Pajaro Valley Unified School District

294 Green Valley Rd.
Watsonville, CA 95076-1300
(District boundaries shown in map)
3/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

Pajaro Valley Unified School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in California for:

Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 8 public high schools serving 5,513 students in Pajaro Valley Unified School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 4/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public high schools in California.
Public High Schools in Pajaro Valley Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 18% (versus the California public high school average of 28%), and reading proficiency score of 41% (versus the 51% statewide average).
Public High School in Pajaro Valley Unified School District have a Graduation Rate of 87%, which is equal to the California average of 87%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Aptos High School, with 96% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in California or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 87% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the California public high school average of 79% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
34 Schools
2,817 Schools
# Students
16,921 Students
2,139,525 Students
# Teachers
801 Teachers
100,737 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
21:1
21:1

District Rank

Pajaro Valley Unified School District, which is ranked #1513 of all 1,925 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 88% has increased from 86% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (CA)
#1517 out of 1941 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Pajaro Valley Unified  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
17%
33%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Pajaro Valley Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
27%
47%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Pajaro Valley Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
17%
29%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Pajaro Valley Unified  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
88%
87%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Pajaro Valley Unified  School District and public school graduation rate of California by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.28
0.63
# American Indian Students
21 Students
10,468 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
184 Students
244,247 Students
% Asian Students
1%
11%
# Hispanic Students
14,172 Students
1,190,384 Students
% Hispanic Students
84%
56%
# Black Students
36 Students
110,575 Students
% Black Students
n/a
5%
# White Students
2,236 Students
458,887 Students
% White Students
13%
22%
# Hawaiian Students
21 Students
9,060 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
239 Students
108,483 Students
% of Two or more races Students
2%
5%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
-
18
# Students in K Grade:
1,350
25,126
# Students in 1st Grade:
1,130
19,346
# Students in 2nd Grade:
1,278
19,826
# Students in 3rd Grade:
1,225
19,554
# Students in 4th Grade:
1,309
19,798
# Students in 5th Grade:
1,294
20,237
# Students in 6th Grade:
1,227
29,089
# Students in 7th Grade:
1,359
39,371
# Students in 8th Grade:
1,304
41,955
# Students in 9th Grade:
1,362
466,491
# Students in 10th Grade:
1,334
476,582
# Students in 11th Grade:
1,373
469,509
# Students in 12th Grade:
1,376
492,623
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $20,165 is higher than the state median of $19,974. The school district revenue/student has grown by 7% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $18,756 is higher than the state median of $18,396. The school district spending/student has grown by 7% over four school years.
This School District
This State (CA)
Total Revenue
$341 MM
$116,387 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Pajaro Valley Unified  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$317 MM
$107,188 MM
This chart displays total spending of Pajaro Valley Unified  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$20,165
$19,974
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Pajaro Valley Unified  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$18,756
$18,396
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Pajaro Valley Unified  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in California by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Pajaro Valley Unified School District Public High Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Aptos High School
(Math: 36% | Reading: 66%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
100 Mariner Way
Aptos, CA 95003
(831) 728-7832
Grades: 9-12
| 1,316 students
Rank: #2 - 32. - 3.
Diamond Technology Institute
Charter School
(Math: <50% | Reading: <50%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
112 Diamond Dr.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 728-6225
Grades: 9-12
| 83 students
Rank: #2 - 32. - 3.
New School Community Day
Alternative School
(Math: <50% | Reading: <50%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
165 Harkins Slough Rd.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 761-6140
Grades: 9-12
| 40 students
Rank: #44.
Pvusd Virtual Academy
Alternative School
(Math: 20-24% | Reading: 35-39%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
250 East Beach St.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 786-2482
Grades: K-12
| 74 students
Rank: #55.
Pajaro Valley High School
(Math: 12% | Reading: 36%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
500 Harkins Slough Rd.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 728-8102
Grades: 9-12
| 1,428 students
Rank: #66.
Pacific Coast Charter
Charter School
(Math: 10-14% | Reading: 30-39%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
294 Green Valley Rd.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 786-2180
Grades: K-12
| 197 students
Rank: #77.
Watsonville High School
(Math: 10% | Reading: 31%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
250 East Beach St.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 728-6390
Grades: 9-12
| 2,253 students
Rank: #88.
Renaissance High Continuation
Alternative School
(Math: ≤5% | Reading: ≤10%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
11 Spring Valley Rd.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 728-6344
Grades: 9-12
| 122 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 34 schools
  • Grades: KG-12
  • Enrollment: 16,921 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 21:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 87%
  • : 88% (Btm 50% in CA)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 17% (Btm 50%)
  • : 27% (Btm 50%)
  • : 17% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), CA Dept. of Education

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