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Mt. Diablo Elementary · Clayton

Mt. Diablo Elementary: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Mt. Diablo posts 70% meeting the standard, and 37.8% going well past it. Most kids here keep up. Fewer get pushed further. Ask the school what it does for a child who already finds the work easy.

5880 Mount Zion Drive, 94517 (opens in new tab)·Mt. Diablo Unified·Clayton·Grades TK-5·739 students·21% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(925) 672-4840·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope6345
% Exceeded38%21%
% Met+70%43%
Growth-8.8-2.9
Absence8.7%17.9%
Suspension1.7%1.6%
Scope Score
63
🏫 Solid Base · Solid
ranked #796 statewide · #4 of 31 in Mt. Diablo Unified

Mt. Diablo Elementary scores 63 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 86th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🏫 Solid Base — Ask what the school does for a kid who's already meeting the standard with room to spare — steady proficiency across the board doesn't tell you whether the strongest kids are being pushed further.

Most rating sites would stop at “70% proficient” and call it done. Mt. Diablo deserves a closer read. It sits at the 86th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

Mt. Diablo's low-income kids hit 58.7% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Climbed from the 71st to the 86th percentile since 2019 — past roughly 800 elementary schools.

CA Dashboard
ELAGreen(Increased Significantly)MathYellow(Declined Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 70% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 373%55%51%59%65%
Grade 483%78%76%75%79%
Grade 560%70%73%74%69%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 371%63%62%66%73%
Grade 473%76%80%78%79%
Grade 545%52%56%65%52%

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

35%
30%
35%
Grade 3 · 65% proficient
58%
21%
21%
Grade 4 · 79% proficient
24%
45%
31%
Grade 5 · 69% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 11.5pp across grades; the floor rises 3.5pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

58.7%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Mt. Diablo's most underrated number

58.7% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

Mt. Diablo low-income: 58.7%State low-income: 38.2%

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
37.8%
State 21.3%
16.5pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-8.8pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
69.7%
State 42.7%
27.1pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
8.7%
State 17.9%
9.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.7%
State 1.6%
0.1pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
37.5%
State 18.0%
19.5pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

  • Ask what changes between grade 3 and grade 5 here, and who teaches the older kids.
  • Ask whether extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Mt. Diablo Elementary in Clayton, 58.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Mt. Diablo Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 26.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (63.2% Math proficient); White students (71.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 11.8 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 75 students tested.

All students at this school: 70% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 70%, district —, state 43%70%
MaleMale: this school 68%, district 43%, state 42%68% · −1 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 69%, district 60%, state 56%69% · −1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 71%, district 44%, state 44%71% · +2 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 61%, district 27%, state 32%61% · −9 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 65%, district 54%, state 56%65% · −5 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 72%, district 26%, state 32%72% · +3 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 87%, district 59%, state 72%87% · +17 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 23%, district 17%, state 15%23% · −47 vs school

5 of 14 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 2.0pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +3.1pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 8.7%, district 22.3%, state 17.9%8.7% · −9.2pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.7%, district —, state 1.6%1.7% · +0.1pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–69.6%
TK/K13.8%

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Mt. Diablo Elementary
63/100
This school
High School

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 31:1, district 24:131:1
Teaching staff26 teachers
Avg. experience19.9 years
Fully credentialed100%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$65,422 – $120,624
Principal salary$151,493 – $174,392
Superintendent salary$305,000

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $213, CA average $14,815$213 · spent at this school

These measure different things: this figure is spending attributed to this campus, while district-wide figures also include central administration, districtwide programs, and the state's pension contributions made on the district's behalf — costs that never get assigned to a single school. The district number runs higher at nearly every school, not just this one.

Federal share$195 per student

$195 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$19,016 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction62%
Instruction support11%
Student services10%
Administration6%
Buildings & maintenance10%
Other1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$11,965 per pupil
2019$12,119 per pupil
2018$13,284 per pupil
2017$12,803 per pupil
2016$12,073 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White52.1%
District 27.3% · CA 19.9%
Other20.7%
District 17.3% · CA 9.0%
Hispanic17.3%
District 42.5% · CA 56.1%
Asian8.9%
District 9.6% · CA 10.2%
Black0.9%
District 3.3% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 21.0% (43pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$169K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.03M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+58% · CA 35%
ZIP population12,316
Median age43 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

At 739 students, this school is well above the typical California elementary school (≈480).

Transitional kindergarten is offered here — confirmed by actual Census Day enrollment, not just the listed grade span.

On the state's science test (CAST), 47% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mt. Diablo Elementary a good elementary school?

Mt. Diablo Elementary has a Scope Score of 63 out of 100, placing it in the 86th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #796 statewide. 37.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 16.5 percentage points above the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 3-to-5 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Mt. Diablo Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 69.7% of students at Mt. Diablo Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 37.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 31.9% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 37.8% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 677 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Mt. Diablo Elementary rank in California?

Mt. Diablo Elementary ranks #796 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 86th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

Is Mt. Diablo Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Mt. Diablo Elementary decreases by 8.8 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Mt. Diablo Elementary?

8.7% of students at Mt. Diablo Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 1.7%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does Mt. Diablo Elementary compare to other schools in Clayton?

Mt. Diablo Elementary scores 63/100 (86th percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 739 students. Use the schools in Clayton page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Mt. Diablo Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Mt. Diablo Elementary in Clayton, 58.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Mt. Diablo Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 26.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (63.2% Math proficient); White students (71.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 11.8 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 75 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.


For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 38%
37.8%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 66th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-8.8pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 54th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
69.7%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 71th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
8.7%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 65th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.7%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 49th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
37.5%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 78th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 311335%30%21%13%65%+22
Grade 411258%21%13%7%79%+35
Grade 511324%45%19%12%69%+21
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 311335%38%16%11%73%+28
Grade 411345%34%18%4%79%+37
Grade 511329%23%29%19%52%+17
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1111316%31%50%4%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged7558.7%+27+20
White18371.0%+7+9
Two or More Races5969.5%+10+8
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Mt. Diablo Elementary ←6337.8%69.7%−8.81.7%
Highlands Elementary0.9 mi4922.3%45.9%+6.50.7%
Silverwood Elementary2.2 mi4822.4%50.8%−12.00.3%
Ayers Elementary2 mi4221.9%45.0%−10.31.0%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195371#160837.8%67.6%5.5%0.2%-19.1pp
20226390#59237.2%65.9%12.9%0.1%+2.3pp
20236690#57437.5%66.3%15.0%0.1%+7.7pp
20247092#47640.2%69.3%8.9%1.8%+7.2pp
20256386#79637.8%69.7%8.7%1.7%-8.8pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female4.6%8.0%+3.4pp
Male6.2%8.6%+2.4pp
Asian7.0%10.6%+3.6pp
Filipino4.4%15.2%+10.8pp
White0.0%0.0%+0.0pp
Hispanic/Latino6.0%12.5%+6.5pp
Two or More Races4.2%6.9%+2.7pp
Students with Disabilities5.6%5.1%-0.5pp
English Learners7.7%20.7%+13.0pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged12.5%13.1%+0.6pp
All Students5.4%8.3%+2.9pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction