School Profile · Santa Cruz
Pacific Collegiate Charter: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.
Pacific Collegiate Charter posts 53.2% exceeding the standard — versus 15.8% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.
3004 Mission Street, 95060 (opens in new tab)·Santa Cruz County Office of Education·Santa Cruz·Grades 7-12·536 students·10% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(831) 479-7785·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
82
⭐ High Ceiling · Strong
ranked #20 statewide
Pacific Collegiate Charter scores 82 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 99th percentile of 2,160 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “87% proficient” and call it done. Pacific Collegiate Charter deserves a closer read. It sits at the 99th percentile of 2,160 California high schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.
The headline number: 53.2% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 15.8%.
As a charter, Pacific Collegiate Charter enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
87%
State 36%
Graduate
100%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
100%
State 35%
Of 100 students here: 87 are proficient by 11th grade → 100 graduate → 100 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
The 6 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
100.0%
State 87.6%
12.4pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
53.2%
State 15.8%
37.3pp above state avg
College readiness
100.0%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
86.5%
State 35.7%
50.8pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
12.5%
State 30.2%
17.7pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.0%
State 3.6%
1.6pp below 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.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Santa Cruz County Special…
No score
→
High
Pacific Collegiate Charte…
82
This school
Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Your other options
Nearby High Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 48
Santa Cruz High
Santa Cruz City High · 1.7 mi
Solid
65/100
Santa Cruz County Community
Santa Cruz County Office of Education · 2.2 mi
Needs Support
30/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 53
Westlake Elementary
Santa Cruz City Elementary · 1.3 mi
Solid
61/100
Bay View Elementary
Santa Cruz City Elementary · 1.2 mi
Developing
44/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic16.0%
White61.9%
Asian6.9%
Black0.4%
Other14.7%
GenderFemale 53.0%Male 46.8%Non-binary 0.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 9.7% (54pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
536
914 below CA avg (~1,450)
Student-Teacher Ratio
18:1
3 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$15,228
District avg: $41,345 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
Teacher Salary Range
$52,480 – $109,594
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Pacific Collegiate Charter in Santa Cruz, 83.5% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.9% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Pacific Collegiate Charter outperforms its district average for white students by 41.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (63.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (87.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 8.0 percentage points for two or more races students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 141 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Suspension · Low-Income+4.5pp
6.5% vs 2.0% overall · n=62
Math · Hispanic−13.7pp
51.5% vs 65.2% overall · n=37
3 more gaps by subject
ELA · Two or More Races−8.0pp
79.0% vs 87.0% overall · n=19
ELA Exceeded · Hispanic−9.9pp
33.1% vs 43.0% overall · n=37
Math Exceeded · Hispanic−21.6pp
17.9% vs 39.6% overall · n=37
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
White142 tested
ELA 83.5%·Math 63.1%· +41.6pp vs district
Hispanic48 tested
ELA 87.5%·Math 56.3%· +64.5pp vs district
Two or More Races45 tested
ELA 88.9%·Math 71.1%
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$109K
$24K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.21M
$548K above CA median
Bachelor's+
55%
20pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
15.3 years avg experience
37 teachers · 5% first-year · 5% second-year
Teacher Credentials
78% fully credentialed
2.0% on intern/emergency permit
AP Courses Offered
39 AP courses
79 students qualified via AP exam
Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
100.0%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 65th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
53.2%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 90th pctile
College readiness · 20%
100.0%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 87th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
86.5%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 86th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
12.5%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 64th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.0%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 57th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 92 | 39% | 50% | 9% | 2% | 89% | +41 |
| Grade 8 | 97 | 34% | 43% | 15% | 7% | 77% | +31 |
| Grade 11 | 63 | 57% | 38% | 5% | 0% | 95% | +48 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 93 | 32% | 28% | 30% | 10% | 60% | +26 |
| Grade 8 | 97 | 38% | 21% | 23% | 19% | 59% | +26 |
| Grade 11 | 63 | 49% | 29% | 13% | 10% | 78% | +54 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 175 | 37% | 31% | 29% | 2% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 141 | 83.5% | +42 | +22 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 48 | 87.5% | +65 | +49 |
| Two or More Races | 45 | 88.9% | — | +27 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Collegiate Charter ← | — | 82 | 53.2% | 86.5% | — | 2.0% |
| Santa Cruz High | 1.7 mi | 65 | 37.5% | 59.8% | — | 1.5% |
| Santa Cruz County Community | 2.2 mi | 30 | 5.7% | 19.6% | — | 1.8% |
| California average | — | 44 | 15.8% | 35.7% | — | 3.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
100.0%
AP Exam Prepared
100.0%
A-G Completion
98.7%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
84.6%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #10 → #15 → #8 → #9 → #20
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Pacific Collegiate Charter a good high school?
Pacific Collegiate Charter has a Scope Score of 82 out of 100, placing it in the 99th percentile of California high schools and ranked #20 statewide. 53.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 37.3 percentage points above the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Pacific Collegiate Charter's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 86.5% of students at Pacific Collegiate Charter met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 53.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 33.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 53.2% 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. 126 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Pacific Collegiate Charter rank in California?
Pacific Collegiate Charter ranks #20 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 99th 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 Pacific Collegiate Charter?
12.5% of students at Pacific Collegiate Charter are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 2.0%. 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 Pacific Collegiate Charter compare to other schools in Santa Cruz?
Pacific Collegiate Charter scores 82/100 (99th 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 536 students. Use the schools in Santa Cruz page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Pacific Collegiate Charter serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Pacific Collegiate Charter in Santa Cruz, 83.5% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.9% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Pacific Collegiate Charter outperforms its district average for white students by 41.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (63.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (87.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 8.0 percentage points for two or more races students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 141 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.