Enrollment
270
Elementary
DISTRICT 434 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PAJARO VALLEY UNIFIED·NCES 062949004545
Mar Vista Elementary
6860 Soquel Dr., Aptos, CA 95003 · (831) 688-5211 · Santa Cruz County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL270 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.9:1
15 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.4:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
54%
146 students
DISTRICT 81% · STATE 65%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 43 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 38 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 37 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 38 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 38 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 39 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 37 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (43) is 16% larger than its 6th grade class (37).
Student demographics
60%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 27% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Mar Vista Elementary→Aptos Junior High
Based on grade levels within Pajaro Valley Unified. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
40.1%
CA avg 49.1% . -16.9pp since 2014
Math
32.0%
CA avg 37.7% . -14.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 40 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 32 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 17 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 14 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 15.7% | 24.5% | 26.5% | 33.3% |
| Math | 13.6% | 18.4% | 26.5% | 41.5% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 40.1% | 32.0% |
| 2023-24 | 33.7% | 33.7% |
| 2022-23 | 42.8% | 41.2% |
| 2021-22 | 39.7% | 36.5% |
| 2018-19 | 45.5% | 42.4% |
| 2017-18 | 44.3% | 39.7% |
| 2016-17 | 50.0% | 46.2% |
| 2015-16 | 54.0% | 49.0% |
| 2014-15 | 57.0% | 46.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
34.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.9%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 35% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Mar Vista Elementary
Mar Vista Elementary's state test result (34.7% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar Vista Elementary this school | 270 | 54.1% | 34.7% |
| Del Mar Elementary Morro Bay | 271 | 56.5% | 53.7% |
| Fall River Elementary Fall River Mills | 275 | 53.8% | 37.8% |
| Olivet Elementary Charter Santa Rosa | 323 | 53.9% | N/A |
| Alta Heights Elementary Napa | 318 | 56.0% | 41.2% |
| University Elementary at La Fiesta Rohnert Park | 291 | 50.2% | 44.6% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Mar Vista Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Cruz County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 34.7% | #2,990 of 5,151 | #23 of 36 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 32.0% | #3,018 of 5,172 ▼ 319 | #22 of 36 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 40.1% | #2,922 of 5,172 ▲ 450 | #23 of 36 ▲ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -2.0pp | #1,229 of 5,116 | #10 of 36 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 270 | #4,997 of 5,915 | #29 of 39 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.9:1 | #247 of 5,352 | #1 of 33 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.8% | #1,854 of 5,354 | #3 of 33 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 54.1% | #3,744 of 5,625 | #19 of 37 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -38.9% | #174 of 3,837 | #2 of 30 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
270
-59 (-18%) vs 2020
-45% since 1990-91, when it was 491
Student : Teacher
17.9:1
was 17.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 270 | 15.1 | 17.9:1 | 54% (146) |
| 2023-24 | 311 | 15.9 | 19.6:1 | 59% (182) |
| 2022-23 | 344 | 18.9 | 18.2:1 | 58% (200) |
| 2020-21 | 329 | 19 | 17.3:1 | 34% (111) |
| 2017-18 | 442 | 20 | 22.1:1 | 31% (135) |
| 2015-16 | 444 | 18 | 24.7:1 | 26% (114) |
| 2010-11 | 432 | N/A | N/A | 24% (102) |
| 2000-01 | 384 | 20 | 19.2:1 | 13% (51) |
| 1990-91 | 491 | 22 | 22.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mar Vista Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 39% (442 to 270); teachers down 25% (20 to 15.1).
About Mar Vista Elementary
Mar Vista Elementary is a small elementary school in California, with an address in Aptos. Enrolled students number 270 students, in kindergarten through 6. Enrollment is 42% lower than the average for elementary schools in California, which is about 465.
Pajaro Valley Unified runs 33 schools with a combined 16,482 students. Mar Vista Elementary is one of them.
White students make up a majority at Mar Vista Elementary, at 50%. The remaining students are 38% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, and 3% Asian. Census figures show Santa Cruz County is about 60% White. Mar Vista Elementary's diversity index is 60%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school has about 17.9 students per teacher and 15.1 full-time-equivalent teachers. This ratio sits 4.4 below the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 54%. For comparison, public schools in Santa Cruz County average 52%.
On BeatsExpectations, Mar Vista Elementary is 13.1 points below its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of California schools.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Santa Cruz County show that the median household income is $111,093, roughly 44% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. Mar Vista Elementary is one of 83 public schools in the county.
Delta Charter is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles away. The five-mile area around Mar Vista Elementary holds at least 8 other public schools. Local comparison: Mar Vista Elementary ranks 7th of 8 nearby schools, at 34.7% versus a 44.8% average.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Suburb: Mid-size: in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
2024-25 enrollment was 270, an 18% decrease from 329 in 2020-21.
If you have questions about school safety, transportation, and start times at Mar Vista Elementary, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Santa Cruz County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
264,926
Census ACS
Median income
$111,093
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
44%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
83
36,316 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pajaro Valley Unified
- Watsonville HighHigh · 2,215 students
- Pajaro Valley HighHigh · 1,293 students
- Aptos HighHigh · 1,274 students
- Alianza CharterElementary · 626 students
- Rolling Hills MiddleMiddle · 588 students
- Aptos Junior HighMiddle · 587 students
Other schools in Aptos
- Aptos HighHigh · 1,274 students
- Aptos Junior HighMiddle · 587 students
- Valencia ElementaryElementary · 487 students
- Rio del Mar ElementaryElementary · 393 students
- Delta CharterHigh · 113 students
Other Mar Vista Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 1 state are named Mar Vista Elementary. Mar Vista Elementary is the 3rd largest of the 3.
- Mar Vista ElementaryLos Angeles, CA · 590 students
- Mar Vista ElementaryOxnard, CA · 464 students
Nearby schools
- Delta Charter0.3 mi · 113
- Valencia Elementary1.4 mi · 487
- New Brighton Middle1.6 mi · 585
- Main Street Elementary1.9 mi · 383
- Soquel Elementary2.1 mi · 337
- Aptos Junior High2.1 mi · 587
Frequently asked questions
About Mar Vista ElementaryHow many students attend Mar Vista Elementary?
Mar Vista Elementary enrolls approximately 270 students in grades KG-06.
Is Mar Vista Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Mar Vista Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-06.
How many teachers does Mar Vista Elementary have?
Mar Vista Elementary employs 15 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.9:1.
What is the student diversity at Mar Vista Elementary?
Student demographics at Mar Vista Elementary are roughly 50% White, 38% Hispanic, 0% Black, 3% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees Mar Vista Elementary?
Mar Vista Elementary is overseen by Pajaro Valley Unified in Santa Cruz County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.