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Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M · Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M: The score is strong. The trajectory is stronger.

Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M pairs 57% proficiency with gains that hold up when the same students are tracked two years apart — the rare school that posts both.

840 North Branciforte Avenue, 95062 (opens in new tab)·Santa Cruz City Elementary·Santa Cruz·Grades TK-5·2024–25 CAASPP·(831) 429-3898·Website
Alternative school — serves students who benefit from a non-traditional educational setting. Scores are not directly comparable to comprehensive schools.
2023–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope6245
% Exceeded31%21%
% Met+57%43%
Growth+12.2-2.9
Absence17.9%17.9%
Suspension0.3%1.6%
Scope Score
62
🚀 Growth Engine · Solid
ranked #882 statewide · #1 of 5 in Santa Cruz City Elementary

Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M scores 62 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 85th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

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

🚀 Growth Engine — Ask how the school tracks each kid's growth year to year, and what happens when a kid stalls instead of gaining.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “57% proficient” and call it done. Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M deserves a closer read. It sits at the 85th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The headline number: +12.2pp separates this year's grade 3 from its grade 5. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. Following the same students from 2023 G3 → 2025 G5 points the same way.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Climbed from the 65th to the 85th percentile since 2023 — past roughly 1100 elementary schools.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade202320242025
Grade 359%55%58%
Grade 4—72%68%
Grade 5—63%76%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade202320242025
Grade 347%64%37%
Grade 4—56%60%
Grade 5—20%43%

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

26%
32%
42%
Grade 3 · 58% proficient
52%
16%
32%
Grade 4 · 68% proficient
33%
43%
24%
Grade 5 · 76% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 7.0pp across grades; the floor rises 18.3pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
30.9%
State 21.3%
9.6pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+12.2pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
57.0%
State 42.7%
14.3pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
17.9%
State 17.9%
0.0pp above state avg
Suspension rate
0.3%
State 1.6%
1.3pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what changed — new curriculum, new principal, new program. Momentum has a cause, and a visit will find it.

  • Ask how teachers track each child's growth over the year, not just where the class lands on test day.
  • 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 Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M in Santa Cruz, 80.0% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 74.5% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M outperforms its district average for white students by 5.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (66.7% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 30 students tested.

All students at this school: 58% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 58%, district —, state 43%58%
WhiteWhite: this school 73%, district 71%, state 56%73% · +16 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 53%, district 55%, state 44%53% · −5 vs school
MaleMale: this school 69%, district 53%, state 42%69% · +12 vs school

7 of 11 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 17.9%, district 14.1%, state 17.9%17.9% · +0.0pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.3%, district —, state 1.6%0.3% · −1.3pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–615.2%
TK/K12.5%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Teaching staff7 teachers
Avg. experience11.4 years
Fully credentialed100%

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $26,215, CA average $14,815$26,215 · spent at this school
Federal share$260 per student

$260 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White60.3%
District 46.3% · CA 19.9%
Hispanic20.7%
District 42.1% · CA 56.1%
Other15.7%
District 7.9% · CA 9.0%
Asian2.5%
District 2.9% · CA 10.2%
Black0.8%
District 0.9% · CA 4.8%
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$112K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.08M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+50% · CA 35%
ZIP population35,607
Median age43 years

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

Worth Knowing

Transitional kindergarten is offered here — confirmed by actual Census Day enrollment, not just the listed grade span.

On the state's science test (CAST), 71% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M a good elementary school?

Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M has a Scope Score of 62 out of 100, placing it in the 85th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #882 statewide. 30.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.6 percentage points above the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 3-to-5 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), 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 Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 57.0% of students at Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 30.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 26.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 30.9% 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. 130 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M rank in California?

Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M ranks #882 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 85th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), 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.

Is Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M increases by 12.2 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M?

17.9% of students at Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.3%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. 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 Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M compare to other schools in Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M scores 62/100 (85th percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. Use the schools in Santa Cruz page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M in Santa Cruz, 80.0% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 74.5% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M outperforms its district average for white students by 5.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (66.7% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 30 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.

Your other options

All schools in Santa Cruz →

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 peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 38%
30.9%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 59th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+12.2pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 71th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
57.0%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 61th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
17.9%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 50th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.3%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 61th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 31926%32%21%21%58%+15
Grade 42552%16%12%20%68%+23
Grade 52133%43%14%10%76%+28
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 31921%16%26%37%37%−9
Grade 42524%36%16%24%60%+18
Grade 52129%14%29%29%43%+8
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/112143%29%24%5%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
White3080.0%+6+18
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-M ←—6230.9%57.0%+12.20.3%
Westlake Elementary1.9 mi6241.5%65.4%+6.50.5%
Brook Knoll Elementary2.6 mi5837.0%68.9%−14.60.9%
De Laveaga Elementary1.3 mi5325.5%51.7%+0.20.1%
California average—4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20234565#202617.6%52.9%21.5%0.5%—
20244559#235322.7%54.8%24.6%0.4%-17.8pp
20256285#88230.9%57.0%17.9%0.3%+12.2pp
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female17.1%23.7%+6.6pp
Male18.5%12.1%-6.4pp
Hispanic/Latino29.7%19.2%-10.5pp
Students with Disabilities20.0%31.6%+11.6pp
English Learners20.0%——
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged19.2%21.1%+1.9pp
All Students17.7%17.9%+0.2pp
Two or More Races—13.3%—
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · 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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