Original Research by School Decision on Las Lomas High
Las Lomas High is a mid-sized public high school in Walnut Creek serving grades nine through twelve. The student body is predominantly white, with substantial representation from Asian and Hispanic students and smaller populations of other groups. A small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the relative affluence of the surrounding community.
The school's state assessment results are available only for the most recent year. In English language arts, students demonstrated solid proficiency, with results in the higher half of the range typical for high schools. Mathematics and science proficiency both landed near the midpoint for this type of assessment, indicating room for growth in those areas. Because only one year of data is available, trend information was not available to show whether performance is moving in either direction. The school does not have a reported graduation rate in the available data, a gap that may reflect reporting timing or data availability rather than a missing metric.
The Acalanes Union High School District, which operates Las Lomas, is currently navigating significant budget pressures that will shape what families experience. The district receives among the lowest state funding allocations of any high school district in California and has historically relied on local parcel-tax revenue to support programs and staff. In May 2025, the district's Measure T parcel tax failed to win voter approval, and in response the district implemented substantial budget reductions for the 2025-2026 school year. Parents can expect tighter master schedules with larger class sizes, more instances of second-choice electives due to reduced course offerings, reduced professional development for teachers, and scaled-back supply budgets. The district has also indicated that additional cuts are likely in coming years without new funding sources. As of early 2026, the district was considering eliminating librarian positions and reducing counselor staffing. For families considering Las Lomas or weighing options within the district, these reductions represent a concrete near-term shift in school resources and class composition.
Walnut Creek itself is a built-out suburban community anchored by a compact, walkable downtown centered on Broadway Plaza, the public library, and Civic Park, with BART transit access. Most daily life outside the downtown core is car-oriented. The city is nearly built out and planning to direct most future growth to downtown infill, particularly mixed-use and multi-family development near the BART station. The median home value in the area is substantial, and rent levels reflect a tight, expensive housing market relative to regional and national norms. Health care dominates local employment, with four of the six largest employers in the medical field, anchored by John Muir Health's Walnut Creek Medical Center, the county's only designated trauma center. The downtown also functions as a corporate office center.
The housing market in the 94596 zip code encompasses both the high-value downtown and the surrounding mid-century and contemporary residential neighborhoods. Homes range from single-family postwar ranches to townhomes and garden condos, many updated over the decades. For prospective buyers, the price-to-income ratio is elevated compared to national benchmarks, and rent-to-income levels suggest that renters in the area devote a substantial portion of income to housing. The Iron Horse Regional Trail provides a paved, multi-use corridor linking parks, neighborhoods, and transit, supporting walking and biking despite the car-centric nature of most errands outside the downtown.
A parent evaluating Las Lomas would encounter a school with solid English language arts proficiency and mid-range performance in mathematics and science. The more immediate consideration is the district's current budget constraints and their effect on class sizes, elective availability, and support staffing. These are concrete operational changes that will characterize the school experience for the next several years unless funding conditions improve.
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