Santa Cruz Children's School is an independent elementary school on the east side of Santa Cruz. The school shares a parking lot and a building complex with La Posada, an assisted-living facility. Several spaces on the south side of the parking lot are marked as reserved for the school and its visitors. Santa Cruz Children's School is for students in Kindergarten through sixth grade. The school works with parents, students and teachers together to create an environment that nurtures the students and allows them to learn and grow.
Mission Hill Middle School is located on the west side of Santa Cruz. The school is unique in that every day starts with an announcement on MHTV, the school's in-house student-run broadcast network. The school offers exploratory classes that allow students 18-week introductions to a variety of fields. Mission Hill also offers a free after-school program called Arts Academy, which teaches students everything from the basics of self-defense to how to draw a comic strip.
Georgiana Bruce Kirby is a private preparatory middle and high school located near Harvey West Park. The school offers a rigorous, challenging education for students who strive for academic excellence. The school offers small class sizes that make it impossible for students to be "invisible." The school focuses on multi-disciplinary programs that create students who passionately seek to explore new ideas and concepts. The school is known for its students who excel in the performing and visual arts.
Kinder Cottage offers a play-based curriculum for its preschool students. Located close to Capitola, the school is little more than a block off of 41st Avenue. The children have the opportunity to explore their world through play, learning through social interactions. Problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills are taught. The preschool has several rooms for children to play. A large outdoor area includes a play structure with various obstacles and a cover area with a large sandbox. The preschool also has a garden where children learn composting and about the environment. In addition, the school serves home-cooked organic meals daily.
Discovery Land is a Seventh Day Adventist-based private preschool that shares grounds with VHM Christian School on Capitola Road Extension in Santa Cruz. The preschool offers developmental programs with Christian values mixed in.
Spring Hill is an independent school for children in Kindergarten through eighth grade. The school, which requires an entrance exam, works with bright, motivated students who are excited about learning. Starting in Kindergarten, students learn Spanish. Latin and French are introduced to students in later grades. The academically rigorous education believes students work at different paces and works to allow the natural creativity and spirit of the student grow at its own pace.
While the school has leased its property from the United Methodist Church on California St., the school is entirely independent with no religious affiliation.
The Child Development Resource Center offers free referrals for child care programs all across Santa Cruz County. The switchboard provides information on free and low-cost care, day care licensing information, and descriptions of local programs. The center also offers classes and workshops for child care providers and families on early literacy, guidance and discipline, health and safety, business practices and infant and toddler development. The office is located on the second floor of the Santa Cruz Office of Education.
DeLaveaga Elementary School sits in a residential neighborhood in the Santa Cruz hills. It serves more than 600 students and their families. The school has a large Life Lab garden that allows students to learn biology, botany and ecology through hands-on experience. A variety of music and arts programs also stand out at DeLaveaga. The school hosts a Dual Immersion Spanish-English program that allows students to learn to read, write and communicate well in both languages.
This accredited school is open to all high school-aged students in California. It offers a personalized teaching curriculum with small class sizes. Parents are required to volunteer and become involved in their children's activities.
Tierra Pacifica is a charter school located in the Live Oak area. The school has about 135 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The school was founded in 1998 as a collaborative effort between parents, teachers and the community. The school is designed to offer an alternative to the traditional public-school system. Parent involvement is a key part of what makes Tierra Pacifica students excel later in life. The school's mission is to "stimulate a love of learning by integrating academic instruction with the arts and fostering environmental stewardship, emotional intelligence and physical health."
Happy Days, founded in 1995, is a licensed childcare center that offers infant, toddler, pre-school and pre-kindergarten programs, starting with children as young as 8 weeks. The center focuses on early child development and creates a curriculum that matches those goals. Each month, the school has a different theme and children are encouraged to explore and learn. Students are given the skills they need to find success as they enter grade school. Happy Days is located near Costco and Harvey West Park.