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Aptos High · AptosPublic

Aptos High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Aptos posts 39% meeting the standard and 15.8% exceeding it, against 43% and 19.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

100 Mariner Way, 95003 (opens in new tab)·Pajaro Valley Unified·Aptos·Grades 9-12·1,274 students·48% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(831) 728-7832
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5754
% Exceeded16%20%
% Met+39%43%
Grad rate96.9%92.5%
College readiness69.9%43.0%
Absence26.2%23.1%
Suspension6.1%3.3%
Scope Score
57
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #599 statewide · #2 of 5 in Pajaro Valley Unified

Aptos High scores 57 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 72nd percentile of 1,647 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “39% proficient” and call it done. Aptos deserves a closer read. The school sits in Aptos, where two in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 1,647 high schools statewide

Slipped from the 84th to the 72nd percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAOrange(Declined Significantly)MathOrange(Declined)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 39% meet the standard today, versus 53% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1167%67%58%52%46%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1139%37%31%36%31%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
39%
State 43%
Graduate
97%
State 92%
Pass an AP exam
70%
State 43%

Of 100 students here: 39 are proficient by 11th grade → 97 graduate → 70 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
96.9%
State 92.5%
4.4pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
15.8%
State 19.8%
4.0pp below state avg
College readiness
69.9%
State 43.0%
AP course or exam readiness above state avg
Met or exceeded
38.6%
State 43.2%
4.6pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
26.2%
State 23.1%
3.1pp above state avg
Suspension rate
6.1%
State 3.3%
2.8pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
21.6%
State 18.0%
3.6pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Aptos High in Aptos, 32.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 19.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Aptos High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (14.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (38.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 37.1 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 140 students tested.

All students at this school: 39% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 39%, district —, state 43%39%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 26%, district 17%, state 32%26% · −12 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 47%, district 23%, state 44%47% · +9 vs school
MaleMale: this school 30%, district 21%, state 42%30% · −9 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 23%, district 16%, state 32%23% · −15 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 53%, district 49%, state 56%53% · +14 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 6%, district 7%, state 15%6% · −32 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 0%, district 5%, state 11%0% · −39 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 36%, district 57%, state 56%36% · −2 vs school
HomelessHomeless: too few students to report‹11
AsianAsian: too few students to report‹11
FilipinoFilipino: too few students to report‹11
Pacific IslanderPacific Islander: too few students to report‹11
this school district, same group California, same group
AP access · 2020-21 federal civil rights snapshot (structural, dated — newest published; biennial)
Shown, never scored
Hispanic32.5% AP · 42.9% enroll.
American Indian/Alaska Native0.5% AP · 0.3% enroll.
Asian5.3% AP · 3.6% enroll.
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.2% AP · 0.3% enroll.
Black0.7% AP · 1.1% enroll.
White59.7% AP · 49.9% enroll.
Two or more races1.2% AP · 1.7% enroll.
English learners1.4% AP · 6.5% enroll.
Students with disabilities1.4% AP · 11.8% enroll.

● share of AP enrollment vs share of total enrollment, this school only · not part of the Scope Score

Data source: U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2020-21 (biennial; newest published)

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 26.2%, district 23.9%, state 23.1%26.2% · +3.1pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 6.1%, district —, state 3.3%6.1% · +2.8pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1225.9%

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Aptos High
57/100
This school

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

Where graduates go

Context — never part of the Scope Score
85%
College-going rate, class of 2023

Where they went after graduation

Of Aptos's class of 2023, 85% enrolled in college somewhere within a year — a CSU, a community college, a UC, or out of state.

College destination mix, class of 2023

Class of 2023: 292 completers, 85% enrolled somewhere within a year

University of California 27 (9%)California State University 50 (17%)California community college 143 (49%)In-state private 5 (2%)Out-of-state, 4-year 24 (8%)Out-of-state, 2-year 0 (0%)Not enrolled 43 (15%)

Percentages are computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers) from CDE-reported counts, not a CDE-native rate.

