Earlier this year, several of the Tri-Valley’s public school districts as well as individual schools received recognition for the quality education they offer their students. Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) was listed as the 17th best district in the state by ranking website Niche in its list of best California public school districts. PUSD was listed sixth in Niche’s list of best districts in the Bay Area. The San Ramon Valley Unified School District was ranked 24th in California and ninth in the Bay Area. Dublin Unified School District was listed 28th in the state rankings and 11th in the Bay Area. The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District was ranked 107th in the state, and 25th in the Bay Area. Nationally, PUSD was listed 107th of the best school districts in the entire nation.

Tri-Valley schools have been regularly recognized for their high quality over the years by a variety of organizations. In 2022, US News and World Report evaluated more than 17,800 high schools nationwide. Pleasanton’s Foothill High School was ranked 51st in California and 401st nationally, while Amador Valley High School was listed 56th in California and 424th in the U.S. As a whole, the Tri-Valley’s public high schools are ranked highly by education ranking sites such as Niche. According to the company, its 2024 Best Public High Schools ranking “is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, teacher quality, and high school ratings."

From elementary schools through high schools to Las Positas College, the quality of Tri-Valley public schools has been acknowledged in a variety of ways. In 2023, for example, the California Distinguished Schools program honored Vista Grande, Neil Armstrong, Live Oak, Sycamore Valley, Hidden Hills, John Baldwin, Walt Disney, Greenbrook, and Alamo elementary schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District as well as John Green Elementary School in the Dublin Unified School District.

This year, Niche ranked Livermore’s Las Positas College (LPC) as the fourth-best community college in the United States. “This distinction represents Las Positas College’s continued commitment to academic excellence and student success,” College President Dyrell Foster said, according to a report in The Independent. “LPC’s primary role is to support the academic and career goals of our students and to address the educational and workforce development requirements of our community. It is gratifying to witness the recognition our college community is receiving for our collaborative endeavors to advance student equity and promote academic success.”

A Culture That Values Education

Such high rankings are welcome signs of the excellence of Tri-Valley schools. What ratings miss, however, are the reasons why the public schools are so good, and the sometimes unique educational opportunities available to Tri-Valley students. One factor is the number of residents with unusually high academic achievements. Nearly 30% of Tri-Valley adults have a graduate or professional degree, compared to 19% for Bay Area adults and 12% for California adults as a whole, according to the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. The result is a culture that values education.

This highly educated population is traced by many to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, which have applied science and technology to the goal of strengthening the nation's security for more than 60 years. LLNL employs more than 8,000 people, which includes thousands of scientists and engineers. The national labs, along with other world-renowned institutions such as the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University, have drawn curious, intelligent, and driven employees and students to the area. Many of them elect to stay after leaving the labs or graduation, create families, and raise their children in the Tri-Valley.

Another factor is strong community support. In Pleasanton, for example, Pleasanton Partnerships in Education Foundation (PPIE) has helped fund all public Pleasanton schools since 1987. The community-based nonprofit enhances learning experiences for Pleasanton students through a partnership of business, education, and the community. Among other things, PPIE funds additional staffing hours for school librarians to keep libraries open longer, tech specialists to keep computers running for teachers and students, and intervention specialists to help students who need additional or advanced help with math, English, and technology, as well as to help teachers deliver targeted learning for these students. It issues annual Innovative Education Grants up to $3,000 to Pleasanton teachers to support remarkable science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) projects designed to inspire and educate students. PPIE also awards grants up to $500 for student-led projects in STEAM categories.

Ample Opportunities to Learn

Tri-Valley school districts share a focus on the importance of STEM fields for students. Foothill and Amador Valley high schools in Pleasanton and Dougherty Valley High in San Ramon were included in Newsweek's Top 500 Best STEM Schools for 2020. Pleasanton schools have partnered with nonprofit Project Lead the Way for many years. The district-wide program Project Lead The Way teaches pre-K through 12th-graders about computer science, engineering, and biomedical science through hands-on projects and classroom lessons.

In 2021, Dublin High School opened a new engineering and science building with an additional 47,000 square feet of classroom and lab space equipped with state-of-the-art technology. At the time, the Superintendent of the Dublin Unified School District said the building would “help us maintain the level of excellence in STEM disciplines we have become known for, while expanding opportunities for students and staff to succeed."

Gael Force Robotics, a student-run robotics club at Dublin High School, has been the largest and fastest growing STEM club in the school for the past 10 years. Foothill also has a robotics club as well as a 3D modeling club, while Amador clubs include AVBotz, “the largest engineering team at Amador Valley High School; for more than 20 years we have continued to explore robotics and create opportunities for Amador students to explore real-world engineering, coding, and business skills,” according to club members.

Tri-Valley students are encouraged to explore technology from an early age. Earlier in 2023, an estimated 900 Tri-Valley elementary school students visited LLNL to learn about the lab’s National Ignition Facility. Summer workshops for older students are also hosted by LLNL, which is one of several Tri-Valley organizations that support Girls Who Code and similar after-school programs. The annual Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District Science Odyssey allows K through 12 to show off their experiments to the public.

Livermore’s nonprofit Quest Science Center is another important community resource. It encourages students and residents to learn more about STEM topics through its annual Tri-Valley Innovation Fair, which is held free of charge. In 2022, the group participated in more than 20 community and school events. Businesses are also key supporters of local schools. Many companies, including Hacienda tenants Veeva Systems, Omron Robotics, and Oracle, have helped make it possible for students to participate in projects involving 3D printing, robotics, environmental science, and more.

For many years, Tri-Valley public schools have been rated highly. For residents, that excellence has contributed to the region’s overall quality of life. But school excellence should not be taken for granted. It exists only because of the hard work done by the passionate professionals who work in the school districts and the ongoing, vital support offered by the parents, nonprofits, and regional businesses that value education so highly.

For more information about the Pleasanton Unified School District, please visit www.pleasantonusd.net.

For more information about the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, please visit www.srvusd.net.

For more information about the Dublin Unified School District, please visit www.dublin.k12.ca.us.

For more information about the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District, please visit www.livermoreschools.org.

For more information about Pleasanton Partnerships in Education, please visit www.ppie.org.

For more information about Las Positas College, please visit www.laspositascollege.edu.

For more information about Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Science Education Program, please visit www.st.llnl.gov/sci-ed.

For more information about Quest Science Center, please visit www.quest-science.org.

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