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Public elementary school

Park Elementary

Mill Valley, CA · Grades TK-5 · 301 students · Mill Valley Elementary

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

79% of tested students are Proficient or Advanced in English and 88% in math. Explore the evidence alongside the opportunities your child would use.

SchoolScope archetype

High Ceiling

What this means for your family

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.

How archetypes are assigned →

Contact

PrincipalAubrey O'Connor
GradesTK-5
Enrollment301 students

Math

88%

Grades 3 & 5 · Proficient or Advanced

English

79%

Grades 3 & 5 · Proficient or Advanced

Students

301

Total enrollment

Chronic absence

7%

Students absent 10% or more of school days

What are you trying to decide?

The overall score is a starting point.

Look at subject results, trends and student groups, then consider the opportunities your child would use.

View school performance →

Academic performance

What do the results tell us?

2025 results · Grades 3 & 5 · weighted by students tested within each subject.

Proficient or Advanced combines Levels 3 and 4, formerly Standard Met and Standard Exceeded. California changed the names for 2025–26; the cut scores did not. About the labels →

Share at Proficient or Advanced

0%25%50%75%100%2019: 75%2022: 84%2023: 91%2024: 80%2025: 88%2019: 83%2022: 81%2023: 83%2024: 81%2025: 79%201920222023202420250%25%50%75%100%2019: 75%2022: 84%2023: 91%2024: 80%2025: 88%2019: 83%2022: 81%2023: 83%2024: 81%2025: 79%20192022202320242025
● Math┄ English

Gaps in the lines mark years without annual results.

Exact annual results
YearMathEnglish
201975%83%
202284%81%
202391%83%
202480%81%
202588%79%

Each year describes that year’s tested students. Changes between years do not follow the same children over time. Cohort-growth evidence, when available, is labeled separately below.

Annual results and the full academic record
Is it getting better · CAASPP 2019 to 2025

Has held the 97th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

Most rating sites would stop at “86% proficient” and call it done. Park deserves a closer read. It sits at the 97th percentile of 5,721 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 21.4%.

128 tested · 3 of 3 grades published · no cohort tracked

Park Elementary scores 76 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 97th percentile of 5,721 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

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

Percentile among 5,721 elementary schools statewide
Year detailsYear2019 · 94th percentile · Scope Score 74 of 1002022 · 96th percentile · Scope Score 78 of 1002023 · 97th percentile · Scope Score 80 of 1002024 · 95th percentile · Scope Score 71 of 1002025 · 97th percentile · Scope Score 76 of 100
ELABlue(Increased)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)
ShowHide the by-grade tables, year by year
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%
Where students land · CAASPP 2024–25

Four in five of students here meet the standard. More than half clear it by a lot.

ELA85% met or exceeded
Exceeded 57%Met 28%Nearly Met 13%Not Met 2%
Math87% met or exceeded
Exceeded 53%Met 34%Nearly Met 13%Not Met 1%
Exceeded Met Nearly Met Not Met
California elementary schools · average21% exceeded · 43% met or exceeded
This school against the California average
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
Scope% Exceeded% Met+GrowthAbsenceSuspension
This school7655%86%—6.9%0.8%
CA average · Elementary School3921%43%—17.9%1.6%
This schoolCA avg
Scope7639
% Exceeded55%21%
% Met+86%43%
Growth——
Absence6.9%17.9%
Suspension0.8%1.6%
California’s growth results and student groups
State growth model · CDE growth model 2024–25

California's own growth model places it near the 98th percentile of elementary schools.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

California runs its own growth model — it follows individual children in grades 4 through 8 and compares each one against a prediction from their own prior scores. On that measure this school sits well above the middle of California elementary schools in reading and math together. We show it; we don't score it.

