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Byron Institute for Independent Study

Public, Virtual Grades K-8

Summary

Byron Institute for Independent Study is a very small, K-8 public school in Discovery Bay, CA, with only 26 students, offering a flexible, non-traditional educational model within the Byron Union Elementary district.

This school operates quite differently from larger local elementary schools like Discovery Bay Elementary or Timber Point Elementary. Its academic proficiency rates in English, math, and science are significantly lower—often 30 to 40 points below—the district and state averages. While it serves a similar percentage of economically disadvantaged students as some neighboring schools, its test scores are dramatically lower, suggesting its independent study model may cater to a specialized population with unique needs that aren't reflected in standard test scores.

Notably, the school spends more per student than comparison schools but shows high year-to-year volatility in metrics like chronic absenteeism and student-teacher ratios, which can be common in very small programs. For families, the key consideration is the trade-off between the highly individualized, flexible structure the Byron Institute provides and the consistently lower standardized test results when compared to all other traditional schools in the area.

Students ?

28.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,443

Per pupil spending ?

42.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

40 Newbury Ln.
Discovery Bay, CA 94505-1828

(925) 809-7550

District: Byron Union Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

38.5%

White:

26.9%

African American:

15.4%

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Compare Byron Institute for Independent Study to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (16% vs 41% meeting standards)

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 36 pts below the California average

!Large classes — about 28 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school16%

District avg46%

California avg41%

2,233^rd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 19%

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

635^th of 1,543Byron Union Elementary among California districts

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Male (2025)22nd percentile+3 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics23%-15 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy13%-36 vs state

Science11%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Byron Institute for Independent Study

