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Happy Valley Elementary

Public Grades K-5

31^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 99% of California elementary schools

Summary

Happy Valley Elementary is a top-ranked K-5 public school serving 463 students in the high-performing Lafayette Elementary district, consistently earning elite 5-star ratings and placing in the 99th percentile of California elementary schools.

The school stands out for its remarkable academic consistency, leading its own district in English, Math, and particularly Science, where its 5th graders excel. It achieves these results while spending less per student than some neighboring elite schools like Wagner Ranch Elementary in Orinda Union. Perhaps most impressive is its exceptional support for all students, with special education students and multi-racial students ranking in the top 15 statewide, and it maintains the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the area at just 2.4%.

While the entire Lafayette district is high-achieving, Happy Valley is the clear leader among peers like Burton Valley Elementary and Springhill Elementary. This contrasts with wider regional disparities, as schools in other districts like Pleasant Hill Elementary in Mt. Diablo Unified face different challenges. For families, Happy Valley represents a model of efficient excellence, combining top-tier academic results, outstanding student support systems, and strong community engagement.

463

Students ?

23.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,844

Per pupil spending ?

3.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3855 Happy Valley Rd.
Lafayette, CA 94549-2406

(925) 927-3560

District: Lafayette Elementary

Students who attend Happy Valley Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	M. H. Stanley Middle
High:	Acalanes High

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.6%

Two or more races:

21.6%

Asian:

12.3%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2015 → 99th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (88% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of California elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Lafayette Elementary

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school88%

District avg78%

California avg41%

31^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the Lafayette Elementary

30^th of 1,543Lafayette Elementary 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	98.6	31 of 5857	99.5%	★★★★★
2024	98.9	22 of 5869	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	97.9	111 of 5859	98.1%	★★★★★
2022	96.9	206 of 5883	96.5%	★★★★★
2021	97.0	51 of 1417	96.4%	★★★★★
2019	98.1	59 of 5789	99.0%	★★★★★
2018	98.3	45 of 5662	99.2%	★★★★★
2017	98.4	59 of 5692	99.0%	★★★★★
2016	98.1	53 of 5614	99.1%	★★★★★
2015	98.0	107 of 5611	98.1%	★★★★★
2013	95.5	83 of 5530	98.5%	★★★★★
2012	96.1	31 of 5390	99.4%	★★★★★
2011	95.6	89 of 5377	98.3%	★★★★★
2010	95.6	102 of 5314	98.1%	★★★★★
2009	96.0	105 of 5193	98.0%	★★★★★
2008	94.9	196 of 5113	96.2%	★★★★★
2007	97.2	92 of 5113	98.2%	★★★★★
2006	97.6	76 of 4818	98.4%	★★★★★
2005	94.2	260 of 4822	94.6%	★★★★★
2004	93.7	297 of 4809	93.8%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	90.2	8 of 1205	99.3%	★★★★★
2023	82.8	92 of 1190	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	73.1	321 of 1154	72.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2021	90.2	17 of 293	94.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	97.2	87 of 5597	98.4%	★★★★★
2024	97.8	65 of 5612	98.8%	★★★★★
2023	95.7	227 of 5609	96.0%	★★★★★
2022	94.2	352 of 5635	93.8%	★★★★★
2021	94.7	71 of 1267	94.4%	★★★★★
2019	98.0	33 of 5492	99.4%	★★★★★
2018	97.9	41 of 5413	99.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.6	17 of 5628	99.7%	★★★★★
2024	99.1	13 of 5643	99.8%	★★★★★
2023	98.2	64 of 5638	98.9%	★★★★★
2022	97.6	105 of 5663	98.1%	★★★★★
2021	97.2	38 of 1272	97.0%	★★★★★
2019	97.3	97 of 5510	98.2%	★★★★★
2018	97.8	70 of 5431	98.7%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.8	3 of 718	99.6%	★★★★★
2024	93.9	2 of 670	99.7%	★★★★★
2023	60.0	298 of 669	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	82.3	72 of 610	88.2%	★★★★☆
2019	91.3	5 of 445	98.9%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	99.4	13 of 2847	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	95.2	99 of 2420	95.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.8	86 of 2598	96.7%	★★★★★
2024	92.2	44 of 2651	98.3%	★★★★★
2023	90.2	101 of 2661	96.2%	★★★★★
2022	86.3	224 of 2726	91.8%	★★★★★
2019	91.5	58 of 2834	98.0%	★★★★★
2018	91.7	62 of 2737	97.7%	★★★★★

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)100th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)100th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)100th percentile~ school

Asian (2024)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)98th percentile~ school

White (2025)97th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2021)94th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy89%+40 vs state

