Enrollment & Outcomes Scorecard
Harbor High School
Public · Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz County · 994 students · Class of 2025
UC Reach · Class of 2025
28%
Higher than 71% of California high schools
On the peer median (28.4%)
· Ranked #6 of 10 similar schools
5-year UC Reach
2021 · 18.9%
2025 · 28.3%
+2%
Senior-class enrollment (2018–2026)
-1.4 pp
vs. Santa Cruz County baseline (+3%)
~1021
5-yr projected enrollment (+0.9%/yr)
- ▸On UC Reach, Harbor High School sits in the middle of its similar-school group (ranked #6 of 10): 28% vs. a peer median of 28%.
- ▸Harbor High School's UC Reach has declined meaningfully from a peak of 39% in 2022 to 28% in 2025 — a 11-point drop that warrants attention. Multi-year UC Reach declines of this size often signal something specific (leadership change, comp-program shift, demographic move) rather than year-to-year noise. This is the kind of trajectory an Enrollment Trend Audit unpacks.
- ▸Across the top-6 UC campuses, Harbor High School is admitting at roughly +10 percentage points above what its average applicant GPA (4.06) alone would predict (34% 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 2% (230→234 from 2018 to 2026), outpacing the peer-group median of -5%.
- ▸Enrollment has been growing (+0.9%/yr); projects to ~1021 by 2029.
Most similar nearby schools
| School | Type | UC Reach | Enroll. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soquel High School | Public | 27.7% | +7% |
| Santa Cruz High School | Public | 45.2% | +2% |
| Aptos High School | Public | 28.4% | -6% |
| Pacific Collegiate Charter | Public | — | -14% |
| Scotts Valley High School | Public | 44.7% | -10% |
| Pajaro Valley Hs | Public | 10.9% | -4% |
UC Reach = top-6 UC admits ÷ senior class. Sources: UCOP Admissions by Source School, CDE enrollment, IRS Form 990, NCES F-33. Reach — by Test Prep Gurus · Methodology
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