Santa Cruz City Elementary, CA

Original Research by School Decision on Santa Cruz City Elementary

Santa Cruz City Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade across five school sites in and around Santa Cruz, California. The district enrolls a student body that is roughly evenly split between white students and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Asian, multiracial, and other groups. The district does not report free-or-reduced-price-lunch counts, English learner enrollment, or special education enrollment in the available data, so a full picture of the student population's economic or language needs is not available here.

On state assessments administered in the most recent school year, students showed mixed results by subject and grade. In English language arts, proficiency across the district sits at a level above the midpoint among Santa Cruz County's districts. Performance is strongest in grades four and five, where proficiency rates are in the low sixties. Grade three performance is somewhat lower. In mathematics, the district's overall proficiency is similarly positioned above the midpoint countywide, though the picture becomes weaker in the upper grades, particularly grade five, where fewer than half the students meet proficiency on the state test. Science testing covers only grade five, and proficiency there is in the upper forties. The district's proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it above the median for the county's districts overall.

Chronic absenteeism is a weaker spot. The district's rate falls below the county median, meaning more students are chronically absent than the typical district in the region. A parent may want to ask the district directly about any attendance initiatives or what factors drive this pattern.

The district operates in one of the nation's most expensive housing markets. Home values in the district's service areas are substantially above state and national medians, with the median home price weighted across the district's six zip codes running high relative to California's benchmark. Rental costs are also steep relative to the national baseline and absorb more than half of median household income in the area. For families considering a move into the district, housing affordability is a significant constraint; the monthly mortgage cost on a home at the district's weighted median price substantially exceeds the rent cost, a reversal typical of high-demand coastal California markets.

The district is navigating major fiscal headwinds. Santa Cruz County faces the steepest projected enrollment decline of any county in California over the coming decade, and Santa Cruz City Elementary is directly affected. In response to declining enrollment and shrinking state and federal funding, the district approved significant staff layoffs in 2026. Families should understand that this fiscal pressure will likely constrain program offerings and staffing stability going forward, and the district's ability to expand or maintain programs at current levels is uncertain.

On the positive side, the community has shown strong commitment to the schools through recent bond measures. In 2022, voters approved Measures K and L, authorizing bond funding for classroom modernization, roof and ventilation repairs, and labs across all district sites. More notably, the district is using a portion of that bond funding to construct below-market-rate educator workforce housing, a project set to break ground in 2026 and open in 2028. This is the county's first such project and reflects an effort to retain teachers in an extremely expensive rental market, an initiative that could support continuity for students if it succeeds. Additionally, the district's parcel tax, renewed in 2020, generates annual revenue dedicated to science, art, music, library services, and counseling, as well as smaller class sizes. This is an ongoing property-tax obligation for homeowners in the district.

The district operates five elementary schools: Bay View, De Laveaga, Gault, and Westlake, plus an alternative education program called Monarch. The district does not report graduation rates because it serves only elementary grades.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

1,768

Grades

KG–05

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 40%

Black 1%

White 46%

Asian 3%

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

40%

—

Gr 3

36%

62%

Gr 4

41%

71%

Gr 5

41%

74%

Math

Gr ALL

30%

—

Gr 3

32%

67%

Gr 4

34%

67%

Gr 5

24%

52%

Science

Gr 5

24%

63%

Gr HS

24%

—

Schools in this District

5 schools are officially reported under this district.

Bay View Elementary

De Laveaga Elementary

Gault Elementary

Westlake Elementary

Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

3 grades reported

54%

Grade 3

55%

Grade 4

41%

Grade 5

English Language Arts

3 grades reported

53%

Grade 3

61%

Grade 4

61%

Grade 5

Science

1 grade reported

47%

Grade 5

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$1.35M

Year-over-year change+3.8%

Range across 6 ZIP codes$670K to $1.4M

vs. state typical1.73x

vs. national typical3.65x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (6 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
95060	Santa Cruz	$1.4M	+3.9%	79.9%
95066	Scotts Valley	$1.3M	+2.0%	6.2%
95062	Santa Cruz	$1.3M	+2.1%	4.7%
95065	Santa Cruz	$1.4M	+2.1%	4.5%
95064	Santa Cruz	$670K	+7.3%	4.5%
95018	Ben Lomond	$843K	+1.7%	0.3%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$3,614/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
95060	Santa Cruz	$3,605	+2.5%	79.9%
95066	Scotts Valley	$3,863	—	6.2%
95062	Santa Cruz	$3,500	+1.9%	4.7%
95018	Ben Lomond	$2,500	—	0.3%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$6,790/mo

Home price / national median income16.1x

Annual rent / national median income51.8%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$3,176/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.