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High School Rankings
Monterey County · 2025 · ≥50 seniors
What is UC Reach? UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class size,
summing each campus — measured against a school's
entire graduating class, across the six most selective UCs (
Berkeley,
UCLA, San Diego,
Santa Barbara,
Irvine,
Davis). It's a better gauge of school-wide success than admit rate, which only reflects the handful of students who applied.
Why it beats admit rate: if 6 students apply to the top UCs and all get in, that's a 100% admit rate — but at a 1,000-senior school it's a UC Reach Score of just 0.6 (6 ÷ 1,000). By contrast, a school where 250 of 1,000 seniors land a top-UC admit has a UC Reach Score of 25 — far stronger, even though its admit rate is lower.
Why some schools are over 100? Out of every 100 seniors at these schools, the class is generating
more than 100 admissions to the six most selective UCs — meaning the typical strong student is getting in at multiple top campuses (
UCLA +
UCSD, or
Berkeley +
UCSB +
Irvine, for example). It's a rare achievement: fewer than 1% of California high schools clear a UC Reach Score of 100.
This board needs a class of 100+ seniors. Schools smaller than that are ranked on the small-schools board below — which is where California's highest UC Reach Score actually sits.
Ranked separately because they graduate 25–99 seniors — magnet programs, specialized charters and small privates. A class of 60 swings far more year to year than a class of 600, so mixing them into the boards above would compare unlike things. The state's single highest UC Reach Score sits on this board, not the one above it.
▲ Top 10 Small Public + Charter
Monterey County
Not enough schools in Monterey County for this list.
▲ Top 10 Small Private
Monterey County
| 1 |
Monterey · Private
|
76 |
| 2 |
Monterey · Private
|
41 |
| 3 |
Salinas · Private
|
23 |
Top and bottom schools by UC Reach, split public/charter vs private (≥50 seniors).
Scoped to Monterey County — change the County filter above to rescope.
▲ Top 10 Public + Charter
Monterey County
| 1 |
Carmel · Public
|
44 |
| 2 |
Pacific Grove · Public
|
40 |
| 3 |
Monterey · Public
|
38 |
| 4 |
Salinas · Public
|
29 |
| 5 |
Salinas · Public
|
24 |
| 6 |
Gonzales · Public
|
23 |
| 7 |
Castroville · Public
|
22 |
| 8 |
Salinas · Public
|
20 |
| 9 |
Salinas · Public
|
19 |
| 10 |
Soledad · Public
|
12 |
▲ Top 10 Private
Monterey County
| 1 |
Pebble Beach · Private
|
95 |
▼ Bottom 10 Public + Charter
Monterey County
| 1 |
Seaside · Public
|
4 |
| 2 |
King City · Public
|
7 |
| 3 |
Marina · Public
|
9 |
| 4 |
Greenfield · Public
|
12 |
| 5 |
Salinas · Public
|
12 |
| 6 |
Soledad · Public
|
12 |
| 7 |
Salinas · Public
|
19 |
| 8 |
Salinas · Public
|
20 |
| 9 |
Castroville · Public
|
22 |
| 10 |
Gonzales · Public
|
23 |
▼ Bottom 10 Private
Monterey County
| 1 |
Pebble Beach · Private
|
95 |
Where each UC campus lands its admits, as a share of each high school's senior class. Same 50-senior floor.
