13 Walnut Creek Schools Among Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News

WALNUT CREEK, CA -- Several elementary and middle schools in Walnut Creek have been ranked among the best in California according to a new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.

Schools are ranked at the state and district levels. The best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories.

U.S. News ranked Walnut Heights Elementary as the highest in the state among schools in Walnut Creek, according to the list.

Here’s a look at how other schools in Walnut Creek ranked compared with others in the state:

Elementary Schools:

• No. 569: Walnut Heights Elementary
• No. 1040: Parkmead Elementary
• No. 1123: Indian Valley Elementary
• No. 1127 Buena Vista Elementary
• No. 1349: Tice Creek
• No. 1395: Walnut Acres Elementary
• No. 1754: Murwood Elementary
• No. 2307: Eagle Peak Montessori
• No. 2350: Bancroft Elementary

Middle Schools:

• No. 187: Tice Creek
• No. 250: Foothill Middle School
• No. 421: Walnut Creek Intermediate
• No. 1656: Contra Costa School of Performing Arts

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:

• Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
• Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.

California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.

See the complete list of 2021’s Best K-8 Schools.