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Park Elementary · Mill Valley

Park Elementary: High scores, real growth, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Park posts 55.0% exceeding the standard — versus 21.3% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.

360 East Blithedale Avenue, 94941 (opens in new tab)·Mill Valley Elementary·Mill Valley·Grades TK-5·301 students·3% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(415) 389-7735
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope8345
% Exceeded55%21%
% Met+86%43%
Growth+11.1-2.9
Absence6.9%17.9%
Suspension0.8%1.6%
Scope Score
83
⭐ High Ceiling · Strong
ranked #99 statewide · #3 of 5 in Mill Valley Elementary

Park Elementary scores 83 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 98th 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 →

⭐ High Ceiling — Ask what happens for a kid who shows up behind — a high ceiling for the top can sit right next to thin support at the bottom, and the score alone won't show you which.

Most rating sites would stop at “86% proficient” and call it done. Park deserves a closer read. It sits at the 98th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The headline number: 55.0% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.3%.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Has held the 98th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAGreen(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)

The pandemic drop is behind this school: 86% of students meet the standard today, above the 81% who did in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 378%83%78%77%70%
Grade 486%89%87%89%96%
Grade 588%80%87%86%89%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 373%85%92%79%86%
Grade 484%81%83%87%85%
Grade 578%84%89%81%89%

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.

41%
30%
29%
Grade 3 · 71% proficient
67%
28%
Grade 4 · 95% proficient
63%
26%
11%
Grade 5 · 89% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 22.3pp across grades; the floor rises 19.0pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
55.0%
State 21.3%
33.7pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+11.1pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
86.0%
State 42.7%
43.4pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
6.9%
State 17.9%
11.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.8%
State 1.6%
0.8pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

  • Ask how teachers track each child's growth over the year, not just where the class lands on test day.
  • 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 Park Elementary in Mill Valley, 84.5% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 86.2% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Park Elementary trails its district average for white students by 1.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (88.3% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 103 students tested.

All students at this school: 86% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 86%, district —, state 43%86%
WhiteWhite: this school 86%, district 84%, state 56%86% · +0 vs school
MaleMale: this school 86%, district 81%, state 42%86% · +0 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 86%, district 81%, state 44%86% · −0 vs school

7 of 11 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.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 6.9%, district 8.1%, state 17.9%6.9% · −11.0pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.8%, district —, state 1.6%0.8% · −0.8pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–67.1%
TK/K7.8%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Park Elementary
83/100
This school
High School
No feeder data available for this level

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 22:1, district 19:122:1
Teaching staff21 teachers
Avg. experience15.3 years
Fully credentialed100%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$74,335 – $140,602
Principal salary$185,394 – $0
Superintendent salary$316,650

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $27,332, CA average $14,815$27,332 · spent at this school
Federal share$397 per student

$397 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$27,608 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
Instruction61%
Instruction support11%
Student services5%
Administration11%
Buildings & maintenance12%

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$18,120 per pupil
2019$16,255 per pupil
2018$16,270 per pupil
2017$14,946 per pupil
2016$14,472 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White76.1%
District 70.6% · CA 19.9%
Other15.6%
District 14.6% · CA 9.0%
Hispanic5.0%
District 9.3% · CA 56.1%
Asian3.3%
District 5.0% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 2.7% (61pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$210K · CA $85K
Median home value$2.00M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+76% · CA 35%
ZIP population32,706
Median age46 years

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

Worth Knowing

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

On the state's science test (CAST), 89% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Park Elementary a good elementary school?

Park Elementary has a Scope Score of 83 out of 100, placing it in the 98th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #99 statewide. 55.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 33.7 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 Park Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 86.0% of students at Park Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 55.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 31.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 55.0% 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. 256 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Park Elementary rank in California?

Park Elementary ranks #99 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 98th 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 Park Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Park Elementary increases by 11.1 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. 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 Park Elementary?

6.9% of students at Park 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 0.8%, 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 Park Elementary compare to other schools in Mill Valley?

Park Elementary scores 83/100 (98th 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 301 students. Use the schools in Mill Valley page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Park Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Park Elementary in Mill Valley, 84.5% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 86.2% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Park Elementary trails its district average for white students by 1.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (88.3% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 103 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%
55.0%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 83th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+11.1pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 71th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
86.0%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 83th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
6.9%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 68th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.8%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 57th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 34441%30%30%0%70%+27
Grade 44667%28%4%0%96%+51
Grade 53863%26%5%5%89%+42
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 34452%34%14%0%86%+41
Grade 44659%26%13%2%85%+43
Grade 53847%42%11%0%89%+54
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/113842%47%11%0%

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
White10384.5%−2+23
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Park Elementary ←8355.0%86.0%+11.10.8%
Old Mill Elementary0.8 mi8053.6%85.5%+5.02.9%
Neil Cummins Elementary1.9 mi7753.6%78.8%−12.40.9%
Edna Maguire Elementary1.8 mi7749.7%78.2%+6.10.8%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20197594#33150.7%81.1%2.9%0.0%+7.2pp
20227195#30452.5%83.6%11.2%0.0%-1.5pp
20238399#8255.9%86.1%11.2%0.1%+3.2pp
20247595#26551.6%83.3%6.1%1.5%+5.9pp
20258398#9955.0%86.0%6.9%0.8%+11.1pp
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
Female2.8%7.5%+4.7pp
Male2.4%3.8%+1.4pp
Asian0.0%
Hispanic/Latino0.0%18.8%+18.8pp
Two or More Races0.0%11.4%+11.4pp
Students with Disabilities5.6%13.3%+7.7pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged9.1%16.7%+7.6pp
All Students2.6%5.6%+3.0pp
Filipino18.2%
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