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Santa Cruz City High: Santa Cruz City High middle schools lead at 51.2. A 46.3-point spread across all schools shows this is a district of contrasts.

Near Average2024–25 data8 schools · avg 45.3/100

Santa Cruz City High has 8 ranked schools across middle and high levels with an average Scope Score of 45.3/100 — within 0.4 points of the state average of 44.8. The highest-scoring school is Santa Cruz High at 65/100, where 37.5% of students exceed the state standard. Chronic absenteeism averages 29.0%, above the state average. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025 and NCES fiscal data, analyzed by SchoolScope.

Avg Scope Score
45.3
State avg: 44.8
SchoolScope composite
Score Range
46.3
19.1 – 65.4
Avg Exceeded %
18.6%
State avg: 21.3%
Chronic Absenteeism
29.0%
State avg: 17.9%
Schools Ranked
8
With Scope Scores
Charter Schools
1
of 8 ranked
LevelAvg ScoreSchoolsExceededAbsent
MiddleSolid
51.2/100
223.3%16.7%
HighDeveloping
43.3/100
617.0%33.1%

Santa Cruz City High's middle schools average 51.2/100 — 8.5 points above the state average.

K–12 pipeline

The typical school path in Santa Cruz City High, top-scoring shown first.

Middle
51.2
avg score · 2 schools
Branciforte Middle
Developing
47/100
High
43.3
avg score · 6 schools
Santa Cruz High
Solid
65/100
Soquel High
Solid
59/100
Harbor High
Developing
45/100
+3 more high schools

District Analysis

Santa Cruz City High has 8 ranked schools with an average Scope Score of 45.3/100 — within 0.4 points of the state average of 44.8 (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Strongest level: Santa Cruz City High's middle schools lead the district with an average Scope Score of 51.2.

Score range of 46.3 points — showing significant variation between schools.

District chronic absenteeism averages 29.0%, 11.1pp above the state average of 17.9%.

District suspension rate averages 2.1%, near the state average of 1.6%.

Santa Cruz High leads the district at 65 with 37.5% exceeding standard.

How we score · Scope Score methodology

School archetypes in Santa Cruz City High

2 Strong All-Around6 Building Momentum

Archetypes are data-driven labels based on Scope Score dimensions. Learn more

Student demographics

Hispanic
43.3%
White
45.1%
Asian
1.4%
Black
1.1%
Other
9.1%
Free/Reduced Lunch
37%
Economic need indicator · district avg

District averages · California Department of Education enrollment data

For the data nerds

Every school in Santa Cruz City High

ranked by Scope Score · 2024–25 CAASPP

Middle Schools (2)

Santa Cruz City High has 2 ranked middle schools averaging a Scope Score of 51.2 — 8.5 points above the state average of 42.6.

Growth is essentially flat at -0.3pp.

The highest-scoring middle school is Mission Hill Middle with a Scope Score of 55 and 25.4% exceeding standard.

#SchoolExceededScore
1Mission Hill Middle
Santa Cruz City High Building Momentum
25.4%Solid
55/100
2Branciforte Middle
Santa Cruz City High Building Momentum
21.3%Developing
47/100

High Schools (6)

Santa Cruz City High has 6 ranked high schools averaging a Scope Score of 43.3 — within 0.4 points of the state average of 43.7.

The highest-scoring high school is Santa Cruz High with a Scope Score of 65 and 37.5% exceeding standard.

#SchoolExceededScore
1Santa Cruz High
Santa Cruz City High Strong All-Around
37.5%Solid
65/100
2Soquel High
Santa Cruz City High Strong All-Around
21.6%Solid
59/100
3Harbor High
Santa Cruz City High Building Momentum
19.9%Developing
45/100
4Ark Independent Studies
Santa Cruz City High Building Momentum
16.7%Developing
38/100
5Delta Charter
Santa Cruz City High Building Momentum
6.1%Developing
34/100
6Costanoa Continuation High
Santa Cruz City High Building Momentum
0.0%Needs Support
19/100
Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 8 schoolsMethodology · Explore all schools

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

What Scope Scores can't tell you about Santa Cruz City High

Numbers tell you whether students are clearing the bar. A school visit tells you whether they're happy doing it. These metrics are intentionally missing from the Scope Score: class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality; arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs; teacher experience and turnover; campus safety and social-emotional support; parent and community engagement; quality of special education and gifted programs; how resources are distributed across schools within the district. Full methodology

Frequently asked questions

Is Santa Cruz City High a good school district?
Santa Cruz City High has 8 ranked schools averaging a Scope Score of 45.3/100, which is within 0.4 points of the state average. 18.6% of students exceed the state standard on average. The Scope Score measures academic performance and school climate across seven dimensions. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What is the best school in Santa Cruz City High?
The highest-scoring school in Santa Cruz City High is Santa Cruz High with a Scope Score of 65/100 and 37.5% exceeding standard. See methodology.
What does the Scope Score measure?
The Scope Score is SchoolScope's proprietary composite rating (0–100) based on seven dimensions of publicly available California school data: the exceeded-vs-met standard split, overall proficiency, grade-level growth, chronic absenteeism, suspension rate, ELPAC English Learner proficiency, and baseline proficiency. Full methodology and weights.