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Pajaro Valley High · WatsonvillePublic

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

Pajaro Valley posts 24% meeting the standard and 5.8% exceeding it, against 43% and 19.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

500 Harkins Slough Road, 95076 (opens in new tab)·Pajaro Valley Unified·Watsonville·Grades 9-12·1,293 students·84% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(831) 728-8102·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5054
% Exceeded6%20%
% Met+24%43%
Grad rate94.3%92.5%
College readiness56.8%43.0%
Absence25.9%23.1%
Suspension3.3%3.3%
Scope Score
50
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #988 statewide · #3 of 5 in Pajaro Valley Unified

Pajaro Valley High scores 50 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 54th 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 “24% proficient” and call it done. Pajaro Valley deserves a closer read. The school sits in Watsonville, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 33.3% of English learners reached the top ELPAC level, versus 18.0% statewide.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 1,647 high schools statewide

Has stayed near the 54th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAYellow(Increased)MathOrange(Increased)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 24% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1138%36%33%37%40%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1113%11%8%15%9%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
24%
State 43%
Graduate
94%
State 92%
Pass an AP exam
57%
State 43%

Of 100 students here: 24 are proficient by 11th grade → 94 graduate → 57 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
94.3%
State 92.5%
1.8pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
5.8%
State 19.8%
14.0pp below state avg
College readiness
56.8%
State 43.0%
AP course or exam readiness above state avg
Met or exceeded
24.4%
State 43.2%
18.8pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
25.9%
State 23.1%
2.9pp above state avg
Suspension rate
3.3%
State 3.3%
0.1pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
33.3%
State 18.0%
15.4pp 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 Pajaro Valley High in Watsonville, 40.2% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 19.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Pajaro Valley High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 20.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (8.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (39.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 33.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 215 students tested.

All students at this school: 25% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 25%, district —, state 43%25%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 24%, district 17%, state 32%24% · −1 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 25%, district 16%, state 32%25% · +0 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 27%, district 23%, state 44%27% · +2 vs school
MaleMale: this school 23%, district 21%, state 42%23% · −2 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 8%, district 7%, state 15%8% · −17 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 5%, district 5%, state 11%5% · −20 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 22%, district 10%, state 22%22% · −3 vs school

5 of 13 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
AP access · 2020-21 federal civil rights snapshot (structural, dated — newest published; biennial)
Shown, never scored

In the 2020-21 federal collection — the newest there is — English learners students were 28% of Pajaro Valley's enrollment but 10% of its AP seats; ask the school what's changed since.

Hispanic98.1% AP · 96.6% enroll.
American Indian/Alaska Native0.0% AP · 0.1% enroll.
Asian0.9% AP · 1.1% enroll.
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.0% AP · 0.0% enroll.
Black0.5% AP · 0.4% enroll.
White0.5% AP · 1.8% enroll.
Two or more races0.0% AP · 0.0% enroll.
English learners10.4% AP · 28.0% enroll.
Students with disabilities1.4% AP · 5.0% 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 25.9%, district 23.9%, state 23.1%25.9% · +2.9pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 3.3%, district —, state 3.3%3.3% · +0.1pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1225.6%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Pajaro Valley High
50/100
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
73%
College-going rate, class of 2023

Where they went after graduation

Of Pajaro Valley's class of 2023, 73% 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: 230 completers, 73% enrolled somewhere within a year

University of California 16 (7%)California State University 17 (7%)California community college 129 (56%)In-state private 1 (0%)Out-of-state, 4-year 3 (1%)Out-of-state, 2-year 1 (0%)Not enrolled 63 (27%)

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, 10 of Pajaro Valley's 312 graduates enrolled in the University of California system.

Applied47fall 2025, universitywide
Admitted32
Enrolled10
Where they landed (fall 2025)

9 of 9 campuses are masked below UC's privacy floor — a protection, not a verdict.

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

UC enrollees, universitywide, 2014–2025

Peak: 25 enrolled, 2020

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, 73% of this class's predecessors enrolled in college somewhere within a year. More of the class of 2023 enrolled at community colleges (129) than at UC (16).

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
PrincipalTodd Wilson
Teaching staff61 teachers
Avg. experience9.5 years
Fully credentialed69%
First-year teachers11%
Intern / emergency permit1.4%
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 qualifiers71 studentsCCI, participation not authorization
CTE pathway completers15 students
Advanced Coursework

Pajaro Valley's teachers are authorized to teach 12 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers — including Calculus AB, Statistics, and Biology.

AP subjects taught12
Math & Computer Science (3)Calculus AB · Precalculus · Statistics
Sciences (2)Biology · Environmental Science
English (2)English Language and Composition · English Literature and Composition
History & Social Science (2)U.S. Government and Politics · United States History
World Languages & Cultures (2)Spanish Language and Culture · Spanish Literature and Culture
Arts (1)Music Theory

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: $21,553, CA average $14,491$21,553 · spent at this school
Federal share$455 per student

$455 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
Hispanic96.9%
District 84.6% · CA 56.1%
White1.8%
District 12.4% · CA 19.9%
Other0.8%
District 2.2% · CA 9.0%
Asian0.4%
District 0.5% · CA 10.2%
Black0.1%
District 0.2% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 84.3% (21pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$91K · CA $85K
Median home value$809K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+18% · CA 35%
ZIP population82,806
Median age36 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 15% 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 Pajaro Valley High a good high school?

Pajaro Valley High has a Scope Score of 50 out of 100, placing it in the 54th percentile of California high schools and ranked #988 statewide. 5.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 14.0 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 Pajaro Valley High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 24.4% of students at Pajaro Valley High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 5.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 5.8% 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. 508 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Pajaro Valley High rank in California?