Top 10 — UCB Reach
UC Berkeley
| 1 |
Pebble Beach · Private
|
9 |
| 2 |
Salinas · Public
|
5 |
| 3 |
Carmel · Public
|
4 |
| 4 |
Pacific Grove · Public
|
4 |
| 5 |
Gonzales · Public
|
3 |
| 6 |
Monterey · Public
|
2 |
| 7 |
Salinas · Public
|
2 |
| 8 |
Salinas · Public
|
2 |
| 9 |
Castroville · Public
|
2 |
| 10 |
Salinas · Public
|
2 |
| 1 |
Pebble Beach · Private
|
3 |
| 2 |
Monterey · Public
|
2 |
| 3 |
Carmel · Public
|
2 |
| 4 |
Marina · Public
|
2 |
| 5 |
Salinas · Public
|
2 |
| 6 |
Pacific Grove · Public
|
2 |
| 7 |
Gonzales · Public
|
2 |
| 8 |
Castroville · Public
|
1 |
| 9 |
Salinas · Public
|
1 |
| 10 |
Salinas · Public
|
1 |
Top 10 — UCSD Reach
UC San Diego
| 1 |
Pebble Beach · Private
|
14 |
| 2 |
Salinas · Public
|
7 |
| 3 |
Pacific Grove · Public
|
7 |
| 4 |
Monterey · Public
|
6 |
| 5 |
Castroville · Public
|
5 |
| 6 |
Carmel · Public
|
4 |
| 7 |
Salinas · Public
|
4 |
| 8 |
Salinas · Public
|
4 |
| 9 |
Gonzales · Public
|
3 |
| 10 |
Salinas · Public
|
3 |
Top 10 — UCSB Reach
UC Santa Barbara
| 1 |
Pebble Beach · Private
|
20 |
| 2 |
Carmel · Public
|
14 |
| 3 |
Pacific Grove · Public
|
8 |
| 4 |
Monterey · Public
|
7 |
| 5 |
Salinas · Public
|
5 |
| 6 |
Gonzales · Public
|
4 |
| 7 |
Salinas · Public
|
4 |
| 8 |
Castroville · Public
|
4 |
| 9 |
Salinas · Public
|
3 |
| 10 |
Salinas · Public
|
3 |
Top 10 — UCI Reach
UC Irvine
| 1 |
Pebble Beach · Private
|
22 |
| 2 |
Pacific Grove · Public
|
10 |
| 3 |
Monterey · Public
|
8 |
| 4 |
Carmel · Public
|
8 |
| 5 |
Salinas · Public
|
6 |
| 6 |
Castroville · Public
|
4 |
| 7 |
Salinas · Public
|
4 |
| 8 |
Salinas · Public
|
4 |
| 9 |
Gonzales · Public
|
3 |
| 10 |
Greenfield · Public
|
3 |
Top 10 — UCD Reach
UC Davis
| 1 |
Pebble Beach · Private
|
27 |
| 2 |
Monterey · Public
|
12 |
| 3 |
Carmel · Public
|
12 |
| 4 |
Pacific Grove · Public
|
10 |
| 5 |
Salinas · Public
|
8 |
| 6 |
Gonzales · Public
|
7 |
| 7 |
Salinas · Public
|
7 |
| 8 |
Salinas · Public
|
6 |
| 9 |
Castroville · Public
|
6 |
| 10 |
Salinas · Public
|
6 |
UC Reach measures who gets in. These lenses measure the upstream pipeline (A-G), the downstream outcome (UC graduation), the capacity that drives the pipeline (counselors), reliability over time (consistency), grade-11 academic preparation (CAASPP SBAC ELA & Math), and private-school financial strength. Click any school for its full profile.
Top 10 — A-G Completion
% of graduates meeting UC/CSU course requirements · 2024-25 cohort
| 1 |
Monterey · Public
|
88.1% |
| 2 |
Marina · Public
|
77.2% |
| 3 |
Carmel · Public
|
72.9% |
| 4 |
Salinas · Public
|
63.8% |
| 5 |
Seaside · Public
|
62.6% |
| 6 |
Salinas · Public
|
56.7% |
| 7 |
Salinas · Public
|
56.6% |
| 8 |
Salinas · Public
|
50.1% |
| 9 |
Salinas · Public
|
46.6% |
| 10 |
Castroville · Public
|
45.3% |
Top 10 — UC 6-Yr Grad Rate
% of UC entrants who finished in 6 years · cohort N ≥ 20
| 1 |
Carmel · Public
|
86.4% |
| 2 |
Salinas · Public
|
82.3% |
| 3 |
Salinas · Public
|
82.1% |
| 4 |
Soledad · Public
|
80.0% |
| 5 |
Monterey · Public
|
77.1% |
| 6 |
Pacific Grove · Public
|
75.0% |
| 7 |
Salinas · Public
|
73.1% |
| 8 |
Castroville · Public
|
72.0% |
| 9 |
Salinas · Public
|
71.4% |
| 10 |
Seaside · Public
|
70.0% |
Top 10 — Best Counselor Capacity
Lowest students-per-counselor (ASCA target 250:1) · public/charter, ≥500 students
| 1 |
Pacific Grove · Public
|
180:1 |
| 2 |
Salinas · Public
|
240:1 |
| 3 |
Carmel · Public
|
245:1 |
| 4 |
Castroville · Public
|
292:1 |
| 5 |
Salinas · Public
|
304:1 |
| 6 |
Salinas · Public
|
319:1 |
| 7 |