— pts vs expected is scale-score points above or below what California's model predicted for these same children from their own prior-year scores. It is not a percentage and not a percent of anything. A typical California elementary school lands at +2 in reading, and the middle half of them fall between −5 and +9 — the spread is wide, so read the rank, not the sign. CDE blends two consecutive years into each published figure, so adjacent years share input data and no year-over-year trend can honestly be drawn from them. It covers grades 4-8 only, and it is not part of the Scope Score — we assessed it and left it out: it tracks school demographics roughly three times as strongly as our own growth measure does, and one published year is not enough to test how stable it is.

California's growth model, ranked against the schools it scores
State model · readingmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, reading: +30 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 99th percentile of 7,519 reported schools.99th pctile · +30 pts
State model · mathmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, math: +28 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 98th percentile of 7,518 reported schools.98th pctile · +28 pts
this school| the tick is the middle of the California field

Students & opportunity

Who shares in the school’s results?

Who it works for · CAASPP 2024–25

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.

Met or exceeded · reading and math combined
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
ShowHide Student-group results by grade
Student-group results by grade

Results compare different grade groups in the same year, relative to the lowest tested grade. They do not track the same children over time. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

ShowHide California's growth model by student group
The state's growth model, by student group

California follows these children individually and predicts each one's score from their own prior year. Each row is read against the same group at a typical California elementary school — not against zero, and not against this school's all-students figure, because the state's expectation already differs by group.

Reading
English Only73 studentsEnglish Only, reading: +28 scale-score points versus expectation, against +3 for the same group at a typical California elementary school, 73 students.+28 pts · +25 vs typical
White64 studentsWhite, reading: +30 scale-score points versus expectation, against +5 for the same group at a typical California elementary school, 64 students.+30 pts · +25 vs typical
Math
English Only73 studentsEnglish Only, math: +27 scale-score points versus expectation, against +1 for the same group at a typical California elementary school, 73 students.+27 pts · +26 vs typical
White64 studentsWhite, math: +31 scale-score points versus expectation, against +5 for the same group at a typical California elementary school, 64 students.+31 pts · +26 vs typical
this school typical California elementary school, same group| the centre tick is 0 = as predicted

— 1 more group is reported here with between 11 and 29 students. We hold those back on purpose: at that size the figure swings about 17 points on its own, and a quarter of such groups land past the state's top or bottom cut point by chance alone. They are listed with their student counts in the data appendix. — A group not listed at all had fewer than 11 students with a growth score, so California published nothing for it here. That is a privacy protection, not a judgment about those students. — Context only. None of this enters the Scope Score.

The daily experience

What is it like to be a student here?

Students per teacher

Student–teacher ratio is a schoolwide staffing measure, not an average class size.

The people teaching · CDE staffing 2024–25

About 22 students for every teacher here.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Students per teacher22 · district 19
Teaching staff21 teachers
Avg. experience15.3 years
Fully credentialed100%
PrincipalAubrey O'Connor
ShowHide what the district pays
Teacher salary schedule$74,335 – $140,602
Principal salaryFrom $185,394
Superintendent salary$316,650

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Attendance & discipline · 2024–25

Kids here show up more, and get suspended less, than the state average.

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
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
ShowHide attendance by student group and by grade
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–67.1%
TK/K7.8%

Resources & neighborhood

What sits behind the school experience?

Explore school spending and the district budget
What gets spent · FY 2024–25

It spends $27,332 per student, more than the California average.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

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

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

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $27,332, CA average $14,491$27,332 · spent at this school
Federal share$397 per student
District current expense · FY 2024–25$27,608 per student
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction 61%Instruction support 11%Student services 5%Administration 11%Buildings & maintenance 12%

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

ShowHide the district's spending year by year
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 · ACS 2024

3% of students here qualify for free or reduced lunch, versus three in five statewide.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

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 and once in high school, and it never enters the Scope Score.

Hispanic or Latino5.0% · district 9.3% · CA 56.1%
White76.1% · district 70.6% · CA 19.9%
Asian3.3% · district 5.0% · CA 10.2%
Other15.6% · district 14.6% · CA 9.0%
Free or reduced lunch2.7% · CA 64%
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

Culture & philosophy

What is the school’s approach?

