Tony Thurmond, Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education | California Department of Education
Tony Thurmond, Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education | California Department of Education
Of all the students welcomed at the time, 51.6% identified as male, 48.3% as female, and 0.1% identified themselves as non-binary or did not specify their gender.
Data also showed that Hispanic or Latino students made up 58.2% of the student body, the largest percentage in the county, followed by white students at 34.2% (10,796 students), multiracial students at 4.1% (1,298 students) and Asian students at 1.5% (461 students).
Watsonville High School had the highest enrollment among Santa Cruz County's 516 schools in the 2023-24 academic year, welcoming 2,253 students.
After peaking at 6.3 million in the early 2000s, public school enrollment in California has marked its seventh consecutive decline in the 2023-24 school year, with projections indicating it could fall to approximately 5.2 million by the 2033-34 school year. This trend is attributed to lower birth rates, slowed immigration, and families relocating out of state due to high housing costs. Rural and coastal districts have been particularly affected, facing tough decisions such as school closures and staffing reductions.
Although chronic absenteeism in California decreased in 2023, it remains double the pre-pandemic rate. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, chronic absenteeism in the state public schools reached 25% in 2023, up from 12% in 2019.
| School name | Total Enrollment in 2022-23 | Total Enrollment in 2023-24 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville High School | 2,244 | 2,253 | 0.4% |
| Pajaro Valley High School | 1,489 | 1,428 | -4.1% |
| Aptos High School | 1,360 | 1,316 | -3.2% |
| Santa Cruz High School | 1,092 | 1,104 | 1.1% |
| Soquel High School | 974 | 1,048 | 7.6% |
| Harbor High School | 1,023 | 1,040 | 1.7% |
| Santa Cruz County Community | 741 | 733 | -1.1% |
| Scotts Valley High School | 690 | 655 | -5.1% |
| Alianza Charter | 640 | 648 | 1.3% |
| San Lorenzo Valley High School | 643 | 622 | -3.3% |
| New Brighton Middle School | 648 | 611 | -5.7% |
| Rolling Hills Middle School | 619 | 610 | -1.5% |
| Aptos Junior High School | 594 | 588 | -1% |
| San Lorenzo Valley Elementary School | 598 | 562 | -6% |
| E. A. Hall Middle School | 608 | 556 | -8.6% |
| Cesar E. Chavez Middle School | 552 | 547 | -0.9% |
| Vine Hill Elementary School | 531 | 532 | 0.2% |
| Bradley Elementary School | 507 | 523 | 3.2% |
| De Laveaga Elementary School | 488 | 507 | 3.9% |
| Mission Hill Middle School | 544 | 500 | -8.1% |
| Freedom Elementary School | 527 | 499 | -5.3% |
| Mintie White Elementary School | 521 | 499 | -4.2% |
| Calabasas Elementary School | 515 | 497 | -3.5% |
| Valencia Elementary School | 488 | 487 | -0.2% |
| Westlake Elementary School | 472 | 471 | -0.2% |
| Brook Knoll Elementary School | 464 | 467 | 0.6% |
| Shoreline Middle School | 441 | 463 | 5% |
| Scotts Valley Middle School | 481 | 451 | -6.2% |
| H. A. Hyde Elementary School | 455 | 444 | -2.4% |
| Boulder Creek Elementary School | 460 | 436 | -5.2% |
| Branciforte Middle School | 389 | 435 | 11.8% |
| Amesti Elementary School | 456 | 424 | -7% |
| T. S. MacQuiddy Elementary School | 421 | 424 | 0.7% |
| Radcliff Elementary School | 441 | 417 | -5.4% |
| Starlight Elementary School | 447 | 414 | -7.4% |
| San Lorenzo Valley Middle School | 381 | 411 | 7.9% |
| Lakeview Middle School | 438 | 410 | -6.4% |
| Rio del Mar Elementary School | 404 | 408 | 1% |
| Watsonville Charter School of the Arts | 385 | 408 | 6% |
| Landmark Elementary School | 412 | 405 | -1.7% |
| Main Street Elementary School | 413 | 389 | -5.8% |
| Bay View Elementary School | 336 | 378 | 12.5% |
| Ann Soldo Elementary School | 369 | 366 | -0.8% |
| Live Oak Elementary School | 352 | 362 | 2.8% |
| Soquel Elementary School | 358 | 355 | -0.8% |
| Mar Vista Elementary School | 344 | 311 | -9.6% |
| Del Mar Elementary School | 342 | 310 | -9.4% |
| Green Acres Elementary School | 315 | 301 | -4.4% |
| Gault Elementary School | 310 | 291 | -6.1% |
| SLVUSD Charter | 297 | 290 | -2.4% |
| Loma Prieta Elementary School | 266 | 259 | -2.6% |
| Linscott Charter | 259 | 259 | 0% |
| Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary School | 232 | 204 | -12.1% |
| Pacific Coast Charter | 165 | 197 | 19.4% |
| Pacific Elementary School | 154 | 167 | 8.4% |
| Santa Cruz County Career Advancement Charter | 163 | 167 | 2.5% |
| Mountain Elementary School | 160 | 163 | 1.9% |
| Tierra Pacifica Charter | 155 | 163 | 5.2% |
| C. T. English Middle School | 167 | 162 | -3% |
| Happy Valley Elementary School | 120 | 122 | 1.7% |
| Renaissance High Continuation | 143 | 122 | -14.7% |
| Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch | 117 | 121 | 3.4% |
| Delta Charter | 116 | 116 | 0% |
| Alternative Family Education | 108 | 110 | 1.9% |
| Santa Cruz County Special Education | 100 | 99 | -1% |
| Bonny Doon Elementary School | 115 | 97 | -15.7% |
| Costanoa Continuation High School | 90 | 87 | -3.3% |
| Diamond Technology Institute | 83 | 83 | 0% |
| Ocean Alternative Education Center | 84 | 74 | -11.9% |
| PVUSD Virtual Academy | 152 | 74 | -51.3% |
| Ark Independent Studies | 47 | 52 | 10.6% |
| New School Community Day | 37 | 40 | 8.1% |
| Santa Cruz County Court | 65 | 24 | -63.1% |
| Opal Cliffs | 3 | 6 | 100% |
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