	$2,817	$17,745
Cesar E. Chavez Middle	Public	6-8	440 Arthur Rd.	Watsonville	95076	Santa Cruz County	Pajaro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 761-7699	548	27	20.3	91.1%	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	541 (98.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	12.9	2506^th of 2740 public middle schools	8.5%		8.9	2649^th of 2761 public middle schools	4.1%	143	15.4	15.4	21.2	17.4	20.5	19.6	15.4	8.6	17.2	13.7	$22,667	$3,054	$19,613

Frequently Asked Questions about Branciforte Middle

What district is Branciforte Middle in?

Santa Cruz City High

What is the racial makeup of Branciforte Middle?

Students at Branciforte Middle are 47% Hispanic, 43% White, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% African American.

What high school do graduates of Branciforte Middle attend?

Students who attend Branciforte Middle usually go on to attend Soquel High

Is Branciforte Middle a good school?

Branciforte Middle ranks 580^th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Branciforte Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 409 students attended Branciforte Middle.

Rate Branciforte Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Santa Cruz, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Branciforte Middle!

Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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.