Marin schools have uniformly high scores in the California Academic Performance Index (API). A school with a score of 800 or more is considered excellent. 70% of our schools have scores of 800 or greater and 38% are 900 or greater.
While these do not give the complete picture of the personality of each school, they do paint a picture of how well students are learning and performing. Here is a chart of API scores reported for 69 Marin schools in 2010:
The highest ranking schools, with API scores of 900 or more, are distributed throughout Marin:
| 2010 API | Location | |
| Bel Aire Elementary | 960 | Tiburon |
| Del Mar Middle | 952 | Tiburon |
| Anthony G. Bacich Elementary | 947 | Kentfield |
| Edna Maguire Elementary | 947 | Mill Valley |
| Dixie Elementary | 946 | San Rafael |
| Tamalpais Valley Elementary | 941 | Mill Valley |
| Kentfield Elementary | 940 | Kentfield |
| Old Mill Elementary | 939 | Mill Valley |
| Ross Elementary | 938 | Ross |
| Adaline E. Kent Middle | 937 | Kentfield |
| Rancho Elementary | 937 | Novato |
| Reed Elementary | 937 | Tiburon |
| Mill Valley Middle | 933 | Mill Valley |
| Brookside Elementary | 931 | San Anselmo |
| Laguna Elementary | 929 | West Petaluma |
| Park Elementary | 929 | Mill Valley |
| Wade Thomas Elementary | 928 | San Anselmo |
| Glenwood Elementary | 925 | San Rafael |
| Hall Middle | 921 | Mill Valley |
| Sun Valley Elementary | 921 | San Rafael |
| White Hill Middle | 919 | Fairfax |
| Neil Cummins Elementary | 918 | Larkspur |
| Strawberry Point Elementary | 910 | Mill Valley |
| Vallecito Elementary | 907 | San Rafael |
| Pleasant Valley Elementary | 901 | Novato |
| Manor Elementary | 901 | Fairfax |
| Miller Creek Middle | 893 | San Rafael |
| Mary E. Silveira Elementary | 889 | San Rafael |
| Redwood High | 883 | Larkspur |
| Willow Creek Academy | 882 | Sausalito |
| Nicasio Elementary | 871 | Nicasio |
| Sinoloa Middle* | 871 | Novato |
| Tamalpais High | 866 | Mill Valley |
| Novato Charter (Elementary) | 863 | Novato |
| Olive Elementary | 861 | Novato |
| San Ramon Elementary | 854 | Novato |
| Loma Verde Elementary | 851 | Novato |
| Sir Francis Drake High | 851 | San Anselmo |
| Lynwood Elementary | 849 | Novato |
| Hamilton Meadow Park Elementary | 845 | Novato |
| San Jose Middle | 832 | Novato |
| Tamiscal High (Alternative) | 830 | Larkspur |
| Coleman Elementary | 822 | San Rafael |
| Tomales Elementary | 820 | Tomales |
| Bolinas-Stinson Elementary | 816 | Bolinas |
| West Marin Elementary | 813 | Inverness |
| Lu Sutton Elementary | 812 | Novato |
| Novato High | 803 | Novato |
| Terra Linda High | 797 | San Rafael |
| Hill Middle | 792 | Novato |
| Lincoln Elementary | 791 | West Petaluma |
| San Marin High | 783 | San Rafael |
| Madrone High (Continuation) | 778 | San Rafael |
| Lagunitas Elementary | 775 | Lagunitas |
| James B. Davidson Middle | 771 | San Rafael |
| Bahia Vista Elementary | 770 | San Rafeal |
| Bayside Elementary | 763 | Sausalito |
| Tomales High | 762 | Tomales |
| Laurel Dell Elementary | 759 | San Rafael |
| Venetia Valley Elementary | 754 | San Rafael |
| San Pedro Elementary | 745 | San Rafael |
| Bodega Bay Elementary | 737 | Bodega Bay |
| San Rafael High | 732 | San Rafael |
| Martin Luther King, Jr., Academy | 730 | Marin City |
| Marin County Special Education | 724 | San Rafael |
| Marin Oaks High | 698 | Novato |
| Nova Education Center | 693 | Novato |
| San Andreas High (Continuation) | 688 | Larkspur |
| Marin County Community** | 422 | San Rafael |
* A score for Sinoloa Middle School did not appear on the 2010 list, but we assume it is close to the 2009 score of 871.
** Marin County Community school, designed for special educationally disadvantaged children, was established under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Marin County Distinguished Schools
Each year several Marin Schools are recognized as California Distinguished Schools. Individual school can apply for Distinguished School status based on their improvement over the previous four years and their API scores. Elementary schools and secondary schools (middle and high school) receive awards on alternate years.
2011
- Tomales High, Tomales
- Redwood High, Larkspur
2010
- Anthony G. Bacich Elementary, Kentfied-Greenbrae
- Old Mill Elementary, Mill Valley
- Bel Aire Elementary, Tiburon
- Reed Elementary, Tiburon
- Willow Creek Academy, Sausalito
- Inverness Elementary, Inverness
2009
- Dixie Elementary, San Rafael
- Del Mar Middle, Tiburon
- White Hill Middle, Fairfax
- Sir Francis Drake High, San Anselmo
- Tamalpais High, Mill Valley
- Tamiscal High, Larkspur
Success Story: Charter Schools in Marin
Willow Creek Academy, serving the Sausalito and Marin City communities, scored an impressive API score of 882 and was named a California Distinguished School in 2010. With the high achievement of this K-8 school, Sausalito is now more attractive for families with young children.
This is a welcomed turnaround for Sausalito: “Student enrollment, which was 1,227 in 1960, dropped to 710 in 1970 — a slide that continued over the next three decades to 283 by 2006 — as parents moved or sent their children to private schools.” (Mark Prado in the Marin Independent Journal, May 15, 2011). Now there is a demand for enrollment at Willow Creek, and Sausalito is considering converting the other two public schools to charter schools.
Charters schools are tuition-free, public schools (K-8), and open to any student who wishes to attend. Here are some of their unique features:
- Every charter school is allowed to create its own educational program.
- Parental participation is strongly encouraged, but not required.
- Local educators, parents, teachers, support staff, and community leaders have a direct voice in the operation and management of the program.
- Individual schools can respond rapidly to program needs and the interests of students.
The Novato Charter School in the Hamilton area of Novato is also performing well, with a recent API score of 863. This school had its origin as a Waldorf School.
Find Out More About Our Schools
For links to the API web sites, please go to the Marin Schools section of Livinginmarin.com. You’ll also find information about our elementary and middle schools, plus high schools.
If you want more about the personality of specific schools, or need recommendations of the best schools for your family, please contact Madeline.
