Walnut Creek Schools Get Their Report Cards

UPDATE: An astute reader pointed out that the San Ramon Valley School District also serves Walnut Creek students, those who live in south Walnut Creek. So I've added test scores in for that district and schools.

If you live in Walnut Creek, and you're thinking of sending your child to private school, I gotta ask, why?

Thursday's release of the 2010 base API scores of public schools—essentially a school's report card—shows that all public elementary, middle and high schools that serve Walnut Creek students are doing an "excellent" job teaching our kids.

Schools are deemed "excellent" when they score better than 800 on a 1,000-point scale called the Academic Performance Index. The index is based on how well schools perform on a variety of tests and in comparison with schools with similar demographics.

Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of schools, said in a press release that these API scores offer "constructive information that provides parents, schools, educators and the general public valuable insight into how schools are performing when measured against others.”

Hmm, maybe kids in Walnut Creek are getting smarter?

Either that, or public school teachers around here have been doing a better job teaching to the tests. You know, drilling kids in techniques so they can succeed on those standardized tests that some think dulls kids' minds and their ability to be creative, independent thinkers. Oh, and maybe, the elementary school kids are getting better at "bubbling" — filling out the multiple choice questions on the STAR tests that were given this week.

Principals and school fundraising chairs can claim bragging rights at the upcoming Open Houses when they ask parents to donate money to make up for the sorry amount of funding that local schools get from our dysfunctional state government.

And, Realtors who sell homes in Walnut Creek can use the public schools as a top selling point in their ads. A 2007 San Francisco Chronicle story looked at how parents consider the API scores of the neighborhood school when deciding where to buy a house.

Linda Strean, managing editor at greatschools.net in San Francisco, a nonprofit that provides information on schools nationwide, told the Chronicle: "There's no question that home prices and test scores are linked."

Although the slow market started cooling in 2007, "real estate agents and others say homes with excellent schools nearby are still a hot commodity," the Chronicle reported. It also cited an Ohio State University study of school districts in that state in 2006 that found that higher state test scores did increase home values.

Aside from feeling a bit more secure in our home values, a parent like me can give in to a few moments of private gloating that my kid's school scored a few precious points higher than its cross-town rival.

But these scores for Walnut Creek schools also raise some questions for me. I know that many parents who send their kids to schools in the Mount Diablo Unified School District worry constantly about that district's financial state and whether their kids are getting the education they deserve.

The district's API score is 784, 16 points below "excellent," while the Walnut Creek School District soared with a score of 907, as did San Ramon Valley Unified with 916 and Acalanes Union with 897.

But the MDUSD schools that are in Walnut Creek are, pardon the expression, kicking butt. That is, API-wise. The top-scoring school in Walnut Creek is Walnut Acres, with a score of 936, with Valle Verde Elementary in the No. 2 spot at 930. Meanwhile, Foothill Intermediate's 900 score is not too shabby and Northgate High (855) is almost tied with Las Lomas (858), which is in the Acalanes Union High School District.

So, what's going on with these Walnut Creek MDUSD schools? I was impressed by the level of parental involvement I observed at Bancroft Elementary (with a respectable score of 892) when I reported on a story there a couple years ago. My son's former elementary school, Parkmead (No. 3 at 926) in the Walnut Creek School District, also had a high level of parental involvement.

Socioeconomic status? It is true that homes in Ygnacio Valley, in the 94598 area code, have Walnut Creek's highest median home price ($530,000 in March, according to DataQuick News) This is one measure of socioeconomic level, but does it translate into a school that is an API star?

Just wondering. If anyone has any thoughts, please share them....

Back to basics: The release of this score, the "Base API score," denotes the beginning of the API reporting cycle, the state Department of Education said.

The Base API Report released Thursday includes the Base API, growth targets and school ranks. The Growth API Report, which will be released in early fall, includes the Growth API, growth achieved and whether or not targets were met. 

For more information on the API, refer to the 2010-11 Academic Performance Index Reports Information Guide at: www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/index.asp.

And, here's your handy-dandy chart of Base API scores for Walnut Creek public schools. The 2009 number is for that year's Base API score.