School district · Santa Cruz County
Pajaro Valley Unified schools
Pajaro Valley Unified’s 19 public elementary schools run from the bottom 1% to the 71st percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).
Elementary · 19 schools
from bottom 1% to 71st · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests
- Rio del Mar Elementary: 71st percentile, Solid
- Valencia Elementary: 69th percentile, Solid
- Watsonville Charter School of the Arts: 42nd percentile, Developing
- Linscott Charter: 37th percentile, Developing
- Mar Vista Elementary: 29th percentile, Developing
- Bradley Elementary: 26th percentile, Developing
- Starlight Elementary: 25th percentile, Developing
- Alianza Charter: 20th percentile, Needs Support
- Hall District Elementary: 18th percentile, Needs Support
- Ohlone Elementary: 16th percentile, Needs Support
- H. A. Hyde Elementary: 13th percentile, Needs Support
- Calabasas Elementary: 8th percentile, Needs Support
- Freedom Elementary: 6th percentile, Needs Support
- Radcliff Elementary: 5th percentile, Needs Support
- T. S. MacQuiddy Elementary: 3rd percentile, Needs Support
- Ann Soldo Elementary: 1st percentile, Needs Support
- Mintie White Elementary: 1st percentile, Needs Support
- Landmark Elementary: 1st percentile, Needs Support
- Amesti Elementary: bottom 1%, Needs Support
One dot per school.
Middle and high school pictures
Middle · 10 schools
from 1st to 58th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests
- Linscott Charter: 58th percentile, Solid
- Ceiba College Preparatory Academy: 57th percentile, Solid
- Aptos Junior High: 47th percentile, Developing
- Watsonville Charter School of the Arts: 35th percentile, Developing
- Lakeview Middle: 29th percentile, Developing
- Alianza Charter: 17th percentile, Needs Support
- Cesar E. Chavez Middle: 16th percentile, Needs Support
- Rolling Hills Middle: 12th percentile, Needs Support
- Pajaro Middle: 4th percentile, Needs Support
- E. A. Hall Middle: 1st percentile, Needs Support
High · 4 schools
from 17th to 82nd · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests
- Ceiba College Preparatory Academy: 82nd percentile, Strong
- Aptos High: 51st percentile, Solid
- Pajaro Valley High: 21st percentile, Needs Support
- Watsonville High: 17th percentile, Needs Support
One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 4 of the 29 ranked schools teach two levels, so they appear in more than one picture.
- 29 ranked schools
- 3 schools not ranked statewide
Schools around Pajaro Valley Unified
32 listed public schools with mapped locations.
Loading school locations…
Percentile among California schools at the same level
- Strong75th+
- Solid50–74th
- Developing25–49th
- Needs Supportbelow 25th
- Not scored
The school lists on this page are also available without the map.
Elementary schools
Which elementary schools in Pajaro Valley Unified score highest?
Rio del Mar Elementary is highest, at the 71st percentile.
That’s higher than 71 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).
Highest in Pajaro Valley Unified
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean
- Rio del Mar ElementaryAptos · Grade-to-grade gains
- Valencia ElementaryAptos
- Watsonville Charter School of the ArtsWatsonville · Charter school. Check how it admits students.
Show the other 16 elementary schools
- Linscott CharterWatsonville · Charter school. Check how it admits students.
- Mar Vista ElementaryAptos
- Bradley ElementaryWatsonville
- Starlight ElementaryWatsonville
- Alianza CharterWatsonville · Charter school. Check how it admits students.
- Hall District ElementaryWatsonville
- Ohlone ElementaryWatsonville
- H. A. Hyde ElementaryWatsonville
- Calabasas ElementaryWatsonville
- Freedom ElementaryFreedom
- Radcliff ElementaryWatsonville
- T. S. MacQuiddy ElementaryWatsonville
- Ann Soldo ElementaryWatsonville
- Mintie White ElementaryWatsonville
- Landmark ElementaryWatsonville
- Amesti ElementaryWatsonville
The average elementary school in Pajaro Valley Unified had 19 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.
Middle schools
Which middle schools in Pajaro Valley Unified score highest?
Linscott Charter is highest, at the 58th percentile.
