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Teacher quality
Principal leadership
Parent involvement
Having been at private schools previously, it was an easy transition for my children to acclimate to Independent Elementary last year. The teachers I've had the honor to work with in my children's education, the other families we've met, and the after school program associated with the school are all of the highest quality. It is a wonderful community of teachers and families that provides a well rounded environment for the children to grow and mature in. Definitely didn't expect to find this level of quality and sense of community in a public school. Such a happy surprise!
—Submitted by a parent
The community is amazing at Independent elementary. The staff have always made us feel as though we are truly, all one big family. The teachers genuinely care about their students and the families of their students. The teachers guide the children through their academic adventures with love, intellect and compassion. I love the school so much that I am now earning my teaching credential and doing my field work at Independent. This school cares about all of us, they deserve to be appreciated.
—Submitted by a parent
This is a great school. Teachers are great. They definitely assist and foster the growth of each students.
—Submitted by a parent
My son is a new student at Independent. His teacher Mrs Hanson is GREAT!. She is a natural. The principal is great leader and most of all my son loves going to school there.
—Submitted by a parent
Both of my children are students at Independent and they love it!!! The teachers are great and know how to chanllenge the students while encouraging their individual strengths and fostering growth when it comes to their weaknesses. The principal is friendly and is always available.
—Submitted by a parent
Teachers are expectacular. They are open minded and very caring.
—Submitted by a parent
Great School, great teachers, fine principle. My kids are thriving there.
—Submitted by a parent
Excellent school with diverse student body, dedicated teachers, excellent principal, and very involved parents. Bullying is not tolerated. Respect is rewarded. Diversity is expected and celebrated.
—Submitted by a parent
This is a great school with an extremely dedicated staff.
—Submitted by a teacher
I've heard nothing but great things about Independent!
—Submitted by a parent
My daughter attended private school for the first 4 years of school and I really thought I was getting the best education and school environment. For a couple of reasons we switch to public school, spefically, Independent Elementary. I can't believe the change in my childs teaching quality and activities offered to her at Independent. Independent has excellent parent participation, thereby, offering extra programs that other schools in the district can't offer. I'm able to meet with the teacher as often I need to on a moments notice. I get honest straight forward feedback from the teachers. My daughter senses that her well-being, academically and overall are the utmost concern of the school and she's much more happy here than she ever was at the private school. Because of the environment and mission of the school I'm more involved in her learning and in helping at the school than I ever was before.
Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.
The Community Rating is the school’s average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.
The API reflects year-over-year schools performance based on STAR test score results from spring 2012.
The state average for English Language Arts was 58% in 2012.
99 students were tested at this school in 2012.
2012
2011
2010
2009
The state average for Math was 64% in 2012.
99 students were tested at this school in 2012.
2012
2011
2010
2009
In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.
See California's state standards
Source: California Department of Education
The state average for English Language Arts was 48% in 2012.
97 students were tested at this school in 2012.
2012
2011
2010
2009
The state average for Math was 69% in 2012.
97 students were tested at this school in 2012.
2012
2011
2010
2009
In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.
See California's state standards
Source: California Department of Education
The state average for English Language Arts was 67% in 2012.
95 students were tested at this school in 2012.
2012
2011
2010
2009
The state average for Math was 71% in 2012.
97 students were tested at this school in 2012.
2012
2011
2010
2009
In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.
See California's state standards
Source: California Department of Education
The state average for English Language Arts was 63% in 2012.
110 students were tested at this school in 2012.
2012
2011
2010
2009
The state average for Math was 65% in 2012.
110 students were tested at this school in 2012.
2012
2011
2010
2009
The state average for Science was 60% in 2012.
110 students were tested at this school in 2012.
2012
2011
2010
2009
In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.
See California's state standards
Source: California Department of Education
| All Students | 86% |
| Females | 90% |
| Males | 80% |
| African American | n/a |
| Asian | 97% |
| Filipino | n/a |
| Hispanic or Latino | 88% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | n/a |
| Pacific Islander | n/a |
| Other Pacific Islander | n/a |
| White (not Hispanic) | 80% |
| Economically disadvantaged | n/a |
| Non-economically disadvantaged | 89% |
| Students with disability | n/a |
| Students with no reported disability | 89% |
| English learner | n/a |
| Fluent-English proficient and English only | 85% |
| Migrant education | n/a |
| Gifted and talented | n/a |
| Parent education - not a high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - some college (includes AA degree) | 83% |
| Parent education - college graduate | 86% |
| Parent education - graduate school/post graduate | 91% |
| Parent education - declined to state | n/a |
| All Students | 84% |
| Females | 83% |
| Males | 85% |
| African American | n/a |
| Asian | 97% |
| Filipino | n/a |
| Hispanic or Latino | 69% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | n/a |
| Pacific Islander | n/a |
| Other Pacific Islander | n/a |
| White (not Hispanic) | 84% |
| Economically disadvantaged | n/a |
| Non-economically disadvantaged | 88% |
| Students with disability | n/a |
| Students with no reported disability | 87% |
| English learner | n/a |
| Fluent-English proficient and English only | 83% |
| Migrant education | n/a |
| Gifted and talented | n/a |
| Parent education - not a high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - some college (includes AA degree) | 67% |
| Parent education - college graduate | 86% |
| Parent education - graduate school/post graduate | 94% |
| Parent education - declined to state | n/a |
In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.
