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Soquel High · Soquel

Soquel High: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Soquel posts 53% meeting the standard, and 21.6% going well past it. Most kids here keep up. Fewer get pushed further. Ask the school what it does for a child who already finds the work easy.

401 Old San Jose Road, 95073 (opens in new tab)·Santa Cruz City High·Soquel·Grades 9-12·1,074 students·29% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(831) 429-3909·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5944
% Exceeded22%16%
% Met+53%36%
Grad rate97.0%87.6%
College readiness71.0%35.4%
Absence18.8%30.2%
Suspension1.3%3.6%
Scope Score
59
💪 Strong All-Around · Solid
ranked #371 statewide · #2 of 6 in Santa Cruz City High

Soquel High scores 59 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 83rd 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 →

💪 Strong All-Around — Ask about what we don't score — class size, electives, the feel of a classroom — strong numbers everywhere on paper don't mean every classroom feels the same.

Most rating sites would stop at “53% proficient” and call it done. Soquel deserves a closer read. The school sits in Soquel, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Soquel's low-income kids hit 56.4% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has held the 83rd-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAGreen(Increased)MathYellow(Declined)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 53% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1171%67%72%74%72%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1141%32%28%34%34%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
53%
State 36%
Graduate
97%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
71%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 53 are proficient by 11th grade → 97 graduate → 71 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

56.4%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Soquel's most underrated number

56.4% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

Soquel low-income: 56.4%State low-income: 38.2%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
97.0%
State 87.6%
9.4pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
21.6%
State 15.8%
5.7pp above state avg
College readiness
71.0%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
53.4%
State 35.7%
17.6pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
18.8%
State 30.2%
11.4pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.3%
State 3.6%
2.4pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
18.8%
State 18.0%
0.8pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

  • Ask whether extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • 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 Soquel High in Soquel, 56.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Soquel High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 15.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (21.5% Math proficient); White students (81.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 62.1 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 78 students tested.

All students at this school: 53% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 53%, district —, state 36%53%
MaleMale: this school 49%, district 48%, state 42%49% · −4 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 64%, district 65%, state 56%64% · +11 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 59%, district 53%, state 44%59% · +6 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 40%, district 30%, state 32%40% · −13 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 39%, district 30%, state 32%39% · −14 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 9%, district 12%, state 15%9% · −45 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 60%, district 65%, state 56%60% · +6 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

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 18.8%, district 29.0%, state 30.2%18.8% · −11.4pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.3%, district —, state 3.6%1.3% · −2.4pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1218.0%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
No feeder data available for this level
High School
Soquel High
59/100
This school

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 20:1, district 21:120:1
Teaching staff61 teachers
Avg. experience13.8 years
Fully credentialed76%
First-year teachers7%
Intern / emergency permit1.5%
Course Breadth
AP courses offered19
AP exam qualifiers132 students
CTE pathway completers54 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $17,829, CA average $14,815$17,829 · spent at this school
Federal share$326 per student

$326 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

White47.5%
District 47.1% · CA 19.9%
Hispanic39.5%
District 40.8% · CA 56.1%
Other11.6%
District 9.4% · CA 9.0%
Asian0.8%
District 1.7% · CA 10.2%
Black0.7%
District 1.1% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 29.1% (35pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$118K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.06M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+48% · CA 35%
ZIP population11,639
Median age43 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 41% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Soquel High a good high school?

Soquel High has a Scope Score of 59 out of 100, placing it in the 83rd percentile of California high schools and ranked #371 statewide. 21.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 5.7 percentage points above the California average of 15.8%. 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 Soquel High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 53.4% of students at Soquel High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 21.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 31.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 21.6% 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. 460 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Soquel High rank in California?

Soquel High ranks #371 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 83rd 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 Soquel High?

18.8% of students at Soquel 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 1.3%, 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 Soquel High compare to other schools in Soquel?

Soquel High scores 59/100 (83rd 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 1,074 students. Use the schools in Soquel page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

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

At Soquel High in Soquel, 56.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Soquel High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 15.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (21.5% Math proficient); White students (81.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 62.1 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 78 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

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
Graduation rate · 25%
97.0%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 61th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
21.6%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 56th pctile
College readiness · 20%
71.0%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 71th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
53.4%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 63th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
18.8%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 59th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.3%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 61th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
18.8%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 54th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1122931%41%18%9%72%+25
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1123112%23%28%38%34%+11
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1148010%30%53%7%

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
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged7856.4%+15+18
White10881.5%+6+20
Hispanic/Latino9161.5%+19+23
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Soquel High ←5921.6%53.4%1.3%
Harbor High2 mi4519.9%42.7%2.7%
Delta Charter1.8 mi346.1%13.4%1.6%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
97.0%
AP Exam Prepared
71.0%
A-G Completion
63.0%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
85.4%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20196182#36121.7%55.8%12.5%6.4%
20226085#32422.7%49.6%21.9%1.6%
20235882#38620.0%49.9%22.9%2.8%
20246085#32221.8%54.2%18.6%1.6%
20255983#37121.6%53.4%18.8%1.3%
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
Female11.6%20.0%+8.4pp
Male11.5%16.4%+4.9pp
Asian0.0%
Filipino17.9%22.6%+4.7pp
White12.5%
Hispanic/Latino11.6%16.8%+5.2pp
Two or More Races11.3%20.5%+9.2pp
Students with Disabilities17.4%24.0%+6.6pp
English Learners14.9%25.4%+10.5pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged16.6%24.7%+8.1pp
All Students11.6%18.0%+6.4pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high 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