How to read California School Dashboard results
The California School Dashboard is the state's official report on public schools. For English language arts and math it reports how far students' average scores on the state tests sit above or below the "standard met" level, in points. A positive number means the average student scored above standard; a negative number means below. Elementary and middle schools are measured on grades 3 to 8, and high schools on grade 11.
The Dashboard also reports chronic absenteeism (the share of students who missed 10% or more of school days) for grades K to 8, and the graduation rate for high schools. We quote the 2025 Dashboard, published by the California Department of Education, for the all-students group at each school. Small schools and programs can swing several points a year, so read one year's number as a snapshot, and look at the change column the Dashboard prints next to each result.
Lafayette school districts compared
Most of Lafayette is in the Lafayette School District, and a small part of the city is in the Orinda Union School District. All of Lafayette is in the Acalanes Union High School District, which runs high schools in Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga and Walnut Creek and has its district office at 1212 Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette.
| District (2025 Dashboard) | Grades | English vs standard | Math vs standard | Other measure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette School District | TK-8 | 68.0 above | 67.3 above | 4.2% chronically absent |
| Orinda Union School District | TK-8 | 95.3 above | 78.5 above | 5.1% chronically absent |
| Acalanes Union High School District | 9-12 | 95.2 above | 49.5 above | 97.7% graduation rate |
| State of California | All | 8.1 below | 42.4 below | 17.1% absent, 87.8% graduation |
All three districts score well above the state on every measure. The state figure for English in grades 3 to 8 and grade 11 combined is 8.1 points below standard; the Lafayette School District result is 76 points higher.
Lafayette elementary schools
The Lafayette School District runs four elementary schools. Each has its own attendance area, and the district asks new families to complete a form for their neighborhood elementary school when they enroll.
Lafayette Elementary School (Lafayette School District)
Lafayette Elementary, at 950 Moraga Road, scored 87.3 points above standard in English in 2025, unchanged from 2024, and 77.4 points above in math, up 4.3 points. Its chronic absenteeism rate was 3.2%. It had the highest English result of the district's schools in 2025.
Happy Valley Elementary School (Lafayette School District)
Happy Valley, at 3855 Happy Valley Road, scored 84.2 points above standard in English and 77.1 above in math. Its English result fell 11.4 points from 2024, the largest drop in the district, though it remained the second highest. Chronic absenteeism was 2.4%.
Springhill Elementary School (Lafayette School District)
Springhill, at 3301 Springhill Road, scored 76.4 points above standard in English and 72.3 above in math, with math up 1.8 points. Its chronic absenteeism rate fell from 5.1% to 2.3%, the lowest of the district's schools in 2025.
Burton Valley Elementary School (Lafayette School District)
Burton Valley, at 561 Merriewood Drive, is the district's largest elementary school by students tested. It scored 72.3 points above standard in English and 72.0 above in math. Both results were lower than in 2024, by 7.8 and 3.3 points. Chronic absenteeism was 3.6%.
Lafayette middle school
Stanley Middle School (Lafayette School District)
M. H. Stanley Middle School, at 3455 School Street, is the district's only middle school, serving grades 6 to 8 for all four elementary attendance areas. It scored 57.7 points above standard in English and 61.1 above in math in 2025, with math up 6.9 points. Its chronic absenteeism rate was 6.6%, higher than the district's elementary schools but well under the state's 17.1%. Stanley offers electives that families choose during enrollment, and the district posts the elective lists by grade.
Orinda Intermediate School (Orinda Union School District)
Addresses in the part of Lafayette served by Orinda Union go to that district's schools instead. Orinda Intermediate, its middle school, scored 99.0 points above standard in English and 81.5 above in math in 2025. Confirm which district serves an address before you rely on any of these figures.
Lafayette high schools
Acalanes High School (Acalanes Union High School District)
Acalanes High, at 1200 Pleasant Hill Road, is the district's high school in Lafayette. On the 2025 Dashboard it scored 97.6 points above standard in English and 54.5 above in math, with math up 14.1 points from 2024 and English down 9.9 points. Its graduation rate was 97.5% (312 of 320 students in the class).
Other Acalanes Union high schools
The district runs three other comprehensive high schools. Miramonte in Orinda scored 139.7 points above standard in English and 90.5 above in math, Campolindo in Moraga 99.5 and 61.0, and Las Lomas in Walnut Creek 62.2 and 15.3. All had graduation rates between 97.7% and 98.5%. Your neighborhood high school depends on your street address, which the district's Schoolsite Locator Tool shows.
Acalanes Center for Independent Study
The district's independent study program, based at 1963 Tice Valley Boulevard in Walnut Creek, is small, with 19 students tested in grade 11. Its graduation rate was 91.4% (32 of 35). With a group this small, test results change sharply from year to year and are not a guide to the program's quality.
School choice in Lafayette: transfers, independent study and private schools
Intradistrict transfers in the Lafayette School District
Families who live within the district can ask to attend an elementary school outside their attendance area. For the 2026-27 school year the district accepted intradistrict transfer requests from February 1 to March 31, 2026. Places depend on space, so a transfer is never guaranteed.
Interdistrict transfers and Acalanes transfers
Students who live outside a district need an interdistrict transfer from both the home and receiving districts. The Lafayette School District and Acalanes Union both publish transfer rules on their enrollment pages. Acalanes asks residents with questions to contact its Student Services residency staff at 925-280-3900, extension 6629.
Private schools in Lafayette
Private schools in the city include St. Perpetua School, The Meher Schools (preschool and elementary) and The Springstone School (middle and high school). Private schools are not rated on the California School Dashboard. Ask each school for its own accreditation and results.
How to check which schools serve a Lafayette address
We do not say which school serves any home. School boundaries change, and a street can sit on a line. Use the official tools and confirm with the district before you buy.
- Lafayette School District attendance boundaries. The district's enrollment page links its attendance boundary information. The district office is at 3477 School Street, Lafayette, phone (925) 927-3500.
- Acalanes Union Schoolsite Locator Tool. Enter the street address to see the designated high school and the district's boundary map.
- Orinda Union School Finder. For the part of Lafayette in the Orinda Union district, use its School Finder and attendance area page.
- California School Dashboard. Look up any school by name for the full results, including student groups.
- Residency proof. Lafayette School District enrollment starts with residency verification, so keep a deed, lease or escrow papers ready when you register.
For the transitional kindergarten year starting in 2026, the Lafayette School District's eligibility window was birthdays from September 2, 2021 to September 1, 2022. For prices near each school area, see our Lafayette real estate guide and Lafayette ZIP code guide.