All three Del Sur neighborhood schools – Del Sur Elementary, Oak Valley Middle and Del Norte High – are at the top of their class, scoring perfect 10s in statewide ranking according to the Growth Academic Performance Index (API).
According to homeowners, quality neighborhood schools are among the biggest reason many families decide to live in Del Sur.
“Schools were the most important factor for us in our decision to live in Del Sur,”said Dana McCrary, who has two daughters in Del Sur Elementary. “The technology aspects are incredibly impressive, but the staff is what really makes the school so amazing. Principal Doug Johnson seems to know every student’s name and he expects great things from each of them.”
Del Sur residents for two years now, Dana and Ryan McCrary have three daughters, ages seven, five and two, and are active in the parent-teacher organizations as well as with the Del Sur Educational Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising additional funds for Del Sur Elementary School.
The couple expects to remain equally active in their daughters’ education through middle and high school as well, and hearing the news that all three Del Sur neighborhood schools are the best in the district according to the latest test scores has been both reassuring and exhilarating.
“It’s a great feeling to know you are sending your children to high-achieving, well-respected schools for their kindergarten through 12th-grade education,” said Dana.
Here’s how each school scored in their statewide rankings:
Del Sur Elementary School scored 954 on the API, tying the highest score for all Poway Unified School District elementary schools. Del Sur Elementary also achieved a 10/10 overall ranking. This 10/10 score is derived from the API score, which places them at the top 10 percent of the state, and the school’s 10 out of 10 in its similar schools ranking (how Del Sur Elementary compares with 100 other schools that have comparable characteristics).
Only one other Poway elementary school scored as high on the API as Del Sur Elementary, and just two other Poway elementary schools earned the 10/10 ranking. Neither of the other 10/10 schools scored API scored as high as Del Sur Elementary.
Oak Valley Middle School scored 915 in the API, another 10 in statewide rankings for
API. The school’s score this year improved by 20 points over last year’s score, and the school had jumped 20 points the year before as well. Only one other Poway Unified middle school scored higher on the API.
Del Norte High School received its first API score this year, achieving a district-high 856 and a 10 in statewide rankings. Poway High School tied Del Norte’s top 856 score, and no other high school in the district scored as high.
With scores ranging from 200 to 1,000, API measures academic growth based on student performance on the California Standards Test (STAR) given last spring to students in grades two through 11.
Located within walking distance of many Del Sur homes or within a short bike ride or drive, Del Sur Elementary, Oak Valley Middle and Del Norte High are within Poway Unified School District. In this district,all high schools, middle and elementary schools exceeded the state API target of 800, a goal the state set for all schools to reach by 2014.