Data source: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort — the newest published; National Student Clearinghouse match.

UC application funnel — one destination of six, tracked in detail because UC is the only source with 30 years of history

In fall 2025, 37 of Aptos's 281 graduates enrolled in the University of California system — Davis the most common landing, with 10 enrollees.

Applied95fall 2025, universitywide
Admitted70
Enrolled37
Where they landed (fall 2025)
Davis 10Santa Cruz 7Berkeley 6Los Angeles 5Irvine 4Santa Barbara 3Merced ‹3Riverside ‹3San Diego ‹3

campuses never sum to the universitywide figure — students apply to several

UC enrollees, universitywide, 2014–2025

UC publishes this trend back to 1994 — no other destination has a comparable multi-year record

UC is one road of many — the full destination mix for the class of 2023 is below. And who applied isn't who the school taught: the ratio between the two reflects the self-selected pool of students who chose to apply, not what happened in the classroom. By the state's 2023 count, 85% of this class's predecessors enrolled in college somewhere within a year. More of the class of 2023 enrolled at community colleges (143) than at UC (27).

Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle · college-going rate: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 22:1, district 22:122:1
PrincipalLisa Lansdale
Teaching staff61 teachers
Avg. experience9.6 years
Fully credentialed73%
First-year teachers13%
Intern / emergency permit3.0%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$58,520 – $109,309
Principal salary$122,944 – $142,021
Superintendent salary$268,536

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP exam qualifiers128 studentsCCI, participation not authorization
CTE pathway completers53 students
Advanced Coursework

Aptos's teachers are authorized to teach 18 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers — above the 14-subject median among California schools that offer AP at all — including Calculus BC, Calculus AB, and Physics 1.

AP subjects taught18
Math & Computer Science (4)Calculus AB · Calculus BC · Precalculus · Statistics
Sciences (3)Biology · Environmental Science · Physics 1
English (2)English Language and Composition · English Literature and Composition
History & Social Science (4)Human Geography · Macroeconomics · U.S. Government and Politics · United States History
World Languages & Cultures (1)Spanish Language and Culture
Arts (2)2-D Art and Design · Drawing
AP Capstone (2)Research · Seminar

Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, 2025 - 2026 audit year (authorization, not enrollment) · IB World Schools directory, name-matched · structural depth: 2020-21 federal snapshot, table 09

What gets spent here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $21,354, CA average $14,491$21,354 · spent at this school

These measure different things: this figure is spending attributed to this campus, while district-wide figures also include central administration, districtwide programs, and the state's pension contributions made on the district's behalf — costs that never get assigned to a single school. The district number runs higher at nearly every school, not just this one.

Federal share$36 per student

$36 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$24,632 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction56%
Instruction support17%
Student services13%
Administration4%
Buildings & maintenance8%
Other1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$15,608 per pupil
2019$15,165 per pupil
2018$15,343 per pupil
2017$13,924 per pupil
2016$12,975 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Hispanic53.1%
District 84.6% · CA 56.1%
White40.2%
District 12.4% · CA 19.9%
Other5.1%
District 2.2% · CA 9.0%
Asian1.3%
District 0.5% · CA 10.2%
Black0.3%
District 0.2% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 47.6% (16pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$148K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.20M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+56% · CA 35%
ZIP population24,951
Median age48 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 35% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, and it never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Aptos High a good high school?

Aptos High has a Scope Score of 57 out of 100, placing it in the 72nd percentile of California high schools and ranked #599 statewide. 15.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.0 percentage points below the California average of 19.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Aptos High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 38.6% of students at Aptos High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 15.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 22.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 15.8% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 601 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Aptos High rank in California?

Aptos High ranks #599 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 72nd percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Aptos High?

26.2% of students at Aptos High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 23.1%. The suspension rate is 6.1%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does Aptos High compare to other schools in Aptos?

Aptos High scores 57/100 (72nd percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 1,274 students. Use the schools in Aptos page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Aptos High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Aptos High in Aptos, 32.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 19.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Aptos High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (14.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (38.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 37.1 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 140 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

What AP courses are offered at Aptos High?

