Mt. Diablo Unified students scored above pre-pandemic proficiency levels in both reading and math for the first time since 2019. Superintendent Dr. Adam Clark presented the preliminary spring 2026 state test results to the Governing Board on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Clark sent a message to district families on Aug. 27 noting that individual student scores will be sent home soon. The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) is given to students in grades three through eight and 11th grade.

Districtwide, 49.30% of students scored proficient or above in English Language Arts, up from 47.86% a year earlier and above the district's 49.00% pre-pandemic mark in 2018-19. In math, 39.10% hit proficiency, up from 38.70% and just past the 39.00% pre-pandemic rate.

Northgate leads high school gains

Northgate High School stood out among Walnut Creek-area schools. Its ELA proficiency jumped 9.04 percentage points to 82.70%, and math proficiency climbed 9.51 points to 60.50%. Both were the largest gains among MDUSD high schools, according to the district's preliminary data presentation.

College Park High School also gained in ELA, rising 6.38 points to 67.40%. Its math rate slipped 0.28 points to 43.60%.

Elementary and middle school results

Walnut Acres Elementary in Walnut Creek posted some of the district's highest marks: 84.30% proficient in ELA (up 1.88 points) and 82.40% in math (up 2.69 points) from the prior year.

Foothill Middle School scored 75.20% in ELA (up 2.64 points) and 65.10% in math (up 0.85 points).

Mountain View Elementary posted the largest gains among district elementary schools: ELA proficiency rose 9.43 points to 39.20%, and math rose 10.58 points to 37.50%.

Gaps persist for some student groups

The districtwide gains did not reach all students equally. Among English Learners, 82.5% scored at the lowest level in ELA and 80.8% in math. Students with disabilities scored 16.1% proficient in ELA and 13.3% in math. Economically disadvantaged students reached 34.5% proficiency in ELA and 23.4% in math.

One bright spot: the number of multilingual learners reclassified as English proficient rose to 1,005 in 2025-26, up from 708 the prior year and 527 two years ago. That's nearly double in two years.

What's next

The scores are preliminary. The state has not yet scheduled the official release of final 2025-26 CAASPP results. Clark said families will receive their children's individual scores in the coming weeks.