Parkmead Elementary, Walnut Creek CA

Original Research by School Decision on Parkmead Elementary

Parkmead Elementary is a regular public school in Walnut Creek serving grades kindergarten through fifth, with a student body of about mid-size for its grade band. The school draws from a mixed neighborhood: a bit more than half the enrollment is white, with meaningful shares of Asian, multiracial, and Hispanic students; fewer than one in ten qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, marking a relatively low-poverty school in an affluent area.

On state testing, Parkmead shows a mixed profile. In math, the school sits above mid-range for districts in Contra Costa County; proficiency grows as grades progress, from around three in five students in third grade to about two in three by fifth grade. In English language arts, performance is notably stronger in the upper grades: third graders show just over half meeting proficiency, but by fifth grade that climbs to near seven in ten. Science testing, reported only for fifth grade, shows proficiency at about just over half. Across tested subjects and grades combined, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among county districts, which is a tangible strength for a school in this demographic context.

Walnut Creek itself is a settled, affluent community organized around a compact downtown anchored by Broadway Plaza, with single-family homes, townhomes, and condos radiating outward in neighborhood pockets that developed from the 1950s onward. Housing values are substantial, and though the downtown has walkable amenities and a library and civic center within easy reach, residents drive for most daily errands outside the core. The Iron Horse Trail provides a multi-use path connection, and the BART station links the city to the Bay Area. The local economy is anchored heavily by health care; John Muir Health and Kaiser Permanente are among the largest employers. The city is nearly built out, with growth now concentrated in downtown infill and mixed-use development near BART.

The Walnut Creek Elementary School District, which operates Parkmead, is undertaking meaningful infrastructure investment. Voters approved Measure J, a school facilities bond in 2022, and the district is conducting rolling campus modernizations each summer through 2027, upgrading classrooms, security, dining, and learning spaces. However, the district faces funding pressure. In June 2026, voters considered Measure L, a new parcel tax; it fell short of the two-thirds threshold needed for passage. District materials indicated per-pupil funding well below the county average, a constraint that shapes resource availability for programs and class sizes going forward. A parent should watch how the district manages these competing pressures as the modernization unfolds.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 72% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 464%

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

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 70% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 63% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 70% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 76% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 58% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

This schoolWalnut Creek 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-income42%Higher-income56%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income54%Higher-income76%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income42%Higher-income70%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income54%Higher-income68%14 pp gap