Is Costanoa Continuation High a good school?

Costanoa Continuation High ranks in the bottom 19.2% of California high schools.

How many students attend Costanoa Continuation High?

In the 2023-24 school year, 87 students attended Costanoa Continuation High.

What is the racial makeup of Costanoa Continuation High?

Students at Costanoa Continuation High are 82% Hispanic, 13% White, 5% Two or more races, 1% African American.

Costanoa Continuation High

Summary:

Costanoa Continuation High is a small public high school in Santa Cruz, California, serving grades 9-12 and part of the Santa Cruz City High School District. With around 90 students, this school faces significant challenges, including low academic performance, high dropout and chronic absenteeism rates, and serving a higher proportion of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Costanoa Continuation High consistently ranks in the bottom 20% of California high schools, with only 13.04% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 0% proficient or better in Mathematics. The school has struggled with high dropout rates, reaching as high as 46.9% in 2018-2019, and high chronic absenteeism, with rates ranging from 51.9% to 74.3% in recent years. In contrast, nearby traditional high schools like Soquel High, Harbor High, and Santa Cruz High consistently outperform Costanoa Continuation High on academic measures and have lower dropout and chronic absenteeism rates.

While Costanoa Continuation High's struggles are not unique, as continuation high schools often face significant challenges in supporting students who have faced academic or personal difficulties, the data indicates that the school has room for improvement. Exploring best practices from higher-performing continuation high schools or implementing evidence-based strategies to address the specific needs of the student population could help Costanoa Continuation High make progress in areas such as academic achievement, graduation rates, and student engagement.

Detail:

Public 9-12

840 North Branciforte Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062-1028

(831) 429-3898

District: Santa Cruz City High

SchoolDigger Rank:
1877^th of 2,323 California High Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 18.3

Number of students: 87

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.6%

White:

12.6%

Two or more races:

4.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 64.4%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Costanoa Continuation High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Costanoa Continuation High ranks worse than 80.8% of high schools in California. It also ranks last among 6 ranked high schools in the Santa Cruz City High School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.91. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Costanoa Continuation High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (81.6%), White (12.6%), two or more races (4.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 64.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Santa Cruz City High School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Costanoa Continuation High is 18.3, which is the 2^nd best among 6 high schools in the Santa Cruz City High School District. (See more...)

Compare Costanoa Continuation High employs 4.7 full-time teachers.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Costanoa Continuation High:

SchoolDigger ranks Costanoa Continuation High 1877^th of 2323 California public high schools. (See Costanoa Continuation High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Santa Cruz City High:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Cruz City High 495^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Costanoa Continuation High?

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Rank History for Costanoa Continuation High

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Rank History for all students at Costanoa Continuation High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	13.26	1550^th	1653	6.2%
2005	26.26	1158^th	1901	39.1%
2006	26.21	1210^th	1968	38.5%
2007	22.48	1402^nd	2063	32.0%
2008	19.51	1561^st	2117	26.3%
2009	24.70	1637^th	2238	26.9%
2010	27.41	1349^th	2281	40.9%
2011	24.33	1486^th	2367	37.2%
2012	12.30	1924^th	2354	18.3%
2013	23.64	1518^th	2426	37.4%
2015	10.48	1811^th	1994	9.2%
2016	20.52	1511^th	2039	25.9%
2017	9.27	1918^th	2021	5.1%
2018	14.18	1623^rd	2017	19.5%
2019	9.91	2052^nd	2133	3.8%
2022	13.13	1872^nd	2123	11.8%
2023	15.84	1809^th	2348	23.0%
2024	12.91	1877^th	2323	19.2%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Costanoa Continuation High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	11.01	1655^th	1862	11.1%
2019	9.20	1906^th	1937	1.6%
2023	18.18	1710^th	2247	23.9%
2024	11.80	1873^rd	2235	16.2%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Costanoa Continuation High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	6.96	1820^th	1833	0.7%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Costanoa Continuation High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.52	1429^th	1834	22.1%
2019	10.04	1786^th	1880	5.0%
2022	12.32	1741^st	1916	9.1%
2023	14.81	1749^th	2207	20.8%
2024	12.94	1778^th	2172	18.1%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Costanoa Continuation High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	8.71	1684^th	1742	3.3%
2019	8.83	1782^nd	1814	1.8%
2022	11.98	1704^th	1861	8.4%
2023	10.65	1864^th	2142	13.0%
2024	9.46	1891^st	2125	11.0%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Costanoa Continuation High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	176	4	3	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	194
1989	176	3	2	19	5	n/a	n/a	0	205
1990	170	3	1	15	4	n/a	n/a	0	193
1991	158	7	0	27	1	n/a	n/a	0	193
1992	195	6	0	35	3	n/a	n/a	0	239
1993	141	9	1	30	3	n/a	n/a	0	184
1994	142	14	1	53	4	n/a	n/a	0	214
1995	131	18	9	75	4	n/a	n/a	0	237
1996	131	18	9	75	4	n/a	n/a	0	237
1997	111	11	4	67	1	n/a	n/a	0	194
1998	81	1	4	36	3	n/a	n/a	0	125
1999	107	5	3	40	2	n/a	n/a	0	157
2000	81	4	3	39	2	n/a	n/a	0	129
2001	81	6	8	39	1	n/a	n/a	0	135
2002	77	4	2	40	1	n/a	n/a	4	128
2003	77	4	2	40	1	n/a	n/a	4	128
2004	63	2	1	41	0	n/a	n/a	8	115
2005	68	3	2	61	2	n/a	n/a	2	138
2006	85	5	0	72	1	n/a	n/a	6	169
2007	56	5	0	74	0	n/a	n/a	9	144
2008	54	3	2	74	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	133
2009	40	4	3	83	0	2	12	0	144
2010	39	7	3	96	0	1	1	0	147
2011	43	2	4	97	1	0	2	0	149
2012	34	3	4	66	1	0	3	0	111
2013	32	5	2	68	0	0	5	0	112
2014	27	7	1	79	1	0	3	0	118
2015	23	3	1	73	1	0	3	0	104
2016	19	3	0	58	0	0	5	0	85
2017	29	4	1	43	0	0	3	0	80
2018	24	1	1	61	0	0	2	0	89
2019	23	2	0	59	0	0	2	0	86
2020	28	2	0	52	2	0	3	0	87
2021	27	2	0	59	2	0	4	0	94
2022	16	4	0	59	0	0	3	0	82
2023	18	3	0	66	0	0	3	0	90
2024	11	1	0	71	0	0	4	0	87

