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What do you wish you knew before starting at Valencia Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
487
Elementary
DISTRICT 434 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PAJARO VALLEY UNIFIED·NCES 062949004553
Valencia Elementary
250 Aptos School Rd., Aptos, CA 95003 · (831) 728-7836 · Santa Cruz County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL487 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
20.3:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.4:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
37%
180 students
DISTRICT 81% · STATE 65%
Community
6
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 | 73 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 79 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 48 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 70 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 67 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 81 | 17% |
| Grade 6 | 69 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (73) is 6% larger than its 6th grade class (69).
Student demographics
52%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
Valencia 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
63.2%
CA avg 49.1% . +7.2pp since 2014
Math
54.4%
CA avg 37.7% . +10.4pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 63 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 54 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 7 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 10 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 34.6% | 28.7% | 21.3% | 15.4% |
| Math | 30.9% | 23.5% | 25.7% | 19.9% |
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 | 63.2% | 54.4% |
| 2023-24 | 65.1% | 57.9% |
| 2022-23 | 58.4% | 53.6% |
| 2021-22 | 60.6% | 52.4% |
| 2018-19 | 65.0% | 57.8% |
| 2017-18 | 62.2% | 57.5% |
| 2016-17 | 61.6% | 54.8% |
| 2015-16 | 62.0% | 48.0% |
| 2014-15 | 56.0% | 44.0% |
% 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
60.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
57.9%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 60% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 58% 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 Valencia Elementary
Valencia Elementary's state test result (60.3% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valencia Elementary this school | 487 | 37.0% | 60.3% |
| Brittan Elementary Sutter | 539 | 34.7% | 32.0% |
| Heinz Kaiser Elementary Costa Mesa | 539 | 34.9% | 69.7% |
| Cummings Valley Elementary Tehachapi | 560 | 39.6% | 51.7% |
| Ione Elementary Ione | 564 | 34.2% | 26.4% |
| John B. Riebli Elementary Santa Rosa | 411 | 36.7% | 43.3% |
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 Valencia Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Santa Cruz County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 60.3% | #1,103 of 5,151 | #7 of 36 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 54.4% | #1,343 of 5,172 ▼ 243 | #9 of 36 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.2% | #1,128 of 5,172 ▼ 175 | #7 of 36 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +2.3pp | #2,548 of 5,116 | #16 of 36 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 487 | #2,607 of 5,915 | #9 of 39 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.3:1 | #1,069 of 5,352 | #7 of 33 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 51.6% | #2,643 of 5,354 | #15 of 33 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 37.0% | #4,467 of 5,625 | #24 of 37 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.7% | #2,333 of 3,837 | #22 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.
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 487 | 24 | 20.3:1 | 37% (180) |
| 2023-24 | 487 | 24.1 | 20.3:1 | 36% (177) |
| 2022-23 | 488 | 24.1 | 20.2:1 | 36% (177) |
| 2017-18 | 558 | 24 | 23.3:1 | 36% (203) |
| 2015-16 | 551 | 22 | 25.1:1 | 32% (178) |
| 2010-11 | 541 | N/A | N/A | 30% (164) |
| 2000-01 | 536 | 30 | 17.9:1 | 20% (106) |
| 1990-91 | 570 | 25 | 22.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Valencia Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (558 to 487); teachers unchanged (24 to 24).
About Valencia Elementary
Valencia Elementary is the name of a medium-sized elementary school in Aptos, California. School enrollment was 487 students in 2024-25, in kindergarten through 6.
Federal data list 33 schools in Pajaro Valley Unified, with 16,482 students enrolled.
Valencia Elementary's enrollment is 62% White. The next largest groups are 30% Hispanic and 7% multiracial. The White share in Santa Cruz County as a whole is similar, at about 60%. Valencia Elementary has a diversity index of 52%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
The teaching staff at Valencia Elementary is 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 20.3:1. That ratio is under the 22.3:1 average for elementary schools in California. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 37%. For comparison, public schools in Santa Cruz County average 52%.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, Valencia Elementary would score about 57.9%. It scores 60.3%, 2.4 points above that figure.
Santa Cruz County has these Census figures: median household income is about $111,093, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 44%, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. Valencia Elementary is among the 83 public schools in Santa Cruz County.
The school nearest to Valencia Elementary is Aptos Junior High, at a distance of about 0.7 miles. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Valencia Elementary places 1st of 9 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
The federal government classifies Valencia Elementary's location as Suburb: Mid-size.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week at Valencia Elementary. 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
- Rio del Mar ElementaryElementary · 393 students
- Mar Vista ElementaryElementary · 270 students
- Delta CharterHigh · 113 students
Other Valencia Elementary schools
4 other US public schools in 2 states are named Valencia Elementary. Valencia Elementary is the 3rd largest of the 5.
- Valencia ElementaryUpland, CA · 571 students
- Valencia ElementaryLaguna Hills, CA · 525 students
- VALENCIA ELEMENTARYLOS LUNAS, NM · 370 students
- VALENCIA ELEMENTARYPORTALES, NM · 366 students
Nearby schools
- Aptos Junior High0.7 mi · 587
- Mar Vista Elementary1.4 mi · 270
- Rio del Mar Elementary1.6 mi · 393
- Delta Charter1.8 mi · 113
- Aptos High1.8 mi · 1,274
- New Brighton Middle2.9 mi · 585
Frequently asked questions
About Valencia ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Valencia Elementary?
Valencia Elementary enrolls approximately 487 students in grades KG-06.
Is Valencia Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Valencia Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-06.
How many teachers does Valencia Elementary have?
Valencia Elementary employs 24 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.3:1.
How diverse is Valencia Elementary?
Valencia Elementary reports a student body of 62% White, 30% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees Valencia Elementary?
Valencia 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.