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What's the most underrated thing about Santa Cruz High that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,093
High
DISTRICT 571 · STATE 838
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SANTA CRUZ CITY HIGH·NCES 063560006067
Santa Cruz High
415 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 · (831) 429-3960 · Santa Cruz County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL1,093 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 67% of California public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public high schools
Student : Teacher
23.8:1
46 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.9:1 · STATE 18.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
23%
248 students
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 274 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 294 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 255 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 270 | 25% |
Student demographics
57%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 60% · 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
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
69.0%
CA avg 49.1% . -2.0pp since 2014
Math
50.6%
CA avg 37.7% . -0.4pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 69 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 51 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 2 points since 2014, while math scores have held steady.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 41.3% | 27.7% | 21.5% | 9.5% |
| Math | 33.6% | 17.0% | 17.4% | 31.9% |
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 | 69.0% | 50.6% |
| 2023-24 | 75.4% | 57.6% |
| 2022-23 | 61.5% | 46.0% |
| 2021-22 | 67.9% | 49.1% |
| 2020-21 | 75.4% | 76.1% |
| 2018-19 | 71.3% | 63.5% |
| 2017-18 | 67.1% | 46.3% |
| 2016-17 | 58.0% | 40.3% |
| 2015-16 | 61.0% | 51.0% |
| 2014-15 | 71.0% | 51.0% |
% 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
63.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
66.2%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 63% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 66% 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 Santa Cruz High
Santa Cruz High's state test result (63.1% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz High this school | 1,093 | 22.7% | 63.1% |
| Sutter Union High Sutter | 734 | 25.3% | 38.1% |
| Tahoe Truckee High Truckee | 907 | 28.1% | 55.0% |
| Classical Academy High Escondido | 1,336 | 22.0% | N/A |
| Placer High Auburn | 1,265 | 29.9% | 49.4% |
| San Dieguito HS Academy Encinitas | 1,843 | 24.9% | 61.3% |
Matched among California high 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 Santa Cruz High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Cruz County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 63.1% | #147 of 1,052 | #1 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 50.6% | #165 of 1,056 ▼ 78 | #1 of 9 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 69.0% | #270 of 1,056 ▼ 121 | #3 of 9 ▼ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +1.3pp | #570 of 1,044 | #3 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,093 | #731 of 2,093 | #4 of 19 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.8:1 | #1,086 of 1,352 | #11 of 12 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 57.0% | #484 of 1,351 | #2 of 12 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 22.7% | #1,461 of 1,575 | #10 of 14 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +2.9% | #246 of 327 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high 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
1,093
+5 (+0%) vs 2020
-15% since 1990-91, when it was 1,285
Student : Teacher
23.8:1
was 23.1:1
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 | 1,093 | 45.9 | 23.8:1 | 23% (248) |
| 2023-24 | 1,104 | 50.9 | 21.7:1 | 26% (282) |
| 2022-23 | 1,092 | 51.7 | 21.1:1 | 26% (286) |
| 2020-21 | 1,088 | 47 | 23.1:1 | 32% (351) |
| 2017-18 | 1,062 | 41.8 | 25.4:1 | 31% (329) |
| 2015-16 | 1,010 | 39 | 25.9:1 | 29% (288) |
| 2010-11 | 1,133 | N/A | N/A | 24% (275) |
| 2000-01 | 1,266 | 51 | 24.8:1 | 12% (151) |
| 1990-91 | 1,285 | 54 | 23.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Santa Cruz High.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (1,062 to 1,093); teachers up 10% (41.8 to 45.9).
About Santa Cruz High
Santa Cruz High is a mid-sized high school that serves part of Santa Cruz, California. The school runs grades 9 through 12 and enrolls 1,093 students. By comparison, high schools in California enroll about 838 students on average.
The district for Santa Cruz High is Santa Cruz City High, with 9 schools and 4,455 students.
Of every 100 students at Santa Cruz High, about 58 are White. The rest of enrollment is 29% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, and 2% Asian. Among Santa Cruz County residents, the White share is about 60%. The diversity index for Santa Cruz High is 57%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
The school had 45.9 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25. Its student-to-teacher ratio is 23.8:1. Across high schools in California, the average ratio is 18.2:1. The eligibility rate for free or reduced-price meals is 23%. That is 29 points below the 52% average for public schools in Santa Cruz County.
On the allk12 Grade, Santa Cruz High lands at B+, ahead of 67% of California public high schools.
Schools in California with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 66.2%. Santa Cruz High scores 63.1%.
Census data for Santa Cruz County show the median household earns about $111,093 a year, roughly 44% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. Public schools in Santa Cruz County number 83, with about 36,316 students.
Mission Hill Middle sits about 0.3 miles from Santa Cruz High. Santa Cruz High has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. The nearest schools with test data average 53.6%, lower than Santa Cruz High's 63.1%.
The NCES locale for Santa Cruz High is City: Small, which covers schools inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
Enrollment in 2024-25 was 1,093, close to the 1,088 recorded in 2020-21.
On allk12, people connected to Santa Cruz High can post about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
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 Santa Cruz City High
- Soquel HighHigh · 1,074 students
- Harbor HighHigh · 1,013 students
- Mission Hill MiddleMiddle · 510 students
- Branciforte MiddleMiddle · 409 students
- Delta CharterHigh · 113 students
- Alternative Family EducationCombined · 110 students
Other schools in Santa Cruz
- Harbor HighHigh · 1,013 students
- Santa Cruz County CommunityHigh · 730 students
- Pacific Collegiate CharterHigh · 536 students
- Mission Hill MiddleMiddle · 510 students
- Brook Knoll ElementaryElementary · 498 students
- De Laveaga ElementaryElementary · 481 students
Nearby schools
- Mission Hill Middle0.3 mi · 510
- Bay View Elementary0.6 mi · 394
- Westlake Elementary1.0 mi · 453
- Santa Cruz County Community1.2 mi · 730
- Santa Cruz County Court1.2 mi · 20
- Santa Cruz County Special Education1.2 mi · 105
Frequently asked questions
About Santa Cruz HighWhat is the total enrollment at Santa Cruz High?
Santa Cruz High enrolls approximately 1,093 students in grades 09-12.
Is Santa Cruz High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Santa Cruz High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Santa Cruz High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Santa Cruz High is approximately 23.8:1 (46 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Santa Cruz High?
Santa Cruz High reports a student body of 58% White, 29% Hispanic, 2% Black, 2% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is Santa Cruz High in?
Santa Cruz High is part of Santa Cruz City High.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.