Aptos High's teachers are authorized to teach 18 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers, per the 2025 - 2026 AP Course Audit: 2-D Art and Design, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Drawing, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, Human Geography, Macroeconomics, Physics 1, Precalculus, Research, Seminar, Spanish Language and Culture, Statistics, U.S. Government and Politics, United States History. Authorization means the school may teach a course, not that a section is running this year, and it's separate from AP exam pass rates. Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, analyzed by SchoolScope.

How many students from Aptos High go to UC?

In fall 2025, 37 Aptos High graduates enrolled at University of California campuses, universitywide. That figure can't be split into a per-campus sum — students apply to several UC campuses at once, so campus-level counts don't add up to the universitywide total. UC is one destination among many: this says nothing about graduates who chose a CSU, a private college, a community college, or work, and it is a count, not a rate or a ranking. Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle.

Your other options

All schools in Aptos →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
96.9%
↑ vs CA 92.5% · 61th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
15.8%
↓ vs CA 19.8% · 50th pctile
College readiness · 20%
69.9%
↑ vs CA 43.0% · 71th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
38.6%
↓ vs CA 43.2% · 52th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
26.2%
↓ vs CA 23.1% · 53th pctile
▼ 1.7pp lower vs 2024
Suspension rate · 5%
6.1%
↓ vs CA 3.3% · 39th pctile
▲ 0.7pp higher vs 2024
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
21.6%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 59th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1129918%29%26%27%46%−2
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1130214%17%19%51%31%+7

We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, no valid result was published, or the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.

Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Schoolwide2749%26%53%12%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged14032.1%+12−6
Hispanic/Latino15538.1%+17−1
White12555.2%+3−7
03Nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score · Grade gap = grade 3 vs grade 5, this year, different students; Cohort growth = one school's returning cohort tracked across grades (mostly, not exactly, the same kids), in scale-score points — that's the measurement the Scope Score weights
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+Grade gapCohort growthSusp
Aptos High ←—5715.8%38.6%——6.1%
California average—5419.8%43.2%——3.3%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
96.9%
AP Exam Prepared
69.9%
A-G Completion
62.3%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
85.3%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrade gap
20196684#32025.2%52.9%9.7%4.1%—
20226585#31125.0%51.5%29.5%5.0%—
20236280#43120.2%44.5%29.1%4.7%—
20246180#43321.1%43.8%27.9%5.3%—
20255772#59915.8%38.6%26.2%6.1%—
Grade gap = this year's grade 3 vs grade 5 result, two different sets of students, not a trend for any one child — it is not the measurement the Scope Score's growth dimension uses. See §01 above and /methodology#verdicts for the school's actual scored (cohort) growth.
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female10.3%26.9%+16.6pp
Male7.6%24.8%+17.2pp
Asian6.7%18.8%+12.1pp
Black/African American0.0%——
White0.0%25.0%+25.0pp
Hispanic/Latino10.4%29.2%+18.8pp
Two or More Races5.9%25.5%+19.6pp
Students with Disabilities19.5%38.8%+19.3pp
English Learners14.4%35.4%+21.0pp
Homeless20.0%21.1%+1.1pp
Military-Connected3.0%28.3%+25.3pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged11.2%31.0%+19.8pp
All Students8.9%25.9%+17.0pp
06UC admissions, universitywide2014–2025 · summed across CEEB codes at query time
YearAppliedAdmittedEnrolledGPA (applied)GPA (admitted)GPA (enrolled)
20259570373.964.034.08
20247557254.024.094.11
202310361283.904.044.12
20228041183.883.983.96
20217339163.824.044.04
20207549263.894.054.14
20198044203.894.124.20
20189046213.864.124.16
20178150203.864.064.02
20166748283.954.064.11
20156344223.783.953.92
20145834143.854.014.18

‹n = UC masks counts below n · a missing year means zero or masked — never assume zero · GPA cells blank for years with more than one contributing CEEB code (a summed GPA would be fabricated math) · GPAs live here and nowhere else on this page · Applied/Admitted/Enrolled reflect who applied, not what the school taught — no admit rate is computed or implied by this table. Series shown from 2014; full record to 1994 at the UC Infocenter.

