Summary:
This analysis covers nine public schools serving grades K-12 in the 95476 zip code of Sonoma, California, all but one of which are part of the Sonoma Valley Unified district.
Parents will find a mixed academic landscape. Prestwood Elementary is the top-performing school in the area, while Sonoma Valley High stands out for its strong 92.8% graduation rate, which exceeds both district and state averages. In contrast, Creekside High faces significant challenges with very low test scores and high chronic absenteeism. The charter school, Sonoma Charter, shows competitive performance, and there is a notable performance gap between the two middle schools, Adele Harrison Middle and Altimira Middle, despite similar student populations.
Key takeaways include a district-wide trend of declining school rankings in recent years and a puzzling case where the highest per-student spending does not correlate with the best academic results. A consistent weakness in 5th-grade math proficiency across elementary schools suggests a potential area for curriculum focus. For families, this area offers both high-performing options and schools that may require significant improvement, with the high school showing promising outcomes despite middle and elementary schools generally performing below state averages in core subjects.
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