That’s higher than 58 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).
Highest in Pajaro Valley Unified
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.
- Linscott CharterWatsonville · Charter school. Check how it admits students.
- Ceiba College Preparatory AcademyWatsonville · Charter school. Check how it admits students.
- Aptos Junior HighAptos
Show the other 7 middle schools
- Watsonville Charter School of the ArtsWatsonville · Charter school. Check how it admits students.
- Lakeview MiddleWatsonville
- Alianza CharterWatsonville · Charter school. Check how it admits students.
- Cesar E. Chavez MiddleWatsonville
- Rolling Hills MiddleWatsonville
- Pajaro MiddleWatsonville
- E. A. Hall MiddleWatsonville
The average middle school in Pajaro Valley Unified had 19 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.
High schools
Which high schools in Pajaro Valley Unified score highest?
Ceiba College Preparatory Academy is highest, at the 82nd percentile.
That’s higher than 82 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).
Highest in Pajaro Valley Unified
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.
- Ceiba College Preparatory AcademyWatsonville · Charter school. Check how it admits students.
- Aptos HighAptos
- Pajaro Valley HighWatsonville
Show the other 1 high school
- Watsonville HighWatsonville
The average high school in Pajaro Valley Unified had 19 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100.
3 high schools not ranked statewide
Continuation schools and court and community schools enroll students differently from a regular school, so each is compared only with its own kind or not ranked. The others have no statewide percentile this year.
- Renaissance High ContinuationContinuation high school: compared only with other continuation schools
- Diamond Technology InstituteNo Scope Score this year
- New School Community DayCommunity day school: students are placed here by probation, district or voluntary referral, including after an expulsion, so we don’t rank it
The district
Where does Pajaro Valley Unified’s money go, and what does it plan?
Pajaro Valley Unified spent $24,632 per student in the 2024–25 school year.
The typical California district spent $20,491. About 57 cents of every Pajaro Valley Unified dollar went to classroom instruction.
Spending by function
Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from the district’s annual financial report (SACS) to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus.
Share by function, 2024–25
- Instruction57%
- Instruction support17%
- Student services13%
- Administration4%
- Buildings & maintenance8%
- Other1%
Shares of the same spending total, by the report’s spending categories, rounded so they add up to 100. Names are simplified from the report’s own categories.
Who goes to the district’s schools
Student mix
2024–25 · October enrollment count, 17,089 students- Hispanic or Latino85%
- White13%
- Two or more races1%
- Filipino<1%
- Asian<1%
- Black or African American<1%
- American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
- Pacific Islander<1%
- Not reported<1%
Free or reduced-price meals
80%
Across California, 63% of students qualify.
The district’s state records
Is the state giving the district extra help?
The state is giving Pajaro Valley Unified extra help in 2026, the second year after it qualified on the 2025 Dashboard.
How English learners moved up on the state’s English test
From spring 2025 to spring 2026, 47% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (1,916 of 4,108 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.
3 schools getting state support, 2025–26
E. A. Hall Middle (Targeted support) · Lakeview Middle (Targeted support) · Mintie White Elementary (Targeted support)
- E. A. Hall MiddleTargeted support: students with disabilities
- Lakeview MiddleTargeted support: English learners, Hispanic or Latino students and low-income students
- Mintie White ElementaryTargeted support: students with disabilities
This list covers the district’s own schools; each charter school’s page shows its record. Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26.
Sources: District help (CDE) ↗ · English learner progress (CDE) ↗ · School support (CDE) ↗. State results from the 2026 California School Dashboard.
Which places nearby can you look at next?
Cities in the district
Common questions
Which public schools in Pajaro Valley Unified rank highest?
Does living in the Pajaro Valley Unified district decide which school my child attends?
More questions (5)
Are the public schools in Pajaro Valley Unified good?
How does chronic absence in Pajaro Valley Unified compare with California?
How much does Pajaro Valley Unified spend per student?
What is in Pajaro Valley Unified’s 2026–27 spending plan?
Where do these results come from?
Sources and methodology
This page lists the public schools governed and funded by Pajaro Valley Unified, with the district’s spending and state accountability records.
Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school
Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.
Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.