Quick Take
Santa Cruz County students made small gains in math and English language arts in California standardized testing this year, but scores remain below statewide averages and pre-pandemic levels.
Santa Cruz County students made minor improvements in math and English language arts on California’s latest standardized tests, but their scores remain below statewide averages and pre-pandemic levels, according to state test results released Thursday.
As in California overall, most Santa Cruz County students are not achieving the state’s learning goals, a pattern that predates the pandemic.
In English language arts, 49.3% of California students scored proficient or advanced in 2026, up 0.5 percentage points. In Santa Cruz County, 44.6% reached those levels, an increase of 0.85 percentage points compared to 2025.
Math scores also improved, though overall scores remained low. The percentage of California students who scored proficient or advanced increased by 1.05 percentage points to 38.4%. In Santa Cruz County, students scored 0.71 percentage points higher, to 33.5%.
Despite the year-over-year gains, scores remain below pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, 51.1% of students across the state scored proficient or advanced in English language arts, while 47.2% in Santa Cruz County scored proficient or advanced.
In math, the figures were 39.7% statewide and 35.8% in Santa Cruz County.
Students in grades 3 through 8 and in 11th grade take the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments, which annually measure what students know using state standards for English language arts and math. The results help educators identify achievement gaps and areas for support to ensure college and career readiness.
Scores fall into four categories, from least prepared to most prepared: minimal, developing, proficient or advanced. For example, students who score advanced demonstrate they have advanced grade-level knowledge and can apply their knowledge for success in future coursework.
Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah celebrated the gains students made this year, as well as the drop in chronic absenteeism and graduation rates that rank higher than the statewide average.
“At the same time, our county continues to see persistent achievement gaps in English language arts and math,” he said, via email. “For example, about 28% of our socioeconomically disadvantaged students scored proficient or above in English language arts, compared with 65% of their peers.”
He said the data shows that educators and families must continue working with urgency to help students improve and succeed.
Lookout compared four school districts in Santa Cruz County: San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz City High and Pajaro Valley Unified. In English language arts and math, Scotts Valley Unified had the highest percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced, while Pajaro Valley had the lowest. PVUSD is the county’s largest school district.
This year, 68.4% of Scotts Valley students scored proficient or advanced in English language arts, compared to 60.4% of Santa Cruz City students, 54.4% of San Lorenzo Valley students and 27.9% of Pajaro Valley students.
In math, 61% of Scotts Valley students scored proficient or advanced, while 44.3% of San Lorenzo Valley students, 42.2% of Santa Cruz City and 18.5% of Pajaro Valley students scored proficient or advanced.
PVUSD Superintendent Heather Contreras told Lookout via email that the district showed improvements in lowering its chronic absenteeism rate and increasing its college readiness scores. She added math scores didn’t improve as much as they’d hoped.
“However, we are seeing persistent, nominal growth in mathematics when examining individual school-level data,” she said. “These individual school scores went up in math where we implemented strategic programs, curriculum and professional development.”
Contreras said the district will evaluate what worked well at individual schools and apply those initiatives more broadly districtwide.
To look at results at the county, district or school level, click here.
FOR THE RECORD: This story has been updated with comments from county and district officials.
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