County directory · California · 2026–27
School districts in Santa Cruz County, CA
Santa Cruz County has 13 regular public school districts, enrolling 32,369 students in 2024–25. The largest is Pajaro Valley Unified (16,588 students, 51% of the county), followed by Santa Cruz City High and San Lorenzo Valley Unified. All 13 offer kindergarten. California's kindergarten cutoff: turn 5 by September 1.
The 13 districts, largest first
| District and office | Grades | Schools | Students | Kindergarten | District office contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pajaro Valley Unified 294 Green Valley Rd., Watsonville also serves Monterey County | K–12 | 32 | 16,588 | 1,333 | (831) 786-2100 |
| Santa Cruz City High 133 Mission Street Ste. 100, Santa Cruz | K–12 | 9 | 4,467 | 6 | (831) 429-3410 |
| San Lorenzo Valley Unified 325 Marion Ave., Ben Lomond | K–12 | 6 | 2,238 | 209 | (831) 336-5194 |
| Scotts Valley Unified 108 Whispering Pines Dr. Ste. 115, Scotts Valley | K–12 | 4 | 2,126 | 271 | (831) 438-1820 |
| Santa Cruz City Elementary 133 Mission Street Ste. 100, Santa Cruz | K–5 | 5 | 1,758 | 377 | (831) 429-3410 |
| Live Oak Elementary 1777-A Capitola Rd., Santa Cruz | K–8 | 6 | 1,669 | 236 | (831) 475-6333 |
| Soquel Union Elementary 620 Monterey Ave., Capitola | K–8 | 4 | 1,520 | 187 | (831) 464-5632 |
| Santa Cruz County Office of Education 400 Encinal St., Santa Cruz | K–12 | 4 | 1,063 | 8 | (831) 466-5600 |
| Loma Prieta Joint Union Elementary 23800 Summit Rd., Los Gatos also serves Santa Clara County | K–8 | 2 | 425 | 40 | (408) 353-1101 |
| Pacific Elementary 50 Ocean St., Davenport | K–6 | 1 | 173 | 35 | (831) 425-7002 |
| Mountain Elementary 3042 Old San Jose Rd., Soquel | K–6 | 1 | 143 | 34 | (831) 475-6812 |
| Happy Valley Elementary 3125 Branciforte Dr., Santa Cruz | K–6 | 1 | 107 | 10 | (831) 429-1456 |
| Bonny Doon Union Elementary 1492 Pine Flat Rd., Santa Cruz | K–6 | 1 | 92 | 13 | (831) 427-2300 |
Santa Cruz County at a glance
Together the 13 districts run 76 schools from offices in 8 towns. The smallest by enrollment is Bonny Doon Union Elementary, with 92 students; the median Santa Cruz County district has 1,520. By grade span: 5 K–12, 4 K–6, 3 K–8 and 1 K–5.
Kindergarten in 2024–25, counting the 13 districts that report a K grade: 2,759 children. The biggest kindergarten was Pajaro Valley Unified's, with 1,333; Santa Cruz City Elementary had 377, and the smallest, Santa Cruz City High, had 6.
Santa Cruz County holds 13 of California's 987 regular districts (1.3%) and 0.6% of its 5,201,297 public school students, ranking 28th of 58 counties by number of districts and 25th by enrollment. By size, 1 enroll 5,000 or more, 7 enroll 1,000 to 4,999 and 5 have fewer than 1,000 students, and the average school here has about 426 students.
2 districts reach past the county line: Pajaro Valley Unified (into Monterey County) and Loma Prieta Joint Union Elementary (into Santa Clara County).
Which district am I in?
Each district draws its own attendance zones, so your home address decides it, and with 2 of Santa Cruz County's districts crossing county lines the county alone won't. There is no address lookup here; ask the district. Each one's own site:
Pajaro Valley Unified · Santa Cruz City High · San Lorenzo Valley Unified · Scotts Valley Unified · Santa Cruz City Elementary · Live Oak Elementary · Soquel Union Elementary · Santa Cruz County Office of Education · Loma Prieta Joint Union Elementary · Pacific Elementary · Mountain Elementary · Happy Valley Elementary · Bonny Doon Union Elementary
What grade will my child be in?
More in California
Every California district by county · California kindergarten cutoff
More California county directories: Kern County (47) · Santa Clara County (31) · Stanislaus County (25) · Sutter County (13) · Tehama County (15) · Tulare County (45)