The Rincon Valley Union School District is located in the heart of Sonoma County and serves the children, parents, and community of northeastern Santa Rosa, California. The District's dedicated faculty and staff provide an excellent learning environment for the over 3,200 TK/Kindergarten through sixth grade students attending seven elementary schools, with an additional 300+ students attending the charter middle school campus. The Rincon Valley District has a strong tradition of academic excellence, preparing children to be lifelong learners. We are committed to pursuing excellence in education with a challenging curriculum for all of our students.

Here every child, parent, teacher, support staff and community member is a learner and a leader. Students serve as Student Council leaders, cross-age tutors, Life Skill leaders, and Problem Solvers. Parents are involved in the school, serving as volunteers, instructional resources, and leaders in the Parents Club and the School Site Council. The staff provides powerful learning experiences in the classroom and nurtures the whole child. Staff members serve as leaders and learners through peer coaching, providing staff development, becoming collaborative problem solvers and decision-makers with our school and our district, by seeking new instructional strategies, developing curriculum, and by perfecting the craft and technical skills of teaching. Community members support our campus by sharing resources aiding instruction, and serving as a partner with our school.

Austin Creek is the newest school in the Rincon Valley Union School District. This state-of-the-art elementary school was conceived as a “Mediterranean Village” with classroom buildings oriented around individual courtyards. Construction was completed in the fall of 2000. The school site is adjacent to a 7.59-acre neighborhood city park. With a joint-use agreement, the combined district and city properties provide an ideal site for the school.

Community survey responses indicate a strong belief that our school is a safe and secure place to learn, and that students’ needs are effectively met. There is an expectation that all students will be academically successful and strive for excellence. A positive feeling of family and community around the school supports the school’s high expectation.

Francis Binkley Elementary School, a California Distinguished School, has stood for excellence in education for over 50 years. The vision of Binkley is to provide a safe, fun, enriched environment to promote highly educated, well-rounded students who are excited about making learning a life-long process. Drawn by a strong sense of collaboration and collegiality, teachers and staff offer excellent support to students and show them the importance of becoming life-long learners.

In 2008 Binkley was recognized as a best practice school by the Sonoma County Association of School Administrators, as well as being one of only five elementary schools in the county to receive the California Distinguished School award. In 2024 Binkley was awarded the PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) Bronze Implementation Award.

Binkley prides itself on creating an outstanding school community where the faculty and parents work together to ensure teaching and learning is taking place. Tucked against the foothills of Rincon Valley, Binkley is a wonderful place to work, play, and learn.

Madrone School dedicates itself to providing a physically and emotionally safe environment for its community of learners. Also, it dedicates itself to an environment where trust, respect, and humor foster a setting for clear communication, exploration, and academic excellence.

At Madrone School the students, parents, faculty, and staff share in the responsibility of learning and leading together. Student academic standards and expectations are clearly defined and supported throughout the school community. Parents actively participate in school activities, and the PTA provides enrichment opportunities to enhance the learning opportunities for all children. The entire school community values learning and the importance of being a lifelong learner.

Manzanita Elementary purpose is to provide a rigorous core academic program based upon the California state standards and district standards. In addition, our students’ educational experiences will be enriched by both technology and the fine arts. Their intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development will reflect a well-rounded education of the 21st century.

The curriculum at the Manzanita Elementary School has been developed to provide expanded opportunities for students, where a differentiated curriculum will specifically meet the needs of TK-6th graders. In addition, all students at Manzanita have access to the computer lab, giving them an earlier opportunity to begin to develop technology skills.

Sequoia School's vision is to create a community of young scholars who have the academic and social skills necessary to effect positive change in the 21st century.

A commitment to excellence and a strong community base contribute to Sequoia's rich educational tradition. The school environment fosters high academic and behavioral expectations for each student. A knowledgeable, dedicated staff works diligently to ensure student success, and test scores reflect high student achievement. The active involvement of parents as partners in their children's education contributes to a strong sense of community. Students and staff feel safe in an attractive, well-maintained facility, nestled in the rolling hills of Rincon Valley.

Village Elementary School pursues excellence in elementary school education where students will make connections among ideas and people which build relationships that result in a greater understanding of the world around them, be provided with a rigorous course of study and effective researched-based instruction by highly qualified teachers, demonstrate an "I-can" attitude and understand that success is a direct result of hard work and the best effort, understand the importance of inquiry-based and self-directed learning, develop critical thinking and logical reasoning strategies and apply them, and obtain age-appropriate 21st century technology skills that will allow them to be competitive in the academic setting.

Village Elementary School, a 2012 California Distinguished School, fosters a learning environment where all students can achieve excellence in academics while involving themselves in a community of kindergarten through sixth-grade learners. Students develop socially and emotionally within a safe and nurturing environment where they will feel supported in their development as young learners. Village Elementary serves more than 400 scholars who represent a community rich with culture and language. Our creative and energetic staff works collaboratively with parents and the community to create experiences that foster an excitement for learning.
Village Elementary School recognizes, celebrates and teaches to the cultural, linguistic and racial diversity in all learners. We nurture and develop parent leaders and family partners to work collaboratively with the school and district.

