Old River Elementary, Brentwood CA

Original Research by School Decision on Old River Elementary

Old River Elementary is a small public school in Brentwood serving kindergarten through eighth grade, anchoring the eastern part of the city in a fast-growing suburban community where most families own homes and many commute long distances to jobs in the broader Bay Area. The school enrolls a student body that is majority white and Latino, with a smaller share of Asian, multiracial, Black, and Pacific Islander students. About one in six students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school operates as part of Knightsen Elementary School District, a small two-campus district that recently completed a structural change: it grew from a K-5 system into a full TK-8 district, meaning students can now stay within the same district through middle school rather than transferring out. This shift reflects both changing enrollment patterns in the region and the district's recent decision to serve all grades at both campuses. The district also installed solar arrays at both school sites in 2023, which provides ongoing operational savings and reduces electricity costs, translating into more resources for classrooms.

Academic performance across Old River presents a mixed and uneven picture. In English language arts, results vary by grade. Third grade and fourth grade show solid proficiency, with fourth grade substantially above half the cohort meeting standards. Fifth and sixth grades dip lower. Seventh grade stands notably higher. Eighth grade returns to around half meeting standards. Math results are similarly variable but often lower. Third and fourth grades show comparable performance to ELA, while fifth grade is significantly weaker. Sixth grade shows a moderate level, seventh grade improves to above two-thirds meeting standards, and eighth grade settles around half. Science proficiency, assessed in fifth and eighth grades, is low: both grades show results in the low-to-mid range. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint when compared to other schools within Contra Costa County, but the uneven performance by grade and subject suggests that academic support is not uniform across the student population or that instruction faces particular challenges at certain grade levels.

The school sits in Brentwood's suburban landscape of newer single-family homes with Spanish and Mediterranean styling, clustered in subdivisions that replaced much of the farmland the city was once known for. The downtown core, with its library, farmers' market, and local shops, offers family gathering places. Parks and trails, including the Marsh Creek and Mokelumne trails, provide outdoor recreation without requiring a car. Housing values in the 94513 zip code are elevated relative to national medians, and rent has risen year over year, reflecting broader pressures in the region. Families here are typically dual-income households with commutes; the median household income in the broader area is solid, but affordability requires careful household budgeting given local housing costs and mortgage rates.

For a parent considering Old River, the profile is that of a small, K-8 school in a growing suburban community with moderate academic performance, uneven by grade, and a peer environment that is diverse and mixed in economic circumstance. The school's recent placement into a full TK-8 district means continuity through eighth grade, which families moving into the area should find stable. A parent may want to look further into the reasons behind the grade-level variability in proficiency rates and what supports or remediation the school provides to students in weaker-performing grades and subjects.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 54% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 51% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 19% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 34% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 768%

School 68% · District 45% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 43% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 48% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 54% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 42% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 40% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 779%

School 79% · District 62% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 55% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 34% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 41% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

This schoolKnightsen Elementary, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income23%Higher-income61%38 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income39%Higher-income63%25 pp gap