Strandwood Elementary, Pleasant Hill CA

Original Research by School Decision on Strandwood Elementary

Strandwood Elementary is a kindergarten through fifth-grade school in Pleasant Hill, a suburban residential city in central Contra Costa County. The school sits within Mt. Diablo Unified, which has recently adopted a Strategic Arts Plan to expand arts and music offerings across its schools using new state funding established through California's 2023-24 arts and music program.

The school's enrollment is about the size typical for a full elementary school in its grade band, with a racial and ethnic composition that reflects the region's diversity: the student body is roughly split across white students, Hispanic students, students identifying as two or more races, and Asian students, with smaller numbers of Black students. Free and reduced-price lunch participation is modest, indicating that a substantial majority of families in the school's attendance area are above the reduced-lunch income threshold.

In academic performance, Strandwood's results show a mixed picture across grade levels and subjects. In English language arts, third graders show stronger proficiency, with rates declining slightly through grades four and five. Mathematics proficiency is lower overall, with a notably steeper decline in fifth grade compared to the earlier grades. In science, fifth-grade performance is at roughly half of students meeting proficiency. Across all tested subjects and grade levels combined, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts in Contra Costa County, a meaningful position within its regional peer set.

The data captures only one year of results, so trends over time are not visible. This is often typical when assessment reporting cycles are fresh or when data systems are still consolidating multiple years. A parent interested in understanding whether these scores represent stability or change could reach out to the school directly about prior-year results.

The Pleasant Hill setting itself is notably family-oriented, with extensive parkland including the 63-acre Paso Nogal Park, a compact walkable downtown along Crescent Avenue with over fifty restaurants and shops, and strong transit access via the Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre BART station. The broader area has seen significant recent growth driven by transit-oriented development, bringing both new housing and increased density around the station and downtown. The local economy centers on retail, healthcare, education, and civil service, anchored by Diablo Valley College and John Muir Health. Housing values in the zip code are in the high range for the region, and median rents reflect a strong local market; mortgage costs relative to median household income are notably high.

The school itself is a regular public elementary with no specialized magnet or charter designation. Civil-rights data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available, so a parent may want to inquire directly with the school about those populations and related supports. No information was provided on discipline, attendance, or staffing levels, details worth clarifying when evaluating the school environment.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 46% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 44% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 37% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 370%

School 70% · District 45% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 47% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 48% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 34% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

This schoolMt. Diablo Unified, 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-income36%Higher-income81%45 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income65%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income66%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income41%Higher-income72%31 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income62%15 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income42%6 pp gap