We are proud to support the needs of all students and foster the understanding of all differences as we prepare students for success in the world.

During the last several years, Whited has seen its California State Similar School Score rise from six to ten, the highest one can achieve. In addition, when our school was compared to 100 Similar Schools, Whited ranked number one in the State of California. Since state accountability was introduced in 1999, our API has increased from 773 to, most recently, 922, the fourth highest API score in Sonoma County among K-6 schools.

In addition, Whited has been selected as a "Spotlight School" by the Sonoma County Office of Education, a "Showcase School" by the Sonoma County Association of School Administrators, and was one of five elementary schools in Sonoma County to be selected recently as a California Distinguished School.

We attribute our success to an outstanding staff, which includes a Rincon Valley District Teacher of the Year and several Rincon Valley Teachers who have received Teacher of the Month awards. We provide a challenging and accelerated curriculum that meets the needs of our diverse students, with an emphasis on our GATE and high-achieving students. Several teachers have attended the California Association for the Gifted conference to increase their knowledge of the challenges of gifted youth. Identified GATE students receive Individual Learning Plans to help meet their academic and social/emotional needs. In addition, Sandra Kaplan's elements of depth and complexity are seamlessly woven into lessons throughout the day, benefiting all students.

Whited offers several evening events in collaboration with parents, including Pajama Reading Night, Dr. Seuss Read-Across-America events, Math Fair, Science Fair, and band and theater productions, to just mention a few.

Perhaps our school slogan best sums up the attitude of our school community, "All Eagles Soar, Whatever It Takes."

The purpose of Spring Lake Middle School (SLMS) is to provide an excellent and challenging technology-empowered academic program in a small school setting. We provide a student-centered, Project-Based Learning (PBL) environment in which technology, fine arts, inquiry, and service learning are the foundational components. We differentiate our instruction to meet the academic needs of all students. We strive to develop a 21st century learner by building relationships, using critical thinking, and engaging curriculum to meet academic standards. To ensure the success of our purpose, we will measure and evaluate our efforts using state, district, and school standards. We are here to inspire students to be self-motivated, competent, lifelong learners, and exemplary citizens with the help and guidance of the entire school community.

At SLMS, you will find excellent teachers, high-quality student work, and a supportive school culture.

Students are actively involved in their education. Learning occurs in classrooms where students demonstrate proficiency through problem-solving and complex reasoning. Students participate, cooperate, and collaborate with administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community to demonstrate learning. Our caring teachers emphasize differentiated instruction with all students and honor the rich diversity of students.

Learning for our students includes real-life experiences demonstrated by field trips, school-to-career mentoring, and work experiences. Our students learn using technology and validating the integrity and quality of content. At SLMS, we value the individual and promote values of empathy, integrity, respect, trust, and leadership. We prepare students for life. 

The Rincon Valley Home Study Program is an active partnership between the school district and parents who choose to instruct their children at home. The responsibility for delivering daily instruction belongs to the parents; the Home Study program provides direction, guidance, support, and materials with a credentialed teacher developing lesson plans and monitoring progress. Each family is paired with a credentialed teacher and they meet regularly to review student work, prepare new assignments, answer questions, as well as support parents in any way that is needed. Teachers are flexible for meetings. If you are out of town or are unable to meet in person, they can provide Zoom meetings as an option. Open communication between the parent and teacher is instrumental as they work together to navigate the student's academic needs and provide a rich learning experience. Click Here to learn more

The Rincon Valley Partnership is a special education consortium operated by Rincon Valley Union School District. RVP serves students from preschool to 6th grade. Students are referred to RVP by our partner districts (Bennett Valley, Kenwood , Mark West, Piner Olivet, Rincon Valley, Roseland, and Wright) and placed via the IEP process.

Classrooms are located throughout the city of Santa Rosa, both on Rincon Valley campuses as well as partner district sites.

ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS

Students placed in RVP receive supports based on their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Special Education eligibility and services are based on evaluation and present levels. The least restrictive environment is always considered (To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.” 20 U.S.C. § 1412(a)(5)(A).)

PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS

• Preschool Speech Program

• Inclusive Preschool Program

• Special Day Classes

PRIMARY PROGRAMS

• Special Day Classes (grades TK-6)

The Rincon Valley Inclusive Preschool Program (RVIPP) affords students of all abilities to learn and grow together. The classes are co-taught by general education and special education staff.  Each class will have approximately 12 students with an effort made to balance the class across abilities. All students will have the opportunity to participate in communication and fine and gross motor lessons, in addition to pre-academic and social emotional learning.

RVIPP shares a campus with Madrone Elementary located at 4550 Rinconada Drive, Santa Rosa.