Santa Cruz High: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Santa Cruz High has a Scope Score of 65 out of 100, placing it in the 91st percentile of California high schools and ranked #191 statewide. 37.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 21.6 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.

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 59.8% of students at Santa Cruz High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 37.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 22.4% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 37.5% 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. 483 student-subject combinations were assessed.

Santa Cruz High ranks #191 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 91st 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.

18.8% of students at Santa Cruz High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 1.5%, 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.

Santa Cruz High scores 65/100 (91st 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 1,093 students. Use the schools in Santa Cruz page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

At Santa Cruz High in Santa Cruz, 43.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Santa Cruz High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 2.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (29.1% Math proficient); White students (76.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 64.3 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 56 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.