VHM Christian School is a kindergarten through eighth-grade private Seventh Day Adventist-based education in Santa Cruz. The school "has high moral and spiritual standards, which are intended to guide the student in his or her ability to distinguish right from wrong." The school also runs a separate preschool called Discovery Land.
Holy Cross School is part of the Holy Cross Parish. The school was founded in 1862, originally as an orphanage. Its mission changed gradually, and it began to serve the needy children of Santa Cruz as well as become a girls school for Santa Cruz's Catholic families. The high school portion of the school was discontinued in the 1970s, and today the school serves children in preschool through eighth grade. The school focuses heavily on community involvement and international service, and it organizes several projects for students to participate in, including raising funds to build schools in Afghanistan and growing food to donate to local soup kitchens.
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.
Amenities
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.