Marin Schools
School Ratings & Information for Marin County School Districts including Sausalito, Corte Madera, and Mill Valley
Read how Marin County public schools and school districts are rated on the California Academic Performance Index (API), an aggregate ratings indicator of how well schools and districts perform on the following tests:
- California English-Language Arts and Mathematics Standards Tests (CSTs in ELA and mathematics)
- California Science Standards Test (CST in science)
- California Life Science Standards Test (CST in life science)
- California History-Social Science Standards Test (CST in history-social science)
- California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA)
- California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6 Survey)
- California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE)
Base reports were published for the 2007 school year. Updates for 2008 and Growth Reports are available at the California Department of Education web site.
School District Information for each Marin County City
| City | School District |
| Bodega | Shoreline Unified School District |
| Corte Madera | Larkspur School District |
| Fairfax | Ross Valley School District |
| Forest Knolls | Lagunitas School District |
| Greenbrae | Kentfield School District |
| Inverness | Shoreline Unified School District |
| Kentfield | Kentfield School District |
| Lagunitas | Lagunitas School District |
| Larkspur | Larkspur School District |
| Mill Valley | Mill Valley School District |
| Novato | Novato Unified School District |
| Point Reyes | Shoreline Unified School District |
| Ross | Ross School District |
| San Anselmo | Ross Valley School District |
| San Geronimo | Lagunitas School District |
| San Rafael | San Rafael School District, Dixie School District* |
| Sausalito | Sausalito Marin City School District |
| Tiburon | Reed Union School District |
| Tomales | Shoreline Unified School District |
| Woodacre | Lagunitas School District |
* Note: The Dixie Schoold District is comprised of three elementary schools that serve Terra Linda, Marinwood, Lucas Valley, and a portion of Contempo Marin (manufactured home community). For the location of this district within San Rafael, please refer to the district map.
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Marin County High Schools
Marin high schools often serve more than one city. Here is a summary, with links, to each Marin school web site.
Marin Offers Outstanding Private Schools
Though most Marin County Public Schools are considered on a par with private schools, Marin offers many fine private schools.
Sausalito Schools Show Improvement
The Marin Independent Joural reported on July 7, 2008 "Profound Changes" in Sausalito's elementay schools. In the four years from 2004 through 2007, these were the API scores:
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Bayside Elementary | 642 | 723 | 780 | 808 |
| MLK Jr. Academy | 703 | 629 | 640 | 638 |
| Willow Creek Academy | 674 | 709 | 738 | 829 |
MLK Jr. is in Marin City and Willow Creek is a charter school.
Sausalito has had the reputation for week schools, in part because of the small number of shool children in this district. Bayside and Willow Creek have improved noticalby in API scores. However, they are not yet up to the level of other schools in Marin (see the following article).
Additional Information on Marin County's Outstanding Schools
Marin County has excellent public and private schools to meet any needs and requirements that your children may have. Here is the news from the Marin Independent Journal concerning Marin's OUTSTANDING schools:
Marin schools shine on state testing Marin Independent Journal, Rob Rogers, 05/21/2008 Superintendent Bob Ferguson couldn't be prouder. While Marin schools have traditionally done well in the state's annual Academic Performance Index report, released Tuesday, the three schools in his Tamalpais Union High School District had something extra to crow about. Redwood, Sir Francis Drake and Tamalpais high schools were the county's only high schools to receive API scores higher than 800, the state's standard for academic achievement.
"I couldn't ask for anything more," Ferguson said. "Tamalpais High School jumped over 50 points in the API, and all of them went up to 10" in statewide rank - the state's highest - he added. "This just shows that if you have excellent teachers and a good curriculum, your students will learn." Of the county's 61 traditional schools, 72 percent - up from 69 percent last year - received scores greater than 800. "Marin continues to show improvement in terms of state accountability," said Susan Spain, deputy superintendent of schools. "Last year, 41 of our schools had scores of 800 or more. This year, 44 schools received that score." The county's scores continue to exceed state averages. About 71 percent of Marin's elementary schools received API scores of 800 or higher as opposed to 36.7 percent of elementary schools statewide. About 90 percent of the county's middle schools and 30 percent of its high schools scored higher than 800, compared with 24.6 percent of California middle schools and 14.5 percent of the state's high schools. API scores, which range from 200 to 1,000, measure student performance on several statewide tests in grades 2 through 11, including the California Standards Tests, California Alternate Performance Assessment and the California High School Exit Examination. "Since the inception of the API, the median score for each decile ranking has increased each year," said Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction. "This reflects significant gains in student achievement in our schools." The API ranks each of the state's schools on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the best. It also provides a comparison with 100 other schools that share similar qualities, such as class size, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Twenty-five Marin schools received a 10 ranking; six more received a nine. The county had 18 schools with API scores of 900 or greater, including every school in Mill Valley. Novato's Rancho Elementary and Reed Union's Bel Aire Elementary tied for Marin's highest score with 951. Other top-scoring schools included Edna Maguire Elementary in Mill Valley, Ross School, and Brookside Elementary and Wade Thomas Elementary in San Anselmo, each of which received the highest possible rankings statewide and among similar schools. "Once you get in the '10' category (of statewide ranks), you really have to maintain yourself," Ferguson said. "But with the very supportive parents and excellent teachers we have, there's no reason why we should not expect to keep our scores up there." Sausalito's Martin Luther King Jr. Academy had Marin's lowest score, at 638. All of the school's test-takers in 2007 were classified by the state as "economically disadvantaged" as opposed to 2.4 percent of students at Rancho Elementary and 1.1 percent at Bel Aire Elementary. Two Novato schools - San Marin High and Pleasant Valley Elementary - did not receive API scores this year because they were disqualified by the state. At San Marin, Assistant Principal Mike Casper forgot to schedule the life sciences portion of an exam for about 60 students. At Pleasant Valley, a former teacher reviewed questions and coached students in a manner not allowed under testing guidelines. |
Here are web sites that provide detailed information about schools:
Overview of Marin County schools by the Marin County Office of Education
The California Department of Education web site - You will find the API reports for all Marin schools and how they rank state-wide.
If the house you want to buy is near a border between two towns, we can confirm the school district for you and the choices that you may have.
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