Tice Creek, Walnut Creek CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Tice Creek

Tice Creek serves kindergarten through eighth grade in Walnut Creek, a suburban community in Contra Costa County anchored by a downtown centered on Broadway Plaza, BART access, and civic amenities. The school itself sits in a mid-sized district that in recent years has undertaken voter-approved capital upgrades and faces ongoing funding pressures typical of California public schools.

In academic performance, Tice Creek shows strength across tested grades and subjects. English language arts proficiency runs consistent across the school, with most grades holding in the mid-to-high range. Math proficiency is also solid in the elementary grades, declining as students reach middle school, with eighth-grade math showing notably weaker performance than the upper elementary years. Science proficiency is available only for fifth and eighth grades; fifth grade shows moderate proficiency while eighth grade registers at about half the students meeting standards. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places Tice Creek in the top quartile relative to districts in Contra Costa County, a meaningful position that reflects the school's general academic standing.

The student body is demographically diverse. White students and Asian students represent the largest groups, with representation also from multiracial students, Hispanic students, and smaller groups of other backgrounds. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and enrollment is relatively modest at under a small-sized school range across its grade span. Data on special education and English learner shares were not available in the records reviewed.

Walnut Creek as a place is nearly built out and focused on downtown infill rather than sprawl. Housing values are high, reflecting the Bay Area's overall market; median rent is substantial and housing affordability is tight. Health care dominates local employment, with John Muir Health and Kaiser Permanente among major employers, and the downtown serves as a secondary office center. The community is walkable near the core but car-oriented elsewhere, with the Iron Horse Trail providing regional bike connectivity and Civic Park anchoring downtown public life.

The district is in the midst of a multi-year modernization funded by a voter-approved bond measure running through 2027, upgrading classrooms, security, and dining across elementary campuses. A recent parcel tax measure fell short of passage, reflecting stated per-pupil revenue pressures, and the district has flagged funding per student as below the county average. These are structural factors that affect class sizes and program stability; a parent may want to look into the district's strategic response and funding outlook with the school directly.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 392%

School 92% · District 72% · ▲ 20 pts above district

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

Grade 482%

School 82% · District 71% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 70% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 687%

School 87% · District 64% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 56 pts above state median · ▲ 59 pts above county median

Grade 775%

School 75% · District 71% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 64% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 386%

School 86% · District 63% · ▲ 24 pts above district

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

Grade 484%

School 84% · District 70% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 583%

School 83% · District 76% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 689%

School 89% · District 75% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

Grade 778%

School 78% · District 70% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 71% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Science

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 58% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 51% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 21 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.