Santa Cruz County Community, Santa Cruz CA

Original Research by School Decision on Santa Cruz County Community

Santa Cruz County Community is an alternative high school serving grades seven through twelve in the city of Santa Cruz. Alternative schools typically enroll students who have not succeeded in traditional settings, or who are seeking a different educational model. This school sits within Santa Cruz County Office of Education.

The enrollment is small, around seven hundred students, with the vast majority in the upper grades. Most students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting economic need in the population the school serves. Just over half the student body is Hispanic, with a substantial white population and smaller numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. State assessment data on enrollment by special populations was not available.

Academic proficiency is low across the board. In English language arts, overall proficiency is in the low single digits when all grades are combined. In math, proficiency is even lower. Science proficiency, when available, is below that. When the school is placed against other districts in Santa Cruz County, its overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile. These results are consistent with what alternative schools often show, as they frequently serve students who have fallen behind in traditional programs or whose circumstances make standardized testing less aligned with their educational goals.

A parent considering this school should look into its specific mission and support structure directly with the school. What curriculum, counseling, career pathways, or individualized approaches does it offer? How does it help students who are behind catch up, or transition back to traditional settings? What is its focus: credit recovery, career and technical education, mental health and wellness support, project-based learning, or some combination? State testing data alone does not capture what an alternative school does, and the reasons families choose these settings vary widely. The low proficiency numbers here are a real fact pattern worth understanding in context, and a conversation with the school's staff about how they measure and support student progress will be essential.

Four-year graduation rate data was not available, so understanding completion outcomes would also require direct outreach to the school. The school's website may have additional program details.

Housing in the Santa Cruz area, where the school is located, is expensive. A family considering enrollment should know they are looking at a tight housing market with home values well above the state average and rents that are higher still, reflecting the city's position as a coastal urban center with education and tourism as major economic anchors. The cost of living is a backdrop to whatever educational choice families make here.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

68.0%Cohort of 431 students · Class of 2021

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

2,394 schools plotted. 142 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 88%

School 8% · District 8% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 8% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 42 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 14% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

This schoolSanta Cruz County Office of Education, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.