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Costanoa Continuation High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	194	9.8	19.7	n/a
1989	205	9.6	21.3	n/a
1990	193	8.6	22.4	n/a
1991	193	9.2	20.9	n/a
1992	239	9.3	25.6	12.6
1993	184	12.8	14.4	23.9
1994	214	8.9	24.0	18.7
1995	237	10.0	23.7	25.7
1996	237	10.0	23.7	25.7
1997	194	9.2	21.1	29.4
1998	125	8.6	14.5	41.6
1999	157	7.8	20.1	45.2
2000	129	7.2	17.9	31
2001	135	8.0	16.9	18.5
2002	128	7.2	17.8	24.2
2003	128	7.2	17.8	24.2
2004	115	6.0	19.2	39.3
2005	138	8.5	16.2	44.1
2006	169	7.7	21.9	38.7
2007	144	8.6	16.7	72.6
2008	133	11.8	11.3	57.9
2009	144	7.8	13.0	65.3
2010	147	6.8	21.6	65.3
2011	149	n/a	n/a	71.8
2012	111	7.5	14.8	n/a
2013	112	5.9	18.9	69.6
2014	118	6.1	19.3	59.3
2015	104	6.0	17.3	71.2
2016	85	6.0	14.1	72.9
2017	80	5.9	13.5	72.5
2018	89	4.6	19.0	70.8
2019	86	5.1	16.8	75.6
2020	87	n/a	n/a	55.2
2021	94	4.0	23.5	52.1
2022	82	5.0	16.4	47.6
2023	90	5.0	17.7	48.9
2024	87	4.7	18.3	64.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Costanoa Continuation High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	194	9.8	19.7	n/a
1989	205	9.6	21.3	n/a
1990	193	8.6	22.4	n/a
1991	193	9.2	20.9	n/a
1992	239	9.3	25.6	12.6
1993	184	12.8	14.4	23.9
1994	214	8.9	24.0	18.7
1995	237	10.0	23.7	25.7
1996	237	10.0	23.7	25.7
1997	194	9.2	21.1	29.4
1998	125	8.6	14.5	41.6
1999	157	7.8	20.1	45.2
2000	129	7.2	17.9	31
2001	135	8.0	16.9	18.5
2002	128	7.2	17.8	24.2
2003	128	7.2	17.8	24.2
2004	115	6.0	19.2	39.3
2005	138	8.5	16.2	44.1
2006	169	7.7	21.9	38.7
2007	144	8.6	16.7	72.6
2008	133	11.8	11.3	57.9
2009	144	7.8	13.0	65.3
2010	147	6.8	21.6	65.3
2011	149	n/a	n/a	71.8
2012	111	7.5	14.8	n/a
2013	112	5.9	18.9	69.6
2014	118	6.1	19.3	59.3
2015	104	6.0	17.3	71.2
2016	85	6.0	14.1	72.9
2017	80	5.9	13.5	72.5
2018	89	4.6	19.0	70.8
2019	86	5.1	16.8	75.6
2020	87	n/a	n/a	55.2
2021	94	4.0	23.5	52.1
2022	82	5.0	16.4	47.6
2023	90	5.0	17.7	48.9
2024	87	4.7	18.3	64.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Costanoa Continuation High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 2052^nd of 2133 High schools	Ranks 1809^th of 2348 High schools	19.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Costanoa Continuation High)	5.7	20.8	15.1%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Santa Cruz City High)	65.6	62.6	3%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	57.3	55.4	1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Costanoa Continuation High)	0	4.4	4.4%
11th Grade Mathematics (Santa Cruz City High)	46.4	32.8	13.6%
11th Grade Mathematics (California)	32.2	27.4	4.9%
12th Grade Science (Costanoa Continuation High)	0	7.1	7.1%
12th Grade Science (Santa Cruz City High)	34.2	33.8	0.4%
12th Grade Science (California)	25.6	26.9	1.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	86	90	4.7%
African American	2	3	50%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	0	0
Hispanic	59	66	11.9%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	23	18	21.7%
Two or More Races	2	3	50%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	75.6%	48.9%	26.7%

