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Independent Elementary

Q: Is Independent Elementary a good school?

Independent Elementary ranks 792 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

792^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 86% of California elementary schools

Summary

Independent Elementary is a consistently high-performing K-5 public school serving 662 students in the strong Castro Valley Unified district, ranking in the 86th-94th percentile statewide over the past decade with excellent student attendance.

The school stands out for its exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 6.2%, which is about half the district average and the second-best among local schools like Castro Valley Elementary and Marshall Elementary. Academically, it delivers balanced, above-average results in English, Math, and Science, performing solidly within the district's upper tier alongside schools such as Jensen Ranch Elementary and Proctor Elementary.

Independent Elementary shows notable strength in supporting students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and has made a remarkable recovery in student attendance since the pandemic. While it serves a more economically diverse population than some higher-performing peers, it maintains strong outcomes, making it a stable and reliable choice that dramatically outperforms schools in neighboring districts like Hayward Unified.

662

Students ?

24.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,480

Per pupil spending ?

28.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

21201 Independent School Rd.
Castro Valley, CA 94552-4826

(510) 537-9558

District: Castro Valley Unified

Students who attend Independent Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Canyon Middle
	Creekside Middle
High:	Castro Valley High

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

49.7%

Two or more races:

16.0%

White:

15.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Independent Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 92nd percentile in 2015 → 86th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (66% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 14% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school66%

District avg61%

California avg41%

792^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 14%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From top 8% (2015) to top 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Castro Valley Unified

237^th of 1,543Castro Valley Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.7	792 of 5857	86.5%	★★★★☆
2024	92.2	555 of 5869	90.5%	★★★★★
2023	89.0	765 of 5859	86.9%	★★★★☆
2022	92.3	578 of 5883	90.2%	★★★★★
2021	85.3	203 of 1417	85.7%	★★★★☆
2019	92.9	451 of 5789	92.2%	★★★★★
2018	90.8	586 of 5662	89.7%	★★★★☆
2017	94.2	387 of 5692	93.2%	★★★★★
2016	94.5	342 of 5614	93.9%	★★★★★
2015	92.5	474 of 5611	91.6%	★★★★★
2013	93.8	193 of 5530	96.5%	★★★★★
2012	94.3	129 of 5390	97.6%	★★★★★
2011	95.0	125 of 5377	97.7%	★★★★★
2010	93.0	260 of 5314	95.1%	★★★★★
2009	94.8	174 of 5193	96.6%	★★★★★
2008	97.2	65 of 5113	98.7%	★★★★★
2007	96.7	122 of 5113	97.6%	★★★★★
2006	97.1	97 of 4818	98.0%	★★★★★
2005	96.4	144 of 4822	97.0%	★★★★★
2004	93.2	326 of 4809	93.2%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.1	556 of 1203	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.5	545 of 1205	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.7	641 of 1190	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	65.5	486 of 1154	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.8	444 of 1149	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.2	532 of 1071	50.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	78.2	293 of 3245	91.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.5	620 of 5597	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	91.9	509 of 5612	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	91.9	509 of 5609	90.9%	★★★★★
2022	91.9	519 of 5635	90.8%	★★★★★
2021	79.5	239 of 1267	81.1%	★★★★☆
2019	89.3	603 of 5492	89.0%	★★★★☆
2018	86.8	724 of 5413	86.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	1147 of 5107	77.5%	★★★★☆
2024	85.0	547 of 5107	89.3%	★★★★☆
2023	90.0	351 of 5087	93.1%	★★★★★
2022	92.4	277 of 5084	94.6%	★★★★★
2019	81.6	647 of 4963	87.0%	★★★★☆
2018	93.9	162 of 4830	96.6%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.2	647 of 5460	88.2%	★★★★☆
2024	84.4	653 of 5517	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	91.7	324 of 5363	94.0%	★★★★★
2022	90.8	315 of 5264	94.0%	★★★★★
2021	90.5	61 of 1110	94.5%	★★★★★
2019	71.9	1088 of 5173	79.0%	★★★★☆
2018	75.3	905 of 5084	82.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	80.9	1028 of 5628	81.7%	★★★★☆
2024	89.6	631 of 5643	88.8%	★★★★☆
2023	82.8	975 of 5638	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	90.2	616 of 5663	89.1%	★★★★☆
2021	87.6	159 of 1272	87.5%	★★★★☆
2019	94.1	306 of 5510	94.4%	★★★★★
2018	91.4	490 of 5431	91.0%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.2	432 of 718	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	68.7	227 of 670	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.1	471 of 669	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	54.6	321 of 610	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.7	180 of 445	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.6	163 of 339	51.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	1660 of 2847	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	73.1	424 of 2420	82.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.0	1133 of 2598	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.7	777 of 2661	70.8%	★★★★☆
2022	78.2	518 of 2726	81.0%	★★★★☆
2019	78.0	536 of 2834	81.1%	★★★★☆
2018	74.7	659 of 2737	75.9%	★★★★☆

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)

English Language Learner (2023)91st percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)89th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)88th percentile~ school

Male (2025)82nd percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)78th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)56th percentile-30 vs school

Asian (2025)54th percentile-33 vs school

Special Education (2025)42nd percentile-45 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)40th percentile-47 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics68%+31 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy67%+18 vs state

Science56%+23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Independent Elementary