Mathematics88%+51 vs state

Science82%+49 vs state

★

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Schools Near Happy Valley Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 (2025)
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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th 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
Happy Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	3855 Happy Valley Rd.	Lafayette	94549	Contra Costa County	Lafayette Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 927-3560	463	20	23.1	3.2%	262 (56.6%)	3 (0.6%)	41 (8.9%)	57 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (21.6%)	98.6	31^st of 5857 public elementary schools	99.5%		98.9	22^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	99.6%	9	82.1	82.1	89.6	85.1	92.5	89.0	94.8	83.8	85.1	88.1							$17,844	$16,440	$1,404
Lafayette Elementary	Public	K-5	950 Moraga Rd.	Lafayette	94549	Contra Costa County	Lafayette Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 927-3570	515	21	24.5	9.7%	232 (45.0%)	7 (1.4%)	61 (11.8%)	75 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	140 (27.2%)	96.7	178^th of 5857 public elementary schools	97.0%		97.5	122^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	97.9%	56	63.9	63.9	88.3	83.5	85.5	85.9	87.4	81.5	69.9	79.9							$16,165	$14,646	$1,519
Springhill Elementary	Public	K-5	3301 Springhill Rd.	Lafayette	94549	Contra Costa County	Lafayette Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 927-3580	479	22	21.7	3.5%	204 (42.6%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (12.1%)	72 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	143 (29.9%)	96.8	170^th of 5857 public elementary schools	97.1%		96.2	247^th of 5869 public elementary schools	95.8%	77	63.6	63.6	85.9	75.7	85.7	82.5	91.0	81.1	83.1	85.2							$17,275	$13,916	$3,359
Glorietta Elementary	Public	K-5	15 Martha Rd.	Orinda	94563	Contra Costa County	Orinda Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 254-8770	445	19	23.4	1.8%	222 (49.9%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (8.8%)	82 (18.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	101 (22.7%)	97.8	88^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.5%		97.9	81^st of 5869 public elementary schools	98.6%	7	78.1	78.1	77.8	82.6	93.9	85.3	87.3	81.4	89.0	85.7							$23,160	$22,976	$184
Sleepy Hollow Elementary	Public	K-5	20 Washington Ln.	Orinda	94563	Contra Costa County	Orinda Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 254-8711	399	19	21.0	5.0%	254 (63.7%)	3 (0.8%)	21 (5.3%)	58 (14.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (15.5%)	97.7	95^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.4%		97.7	99^th of 5869 public elementary schools	98.3%	4	75.8	75.8	92.5	77.6	90.3	87.2	89.6	77.6	88.7	85.6							$24,638	$24,384	$254
Donald L. Rheem Elementary	Public	K-5	90 Laird Dr.	Moraga	94556	Contra Costa County	Moraga Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 376-4441	441	19	23.2	8.4%	202 (45.8%)	6 (1.4%)	59 (13.4%)	82 (18.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	92 (20.9%)	96.4	205^th of 5857 public elementary schools	96.5%		97.4	127^th of 5869 public elementary schools	97.8%	78	61.5	61.5	84.3	89.1	81.8	84.8	87.1	86.2	70.5	80.8	96.9	96.9			96.9		$17,260	$17,188	$72
Wagner Ranch Elementary	Public	K-5	350 Camino Pablo	Orinda	94563	Contra Costa County	Orinda Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 258-0016	489	22	22.2	1.6%	206 (42.1%)	4 (0.8%)	46 (9.4%)	145 (29.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	87 (17.8%)	99	12^th of 5857 public elementary schools	99.8%		98.8	28^th of 5869 public elementary schools	99.5%	16	88.6	88.6	89.2	87.5	97.1	91.1	91.7	93.1	90.0	91.6							$25,207	$25,018	$189
Pleasant Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	2097 Oak Park Blvd.	Pleasant Hill	94523	Contra Costa County	Mt. Diablo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 934-3341	652	23	28.1	26.8%	341 (52.3%)	10 (1.5%)	150 (23.0%)	71 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	77 (11.8%)	73.9	1422^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	75.7%		73.2	1440^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.5%	18	42.7	42.7	58.9	51.3	60.7	56.6	61.7	57.4	51.1	57.1	93.9	98.5	98.5	96.2	97.7	97.7	$452	$102	$350
Burton Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	561 Merriewood Dr.	Lafayette	94549	Contra Costa County	Lafayette Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(925) 927-3550	653	28	23.3	2.1%	322 (49.3%)	3 (0.5%)	73 (11.2%)	81 (12.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	174 (26.6%)	96.7	175^th of 5857 public elementary schools	97.0%		97.6	111^th of 5869 public elementary schools	98.1%	64	73.6	73.6	75.8	78.3	88.2	80.6	84.0	79.2	87.3	83.4							$17,658	$16,078	$1,580
Lafayette Early Intervention Preschool	Public	K	561 Merriwood	Lafayette	94549	Contra Costa County	Lafayette Elementary	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(925) 927-3550	3				0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (100.0%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Happy Valley Elementary

What schools do graduates of Happy Valley Elementary attend?

Students who attend Happy Valley Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : M. H. Stanley Middle
High : Acalanes High

What is the racial makeup of Happy Valley Elementary?

Students at Happy Valley Elementary are 57% White, 22% Two or more races, 12% Asian, 9% Hispanic.

How many students attend Happy Valley Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 463 students attended Happy Valley Elementary.

What district is Happy Valley Elementary in?

Lafayette Elementary

Is Happy Valley Elementary a good school?

Yes! Happy Valley Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 31^st of 5857 California elementary schools.

Rate Happy Valley Elementary!

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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.