Schools Near Costanoa Continuation High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CAST Science (2024)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Costanoa Continuation High	Public	9-12	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	87	5	18.3	64.4%	11 (12.6%)	1 (1.1%)	71 (81.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.6%)	12.9	1877^th of 2323 public high schools	19.2%		15.8	1809^th of 2348 public high schools	23.0%	68		10.0	10.0			13.0	13.0			0.0	0.0
Ark Independent Studies	Public	6-12	840 North Branciforte Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3898	52	2	21.6	36.5%	24 (46.2%)	1 (1.9%)	23 (44.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.7%)	62.6	581^st of 2323 public high schools	75.0%		73.1	435^th of 2348 public high schools	81.5%	146		45.5	45.5			56.3	56.3			20.0	20.0
Harbor High	Public	9-12	300 La Fonda Ave.	Santa Cruz	95062	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3810	1,040	55	18.9	41.3%	377 (36.3%)	6 (0.6%)	556 (53.5%)	38 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (5.9%)	61.8	595^th of 2323 public high schools	74.4%		69.4	494^th of 2348 public high schools	79.0%	101		32.6	32.6			56.5	56.5			24.7	24.7
Santa Cruz High	Public	9-12	415 Walnut Ave.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3960	1,104	51	21.6	25.5%	630 (57.1%)	22 (2.0%)	324 (29.3%)	32 (2.9%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	92 (8.3%)	90.5	152^nd of 2323 public high schools	93.5%		81.1	309^th of 2348 public high schools	86.8%	157		46.4	46.4			75.4	75.4			57.6	57.6
Santa Cruz County Regional Occupational Program	Public	10-12	400 Encinal St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(831) 466-5762	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Santa Cruz County Court	Public	7-12	400 Encinal St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 466-5728	24	2	12.0	87.5%	2 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (91.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$23,217
Santa Cruz County Community	Public	7-12	400 Encinal St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 466-5728	733	32	23.0	50.9%	300 (40.9%)	10 (1.4%)	376 (51.3%)	13 (1.8%)	9 (1.2%)	3 (0.4%)	16 (2.2%)	24.4	1568^th of 2323 public high schools	32.5%		26.9	1509^th of 2348 public high schools	35.7%	59		14.4	14.6			30.8	29.8			5.8	5.5	$17,330
Pacific Collegiate Charter	Public, Charter	7-12	3004 Mission St.	Santa Cruz	95060	Santa Cruz County	Pacific Collegiate Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 479-7785	540	33	16.3	10.0%	343 (63.5%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (16.3%)	33 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	73 (13.5%)	97.3	46^th of 2323 public high schools	98.0%		97.3	49^th of 2348 public high schools	97.9%	3	62.0	83.3	71.4	73.5	84.0	95.0	83.5	62.9	66.7	78.2	68.6
Soquel High	Public	9-12	401 Old San Jose Rd.	Soquel	95073	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 429-3909	1,048	50	21.1	30.4%	498 (47.5%)	10 (1.0%)	419 (40.0%)	19 (1.8%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	94 (9.0%)	70.5	465^th of 2323 public high schools	80.0%		68.5	504^th of 2348 public high schools	78.5%	39		25.5	25.5			74.4	74.4			34.0	34.0
Delta Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	6500 Soquel Dr. Bldg. 1190	Aptos	95003	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz City High	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 477-5212	116	9	13.0	38.8%	71 (61.2%)	2 (1.7%)	35 (30.2%)	2 (1.7%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.6%)	24.3	1571^st of 2323 public high schools	32.4%		22.9	1624^th of 2348 public high schools	30.8%	53		14.6	14.6			27.0	27.0			7.9	7.9

Costanoa Continuation High

Costanoa Continuation High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Santa Cruz City High:

What do you think?

Rank History for Costanoa Continuation High

Rank History for all students at Costanoa Continuation High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Costanoa Continuation High

Rank History for Female students at Costanoa Continuation High

Rank History for Male students at Costanoa Continuation High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Costanoa Continuation High

Enrollment information for Costanoa Continuation High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Costanoa Continuation High

Student/Teacher Ratio Costanoa Continuation High

Impact of COVID-19 on Costanoa Continuation High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Costanoa Continuation High