Santa Cruz County Community: math

The shaded band is this school's normal range. If nothing about how it works changes, nearly every future year should land inside it. Zero means the typical student just meets the state standard. The small numbers under the years are how many students were tested.

Step 1 · Each year's result

For each grade tested, take the average (mean) scale score from the California Department of Education's results file, and subtract the lowest score that counts as "Standard Met" for that grade. That is the grade's distance from standard. Weight each grade by its share of the students tested, then add the grades up. Grades where the state hides the average because ten or fewer students tested are left out entirely.

2015 from sb_ca2015_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	89,823	2463.5	− 2586	−122.5	× 23 / 212	−13.3
11	89,826	2469.8	− 2628	−158.2	× 189 / 212	−141
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−154

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	83,300	2383.6	− 2567	−183.4	× 10 / 192	−9.6
8	83,302	2419.1	− 2586	−166.9	× 20 / 192	−17.4
11	83,303	2492.2	− 2628	−135.8	× 162 / 192	−114.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−142

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	85,630	2448.5	− 2586	−137.5	× 20 / 198	−13.9
11	85,632	2469.5	− 2628	−158.5	× 178 / 198	−142.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−156

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	85,857	2383.0	− 2586	−203	× 17 / 159	−21.7
11	85,858	2467.6	− 2628	−160.4	× 142 / 159	−143.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−165

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	86,448	2444.6	− 2586	−141.4	× 11 / 180	−8.6
11	86,449	2477.2	− 2628	−150.8	× 169 / 180	−141.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−150

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
11	86,708	2500.4	− 2628	−127.6	× 94 / 94	−127.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−128

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
11	86,634	2459.4	− 2628	−168.6	× 118 / 118	−168.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−169

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
11	86,600	2451.8	− 2628	−176.2	× 155 / 155	−176.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−176

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	86,279	2439.7	− 2586	−146.3	× 12 / 185	−9.5
11	86,280	2466.1	− 2628	−161.9	× 173 / 185	−151.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−161

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −154, −142, −156, −165, −150, −128, −169, −176, −161 → −155.7
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 12 · 2016→2017: 14 · 2017→2018: 9 · 2018→2019: 15 · 2019→2022: 22 · 2022→2023: 41 · 2023→2024: 7 · 2024→2025: 15 → average 16.9
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 16.9 × 2.66 = 45. Upper limit −110.7, lower limit −200.7.

Why 2.66? It is the standard factor from quality control, the work of Walter Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming. It turns "how much the result typically changes in a year" into "how far it can wander by chance alone".

Years with no result (no state tests were given in spring 2020) are skipped: the year-to-year change runs from the last year with a result to the next one.

Step 3 · Free or reduced-price meals

The share of enrolled students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. From 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26.