Salinas · Public
|
320:1 |
| 8 |
Greenfield · Public
|
326:1 |
| 9 |
Seaside · Public
|
327:1 |
| 10 |
Gonzales · Public
|
358:1 |
Top 10 — Most Consistent
Lowest UC Reach std-dev across 5 years (above-CA-median mean)
| 1 |
avg 19.0 · σ 2.16
|
σ 2.16 |
| 2 |
avg 19.4 · σ 3.9
|
σ 3.9 |
| 3 |
avg 18.0 · σ 4.44
|
σ 4.44 |
| 4 |
avg 19.7 · σ 5.34
|
σ 5.34 |
| 5 |
avg 42.3 · σ 5.79
|
σ 5.79 |
| 6 |
avg 31.6 · σ 6.51
|
σ 6.51 |
| 7 |
avg 15.0 · σ 8.37
|
σ 8.37 |
| 8 |
avg 21.2 · σ 10.52
|
σ 10.52 |
Top 10 — SBAC ELA met/exceeded
% Met or Exceeded Standard · Grade 11 CAASPP · public/charter · tested ≥30
| 1 |
Pacific Grove · n=108 · 2025
|
83% |
| 2 |
Carmel · n=175 · 2025
|
82% |
| 3 |
Salinas · n=511 · 2025
|
69% |
| 4 |
King City · n=251 · 2025
|
66% |
| 5 |
Monterey · n=343 · 2025
|
62% |
| 6 |
Marina · n=164 · 2025
|
59% |
| 7 |
Salinas · n=643 · 2025
|
57% |
| 8 |
Salinas · n=354 · 2025
|
56% |
| 9 |
Castroville · n=257 · 2025
|
52% |
| 10 |
Greenfield · n=297 · 2025
|
51% |
Top 10 — SBAC Math met/exceeded
% Met or Exceeded Standard · Grade 11 CAASPP · public/charter · tested ≥30
| 1 |
Carmel · n=178 · 2025
|
66% |
| 2 |
Pacific Grove · n=98 · 2025
|
55% |
| 3 |
Salinas · n=519 · 2025
|
34% |
| 4 |
Monterey · n=346 · 2025
|
28% |
| 5 |
Salinas · n=355 · 2025
|
21% |
| 6 |
Salinas · n=643 · 2025
|
20% |
| 7 |
King City · n=249 · 2025
|
20% |
| 8 |
Gonzales · n=176 · 2025
|
18% |
| 9 |
Marina · n=163 · 2025
|
18% |
| 10 |
Salinas · n=517 · 2025
|
17% |
Top 10 — Private Net Assets
Wealthiest CA private high schools · IRS Form 990 · latest fiscal year
| 1 |
Monterey · Catholic · FY 2023
|
$105.4M |
| 2 |
Monterey · Nonsectarian · FY 2023
|
$16.7M |
| 3 |
Salinas · Catholic · FY 2023
|
$2.5M |
≥50 seniors · earliest→latest year
Which schools are moving a growing — or shrinking — share of their graduating class into the six most selective UCs. Reflects the current county/type filter.
▲ Biggest gains
| School | Then → Now | Δ |
|---|
|
Pacific Grove · Public
|
10 '18
→ 40 '25
|
+30.1pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
1 '22
→ 29 '25
|
+27.6pp |
|
Gonzales · Public
|
5 '18
→ 23 '25
|
+17.8pp |
|
Monterey · Public
|
24 '18
→ 38 '25
|
+14.5pp |
|
Carmel · Public
|
31 '18
→ 44 '25
|
+12.6pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
12 '18
→ 24 '25
|
+12.3pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
10 '18
→ 19 '25
|
+9.1pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
12 '18
→ 20 '25
|
+8.5pp |
|
Castroville · Public
|
15 '18
→ 22 '25
|
+7.1pp |
|
Greenfield · Public
|
6 '18
→ 12 '25
|
+5.2pp |
▼ Biggest declines
| School | Then → Now | Δ |
|---|
|
Soledad · Public
|
20 '18
→ 12 '25
|
-8.7pp |
|
Seaside · Public
|
5 '18
→ 4 '25
|
-0.9pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
11 '18
→ 12 '25
|
0.8pp |
|
King City · Public
|
6 '18
→ 7 '25
|
0.9pp |
|
Greenfield · Public
|
6 '18
→ 12 '25
|
5.2pp |
|
Marina · Public
|
4 '18
→ 9 '25
|
5.2pp |
|
Castroville · Public
|
15 '18
→ 22 '25
|
7.1pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
12 '18
→ 20 '25
|
8.5pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
10 '18
→ 19 '25
|
9.1pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
12 '18
→ 24 '25
|
12.3pp |
grade-12 enrollment Δ vs. county · ≥80 students
The demographic tide is shrinking CA enrollment ~10% over 7 years statewide, so absolute decline alone is noise. The gap vs the county baseline is the actionable signal — schools losing share faster than their demographic floor are the ones to watch. Reflects the current county/type filter.
