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Valley View Middle · Pleasant Hill

Valley View Middle: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

Valley View posts 49% meeting the standard against 39% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

181 Viking Drive, 94523 (opens in new tab)·Mt. Diablo Unified·Pleasant Hill·Grades 6-8·819 students·50% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(925) 686-6136
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5143
% Exceeded24%17%
% Met+49%39%
Growth-3.0+1.5
Absence14.0%18.5%
Suspension2.9%3.7%
Scope Score
51
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #610 statewide · #6 of 11 in Mt. Diablo Unified

Valley View Middle scores 51 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 73rd percentile of 2,238 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

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

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

Most rating sites would stop at “49% proficient” and call it done. Valley View deserves a closer read. The school sits in Pleasant Hill, where two in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,238 middle schools statewide

Climbed from the 56th to the 73rd percentile since 2019 — past roughly 300 middle schools.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathGreen(Increased Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 49% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 666%57%52%53%58%
Grade 757%48%48%47%49%
Grade 847%48%43%37%53%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 641%34%33%43%46%
Grade 741%34%31%40%45%
Grade 847%47%42%38%45%

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.

25%
33%
42%
Grade 6 · 58% proficient
20%
29%
51%
Grade 7 · 49% proficient
19%
33%
48%
Grade 8 · 52% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 5.4pp across grades; the floor slips 5.3pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
23.5%
State 16.8%
6.7pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-3.0pp
State +1.5pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
49.1%
State 39.3%
9.9pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
14.0%
State 18.5%
4.5pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.9%
State 3.7%
0.7pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
26.0%
State 18.0%
8.1pp 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 6 and grade 8 here, and who teaches the older kids.
  • 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 Valley View Middle in Pleasant Hill, 38.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Valley View Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 6.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (40.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 48.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 389 students tested.

All students at this school: 49% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 49%, district —, state 39%49%
MaleMale: this school 51%, district 43%, state 42%51% · +2 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 34%, district 27%, state 32%34% · −16 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 47%, district 44%, state 44%47% · −2 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 34%, district 26%, state 32%34% · −15 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 58%, district 60%, state 56%58% · +9 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 55%, district 54%, state 56%55% · +6 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 19%, district 17%, state 15%19% · −30 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 64%, district 59%, state 72%64% · +15 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 6%, district 5%, state 11%6% · −43 vs school
FilipinoFilipino: this school 61%, district 60%, state 65%61% · +12 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 27%, district 24%, state 26%27% · −22 vs school

5 of 17 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 6.6pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +1.7pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 14.0%, district 22.3%, state 18.5%14.0% · −4.5pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 2.9%, district —, state 3.7%2.9% · −0.7pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–613.1%
Grades 7–814.3%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path

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 25:1, district 24:125:1
Teaching staff35 teachers
Avg. experience17.4 years
Fully credentialed92%
First-year teachers6%
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: $317, CA average $14,815$317 · 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$271 per student

$271 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

Hispanic33.3%
District 42.5% · CA 56.1%
White32.1%
District 27.3% · CA 19.9%
Other20.0%
District 17.3% · CA 9.0%
Asian11.1%
District 9.6% · CA 10.2%
Black3.4%
District 3.3% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 49.7% (14pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$143K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.08M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+55% · CA 35%
ZIP population34,592
Median age42 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 40% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Valley View Middle a good middle school?

Valley View Middle has a Scope Score of 51 out of 100, placing it in the 73rd percentile of California middle schools and ranked #610 statewide. 23.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 6.7 percentage points above the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 6-to-8 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 Valley View Middle's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 49.1% of students at Valley View Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 23.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 25.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 23.5% 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. 1,545 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Valley View Middle rank in California?

Valley View Middle ranks #610 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 73rd percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 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 Valley View Middle getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Valley View Middle decreases by 3.0 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 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 middle 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 Valley View Middle?

14.0% of students at Valley View Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 2.9%. 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 Valley View Middle compare to other schools in Pleasant Hill?

Valley View Middle scores 51/100 (73rd percentile) among California middle 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 819 students. Use the schools in Pleasant Hill page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.

How does Valley View Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Valley View Middle in Pleasant Hill, 38.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Valley View Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 6.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (40.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 48.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 389 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%
23.5%
↑ vs CA 16.8% · 57th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
-3.0pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 53th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
49.1%
↑ vs CA 39.3% · 58th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
14.0%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 56th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.9%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 53th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
26.0%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 57th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 624625%33%23%19%58%+12
Grade 724720%29%30%21%49%+1
Grade 827819%33%24%23%53%+7
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 624725%21%23%32%46%+11
Grade 724726%19%28%28%45%+11
Grade 828027%18%23%33%45%+13
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1127815%25%49%11%

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 Disadvantaged38938.6%+7+0
Hispanic/Latino25940.2%+9+1
White25061.6%−2−0
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Valley View Middle ←5123.5%49.1%−3.02.9%
Sequoia Middle1.6 mi5625.1%50.9%+2.33.1%
Pleasant Hill Middle2.1 mi5426.1%52.7%−4.52.7%
Oak Grove Middle2.7 mi204.0%16.1%−9.76.7%
California average4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20194156#87622.7%49.7%8.8%9.9%-6.3pp
20224671#62219.3%44.6%22.9%5.8%+2.1pp
20234664#79618.2%41.5%21.0%4.6%-0.3pp
20244260#87720.0%43.0%12.1%4.1%-10.1pp
20255173#61023.5%49.1%14.0%2.9%-3.0pp
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
Female8.3%13.4%+5.1pp
Male9.2%14.4%+5.2pp
Asian1.5%5.4%+3.9pp
Black/African American8.3%34.5%+26.2pp
Filipino16.7%17.0%+0.3pp
White0.0%0.0%+0.0pp
Hispanic/Latino12.7%19.9%+7.2pp
Two or More Races7.5%9.9%+2.4pp
Students with Disabilities13.4%19.7%+6.3pp
English Learners15.8%18.0%+2.2pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged13.5%17.6%+4.1pp
All Students8.8%13.9%+5.1pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle 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