Pajaro Valley High ranks #988 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 54th 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 Pajaro Valley High?

25.9% of students at Pajaro Valley High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 23.1%. The suspension rate is 3.3%. 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 Pajaro Valley High compare to other schools in Watsonville?

Pajaro Valley High scores 50/100 (54th 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 1,293 students. Use the schools in Watsonville page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Pajaro Valley High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Pajaro Valley High in Watsonville, 40.2% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 19.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Pajaro Valley High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 20.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (8.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (39.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 33.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 215 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 Pajaro Valley High?

Pajaro Valley High's teachers are authorized to teach 12 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers, per the 2025 - 2026 AP Course Audit: Biology, Calculus AB, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, Music Theory, Precalculus, Spanish Language and Culture, Spanish Literature 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 Pajaro Valley High go to UC?

In fall 2025, 10 Pajaro Valley 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 Watsonville →

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%
94.3%
↑ vs CA 92.5% · 58th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
5.8%
↓ vs CA 19.8% · 39th pctile
College readiness · 20%
56.8%
↑ vs CA 43.0% · 63th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
24.4%
↓ vs CA 43.2% · 41th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
25.9%
↓ vs CA 23.1% · 53th pctile
▼ 2.4pp lower vs 2024
Suspension rate · 5%
3.3%
↓ vs CA 3.3% · 51th pctile
▼ 3.4pp lower vs 2024
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
33.3%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 77th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1126010%30%25%35%40%−9
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 112482%7%23%68%9%−15

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
Schoolwide3012%13%72%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 Disadvantaged21540.2%+20+2
Hispanic/Latino25339.0%+18+0
Students with Disabilities4613.0%+6−4
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
Pajaro Valley High ←—505.8%24.4%——3.3%
Watsonville High2.1 mi488.6%29.4%——4.0%
Diamond Technology Institute1.4 mi4413.3%36.9%——3.0%
California average—5419.8%43.2%——3.3%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
94.3%
AP Exam Prepared
56.8%
A-G Completion
45.2%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
72.6%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrade gap
20194951#9998.4%25.6%10.8%8.5%—
20224750#10417.0%23.8%38.7%6.4%—
20234646#11514.7%20.6%33.0%6.7%—
20244851#10506.5%25.9%28.4%6.7%—
20255054#9885.8%24.4%25.9%3.3%—
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
Female9.6%26.3%+16.7pp
Male10.4%25.1%+14.7pp
White3.7%——
Hispanic/Latino9.6%25.5%+15.9pp
Students with Disabilities18.7%39.0%+20.3pp
English Learners13.1%29.4%+16.3pp
Foster Youth50.0%——
Homeless12.0%26.6%+14.6pp
Military-Connected4.4%14.3%+9.9pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged9.8%26.1%+16.3pp
All Students10.0%25.6%+15.6pp
06UC admissions, universitywide2014–2025 · summed across CEEB codes at query time
YearAppliedAdmittedEnrolledGPA (applied)GPA (admitted)GPA (enrolled)
20254732103.803.994.14
20246446113.833.964.18
20235132173.733.994.06
20225240233.824.004.08
20214327143.713.933.97
20204440253.853.873.96
20195335103.763.913.98
20187837203.673.964.06
20177034213.753.964.06
20165427153.673.904.10
20155834183.774.044.08
20145234233.703.883.97

‹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
Berkeley2025345‹3
Berkeley20244163
Berkeley2023225‹3
Berkeley20223643
Berkeley2021264‹3
Davis20253110‹3
Davis20245520‹3
Davis202337164
Davis202243223
Davis20213010‹3
Irvine2025203‹3
Irvine2024215‹3
Irvine202318‹3‹3
Irvine2022153‹3
Irvine202116‹3‹3
Los Angeles2025283‹3
Los Angeles202438‹3‹3
Los Angeles2023254‹3
Los Angeles20223153
Los Angeles202124‹3‹3
Merced20251413‹3
Merced20242119‹3
Merced20231210‹3
Merced20221312‹3
Merced202155‹3
Riverside2025129‹3
Riverside202464‹3
Riverside202364‹3
Riverside20227‹3‹3
San Diego2025218‹3
San Diego2024155‹3
San Diego2023158‹3
San Diego20221710‹3
San Diego20211253
Santa Barbara2025167‹3
Santa Barbara20242811‹3
Santa Barbara2023218‹3
Santa Barbara20221710‹3
Santa Barbara2021138‹3
Santa Cruz20252416‹3
Santa Cruz20244831‹3
Santa Cruz202331135
Santa Cruz202239218
Santa Cruz202129166
Universitywide2025473210
Universitywide2024644611
Universitywide2023513217
Universitywide2022524023
Universitywide2021432714

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
Biologythis school
Calculus ABthis school
English Language and Compositionthis school
English Literature and Compositionthis school
Environmental Sciencethis school
Music Theorythis school
Precalculusthis school
Spanish Language and Culturethis school
Spanish Literature 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 count5
AP enrollment211
IB participationnot offered
Dual enrollmentoffered · 353 enrolled
Algebra I in grade 8not reported
Calculus sections1
Physics sections5
Chemistry sections19
Total enrollment (CRDC)1,552

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 California167.0%
California State University177.4%
California community college12956.1%
In-state private10.4%
Out-of-state, 4-year31.3%
Out-of-state, 2-year10.4%
Not enrolled6327.4%

230 completers, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 73% · % 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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