The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.
See California's state standards
Source: California Department of Education
| All Students | 93% |
| Females | 95% |
| Males | 91% |
| African American | n/a |
| Asian | 95% |
| Filipino | n/a |
| Hispanic or Latino | 91% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | n/a |
| Pacific Islander | n/a |
| White (not Hispanic) | 92% |
| Economically disadvantaged | n/a |
| Non-economically disadvantaged | 93% |
| Students with disability | n/a |
| Students with no reported disability | 94% |
| English learner | 83% |
| Fluent-English proficient and English only | 94% |
| Migrant education | n/a |
| Gifted and talented | n/a |
| Parent education - not a high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - some college (includes AA degree) | n/a |
| Parent education - college graduate | 92% |
| Parent education - graduate school/post graduate | 98% |
| Parent education - declined to state | n/a |
| All Students | 95% |
| Females | 95% |
| Males | 94% |
| African American | n/a |
| Asian | 97% |
| Filipino | n/a |
| Hispanic or Latino | 100% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | n/a |
| Pacific Islander | n/a |
| White (not Hispanic) | 92% |
| Economically disadvantaged | n/a |
| Non-economically disadvantaged | 95% |
| Students with disability | n/a |
| Students with no reported disability | 96% |
| English learner | 92% |
| Fluent-English proficient and English only | 95% |
| Migrant education | n/a |
| Gifted and talented | n/a |
| Parent education - not a high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - some college (includes AA degree) | n/a |
| Parent education - college graduate | 94% |
| Parent education - graduate school/post graduate | 98% |
| Parent education - declined to state | n/a |
In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.
The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.
See California's state standards
Source: California Department of Education
| All Students | 93% |
| Females | 94% |
| Males | 90% |
| African American | n/a |
| Asian | 90% |
| Filipino | n/a |
| Hispanic or Latino | n/a |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | n/a |
| Pacific Islander | n/a |
| White (not Hispanic) | 97% |
| Economically disadvantaged | n/a |
| Non-economically disadvantaged | 94% |
| Students with disability | n/a |
| Students with no reported disability | 93% |
| English learner | n/a |
| Fluent-English proficient and English only | 93% |
| Migrant education | n/a |
| Gifted and talented | 100% |
| Parent education - not a high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - some college (includes AA degree) | 100% |
| Parent education - college graduate | 89% |
| Parent education - graduate school/post graduate | 97% |
| Parent education - declined to state | n/a |
| All Students | 98% |
| Females | 100% |
| Males | 95% |
| African American | n/a |
| Asian | 100% |
| Filipino | n/a |
| Hispanic or Latino | n/a |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | n/a |
| Pacific Islander | n/a |
| White (not Hispanic) | 97% |
| Economically disadvantaged | n/a |
| Non-economically disadvantaged | 100% |
| Students with disability | n/a |
| Students with no reported disability | 99% |
| English learner | n/a |
| Fluent-English proficient and English only | 99% |
| Migrant education | n/a |
| Gifted and talented | 100% |
| Parent education - not a high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - some college (includes AA degree) | 100% |
| Parent education - college graduate | 100% |
| Parent education - graduate school/post graduate | 100% |
| Parent education - declined to state | n/a |
In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.
The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.
