Safety scores and transparency grades from federal incident data · 2021-22 collection
Typical home value: $1,365,773 (Zillow ZHVI, 2026-06-30) — cheaper than 2% of ZHVI-matched cities. Comparing safety against price? See the Affordable & Safe guide.
| SCHOOL | DISTRICT | GRADES | STUDENTS | SAFETY SCORE | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brook Knoll Elementary | Scotts Valley Unified | KG–05 | 425 | 91 | A |
| Westlake Elementary | Santa Cruz City Elementary | KG–05 | 485 | 89 | A |
| Live Oak Elementary | Live Oak Elementary | KG–05 | 318 | 78 | A |
| Bay View Elementary | Santa Cruz City Elementary | KG–05 | 327 | 68 | A |
| Santa Cruz High | Santa Cruz City High | 09–12 | 1,131 | 60 | A |
| Gault Elementary | Santa Cruz City Elementary | KG–05 | 303 | 58 | A |
| Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary | Soquel Union Elementary | KG–05 | 238 | 57 | A |
| Branciforte Middle | Santa Cruz City High | 06–08 | 421 | 52 | A |
| Del Mar Elementary | Live Oak Elementary | KG–05 | 350 | 44 | A |
| Harbor High | Santa Cruz City High | 09–12 | 1,041 | 42 | A |
| Mission Hill Middle | Santa Cruz City High | 06–08 | 564 | 38 | A |
| Shoreline Middle | Live Oak Elementary | 06–08 | 442 | 35 | A |
| Pacific Collegiate Charter | Pacific Collegiate Charter District | 07–12 | 556 | 34 | A |
| Santa Cruz County Community | Santa Cruz County Office of Education | 07–12 | 657 | 29 | A |
| Costanoa Continuation High | Santa Cruz City High | 09–12 | 82 | 26 | A |
| Alternative Family Education | Santa Cruz City High | KG–12 | 118 | — insufficient data | C |
| Ark Independent Studies | Santa Cruz City High | 06–12 | 86 | — insufficient data | C |
| Bonny Doon Elementary | Bonny Doon Union Elementary | KG–06 | 117 | — insufficient data | C |
| De Laveaga Elementary | Santa Cruz City Elementary | KG–05 | 475 | — insufficient data | C |
| Green Acres Elementary | Live Oak Elementary | KG–05 | 322 | — insufficient data | C |
| Happy Valley Elementary | Happy Valley Elementary | KG–06 | 111 | — insufficient data | C |
| Ocean Alternative Education Center | Live Oak Elementary | KG–08 | 110 | — insufficient data | C |
| Santa Cruz City Elementary Alternative Education-Monarch | Santa Cruz City Elementary | KG–05 | 121 | — insufficient data | C |
| Santa Cruz County Court | Santa Cruz County Office of Education | 07–12 | 59 | — insufficient data | C |
| Santa Cruz County ROP | Santa Cruz County ROP | 10–12 | — insufficient data | ||
| Santa Cruz County Special Education | Santa Cruz County Office of Education | KG–12 | 101 | — insufficient data | C |
| Special Education Preschool | Live Oak Elementary | M–M | — insufficient data | C | |
| Tierra Pacifica Charter | Live Oak Elementary | KG–08 | 154 | — insufficient data | C |