Summary
Willow Cove Elementary serves 592 students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Pittsburg, in the East Bay area of Contra Costa County. The most important finding is that its 2025–2026 proficiency rates were below both Pittsburg Unified and California in English language arts, math, and science: 23%, 16%, and 13%, respectively, compared with 30%, 18%, and 36% statewide rates. The results are also below the averages for 10 nearby schools in all three subjects, so low core proficiency is a broad concern, not one limited to a single subject.
Math is the closest of the three core subjects to district and state results, while ELA is furthest behind both. Among nearby schools, fifth-grade math is a brighter spot: Willow Cove’s 13% proficiency was above seven of the 10 schools and the district’s 11%, though below the state’s 37%. Spanish listening also stands out: its 27% proficiency was above the district’s 23% and the state’s 24%. Absenteeism has improved, but remains above the state rate: 23% of students were chronically absent in 2025–2026, compared with 18% statewide and 32% districtwide; only Los Medanos was lower among nearby schools with data.
Scores have risen since 2022–2023, but the state gaps remain substantial: ELA increased from 19% to 23%, math from 11% to 16%, and science from 8% to 13%. SchoolDigger ranks Willow Cove 5,393rd of 5,804 statewide, at the 7th percentile with 0 stars. Its student-teacher ratio, 20.4 in 2024–2025, was the lowest among nearby schools. In 2024–2025, 77% of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, below the nearby-school average of 80%; these are context, not explanations for test results. SchoolDigger’s African American student ranking was at the 53rd percentile, compared with the schoolwide 7th percentile, while its special education student ranking was at the 1st percentile, down from the 43rd percentile in 2023–2024.
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