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Pajaro Valley Unified Schools
Pajaro Valley Unified is a public school district in California, based in Santa Cruz County (Watsonville). SchoolGrade grades 33 of its schools on actual versus projected test scores; every school below has its own page.
Pajaro Valley Unified on the map
District boundary from the NCES EDGE composite school district file. Each marker is a graded school; click it for its grade and scores.
SchoolGrade summary for Pajaro Valley Unified
33 of 33 schools in Pajaro Valley Unified carry a SchoolGrade. Grade distribution:
A: 4B: 2C: 7D: 2F: 18
Best schools in Pajaro Valley Unified
Statewide rankings: all 1561 high schools in California · all 1283 middle schools in California · all 5668 elementary schools in California
The ten highest SchoolGrades in the district. Grades reward actual test performance against the projection for each school's student context, so a B in a high-poverty school can outrank an A- elsewhere on impact.
- A- Rio Del Mar Elementary (Elementary school, doesn't meet expectations)
- A- Valencia Elementary (Elementary school, meets expectations)
- A- Diamond Technology Institute (High school, greatly exceeds expectations)
- A- Pvusd Virtual Academy (K-12 school, greatly exceeds expectations)
- B Aptos High (High school, meets expectations)
- B- Aptos Junior High (Middle school, doesn't meet expectations)
- C+ Linscott Charter (Elementary school, meets expectations)
- C Mar Vista Elementary (Elementary school, underperforms expectations)
- C Alianza Charter (Elementary school, exceeds expectations)
- C Pacific Coast Charter (K-12 school, meets expectations)
Every school in Pajaro Valley Unified
High schools (4)
- B Aptos High, Aptos
- C- Pajaro Valley High, Watsonville
- F Renaissance High Continuation, La Selva Beach
- C- Watsonville High, Watsonville
Middle and junior high schools (6)
- B- Aptos Junior High, Aptos
- F Cesar E Chavez Middle, Watsonville
- F E A Hall Middle, Watsonville
- F Lakeview Middle, Watsonville
- F Pajaro Middle, Watsonville
- F Rolling Hills Middle, Watsonville
Elementary and primary schools (16)
- F Amesti Elementary, Watsonville
- F Ann Soldo Elementary, Watsonville
- C- Bradley Elementary, Watsonville
- F Calabasas Elementary, Watsonville
- F Freedom Elementary, Freedom
- F H A Hyde Elementary, Watsonville
- F Hall District Elementary, Watsonville
- F Landmark Elementary, Watsonville
- C Mar Vista Elementary, Aptos
- F Mintie White Elementary, Watsonville
- F Ohlone Elementary, Watsonville
- F Radcliff Elementary, Watsonville
- A- Rio Del Mar Elementary, Aptos
- D- Starlight Elementary, Watsonville
- F T S Macquiddy Elementary, Watsonville
- A- Valencia Elementary, Aptos
Other schools and academies (7)
- C Alianza Charter, Watsonville
- A- Diamond Technology Institute, Watsonville
- C+ Linscott Charter, Watsonville
- F New School Community Day, Watsonville
- C Pacific Coast Charter, Watsonville
- A- Pvusd Virtual Academy, Watsonville
- D Watsonville Charter School Of The Arts, Watsonville
Where Pajaro Valley Unified schools are
Cities and towns served (4)
- Watsonville (26)
- Aptos (5)
- Freedom (1)
- La Selva Beach (1)
About this district
- State: Best schools in California
- County: Santa Cruz County
- Type: regular local school district
- Setting: small city (NCES locale of the district office)
- Enrollment: 17,013 students with 804 full-time-equivalent teachers and 1,927 total staff FTE (NCES CCD, 2023-24)
- NCES district ID: 0629490
- Grades are the 2025-26 SchoolGrade model: each school's actual proficiency against the level projected for its student context. How SchoolGrade works
Nearby school districts
- Soquel Union Elementary (5 schools, 8 mi)
- Live Oak Elementary (6 schools, 8 mi)
- North Monterey County Unified (8 schools, 13 mi)
- Santa Cruz City Elementary (5 schools, 13 mi)
- Scotts Valley Unified (4 schools, 13 mi)
- Aromas - San Juan Unified (3 schools, 16 mi)
- Los Gatos Union Elementary (5 schools, 18 mi)
- Santa Rita Union Elementary (6 schools, 19 mi)
Questions about Pajaro Valley Unified
How many schools are in Pajaro Valley Unified?
SchoolGrade grades 33 public schools in Pajaro Valley Unified, across 4 cities and towns. Every one of them is listed on this page with a link to its own report.
Which cities does Pajaro Valley Unified serve?
The largest by graded schools: Watsonville, Aptos, Freedom, La Selva Beach.
How good are the schools in Pajaro Valley Unified?
Across the 33 graded schools, the average SchoolGrade is D, with 20.9% of tested students meeting the state bar against a projected 25.8%. 27% of schools meet or exceed the expectation for their student context.
How many students attend Pajaro Valley Unified?
17,013 students were enrolled in Pajaro Valley Unified in the 2023-24 school year, about 21.2 students per full-time teacher (NCES Common Core of Data).
Where is Pajaro Valley Unified?
Pajaro Valley Unified is in California, based in Santa Cruz County, with its district office in Watsonville. Its boundary covers about 156 sq mi.