Pajaro Valley Unified School District

294 Green Valley Rd.
Watsonville, CA 95076-1300
(District boundaries shown in map)
: 
2/
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 2026-27 school year, there are 11 public middle schools serving 4,511 students in Pajaro Valley Unified School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 2/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in California.
Public Middle Schools in Pajaro Valley Unified School District have an average math proficiency score of 15% (versus the California public middle school average of 32%), and reading proficiency score of 27% (versus the 46% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 90% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the California public middle school average of 78% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (CA)
# Schools
34 Schools
3,459 Schools
# Students
16,482 Students
1,857,843 Students
# Teachers
779 Teachers
88,071 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
21:1
21:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Pajaro Valley Unified School District, which is ranked #1565 of all 1,903 school districts in California (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 89% has stayed relatively flat over five school years.
This School District
State Average (CA)
#1561 out of 1932 school districts
(Bottom 50%)

Showing 2013–2023. Full 14-year historical data available below ↓

17%
34%

Showing 2013–2023. Full 14-year historical data available below ↓

27%
47%

Showing 2012–2022. Full 13-year historical data available below ↓

17%
29%
89%
86.2%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 13-year historical data available below ↓

(2022-23)
35.1%
27.7%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.28
0.64

Showing 2014–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
1%
11%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% Hispanic
84%
55%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% Black
n/a
5%

Showing 1996–2009. Full 17-year historical data available below ↓

% White
13%
22%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
2%
6%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $27,728 is higher than the state median of $26,022. The school district revenue/student has grown by 40% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $23,420 is higher than the state median of $22,604. The school district spending/student has grown by 27% over four school years.
This School District
This State (CA)
Total Revenue
$457 MM
$150,628 MM

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Spending
$386 MM
$130,845 MM

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Revenue / Student
$27,728
$26,022

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Spending / Student
$23,420
$22,604

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Best Pajaro Valley Unified School District Public Middle Schools (2026-27)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Linscott Charter
Charter School
(Math: 35-39% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
220 Elm St.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 728-6301
Gr: K-8 | 258 students Student-teacher ratio: 29:1 Minority enrollment: 89%
Rank: #22.
Aptos Junior High School
(Math: 36% | Reading: 48%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
1001 Huntington Dr.
Aptos, CA 95003
(831) 688-3234
Gr: 7-8 | 587 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 57%
Rank: #33.
Alianza Charter
Charter School
(Math: 26% | Reading: 34%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
115 Casserly Rd.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 728-6333
Gr: K-8 | 626 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 98%
Rank: #44.
Pvusd Virtual Academy
Alternative School
(Math: 15-19% | Reading: 35-39%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
250 East Beach St.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 786-2482
Gr: K-12 | 43 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 88%
Rank: #55.
Watsonville Charter School Of The Arts
Charter School
(Math: 20% | Reading: 33%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
115 Casserly Rd. West Campus
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 728-8123
Gr: K-8 | 415 students Student-teacher ratio: 23:1 Minority enrollment: 76%
Rank: #66.
Pacific Coast Charter
Charter School
(Math: 15-19% | Reading: 30-39%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
294 Green Valley Rd.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 786-2180
Gr: K-12 | 132 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 90%
Rank: #77.
Pajaro Middle School
(Math: 8% | Reading: 24%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
250 Salinas Rd.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 728-6238
Gr: 6-8 | 398 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 99%
Rank: #88.
Lakeview Middle School
(Math: 10% | Reading: 19%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
2350 East Lake Ave.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 728-6455
Gr: 6-8 | 425 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 99%
Rank: #99.
Cesar E. Chavez Middle School
(Math: 10% | Reading: 17%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
440 Arthur Rd.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 761-7699
Gr: 6-8 | 548 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 99%
Rank: #1010.
Rolling Hills Middle School
(Math: 5% | Reading: 15%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
130 Herman Ave.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 728-6341
Gr: 6-8 | 588 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 99%
Rank: #1111.
E. A. Hall Middle School
(Math: 4% | Reading: 15%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
201 Brewington Ave.
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 728-6270
Gr: 6-8 | 491 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 98%

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Quick Facts (26-27)

  • District size: 34 schools
  • Grades: K-12
  • Enrollment: 16,482 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 21:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 87%
  • : 89% (Top 30% 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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