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Santa Cruz High

Public Grades 9-12

203^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 91% of California high schools

Summary

Santa Cruz High is a large, comprehensive public high school serving about 1,100 students in grades 9-12 within the Santa Cruz City High district, consistently ranking among the top high schools in California.

The school excels academically, with graduation rates above 96% and test scores that outpace both the district and state averages, especially in English. It stands out within its own district, performing better than Harbor High and showing a strong advantage in math over Soquel High. It achieves these strong results efficiently, spending less per student than several neighboring schools. However, it faces a common regional challenge with math scores being its relative weakness, and recent data shows a need to better support students with special needs.

While Santa Cruz High is a top performer among comprehensive public schools, highly selective schools like Pacific Collegiate Charter operate with a different model. The district itself has a wide performance range, from high-achieving schools to alternative programs like Costanoa Continuation High that serve different student needs. Parents can be confident in Santa Cruz High's consistent, high-quality education and its success in graduating students, while being aware of areas where support is evolving.

1,093

Students ?

23.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,409

Per pupil spending ?

22.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

415 Walnut Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060-3633

(831) 429-3960

District: Santa Cruz City High

Feeder schools for Santa Cruz High:

Elementary:	Bonny Doon Elementary
	Pacific Elementary
Middle:	Mission Hill Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.0%

Hispanic:

29.0%

Two or more races:

8.7%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Santa Cruz High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 91st percentile in 2015 → 91st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (55% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of California high schools

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg47%

California avg41%

203^rd of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 9%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6High Schools in the Santa Cruz City High

541^st of 1,543Santa 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
2025	89.7	203 of 2162	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	93.8	140 of 2159	93.5%	★★★★★
2023	85.0	320 of 2170	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	77.7	419 of 2123	80.3%	★★★★☆
2021	91.5	109 of 1290	91.6%	★★★★★
2019	89.9	176 of 2133	91.7%	★★★★★
2018	83.7	334 of 2017	83.4%	★★★★☆
2017	71.4	573 of 2021	71.6%	★★★★☆
2016	82.0	347 of 2039	83.0%	★★★★☆
2015	89.9	181 of 1994	90.9%	★★★★★
2013	64.5	436 of 2426	82.0%	★★★★☆
2012	62.2	482 of 2354	79.5%	★★★★☆
2011	60.4	500 of 2367	78.9%	★★★★☆
2010	66.4	365 of 2281	84.0%	★★★★☆
2009	68.6	276 of 2238	87.7%	★★★★☆
2008	60.0	473 of 2117	77.7%	★★★★☆
2007	59.7	465 of 2063	77.5%	★★★★☆
2006	62.5	415 of 1968	78.9%	★★★★☆
2005	61.3	389 of 1901	79.5%	★★★★☆
2004	64.8	270 of 1653	83.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	45.9	472 of 1161	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.5	227 of 1117	79.7%	★★★★☆
2018	82.4	124 of 1052	88.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.7	187 of 1906	90.2%	★★★★★
2024	94.5	94 of 1915	95.1%	★★★★★
2023	86.1	247 of 1915	87.1%	★★★★☆
2022	82.1	290 of 1858	84.4%	★★★★☆
2021	89.6	105 of 1054	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	84.9	246 of 1833	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	79.9	355 of 1760	79.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.4	545 of 1900	71.3%	★★★★☆
2024	87.5	180 of 1902	90.5%	★★★★★
2023	82.2	280 of 1917	85.4%	★★★★☆
2022	62.2	573 of 1861	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.0	436 of 1814	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	59.3	704 of 1742	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.2	654 of 2013	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	87.6	215 of 2026	89.4%	★★★★☆
2023	86.2	230 of 2030	88.7%	★★★★☆
2022	54.4	758 of 1943	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.2	316 of 1126	71.9%	★★★★☆
2019	74.1	398 of 1937	79.5%	★★★★☆
2018	60.8	699 of 1862	62.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.9	229 of 1942	88.2%	★★★★☆
2024	88.6	215 of 1948	89.0%	★★★★☆
2023	78.6	392 of 1963	80.0%	★★★★☆
2022	70.3	489 of 1916	74.5%	★★★★☆
2021	91.4	97 of 1122	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	89.8	159 of 1880	91.5%	★★★★★
2018	83.5	300 of 1834	83.6%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.1	47 of 577	91.9%	★★★★★
2024	61.3	222 of 574	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.4	272 of 541	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	70.9	139 of 515	73.0%	★★★★☆
2019	57.3	192 of 422	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.0	274 of 366	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.2	971 of 1252	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.8	719 of 1216	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.8	848 of 1197	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.4	183 of 1155	84.2%	★★★★☆
2024	84.9	139 of 1173	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	72.6	307 of 1193	74.3%	★★★★☆
2022	67.0	362 of 1204	69.9%	★★★★☆
2019	85.7	117 of 1222	90.4%	★★★★★
2018	80.8	211 of 1173	82.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Multi-racial (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)90th percentile~ school

