Valle Verde Elementary School

3275 Peachwillow Lane

School District

Mt. Diablo Unified
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:23
Type

public

School Map for Mt. Diablo Unified 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 January 05, 2025

THE WORST SCHOOL EVER! PLEASE SONT MAKE YOUR CHILD GO THROUGH THE PAIN I HAD TO ENDURE WITH MY CHILD. FIRST OF ALL, THE TEACHERS ARE DISGUSTINGLY RUDE! I REPORTED SEVERAL TIMES HOW MY SON WAS GETTING BULLIED BUT THEY DIDN’T CARE?! THE YARD DUTIES, STAFF, OR PRINCIPAL DOESN’T DO ANYTHING EITHER! WORST SCHOOL IN THE WHOLE DISTRICT!! VERY DISAPPOINTED!
Submitted by parent on April 18, 2024

I’ve loved every second of our experience at VVE. The teachers truly care for their students and go above and beyond. Lots of parent involvement opportunities and a wonderful sense of community. A truly top notch school nestled in the cutest neighborhood.
Submitted by parent on September 08, 2022

Valle Verde Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in Walnut Creek. The school has excellent teachers that care about academics and the overall well being of the children. I have nothing but a great experience as a parent trying to educate my children in this ever changing world. The teachers focus on extra activities throughout the year. Parent involvement is a must. If you are a parent that expects your children to be raised by the school this is not the school for you.
Submitted by parent on June 09, 2022

We left this school for a number of reasons. One main reason was safety. My child did not feel safe. My child was bullied and threatened by other students the same age and older. Along with these issues of bullying, often my child would report visitors on campus without proper identification/badges. I was praised by one teacher for raising my child to be aware of this and reporting it to a trusted teacher, but this happened often...people not checking in with the office before wandering around the school. There seemed to be a sense of entitlement from many parents and often rules were bent by some yet expected to be followed by others. Equality? Fairness? Nope. Not here. Classroom parents were not always inclusive of students and families. There were many passive aggressive parents in volunteer leadership positions at the school which made it very difficult for some families to be involved. I have personally never experienced and been witness to as much disrespect as I have from the "community" at this school. My child experienced heavy sadness and feelings of not belonging. I would address this with teachers and staff and get very little support regarding my concerns. Our mental health and emotional well being concerns were dismissed. My child once told they felt invisible. Many times I would receive information about volunteering/class assignments/etc. from other parents vs. the school and often felt like we were out of the loop. Communication was not effective. Teachers used different apps to communicate w/ families, the school sent a newsletter that didn't always match info on the website and the PTA had a different website and newsletter. Info came from so many different places and varied that it was hard to know what information was accurate. Curriculum varied by teacher in each grade resulting in lack of consistency and quality of education. One parent/teacher conference I attended, the teacher went through my child's classwork only to realize at the end of the review that we'd be talking about the wrong student the entire time. There was quite a disconnect. For so long I blamed myself thinking I was doing something wrong. Looking back on our experience and being at a different school now, I know it was not our family, it was the toxic environment. My only regret is that I let shame silence me from sharing our experience and speaking up. I still struggle with what we endured but am grateful my child is now thriving elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on December 02, 2019

Such a great school and staff, my daughters loved every second here.
Submitted by parent on February 02, 2019

Great community, great parents, great kids! So blessed to have my son at this school.
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2019

This school provides very poor education and poor service to kids. I am astounded at the current condition of this school because of the price you pay to live within the zone to go here! We paid a fortune for our house and now we need to consider private schools! The teachers are over worked with over crowded classrooms and minimal resources. The place looks like it hasn’t been updated since 1970. It’s old and crusty! Some teachers need to move on but remain in their job as they are protected by the union. We have had several incidents with teachers where there was nothing done. The principal is very hard to get a hold of. She does not return emails or phone calls in a timely manner! There are insufficient resources for children with special needs and those kids are falling in the cracks and not getting the help they need to be successful! At the same time, advanced learners are not challenged at all either. They spend time waiting for the teachers to get the slower ones going! Something needs to change!
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2019

I have been extremely happy at this school. While no teacher, administration or student body are perfect, I think this school has the right foundation and simply needs more follow through on issues of concern. The parental involvement is phenomenal and makes up for the lack of funding for additional teachers, instructional aids, etc. While every organization can become better in some regard, I have found this school to be a caring and supportive institution that is doing right by my children.
Submitted by parent on March 17, 2018

My kids have had a great experience at this school.
Submitted by parent on January 22, 2018

