Sonoma Valley Unified

Sonoma Valley Unified includes seven schools—four elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools—in the Sonoma Valley area, serving students from elementary through high school. Results differ substantially among schools, and Creekside High is the clearest concern: chronic absenteeism reached 72% in 2025–26, compared with 19% districtwide and 18% statewide, alongside low reported proficiency and an 82% graduation rate.

Prestwood Elementary leads the elementary schools in all three subjects, with 39% proficient in ELA, 30% in math, and 39% in science; the lowest elementary results are 24% ELA and 20% math at Flowery Elementary, and 20% science at Sassarini Elementary. Even Prestwood is below the state results in ELA and math; its science result is above the state’s 36%. Among the high schools, Sonoma Valley High leads Creekside in ELA, 62% to 18%, and science, 26% to 9%. Sonoma Valley’s ELA is 12 percentage points above the state result, while Creekside’s is 31 points below.

Recent changes are mixed: the unweighted school average in science rose 6 percentage points, compared with a 3-point state increase, while the average math result edged down and the state result rose 1 point. Altimira Middle had a notable 15-point science increase; Sonoma Valley High improved in all three reported subjects, while Prestwood’s ELA and math fell 7 and 4 points. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile for Sonoma Valley High fell from 63 to 51, and Prestwood’s from 59 to 42. As context, Prestwood’s free/reduced lunch eligible measure was 31% in 2024–25, compared with Flowery’s 35%; their student–teacher ratios were 18 and 23. Such measures describe differences among schools, not what causes their results.