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Byron Institute for Independent Study	Public, Virtual	K-8	40 Newbury Ln.	Discovery Bay	94505	Contra Costa County	Byron Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(925) 809-7550	26	1	28.2	42.3%	7 (26.9%)	4 (15.4%)	10 (38.5%)	2 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.8%)	2 (7.7%)								(n/a)		11.8	10.5						17.7	12.9						23.5	22.6							$14,443	$9,565	$4,878
Timber Point Elementary	Public	K-5	40 Newbury Ln.	Discovery Bay	94505	Contra Costa County	Byron Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 809-7550	362	15	24.6	26.0%	157 (43.4%)	20 (5.5%)	113 (31.2%)	20 (5.5%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	48 (13.3%)	53.2	2406^th of 5857 public elementary schools	58.9%		57.6	2166^th of 5869 public elementary schools	63.1%	240	34.5		34.5	37.7	43.3	50.0				43.9	49.1	43.3	43.1				45.0	68.4	93.0	93.0	96.5	93.0	93.0	$11,576	$404	$11,172
Discovery Bay Elementary	Public	K-5	1700 Willow Lake Rd.	Discovery Bay	94505	Contra Costa County	Byron Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 809-7540	417	19	21.4	41.2%	160 (38.4%)	8 (1.9%)	174 (41.7%)	20 (4.8%)	6 (1.4%)	5 (1.2%)	44 (10.6%)	83.8	975^th of 5857 public elementary schools	83.4%		74.4	1389^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.3%	414	50.8		50.8	73.7	63.9	67.2				68.6	77.6	52.5	50.8				61.3	86.6	86.6	92.5	88.1	88.1	86.6	$10,839	$797	$10,042
Old River Elementary	Public	K-8	30 Learning Ln.	Brentwood	94513	Contra Costa County	Knightsen Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 626-3330	332	15	22.5	15.4%	153 (46.1%)	10 (3.0%)	125 (37.7%)	16 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	25 (7.5%)	63.6	1899^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.6%		67.2	1719^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.7%	180	36.7	32.1	34.5	51.9	65.6	43.3	46.9	78.6	50.0	55.4	57.4	59.4	27.6	43.8	67.9	46.4	51.2							$11,259	$974	$10,285
Garin Elementary	Public	K-5	250 First St.	Brentwood	94513	Contra Costa County	Brentwood Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 513-6370	785	32	24.5	41.5%	244 (31.1%)	59 (7.5%)	286 (36.4%)	112 (14.3%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.6%)	76 (9.7%)	62	1967^th of 5857 public elementary schools	66.4%		63.9	1882^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	67.9%	85	30.5		30.5	61.7	59.6	50.8				57.3	62.2	48.0	25.2				44.7	95.9	95.9		96.7	95.9	96.7	$14,909	$1,112	$13,797
Mary Casey Black Elementary	Public	K-5	480 Farmington Dr.	Brentwood	94513	Contra Costa County	Brentwood Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 513-6430	680	27	25.1	47.1%	157 (23.1%)	33 (4.9%)	303 (44.6%)	102 (15.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	82 (12.1%)	51.8	2512^th of 5857 public elementary schools	57.1%		36.4	3412^th of 5869 public elementary schools	41.9%	900	29.9		29.9	57.3	47.3	44.3				49.7	50.0	37.4	29.9				39.1	95.9	97.5	98.4	96.7	97.5	97.5	$16,065	$1,227	$14,838
Knightsen Elementary	Public	K-8	1923 Delta Rd.	Knightsen	94548	Contra Costa County	Knightsen Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 625-0073	316	14	23.0	38.0%	130 (41.1%)	5 (1.6%)	157 (49.7%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.3%)	39.5	3258^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.4%		33.7	3629^th of 5869 public elementary schools	38.2%	371	31.4	45.7	39.5	40.7	42.4	40.0	35.9	46.9	58.7	44.3	48.2	42.4	11.4	28.3	25.0	41.3	32.3							$16,987	$1,780	$15,207
Brentwood Elementary	Public	K-5	200 Griffith Ln.	Brentwood	94513	Contra Costa County	Brentwood Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 513-6360	811	33	24.9	45.6%	222 (27.4%)	76 (9.4%)	317 (39.1%)	101 (12.5%)	2 (0.2%)	7 (0.9%)	86 (10.6%)	59.4	2094^th of 5857 public elementary schools	64.2%		61.6	1997^th of 5869 public elementary schools	66.0%	97	33.3		33.3	51.1	51.8	53.0				52.0	55.6	43.3	35.6				44.9	95.8	97.9		95.8	97.2	97.2	$14,372	$969	$13,403
Summer Lake Elementary	Public	K-5	4320 East Summer Lake Dr.	Oakley	94561	Contra Costa County	Oakley Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 625-6730	595	25	23.8	43.9%	132 (22.2%)	71 (11.9%)	229 (38.5%)	98 (16.5%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	60 (10.1%)	38.1	3339^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.0%		42.6	3031^st of 5869 public elementary schools	48.4%	308	26.4		26.4	36.6	48.4	36.8				40.8	35.4	33.0	26.7				31.7							$14,067	$1,210	$12,857
Marsh Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	601 Grant St.	Brentwood	94513	Contra Costa County	Brentwood Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 513-6420	550	24	22.9	52.4%	105 (19.1%)	56 (10.2%)	240 (43.6%)	72 (13.1%)	4 (0.7%)	9 (1.6%)	64 (11.6%)	55.6	2264^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.3%		63.3	1915^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.4%	349	39.5		39.5	41.7	40.3	58.6				49.1	53.4	27.3	39.1				39.6							$15,429	$1,096	$14,333

Frequently Asked Questions about Byron Institute for Independent Study

What district is Byron Institute for Independent Study in?

Byron Union Elementary

How many students attend Byron Institute for Independent Study?

In the 2024-25 school year, 26 students attended Byron Institute for Independent Study.

What is the racial makeup of Byron Institute for Independent Study?

Students at Byron Institute for Independent Study are 38% Hispanic, 27% White, 15% African American, 8% Asian, 8% Two or more races, 4% Pacific Islander.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.