See How Santa Cruz Schools Performed In Ranking Of CA Classrooms

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Santa Cruz public schoolss ranked better than most in a recently released ranking of schools and school districts from Niche.

Niche, a data analysis company, looked at a variety of criteria in determining a grade for both public and private K-12 schools in the Bay Area, including academics, teachers and diversity.

Santa Cruz City High School District ranked 93rd out of 438 California school districts reviewed and got an A- grade overall. Delta Charter School and Ark Independent Studies received the lowest grades (B), while Santa Cruz High School got the highest ranking (A).

Santa Cruz City Elementary School District ranked 106th and received a B grade overall. Gault Elementary School was the lowest-rated with a C+ rating, while Westlake Elementary School received the highest score: A-.

Niche said its 2022 best schools rankings offer a more “personal” view of schools than its rankings in recent years. Significantly less importance was placed on SAT and ACT scores this year, Niche said. Any factor in its methodology that is related to test scores was reduced by one third.

The company combined ratings from students, alumni and parents with quantitative data from the U.S. Department of Education and other sources to evaluate teachers, resources, facility, extracurricular activity opportunities and other factors. Read more about the methodology here.

Across the country, Niche ranked 94,491 public schools, 2,489 private schools and 11,846 school districts to come up with its lists and rankings.

Top 5 Public High Schools:

1. The Davidson Academy in Reno, Nevada
2. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
3. Massachusetts Academy for Math & Science School
4. Maggie Walker Governor’s School in Virginia
5. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Virginia

Top 5 Private High Schools:

1. Phillips Academy in Massachusetts
2. The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut
3. Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut
4. The College Preparatory School in California
5. Groton School in Massachusetts

Top 5 School Districts:

1. Adlai E. Stevenson High School District in Illinois
2. Glenbrook High School District in Illinois
3. Great Neck Public Schools in New York
4. Community High School District 128 in Illinois
5. Jericho Union Free School District in New York

See the full Niche rankings here.