Indian Valley Elementary School

551 Marshall Drive

School District

Walnut Creek Elementary
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:22
Type

public

School Map for Walnut Creek Elementary School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 24, 2025

IV used to be a great school with great teachers. However in the past several years there have been many departures. Some, due to retirement, but also many due to voluntary departures. To add to that, the principal does not seems to care about parent concerns.
Submitted by other on June 07, 2023

Great school my 2 kids love it!!
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2023

Great school! My son is in kindergarten and loves it here. Teachers are very supportive.
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2022

I would not recommend this school to anyone staff is so rude and mean at the beginning of school. Teachers are mean and rude!
Submitted by parent on June 15, 2021

Indian Valley has been an amazing school for our 2 children. Warm, welcoming, engaged staff and families, and wonderful teachers that my children have genuinely loved through the years. Even with the challenges of COVID over the past year, our specific teachers handled it beautifully. My children still genuinely love going to school every single day. They adore their teachers, look forward to playing with their Indian Valley friends they have made, and have a true love for their experience there. The PTO has worked hard to bring families together, work on DE&I, have fun events to celebrate One School One Book, food truck nights, etc. to bring the community together. Some of our very best friends have been made here as well with the other parents. GET INVOLVED in your children's school. The front office is fantastic, the after school program is led by a warm, loving attentive staff at KOC, and challenges we have had at the school were dealt with and addressed. My son's first grade teacher noticed his struggles with reading and got him into a special program through the school, and referred us to a wonderful tutor that helped immensley. Both children had the same 3rd grade teacher whom we adored, that had 30+ years of experience. They understood our kid's needs and worked to genuinely help them. I could not be happier with our experience here. I grew up in Public School and wanted the same diversity for our children, so happy we found Indian Valley for our family.
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2021

We had a fabulous experience at Indian Valley. My two children had wonderful, nurturing, passionate and knowledgeable teachers throughout their 6 years at IV.
Submitted by parent on August 04, 2020

Excellent. Small class sizes, teacher and admin who care about the child as a whole person.
Submitted by parent on March 11, 2020

My child is at Kindergarten this year and unfortunately our experience is not good at all. The kids in her classroom are so mean and rude, they say bad words to each other. They don't respect the teacher at all, don't follow the class rolls, and the classroom is always a mess.
Submitted by other on April 19, 2019

If I can transfer my kids then I will. There are a group of kids are always center of the attention, others consider as cheerleaders.
Submitted by parent on February 27, 2019

2.5 years in and we absolutely love it! Great teachers and community support.
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2019

I've had 2 children with different needs and strengths going though Indian Valley and I have been impressed with the level of attention and opportunities they've had to develop both academically and as respectable human beings. The community of Indian Valley is extremely welcoming and you really feel that the parents are committed to helping their children and the school become the best it can be. I have friends in other districts that have struggled to get their children extra help from the school or have issues with the pressures of their communities and we feel very blessed to have such a great experience with Indian Valley, the staff, and the community.
Submitted by parent on March 15, 2018

Garbage, my kid seemed to be targeted by his teacher. She was rude and disrespectful. My kid did not seem to be learning anything at all at this school.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2018

My kid was extremely unhappy in this school. You can not be different in any means. If your kid is polite, shy or just different he/she will be in a bubble. I saw so many great kind kids there being isolated and lonely. Staff is too busy to spend time on creating a positive attitude. My kid felt unsafe and nervous there. He is happy in his new school now and I wouldn't recommend Indian Valley.
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2018

We arrived few years ago from outside the country, my kids have been well integrated thanks to a supportive staff and love their school, and so do I!
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2018

We have been at IV for 4 years now and couldn't be happier. The teachers and staff are top notch, there is no bullying or similar issues like I have heard at other local schools and our child really gets quality education.
Submitted by parent on October 15, 2016

As of the fall of 2015 IV has a new principal who is AMAZING! We've been there for 6 years and the past two have been hands down the best. The environment is much more caring and supportive now. Leadership is key. The school is small, so your kids really feel at home. The PTO and WCEF (Walnut Creek Educational Fund independent program) have made major changes that allow for fewer fundraisers. Thankfully the ones they do have are fun. ALL schools have fundraisers, so to the person who freaked out in their review about having to raise money for the schools, welcome to California. Even private schools have fundraisers. Last, the parents are so involved because they really care. The PTO, along with the staff, sorted out the parking issues and drop-off. Now it's pretty smooth. Know that the school is pretty full as of 2016 and there isn't a 17 to 1 ratio of students to teachers. That would be nice, though.
Submitted by parent on January 14, 2015

We were very excited for our child to start school! We did read the negative comments about Indian Valley Elementary, their staff and discipline protocols, but we still were hopeful it would be a good experience for our family. We were WRONG! The reason why there is so much parent involvement is because you need to be there to "fight" for your child to be noticed and treated fairly. I do not know of any other education model that teaches children to stay in their "personal bubbles" and not have physical contact with their classmates. Consequences and trips to the Principal's office are they way issues are dealt with. The current Principal is NOT a very patient or warm person. A school is benefited or harmed by the type of leader it has and this leader and lacking. So unless your child is a robot, this is not a nurturing environment.
Submitted by parent on October 11, 2014

IV is one of the great schools in Walnut Creek School District. Teachers are really really great and Principal is also very good. My daughter has been going to this school and she likes it. Good mix of students, good academics focus as well as options to enroll into various arts, drama and science classes.
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2014

My children previously attended a public school in another State that was struggling on all levels. When we arrived at IV we were hopeful but nervous. The office manager was genuinely warm and welcoming and very informative. She knew all of our names the next time she saw us and has continued to be helpful and reliable all year. We got fabulous teachers for first and fourth grade. I could probably write two books about how great our experiences have been with both teachers. The right degree of challenging and nurturing for each age. The teachers are truly committed to teaching the whole child and use positive reinforcement over negative consequences for behavior issues that come up with some of the kids. The kids here are still kids. Not always kind or welcoming but teachers and parents work effectively at resolving situations that come up and most of the kids are very sweet and considerate. The PTO seems to be very organized and dedicated to raising funds for the school and offering fun events for the kids and their families. I wish my kids could have been here from the start of kindergarten. I love Indian Valley.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2014

Terrible, the teachers have no patience to deal with the kids, unless your kids are 100% obedient, don't send them there, all they do is directly send the kids to principle office no matter how tiny the fault is. Unhappy staff(including the principle), I hardly see their smiles, oh, yes, the sun probably rise in the west if you see they smile, my two kids had very unhappy experiences there. Finally we transferred to another school, I have to say this is the best decision I ever made, now they are so happy, everyday, I can't wait to drop them off and can't wait to see their happy smiles.