Enrollment & Outcomes Scorecard
Watsonville High School
Public · Watsonville · Santa Cruz County · 2,232 students · Class of 2025
UC Reach · Class of 2025
14%
Higher than 37% of California high schools
-5.3 pp vs. peer median (19.5%)
· Ranked #7 of 11 similar schools
5-year UC Reach
2021 · 10.3%
2025 · 14.2%
+1%
Senior-class enrollment (2018–2026)
-2.5 pp
vs. Santa Cruz County baseline (+3%)
~2224
5-yr projected enrollment (8 fewer than today)
- ▸On UC Reach, Watsonville High School sits in the middle of its similar-school group (ranked #7 of 11): 14% vs. a peer median of 20%.
- ▸Its UC Reach has risen 6 points since 2018.
- ▸Across the top-6 UC campuses, Watsonville High School is admitting at roughly +10 percentage points above what its average applicant GPA (3.798) alone would predict (33% actual vs. 23% expected). That's a meaningful signal — it can reflect UC's track record with this school's graduates, students presenting strongly in UC's holistic review (essays, EC's, context), or institutional familiarity helping at the margin. The data can't distinguish which, but the pattern itself is real and worth understanding.
- ▸Senior-class enrollment is up 1% (507→510 from 2018 to 2026), tracking the peer-group median of -0%.
- ▸At its recent rate (-0.1%/yr), enrollment projects to ~2224 by 2029 — about 8 fewer students than today.
Most similar nearby schools
| School | Type | UC Reach | Enroll. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pajaro Valley Hs | Public | 10.9% | -4% |
| North Salinas High School | Public | 11.6% | +15% |
| Christopher High School | Public | 13.1% | +1% |
| Salinas High School | Public | 24.2% | -8% |
| Gilroy High School | Public | 9.8% | +23% |
| Aptos High School | Public | 28.4% | -6% |
UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class. Sources: UCOP Admissions by Source School, CDE enrollment, IRS Form 990, NCES F-33. Test Prep Gurus Intelligence by Test Prep Gurus · Methodology
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