Springhill Elementary, Lafayette CA

Original Research by School Decision on Springhill Elementary

Springhill Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Lafayette, a residential town in the East Bay hills. The school sits in a community shaped by post-World War II single-family homes, with a compact downtown centered on Mt. Diablo Boulevard and open space anchored by the Lafayette Reservoir. The town is under state pressure to add housing near the BART station and downtown, and recently settled a Housing Element lawsuit to align new growth with transit-oriented development.

The school's performance on state assessments is notably strong. In math proficiency across grades three through five, the school's results range in the low to mid-eighties, with third grade reaching well above that range. English language arts proficiency is similarly solid, spanning the mid-seventies to mid-eighties across those grades. Science proficiency, tested in fifth grade, sits in the low to mid-sixties. Against other districts in Contra Costa County, Springhill ranks in the top quartile on overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The school reports one year of state testing data; longer-term trends are not available.

The student body reflects the affluent, educated character of Lafayette itself. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial and ethnic composition is predominantly white, with substantial representation of multiracial students, a meaningful share of Asian students, and smaller groups of Hispanic and Black students. Specific counts for students with disabilities and English learners are not reported in available data.

The enrollment is modest at around mid-range size for an elementary school, with roughly balanced numbers across the six grades. The school's families benefit from Lafayette's strong housing market and proximity to downtown civic anchors, including the library and BART transit access, though the town's rapid housing cost growth and tight market present barriers for new families entering.

The Lafayette Elementary School District, which serves the town's kindergarten through eighth grade students, faces sustained fiscal pressure. The district has reduced spending significantly over the past two years to combat deficit spending and low state funding. Families in the district also support two voter-approved parcel taxes to fund schools, with a June 2026 ballot measure asking voters to increase one of those taxes substantially beginning in July 2026. This ongoing fiscal strain is a lasting consideration for families weighing stability of programs and staffing in the years ahead, though the district has stated it is prioritizing school-site protections over central office cuts.

Springhill's strong academic performance, suburban character, and position within an affluent community reflect a particular fit: families seeking solid proficiency results and a settled, residential neighborhood setting. The school's modest enrollment and the district's sustained budget reductions are factors a parent may want to look into further with the school, particularly if program breadth or long-term staffing continuity are important to their family's priorities.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 391%

School 91% · District 89% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 48 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 81%

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Grade 583%

School 83% · District 82% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 53 pts above state median · ▲ 52 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 386%

School 86% · District 84% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 80% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 586%

School 86% · District 88% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 564%

School 64% · District 71% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

This schoolLafayette 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.