How does Soquel High compare to other high schools in Soquel?

Soquel High has a SchoolScope composite score of 65.5/100, placing it at the 86th percentile statewide. 22% of students exceed standard, with a total of 460 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Soquel High?

21.6% of students at Soquel High exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 53.4% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Soquel High?

18.0% of students at Soquel High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

Soquel High

High School

Santa Cruz City High SoquelSanta Cruz County95073

📍 401 Old San Jose Road

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of high schools

State Rank

of 1,739 California high schools

💪

Strong All-Around

Strong across every dimension we measure — academics, growth, culture, and engagement.

Composite scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

School overview

Enrollment

1,048 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

21:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

30%

Teachers

49 full-time

College & career readiness

Graduation Rate

97.0%

AP Exam Prepared

71.0%

A-G Completion

63.0%

College-Going Rate

85.4%

Data source: California Department of Education — ACGR, CCI, CGR reports

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased

+4.5 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Maintained

+2.4 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

28.9%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 45 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic40.2%

White47.6%

Asian1.4%

Black0.9%

Other9.8%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Soquel High
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	21.6%
Met Standard	31.8%
Below Standard	46.6%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "53% proficient" for Soquel High and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

21.6% of students exceeded standard while 31.8% met it. That exceeded rate is 6.1 points above the state average of 15.5%. That's 3.0 points above the Santa Cruz City High district average of 18.6%. Compared to the 2 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 8.6 points higher (vs 13.0% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

The graduation rate is 97.0% — above the state target. 63.0% of students complete A-G requirements for UC/CSU eligibility — a strong college readiness signal. 85.4% of graduates go on to college within a year.

Chronic absenteeism is 18.0%, better than the state average of 34.0%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

21.6%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

53.4%

Students meeting standard

Chronic Absenteeism

18.0%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

1.1%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

460

Across all grades & subjects

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
11th	229	31.4%	41.0%	18.3%	9.2%	72.5%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
11th	231	11.7%	22.5%	28.1%	37.7%	34.2%

Estimated K-12 PathEstimate

Elementary

Alternative Family Educat…

No score

→

Middle

Branciforte Middle

47.8

→

High

Soquel High

65.5

This school

Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.