07UC admissions by campuslatest falls on file
CampusYearAppliedAdmittedEnrolled
Berkeley20255386
Berkeley2024445‹3
Berkeley202354136
Berkeley20224853
Berkeley202138‹3‹3
Davis2025532710
Davis202449257
Davis202366246
Davis202254123
Davis20213614‹3
Irvine202540194
Irvine2024347‹3
Irvine20235814‹3
Irvine20224812‹3
Irvine2021407‹3
Los Angeles20255855
Los Angeles20244153
Los Angeles2023573‹3
Los Angeles2022473‹3
Los Angeles2021324‹3
Merced20252019‹3
Merced20241111‹3
Merced20231615‹3
Merced20221010‹3
Merced202176‹3
Riverside20251616‹3
Riverside202454‹3
Riverside20232015‹3
Riverside202293‹3
Riverside202174‹3
San Diego2025659‹3
San Diego202449143
San Diego20236910‹3
San Diego202246‹3‹3
San Diego20214410‹3
Santa Barbara202563153
Santa Barbara202453206
Santa Barbara202377184
Santa Barbara202257105
Santa Barbara202146116
Santa Cruz202541377
Santa Cruz20243831‹3
Santa Cruz202337197
Santa Cruz20222813‹3
Santa Cruz202124114
Universitywide2025957037
Universitywide2024755725
Universitywide20231036128
Universitywide2022804118
Universitywide2021733916

Σ campuses ≠ universitywide — students apply to several campuses; the Universitywide row (muted) is its own independent count, never a sum of the rows above it.

08AP course catalog2025 - 2026
SubjectTaught by
2-D Art and Designthis school
Biologythis school
Calculus ABthis school
Calculus BCthis school
Drawingthis school
English Language and Compositionthis school
English Literature and Compositionthis school
Environmental Sciencethis school
Human Geographythis school
Macroeconomicsthis school
Physics 1this school
Precalculusthis school
Researchthis school
Seminarthis school
Spanish Language and Culturethis school
Statisticsthis school
U.S. Government and Politicsthis school
United States Historythis school

Authorization ≠ a section running this year — the Ledger records what the school may teach, not seat counts.

09Advanced coursework — 2020-21 federal civil-rights snapshotstructural, dated — newest published; biennial
MeasureThis school
AP offeredoffered
AP course count15
AP enrollment434
IB participationnot offered
Dual enrollmentoffered · 299 enrolled
Algebra I in grade 8not reported
Calculus sections3
Physics sections3
Chemistry sections11
Total enrollment (CRDC)1,435

Shown, never scored — no entry to any composite. NULL/reserve codes render "not reported," never a fabricated zero. The equity block above this table (§4) is the per-subgroup view of this same collection.

10College destinationsclass of 2023 · CDE 12-mo College-Going Rate
DestinationCompleters% (derived)
University of California279.3%
California State University5017.1%
California community college14349.0%
In-state private51.7%
Out-of-state, 4-year248.2%
Out-of-state, 2-year00.0%
Not enrolled4314.7%

292 completers, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 85% · % column is computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers), not a CDE-native rate · a missing cell is CDE suppression, never a fabricated zero · source: CDE 12-mo CGR, 2023 cohort (the newest published), National Student Clearinghouse match — a different, older vintage than the fall 2025 UC admissions rows in tables 06-07 above.

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EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,647 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · UC Infocenter (annual refresh, summer) — ‹5/‹3 = masked, never summed across campuses · AP Course Ledger 2025 - 2026 (November refresh; authorization not enrollment) · CRDC 2020-21 (biennial; next expected 2021-22) · CDE 12-mo CGR 2023 cohort, National Student Clearinghouse match · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

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