My experience has been the tale of 2 cities... My son has had FANTASTIC teachers for both Kindergarten and 1st grade. With that said, we had to fight to get him tested for learning disabilities. Once diagnosed, the services provided are very limited at best and we have to supplement with outside special tutoring.My daughter experience has not been so great. Her 1st grade teacher up and left at the beginning of September and a replacement was not found until the beginning of December. In the meantime, she fell behind in every subject and no plan was given how to catch her up. It is my understanding the 2nd and 3rd grade teachers are just OK.The school is just mediocre and to be honest that is so unacceptable when the homes in the area are north of $1million.
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2017

We had a good experience in kindergarten with a very kind teacher.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2017

I couldn't love Valle Verde more! Wonderful school, amazing community, caring teachers, & new technology. My children are thriving at this school. The other children are kind and they really look out for each other.
Submitted by parent on February 24, 2016

We have been disappointed with our experience at Valle Verde.Given the price point of the homes that are in the attendance zone, one would hope to have high expectations of this school. Classrooms are terribly overcrowded. Even the most experienced teachers have a hard time managing the diverse needs of 30 kids at once. There is little to no chance of true differentiation in such huge classes. There are severe behavioral problems with a seemingly disproportionate number of students. The overworked teachers' time is diverted to the problem kids and the under performing students. Bright, well-behaved children will waste a lot of time waiting. There are well-planned, fun activities for the students and families, including the Fall Carnival, movie nights, and the Spring Fling. Many dedicated parents devote hundreds of hours in the classrooms and on event planning boards. However, this is not enough to make up for the average-at-best education the kids receive each day. Isn't a great education what we should expect?
Submitted by parent on April 04, 2014

My youngest son just started at this school this past year. He is in an Autism specific classroom with excellent teachers and staff. There are not enough positive things that I can say about this class and this school. The teacher and her aides are very knowledgeable, patient, and just overall great people!
Submitted by parent on August 09, 2013

Classrooms are overcrowded. Student to teacher ratio is about 30/1 conservatively. Nice neighborhood school with views of Mt. Diablo.
Submitted by parent on June 24, 2013

We just finished our second year at Valle Verde - we have two children enrolled here. Prior to this we were at a different elementary in the same district, and in comparing the two experiences, we are so glad we were able to join this school community. The principal is new but has made an admirable effort to get to know the children and their parents, and was visible at all the school events I attended. Our kids' teachers for Kindergarten, 2nd and 3rd grades were all enthusiastic and got to know their students and their strengths/needs. Parent volunteers are more than welcomed - it tends to be the same parents over and over again, but I believe that is reflective more on who is available vs any sort of clique. Any time I have signed up to help, the response has been positive and welcoming - our district does have a lot of budget issues, so the extra help from families is both needed and appreciated by the school. Overall, the community feel at Valle Verde is what we like the best. People support the school (they even have parents volunteer over the summer to come water the plants) and they get to know each other. We're very happy there!
Submitted by parent on June 15, 2013

Classrooms are very overcrowded and the classrooms smell like mold and mildew. Some great teachers and some not so great (very bad kindergarten teachers). The teachers need paid assistants in the classrooms. The parents basically run the school because of lack of funding.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2013

My son has been a student here for two years and it has been a positive experience. I'm not sure where a previous poster said that kids are bused in from out of district. The only kids that are bused in are for the autism immersion program that the school is famous for and all those kids are IN district. I appreciate the lottery program the school has because of the the lack of diversity of the school is not reflective of the community in a 3 mile radius. While class sizes are large , classroom aids and parent volunteers help bridge the gap. Surprisingly there is homework in 1st and 2nd grades. There is a clique to the volunteer helpers but it doesnt affect your child negatively.
Submitted by other on May 21, 2013

Amazing, I went there, great kids, great teachers, I just love it! Although the food is not the best, I enjoy the whole school and the community
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2013

This school is beyond terrible especially if your child is going into 3rd grade! The 3rd grade teachers need to retire. They are lazy and don't care about their students at all. It is a known fact with all the parents that 3rd grade is basically taking the year off for your child. 3rd grade is considered a vacation. They don't teach much, watch tons of videos & homework is non existent! If your child is struggling its even worse as the teachers don't want to put the time and effort into helping their students succeed. What kind of teacher yells at a class telling them its her birthday and all of them are ruining it? What kind of teacher singles out and embarrasses a strugling child in front if the whole class by stating they have "special needs"? They don't respond to emails or letters & just avoid parents at all costs. There is absolutely no communication what so ever which leaves parents in the dark. Basically it's a joke! The principal is new so she's just getting her feet wet & needs to learn about the staff more. I guess I'd give the school 1 star for parent volunteers however its extremely cliquey so don't expect to be welcomed with open arms when volunteering.