School-stated approach · questions for your visit

Look beyond the brochure

A source-reviewed culture summary is not available for this profile yet. Ask how teaching, student support and family communication work day to day.

Find contact and visit details →

Family voices

What would you want another family to know about the daily experience here?

Ask a current family: “When your child needs help, how does the school respond?”

Educator voices

What should families understand about teaching, support and the school community?

Ask an educator: “How do you adapt a typical day for children with different needs?”

Bring these questions on a visit →

Compare nearby schools

What are the alternatives?

Compare schools serving the same grade stage. Private schools have no comparable state-test score.

2025 · elementary schools · combined reading and math measures. Percentiles compare schools within their enrollment group.

Private options →
SchoolTypePerformance bandAdvancedProficient or AdvancedDistanceSelect
Park ElementaryPublicStrong55%86%School being viewed
Neil Cummins ElementaryPublicStrong54%79%1.9 mi
Old Mill ElementaryPublicStrong54%85%0.8 mi
Edna Maguire ElementaryPublicStrong50%78%1.8 mi
Open the comparison tool →
More nearby public and private options
Your other options

Your other options

Nearby public schools across grade levels, plus private options within 10 miles.

All schools in Mill Valley →

Private schools do not receive a Scope Score or statewide ranking on SchoolScope.

16 private schools within 10 miles
Not scored
What should I check before applying?
District public
Confirm the attendance boundary and any permit options.
Charter
Check applications, priorities and deadlines with each school.
Private
Confirm admission requirements, tuition and financial aid.

Moving & enrollment

Which schools could serve my child?

Check your address with the district

School location and nearby schools do not establish attendance eligibility. Confirm boundaries and permit requirements with Mill Valley Elementary.

District information →

Schools across the K–12 journey

Source: sabs_2016. Schools are grouped by grade stage. Nearby schools are not confirmed feeder links or address assignments. Verify the current path and eligibility with the district.

Plan your next step

What should I do next?

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 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.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Park Elementary a good elementary school?
Park Elementary has a Scope Score of 76 out of 100, placing it in the 97th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #151 statewide. 55.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 33.6 percentage points above the California average of 21.4%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (42%), met or exceeded (proficient) (23%), grade 3-to-5 growth (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% went beyond it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it shows how many students go beyond the standard rather than only meeting it. 256 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Park Elementary rank in California?
Park Elementary ranks #151 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 97th 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.
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 76/100 (97th 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.
What middle school does Park Elementary feed into?
By attendance boundary, Park Elementary is zoned to Mill Valley Middle. Mill Valley Middle has a Scope Score of 74 out of 100. Boundaries come from the U.S. Department of Education's School Attendance Boundary Survey, a 2015-16 collection and the most recent national one — they are approximate and may since have changed. A boundary is also not a placement guarantee: magnet, charter, open-enrollment and inter-district transfer options mean students from one school often continue to several different ones. Confirm your address with the district before making an enrollment or housing decision. Data source: NCES School Attendance Boundary Survey, analyzed by SchoolScope.

Use the published evidence to prepare questions, then verify fit and access with the school.

Behind the evidence

Inspect the full record

Public sources, visible methods and the underlying school record. Source years and limitations stay attached to the evidence.

How the Scope Score is calculated

On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to see the state comparison and weights.

What the score weighs · CAASPP 2024–25

How far the top scorers get carries this score.

55.0% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.4%.

What the score weighs
What we weighHereStateWeight
Exceeded standard55.0%21.4%42%
Met or exceeded86.0%42.7%23%
Chronic absenteeism6.9%17.9%5%
Suspension rate0.8%1.6%5%
Grade gap (G3→G5, different students)+11.1pp-2.9pp—

Source CAASPP 2025 · California Department of Education. Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How the score is built

A closer look at the evidence

Park Elementary: reading the evidence

Park posts 55.0% exceeding the standard — versus 21.4% 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.

Subject proficiency describes tested students, while graduation describes a graduating cohort. These figures are not successive stages followed by the same students.

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.

