Vine Hill Elementary

Located at 151 Vine Hill School Rd., in Scotts Valley, California, Vine Hill Elementary is a medium-sized primary school that works with 549 students (grades K through 5), overseen by Scotts Valley Unified.

Across the 4 schools in Scotts Valley Unified (2,121 students total), Vine Hill Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Vine Hill Elementary logs that the largest single group is White, at 62% of enrollment. Other groups include 18% Hispanic, 13% multiracial, 7% Asian. Compared to Santa Cruz County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 24.9:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 11% of students at Vine Hill Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Santa Cruz County (around 52%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Vine Hill Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 72.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 67.1%.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Santa Cruz County indicate median household income runs about $111,093, roughly 44% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Vine Hill Elementary is one of 83 public schools in Santa Cruz County (combined enrollment of about 36,316 students).

The closest other public school is Scotts Valley High, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Vine Hill Elementary comes 3rd of 8 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 61.7%.

The campus sits in a bedroom-community setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count showed little movement: 556 students in 2018 compared to 549 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share shrank from 70% to 62%.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.