▲ Outperforming the county the most
| School | School · County | Gap |
|---|
|
Salinas · Monterey · Public Strong demand
|
+30.7% vs -7.3%
|
+38.0pp |
|
Marina · Monterey · Public Best in class
|
+43.2% vs +10.4%
|
+32.8pp |
|
Greenfield · Monterey · Public Strong demand
|
+39.1% vs +10.4%
|
+28.7pp |
|
Monterey · Monterey · Public Best in class
|
+27.4% vs +10.4%
|
+17.0pp |
|
King City · Monterey · Public Strong demand
|
+15.3% vs +10.4%
|
+4.9pp |
|
Salinas · Monterey · Public Strong demand
|
+14.8% vs +10.4%
|
+4.4pp |
|
Castroville · Monterey · Public Watch — engagement
|
+13.5% vs +10.4%
|
+3.1pp |
|
Salinas · Monterey · Public Material decline
|
+0.3% vs +10.4%
|
-10.1pp |
|
Soledad · Monterey · Public Material decline
|
+0.0% vs +10.4%
|
-10.4pp |
|
Pacific Grove · Monterey · Public Sharp downturn
|
-5.2% vs +10.4%
|
-15.6pp |
▼ Underperforming the county the most
| School | School · County | Gap |
|---|
|
Salinas · Monterey · Public Material decline
|
-10.8% vs +10.4%
|
-21.2pp |
|
Seaside · Monterey · Public Material decline
|
-10.8% vs +10.4%
|
-21.2pp |
|
Gonzales · Monterey · Public Sharp downturn
|
-8.9% vs +10.4%
|
-19.3pp |
|
Salinas · Monterey · Public Material decline
|
-7.6% vs +10.4%
|
-18.0pp |
|
Carmel · Monterey · Public Sharp downturn
|
-7.4% vs +10.4%
|
-17.8pp |
|
Pacific Grove · Monterey · Public Sharp downturn
|
-5.2% vs +10.4%
|
-15.6pp |
|
Soledad · Monterey · Public Material decline
|
+0.0% vs +10.4%
|
-10.4pp |
|
Salinas · Monterey · Public Material decline
|
+0.3% vs +10.4%
|
-10.1pp |
|
Castroville · Monterey · Public Watch — engagement
|
+13.5% vs +10.4%
|
+3.1pp |
|
Salinas · Monterey · Public Strong demand
|
+14.8% vs +10.4%
|
+4.4pp |
14 schools eligible · 2025
Each dot is one school. The diagonal is the per-campus GPA expectation — points above it admit students at higher rates than their GPA mix predicts; points below admit at lower rates. Schools need ≥30 top-6 UC applications and data across ≥3 campuses to appear.
▲ Top 10 outperformers
| School |
GPA |
Actual |
Δ vs exp. |
|
Gonzales · Public
|
3.91 |
41.2% |
+17.5pp |
|
Monterey · Public
|
3.98 |
37.2% |
+15.0pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
4.08 |
38.6% |
+14.2pp |
|
Castroville · Public
|
3.91 |
35.4% |
+14.0pp |
|
Marina · Public
|
3.85 |
36.8% |
+13.2pp |
|
King City · Public
|
3.67 |
39.2% |
+13.1pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
3.81 |
31.4% |
+10.2pp |
|
Carmel · Public
|
4.09 |
31.5% |
+8.3pp |
|
Soledad · Public
|
3.81 |
31.7% |
+7.8pp |
|
Greenfield · Public
|
3.76 |
33.3% |
+6.9pp |
▼ Top 10 underperformers
| School |
GPA |
Actual |
Δ vs exp. |
|
Salinas · Public
|
3.67 |
25.7% |
2.3pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
3.77 |
24.0% |
2.7pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
3.87 |
25.4% |
3.3pp |
|
Pacific Grove · Public
|
3.88 |
25.1% |
3.7pp |
|
Greenfield · Public
|
3.76 |
33.3% |
6.9pp |
|
Soledad · Public
|
3.81 |
31.7% |
7.8pp |
|
Carmel · Public
|
4.09 |
31.5% |
8.3pp |
|
Salinas · Public
|
3.81 |
31.4% |
10.2pp |
|
King City · Public
|
3.67 |
39.2% |
13.1pp |
|
Marina · Public
|
3.85 |
36.8% |
13.2pp |
Sortable by any column. Click a column header to sort. Click any school row to open its profile.