Male (2025)88th percentile~ school

White (2025)84th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)71st percentile-19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)68th percentile-23 vs school

Disabled (2022)59th percentile-21 vs school

Special Education (2025)22nd percentile-68 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy69%+20 vs state

Science51%+18 vs state

Mathematics51%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Santa Cruz High

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 (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 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Santa Cruz High	Public	9-12	415 Walnut Ave.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3960	1,093	46	23.8	22.7%	634 (58.0%)	18 (1.6%)	317 (29.0%)	27 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	95 (8.7%)	89.7	203^rd of 2162 public high schools	90.6%		93.8	140^th of 2159 public high schools	93.5%	63		51.7	50.6	51.1			69.0	69.0			50.6	50.6	$17,409	$1,956	$15,453
Santa Cruz County Regional Occupational Program	Public	10-12	400 Encinal St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(831) 466-5762	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Santa Cruz County Court	Public	7-12	400 Encinal St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 466-5728	20	2	10.0	85.0%	4 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (75.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.0%)								(n/a)													$50,038	$5,664	$44,374
Santa Cruz County Community	Public	7-12	400 Encinal St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 466-5728	730	32	22.6	58.5%	256 (35.1%)	9 (1.2%)	426 (58.4%)	12 (1.6%)	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.5%)	31.3	1461^st of 2162 public high schools	32.4%		30	1488^th of 2159 public high schools	31.1%	27			19.2	18.0		9.1	32.9	31.1		8.3	6.4	6.4	$31,571	$2,919	$28,652
Ark Independent Studies	Public	6-12	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	56	2	27.1	41.1%	25 (44.6%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.4%)	44.5	1154^th of 2162 public high schools	46.6%		67.1	612^th of 2159 public high schools	71.7%	542				26.3			53.3	53.3			13.3	13.3	$22,913	$2,179	$20,734
Costanoa Continuation High	Public	9-12	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	77	3	22.7	57.1%	15 (19.5%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (74.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.5%)	13.3	1868^th of 2162 public high schools	13.6%		16.6	1770^th of 2159 public high schools	18.0%	98		4.0	13.3	7.5			4.4	4.4			0.0	0.0	$22,210	$2,267	$19,943
Pacific Collegiate Charter	Public, Charter	7-12	3004 Mission St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Pacific Collegiate Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 479-7785	536	31	17.5	9.7%	331 (61.8%)	2 (0.4%)	86 (16.0%)	37 (6.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	77 (14.4%)	99.1	13^th of 2162 public high schools	99.4%		99.2	12^th of 2159 public high schools	99.4%	1	58.8		80.8	68.6	89.1	77.3	95.2	86.1	60.2	58.8	77.8	64.0
Harbor High	Public	9-12	300 La Fonda Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3810	1,013	55	18.5	38.2%	350 (34.6%)	6 (0.6%)	564 (55.7%)	27 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	64 (6.3%)	66.4	667^th of 2162 public high schools	69.1%		68.9	584^th of 2159 public high schools	73.0%	83		34.6	33.3	34.0			59.7	59.7			25.7	25.7	$18,858	$2,563	$16,295
Soquel High	Public	9-12	401 Old San Jose Rd.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3909	1,074	54	19.9	29.1%	510 (47.5%)	7 (0.7%)	424 (39.5%)	17 (1.6%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	113 (10.5%)	80	411^th of 2162 public high schools	81.0%		77.4	448^th of 2159 public high schools	79.2%	37		50.4	31.9	40.6			72.5	72.5			34.2	34.2	$18,421	$2,017	$16,404
Delta Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	6500 Soquel Dr. Bldg. 1190	Aptos	95003	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 477-5212	113	9	13.2	38.9%	59 (52.2%)	1 (0.9%)	43 (38.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.3%)	24.5	1605^th of 2162 public high schools	25.8%		30.1	1486^th of 2159 public high schools	31.2%	119		12.2	18.9	15.4			24.4	24.4			2.4	2.4	$13,012	$383	$12,629

Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Cruz High

What district is Santa Cruz High in?

Santa Cruz City High

Is Santa Cruz High a good school?

Yes. Santa Cruz High ranks in the top 9.4% of California high schools.

How many students attend Santa Cruz High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,093 students attended Santa Cruz High.

What is the racial makeup of Santa Cruz High?

Students at Santa Cruz High are 58% White, 29% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools feed into Santa Cruz High?

Santa Cruz High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bonny Doon Elementary
Elementary : Pacific Elementary
Middle : Mission Hill Middle

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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.