Scotts Valley Unified, CA

Original Research by School Decision on Scotts Valley Unified

Scotts Valley Unified serves grades kindergarten through twelve across four schools in Santa Cruz County: two elementary buildings, one middle school, and one high school. The district enrolls a mid-sized student body that is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of Hispanic students and smaller populations of Asian and multiracial students. The enrollment skews slightly older, with more students in the high school grades than in the primary grades.

In English language arts, the district shows solid performance across tested grades, with proficiency running in the low to mid-seventies in elementary and middle grades, then holding steady in the high sixties and seventies through grade eight. Math proficiency follows a more uneven path. Third graders perform well, but proficiency dips notably in grades four and five, recovers somewhat in grades six through eight, with sixth grade showing particular softness. Science results, where measured in grades five and eight, sit in the upper forties to mid-fifties. The district's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Santa Cruz County's districts, and it reports chronic absenteeism lower than the county median, suggesting relatively strong engagement.

The district sits in an expensive housing market. Home values in the Scotts Valley area and surrounding communities within the district are substantial, and rental costs are significant as well. Affordability pressures are real; the rent-to-income ratio indicates that a household earning the regional median income would spend more than half its earnings on rent. Prospective families should factor in that this is a high-cost coastal California location.

Scotts Valley is located in the hills south of the city of Santa Cruz, in a suburban foothill setting. The district draws from several small communities across its attendance area, including parts of unincorporated Santa Cruz County. The per-pupil spending sits in the lower-middle range relative to other county districts, suggesting the district operates efficiently but does not command the highest resource levels in the region.

The district does not report free-or-reduced-price lunch rates, rates for English learners, or counts for students with individualized education plans, so a parent seeking clarity on how well the district serves economically disadvantaged or multilingual populations would benefit from contacting the district directly. The graduation rate was not available in the data provided. The district's schools appear stable and open, with no recent major restructurings reported in publicly available sources.

For families drawn to a mid-sized, relatively affluent foothill community, Scotts Valley Unified offers straightforward, competent instruction with ELA results stronger than math and proficiency markers that exceed the county average. The academic pathway is conventional; the peer environment reflects the community's demographics and cost structure. The main soft spot is in middle-grade mathematics, where support or intervention may be worth examining closely.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

2,107

Grades

KG–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 17%

Black 0%

White 67%

Asian 6%

Two+ 9%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr ALL

50%

—

Gr 3

60%

75%

Gr 4

57%

72%

Gr 5

46%

73%

Gr 6

47%

75%

Gr 7

50%

69%

Gr 8

35%

76%

Gr 11

53%

—

Math

Gr ALL

39%

—

Gr 3

56%

84%

Gr 4

33%

68%

Gr 5

42%

60%

Gr 6

35%

45%

Gr 7

20%

60%

Gr 8

36%

63%

Gr 11

42%

—

Science

Gr ALL

40%

—

Gr 5

27%

53%

Gr 8

17%

63%

Gr 11

42%

—

Gr HS

28%

—

Gr UG_SEC

42%

—

Schools in this District

4 schools are officially reported under this district.

Brook Knoll Elementary

Scotts Valley Middle

Vine Hill Elementary

Scotts Valley High

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

80%

Grade 3

63%

Grade 4

58%

Grade 5

44%

Grade 6

54%

Grade 7

60%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

73%

Grade 3

70%

Grade 4

69%

Grade 5

72%

Grade 6

66%

Grade 7

70%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

49%

Grade 5

57%

Grade 8

Social Studies

1 grade reported

73%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$1.29M

Year-over-year change+1.8%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$843K to $1.5M

vs. state typical1.67x

vs. national typical3.52x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
95066	Scotts Valley	$1.3M	+2.0%	69.7%
95033	Lexington Hills	$1.5M	-0.9%	12.4%
95060	Santa Cruz	$1.4M	+3.9%	9.2%
95018	Ben Lomond	$843K	+1.7%	5.8%
95065	Santa Cruz	$1.4M	+2.1%	3.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$3,724/mo

Year-over-year change+2.5%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$2,500 to $3,863/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
95066	Scotts Valley	$3,863	—	69.7%
95033	Lexington Hills	$3,600	—	12.4%
95060	Santa Cruz	$3,605	+2.5%	9.2%
95018	Ben Lomond	$2,500	—	5.8%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$6,532/mo

Home price / national median income15.5x

Annual rent / national median income53.4%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$2,809/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$776,233 (-1.1% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.