Enrollment
1,293
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Watsonville, CA
Pajaro Valley High
Federal NCES profile for Pajaro Valley High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062949011462
👥 S:T ratio 20
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pajaro Valley High earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #4 of 4
- high schools in Watsonville · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.9:1
- students per teacher
- 78.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Pajaro Valley High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Pajaro Valley High ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Watsonville, CA.
School address
District: Pajaro Valley Unified · California
NCES ID 062949011462 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
65.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Pajaro Valley High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Pajaro Valley High
Pajaro Valley High is a high-poverty, large high school in Watsonville, California, enrolling 1,293 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,293 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 462 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #267.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 6/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 431 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Watsonville's high schools, it stands alongside Watsonville High (2,215 students): Pajaro Valley High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.9:1 vs 21.7:1).
Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Watsonville High (2,215 students) and Aptos High (1,274 students) alongside Pajaro Valley High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Pajaro Valley High compares
Pajaro Valley High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.9:1 | ▼ 7% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.5% | ▲ 41% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,293 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.9:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,293
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.9:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 34% in California - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
49.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,011
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 431 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 104 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 96.9%
White 1.8%
Asian 0.9%
Two or More 0.3%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 96.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.1, Pajaro Valley High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pajaro Valley Unified, which includes Pajaro Valley High.
$17,011
Per student
+3%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.6%
State 56.5%
Federal 12.9%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Pajaro Valley High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Aptos High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alianza Charter | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rolling Hills Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Aptos Junior High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Pajaro Valley High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,215
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,274
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 626
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 588
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar high schools in Watsonville
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,293 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Pajaro Valley High's federal record.
- Compare Pajaro Valley High against another school. Compare schools
- Pajaro Valley Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Pajaro Valley High
How many students attend Pajaro Valley High?
Pajaro Valley High has 1,293 students enrolled. It is a high school in Watsonville, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Pajaro Valley High?
The student-teacher ratio at Pajaro Valley High is 19.9:1, which is 7% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pajaro Valley High?
78.5% of students at Pajaro Valley High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pajaro Valley High?
The largest demographic group at Pajaro Valley High is Hispanic or Latino at 96.9% of enrollment, in Watsonville, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pajaro Valley High?
Pajaro Valley High has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Pajaro Valley High rank among high schools in Watsonville?
By Resource Investment Index, Pajaro Valley High ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Watsonville, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Watsonville on the city page.
Is Pajaro Valley High a good school?
Pajaro Valley High earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Pajaro Valley Unified?
Besides Pajaro Valley High, Pajaro Valley Unified also operates Watsonville High (2,215 students), Aptos High (1,274 students), and Alianza Charter (626 students). See the Pajaro Valley Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.