See California's state standards
Source: California Department of Education
| All Students | 90% |
| Females | 93% |
| Males | 86% |
| African American | n/a |
| Asian | 93% |
| Filipino | n/a |
| Hispanic or Latino | 89% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | n/a |
| Pacific Islander | n/a |
| Samoan | n/a |
| White (not Hispanic) | 86% |
| Economically disadvantaged | n/a |
| Non-economically disadvantaged | 91% |
| Students with disability | n/a |
| Students with no reported disability | 91% |
| English learner | n/a |
| Fluent-English proficient and English only | 92% |
| Migrant education | n/a |
| Gifted and talented | 100% |
| Parent education - not a high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - some college (includes AA degree) | 79% |
| Parent education - college graduate | 92% |
| Parent education - graduate school/post graduate | 95% |
| Parent education - declined to state | n/a |
| All Students | 88% |
| Females | 84% |
| Males | 94% |
| African American | n/a |
| Asian | 95% |
| Filipino | n/a |
| Hispanic or Latino | 79% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | n/a |
| Pacific Islander | n/a |
| Samoan | n/a |
| White (not Hispanic) | 86% |
| Economically disadvantaged | n/a |
| Non-economically disadvantaged | 89% |
| Students with disability | n/a |
| Students with no reported disability | 89% |
| English learner | n/a |
| Fluent-English proficient and English only | 89% |
| Migrant education | n/a |
| Gifted and talented | 100% |
| Parent education - not a high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - some college (includes AA degree) | 79% |
| Parent education - college graduate | 90% |
| Parent education - graduate school/post graduate | 93% |
| Parent education - declined to state | n/a |
| All Students | 92% |
| Females | 93% |
| Males | 90% |
| African American | n/a |
| Asian | 98% |
| Filipino | n/a |
| Hispanic or Latino | 84% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | n/a |
| Pacific Islander | n/a |
| Samoan | n/a |
| White (not Hispanic) | 90% |
| Economically disadvantaged | n/a |
| Non-economically disadvantaged | 92% |
| Students with disability | n/a |
| Students with no reported disability | 93% |
| English learner | n/a |
| Fluent-English proficient and English only | 92% |
| Migrant education | n/a |
| Gifted and talented | 100% |
| Parent education - not a high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - high school graduate | n/a |
| Parent education - some college (includes AA degree) | 79% |
| Parent education - college graduate | 94% |
| Parent education - graduate school/post graduate | 98% |
| Parent education - declined to state | n/a |
In 2011-2012 California used the California Standards Tests (CSTs) to test students in English language arts in grades 2 through 11; math in grades 2 through 7; science in grades 5, 8 and 10; and history-social science in grades 8 and 11. Middle and high school students also took subject-specific CSTs in math and science, depending on the course in which they were enrolled. The CSTs are standards-based tests, which means they measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California. The goal is for all students to score at or above proficient on the tests.
The different student groups are identified by the California Department of Education; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.
See California's state standards
Source: California Department of Education
GreatSchools Ratings are based on the most recent standardized test results for schools. Use the breakdown ratings below to compare types of students at this school. Learn more »
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
All students
Female
Male
All students
Asian
Hispanic or Latino
White (not Hispanic)
All students
Non-economically disadvantaged
Students with no reported disability
English learner
Fluent-English proficient and English only
Gifted and talented
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)
Parent education - college graduate
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate
All students
| Ethnicity | This school | State average | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian | 37% | 11% | ||
| White | 33% | 27% | ||
| Hispanic | 12% | 51% | ||
| Two or more races | 12% | 3% | ||
| Black | 6% | 7% | ||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 1% | 1% | ||
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1% |
| This school | District average | State average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program 1 | 8% | N/A | 54% |
| English language learners 2 | 14% | N/A | 24% |
| Language | This school | State average | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantonese | 35% | 2% | ||
| Spanish | 15% | 85% | ||
| Mandarin (Putonghua) | 9% | 1% | ||
| Vietnamese | 9% | 2% | ||
| Farsi (Persian) | 8% | 0% | ||
| Korean | 4% | 1% | ||
| All other non-English languages | 3% | 1% | ||
| Arabic | 2% | 1% | ||
| Filipino (Pilipino or Tagalog) | 2% | 1% | ||
| Greek | 2% | 0% | ||
| Russian | 2% | 0% | ||
| Tigrinya | 2% | 0% | ||
| French | 1% | 0% | ||
| Gujarati | 1% | 0% | ||
| Indonesian | 1% | 0% | ||
| Japanese | 1% | 0% | ||
| Portuguese | 1% | 0% | ||
| Punjabi | 1% | 1% |
| This school | District average | State average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average class size | 21 | N/A | 25 |
| This school | District average | State average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average years teaching in district | 8 | N/A | 11 |
| Average years teaching | 11 | N/A | 13 |
| This school | District average | State average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full credential | 100% | N/A | 96% |
| Emergency credential or waiver | 0% | N/A | 2% |
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| Students typically attend these schools after graduating | Canyon Middle School Creekside Middle School |
21201 Independent School Road
Castro Valley,
CA 94552
Phone: (510) 537-9558
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