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)	% Varicella (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 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 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 All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Varicella KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Independent Elementary	Public	K-5	21201 Independent School Rd.	Castro Valley	94552	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 537-9558	662	27	24.9	28.2%	105 (15.9%)	18 (2.7%)	103 (15.6%)	329 (49.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	106 (16.0%)	87.7	792^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	86.5%		92.2	555^th of 5869 public elementary schools	90.5%	237	55.9	55.9	61.5	65.7	73.0		67.2	64.4	74.0	66.4		68.1			$13,480	$176	$13,304
Vannoy Elementary	Public	K-5	5100 Vannoy	Castro Valley	94546	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 537-1832	536	22	24.3	29.5%	115 (21.5%)	9 (1.7%)	162 (30.2%)	164 (30.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	85 (15.9%)	83.9	969^th of 5857 public elementary schools	83.5%		87.3	843^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	85.6%	126	35.9	35.9	64.3	75.0	67.2		68.4	69.4	70.3	60.9		67.1			$13,383	$101	$13,282
Marshall Elementary	Public	K-5	20111 Marshall St.	Castro Valley	94546	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 537-2431	515	21	24.5	44.5%	71 (13.8%)	20 (3.9%)	142 (27.6%)	213 (41.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	64 (12.4%)	86.2	870^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.1%		89	746^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.3%	124	56.3	56.3	72.1	58.3	73.4		68.2	77.9	53.6	62.5		64.7			$14,527	$549	$13,978
Fairview Elementary	Public	K-6	23515 Maud Ave.	Hayward	94541	Alameda County	Hayward Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 723-3830	543	22	25.2	73.1%	30 (5.5%)	72 (13.3%)	304 (56.0%)	83 (15.3%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.7%)	48 (8.8%)	17.4	5058^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.6%		25.2	4352^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	25.8%	706	9.4	9.4	35.1	30.7	19.1	19.2	26.5	32.1	21.1	7.1	7.6	17.7			$23,657	$3,751	$19,906
Palomares Elementary	Public	K-5	6395 Palo Verde Rd.	Castro Valley	94552	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 582-4207	135	6	22.5	36.3%	29 (21.5%)	3 (2.2%)	47 (34.8%)	22 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (25.2%)	68.5	1667^th of 5857 public elementary schools	71.5%		78.9	1201^st of 5869 public elementary schools	79.5%	466	44.0	44.0	24.0	74.1	72.0		57.1	40.0	60.7	56.0		52.6			$14,785	$101	$14,684
Jensen Ranch Elementary	Public	K-5	20001 Carson Ln.	Castro Valley	94552	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 537-6365	373	16	23.3	20.1%	52 (13.9%)	9 (2.4%)	38 (10.2%)	231 (61.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (11.5%)	97.6	110^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.1%		95.4	314^th of 5869 public elementary schools	94.6%	204	66.1	66.1	85.0	88.9	85.7		86.6	88.3	82.5	82.1		84.4			$14,236	$101	$14,135
Castro Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	20185 San Miguel Ave.	Castro Valley	94546	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 537-1919	502	21	23.9	55.0%	75 (14.9%)	30 (6.0%)	163 (32.5%)	160 (31.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	71 (14.1%)	74.8	1376^th of 5857 public elementary schools	76.5%		75.3	1356^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.9%	20	43.2	43.2	54.1	64.1	67.6		62.0	59.5	51.9	47.3		52.9	97.5	98.3	$13,871	$538	$13,333
Proctor Elementary	Public	K-5	17520 Redwood Rd.	Castro Valley	94546	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 537-0630	613	25	24.5	30.2%	134 (21.9%)	12 (2.0%)	100 (16.3%)	243 (39.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	121 (19.7%)	94.8	349^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.0%		95.4	309^th of 5869 public elementary schools	94.7%	40	67.4	67.4	78.8	74.5	74.7		76.0	82.8	81.6	69.2		78.0			$13,687	$351	$13,336
East Avenue Elementary	Public	K-6	2424 East Ave.	Hayward	94541	Alameda County	Hayward Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 723-3815	407	20	20.8	66.8%	39 (9.6%)	58 (14.3%)	204 (50.1%)	55 (13.5%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (3.4%)	36 (8.8%)	30.2	3947^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.6%		29	4012^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.6%	65	26.3	26.3	11.4	50.9	33.3	31.9	33.0	13.6	48.3	16.7	15.9	24.0			$26,136	$3,078	$23,058
Faith Ringgold School of Arts and Science	Public	K-8	1570 Ward St.	Hayward	94541	Alameda County	Hayward Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 889-7399	111	5	21.5	92.8%	4 (3.6%)	15 (13.5%)	72 (64.9%)	12 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	7 (6.3%)	13.3	5398^th of 5857 public elementary schools	7.8%		6.1	5836^th of 5869 public elementary schools	0.6%	438	23.1	23.1	10.5	25.0	28.6		20.4	5.6	12.5	14.3		9.6			$30,859	$3,673	$27,186

Frequently Asked Questions about Independent Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Independent Elementary?

Students at Independent Elementary are 50% Asian, 16% Two or more races, 16% White, 16% Hispanic, 3% African American.

How many students attend Independent Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 662 students attended Independent Elementary.

Is Independent Elementary a good school?

Independent Elementary ranks 792^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Independent Elementary in?

Castro Valley Unified

What schools do graduates of Independent Elementary attend?

Students who attend Independent Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Canyon Middle
Middle : Creekside Middle
High : Castro Valley High

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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.