16 schools · 2025 data
· 4 hidden (under 100 seniors)
| # |
School |
County |
Seniors
ⓘ
|
Total Enroll
ⓘ
|
UC Reach Score
ⓘ
|
App Reach Score
ⓘ
|
Admit Rate
ⓘ
|
Yield
ⓘ
|
Selective Reach
ⓘ
|
Elite Reach
ⓘ
|
Raw Apps
ⓘ
|
Raw Admits
ⓘ
|
| 1 |
Pebble Beach · Private
|
Monterey |
132 |
514 |
95
|
298 |
32.0% |
8.7% |
68.2 |
12.1 |
394 |
126 |
| 2 |
Carmel · Public Sharp downturn
|
Monterey |
200 |
780 |
44
|
140 |
31.5% |
26.1% |
32.5 |
6.5 |
279 |
88 |
| 3 |
Pacific Grove · Public Sharp downturn
|
Monterey |
161 |
552 |
40
|
158 |
25.1% |
28.1% |
29.8 |
5.6 |
255 |
64 |
| 4 |
Monterey · Public Best in class
|
Monterey |
332 |
1,401 |
38
|
102 |
37.2% |
23.8% |
25.9 |
4.8 |
339 |
126 |
| 5 |
Salinas · Public Strong demand
|
Monterey |
369 |
1,600 |
29
|
92 |
31.4% |
14.9% |
21.4 |
7.3 |
341 |
107 |
| 6 |
Salinas · Public Material decline
|
Monterey |
611 |
2,380 |
24
|
63 |
38.6% |
22.3% |
18.3 |
2.6 |
383 |
148 |
| 7 |
Gonzales · Public Sharp downturn
|
Monterey |
204 |
751 |
23
|
56 |
41.2% |
14.9% |
15.7 |
4.4 |
114 |
47 |
| 8 |
Castroville · Public Watch — engagement
|
Monterey |
316 |
1,250 |
22
|
62 |
35.4% |
13.0% |
15.5 |
2.9 |
195 |
69 |
| 9 |
Salinas · Public Material decline
|
Monterey |
662 |
2,742 |
20
|
78 |
25.7% |
27.8% |
12.8 |
2.4 |
517 |
133 |
| 10 |
Salinas · Public Material decline
|
Monterey |
475 |
1,978 |
19
|
75 |
25.4% |
17.8% |
12.6 |
2.3 |
355 |
90 |
| 11 |
Soledad · Public Material decline
|
Monterey |
387 |
1,546 |
12
|
43 |
26.8% |
26.7% |
7.5 |
1.3 |
168 |
45 |
| 12 |
Salinas · Public Strong demand
|
Monterey |
526 |
2,106 |
12
|
48 |
24.0% |
14.8% |
7.8 |
2.1 |
254 |
61 |
| 13 |
Greenfield · Public Strong demand
|
Monterey |
285 |
1,274 |
12
|
56 |
20.8% |
12.1% |
8.4 |
— |
159 |
33 |
| 14 |
Marina · Public Best in class
|
Monterey |
153 |
721 |
9
|
39 |
23.3% |
— |
6.5 |
2.0 |
60 |
14 |
| 15 |
King City · Public Strong demand
|
Monterey |
284 |
1,199 |
7
|
31 |
22.7% |
15.0% |
3.5 |
1.1 |
88 |
20 |
| 16 |
Seaside · Public Material decline
|
Monterey |
278 |
1,073 |
4
|
22 |
20.0% |
41.7% |
1.4 |
— |
60 |
12 |
UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class size. Campus admits are SUMMED — UC publishes no
per-school unique-student count, so a senior admitted to more than one of the 6 campuses is counted at each,
and values above 100 indicate strong students winning multiple competitive UC offers.
Schools with fewer than 100 seniors are excluded from the leaderboard by default — a small cohort
with one strong year can otherwise dominate.
See methodology →
