Lafayette School System
When it comes to California's best cities, Lafayette is definitely one of its gems. It is among the friendliest places to live in the state, with its beautiful rolling hills and wealthy, middle-class residents. Academics-wise, the city is also widely popular for its quality school system, a very important factor when it comes to measuring the livability of any place. The school district, includes approximately 3,200 students from kindergarten and eighth grade alone and has a highly distinguishable high school which ranks high in California's school system. At Lafayette, the range of academic services provided are based on the needs of the students. Below is an in-depth look at the academic landscape of the District’s school system per level.
Elementary Schools
Basic instructional programs focus on the core subjects like reading, mathematics, language arts, and science. However, there are also curricula designed to tap into the creative side of young minds such as music and arts programs. Special programs are also offered in this level as well namely: Reading specialists Resource specialists Library services Band Orchestra Chorus.
One of the reasons for the District’s success is its “Partnership in Education” program which is a collaboration between students, parents, faculty, and the community. Students in all Lafayette are among the highest scorers of all California students.
High Schools
Lafayette houses one of the best high schools in California, Acalanes High School. The school, which first started in 1940 is among the four comprehensive high schools in the Acalanes Union High School District (AUHSD). The academic institution has a 95% rate of having its students continue their education at post-secondary institutions.
This academic institution focuses in providing a strong college preparatory program to its students. Similar to the elementary level, the high school is also supported by expansive school-sponsored, elective, and co-curricular opportunities. Acalanes High school also works with the Contra Costa County Office of Education and offers six Regional Occupation Program (ROP) courses.
What makes Acalanes a good high school? It has a lower student teacher ratio of 15.5 than the average 23.5 of California high schools. Moreover, it is at the top 10% of SAT and ACT performance among California High Schools and is also ranked 39th out of the top 100 California High Schools for 2016.
Colleges
Lafayette is located close to a number of junior and community colleges. The closest is Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California which is 6 miles away from Lafayette center. Similar to other community colleges, the ones below follow traditional open admission policies and are very easy to get into. Below is a list of the top 7 closest community colleges within 50 miles of Lafayette.
- Diablo Valley College - located in Pleasant Hill, California
- Berkeley City College - located in Berkeley, California
- Merritt College - located in Oakland, California
- Laney College - located in Oakland, California
- College of Alameda - located in Alameda, California
- Contra Costa College - located in San Pablo, California
- Los Medanos College - located in Pittsburg, California
Lafayette is definitely home to some of the most well-recognized schools in California. The city is very friendly to its residents with the strong academic system it offers, making it a top choice among the state's cities it terms of education.
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