Explore the underlying data →
Every number: score factors, grades, student groups and downloads
Every number · For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.

Park Elementary is ranked #151 statewide · #3 of 5 in Mill Valley Elementary.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Score factors
FactorSchoolStateWeight
Exceeded standard55.0%21.4%42%
Met or exceeded86.0%42.7%23%
Chronic absenteeism6.9%17.9%5%
Suspension rate0.8%1.6%5%
Grade gap (G3→G5, different students)+11.1pp-2.9ppnot scored
Exceeded standard
↑ vs CA 21.4% · index 82 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint
Met or exceeded
↑ vs CA 42.7% · index 83 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint
Chronic absenteeism
↑ vs CA 17.9% · index 68 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint · ▲ 0.8pp higher vs 2024
Suspension rate
↑ vs CA 1.6% · index 57 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint · ▼ 0.7pp lower vs 2024
Grade gap (G3→G5, different students)
↑ vs CA -2.9pp
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ShowHide table 02 — By grade & subgroup
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%+44
Grade 53847%42%11%0%89%+55

We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, that we hold no valid result for it, or that the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.

Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Schoolwide3842%47%11%0%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
White10384.5%−2+23
03Nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score · Grade gap = grade 3 vs grade 5, this year, different students; Cohort growth = one school's returning cohort tracked across grades (mostly, not exactly, the same kids), in scale-score points — that's the measurement the Scope Score weights
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+Grade gapCohort growthSusp
Park Elementary ←—7655.0%86.0%+11.1pp—0.8%
Neil Cummins Elementary1.9 mi7453.6%78.8%−12.4pp—0.9%
Old Mill Elementary0.8 mi7453.6%85.5%+5.0pp—2.9%
Edna Maguire Elementary1.8 mi7449.7%78.2%+6.1pp—0.8%
California average—3921.4%42.7%−2.9pp—1.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
ShowHide table 04 — More measures
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrade gap
20197494#33850.7%81.1%3.3%0.1%+7.2pp
20227896#25152.5%83.6%12.6%0.1%-1.5pp
20238097#19255.9%86.1%12.3%0.2%+3.2pp
20247195#30951.6%83.3%6.1%1.5%+5.9pp
20257697#15155.0%86.0%6.9%0.8%+11.1pp
Grade gap = this year's grade 3 vs grade 5 result, two different sets of students, not a trend for any one child — it is not the measurement the Scope Score's growth dimension uses. See §01 above and /methodology#verdicts for the school's actual scored (cohort) growth.
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
ShowHide table 05 — Climate by student group
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
White3.3%3.5%+0.2pp
Students with Disabilities5.6%13.3%+7.7pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged9.1%16.7%+7.6pp
All Students2.6%5.6%+3.0pp
06California growth model, by student group2025 · scale-score points vs the state's prediction · shown, never scored
ShowHide table 06 — California growth model, by student group
GroupReadingnCDE bandMathnCDE band
All Students+3079Exceptional+2879Exceptional
English Only+2873not categorised+2773not categorised
White+3064Exceptional+3164Exceptional
Students with Disabilities+2712Exceptional+2912Exceptional

Whole scale-score points above or below what CDE's model predicted for these same children from their own prior-year scores — not a percentage, not a percentile. Statewide a typical school lands near +1 with a spread of about 13 points either side, so read a figure against its group's own typical value, not against zero. Muted rows have fewer than 30 students with a growth score — published by CDE, held back from the narrative sections above because at that size the figure swings about 17 points on its own. “Not categorised” is CDE assigning no band — English Only, Recently Reclassified, and English Learners Only receive a value and no band, for every school in the state. It is not a missing number. Most figures blend two consecutive years, so adjacent published years share input data and no trend line can honestly be drawn across them. A group absent from this table had fewer than 11 students with a growth score and was never published. Grades 4-8 only. None of this enters the Scope Score — it is more strongly correlated with school demographics than our own growth measure, and one published year is not enough to test its reliability.

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EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,721 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-09-18

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

Park Elementary

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