New Golden Valley Unified School Coming to Riverstone

November 18, 2017

Madera, CA - Ensuring that its youngest residents receive a top-notch, well-rounded education has always been a top priority for developers of the 2,000-acre Riverstone. It will soon become a reality in the heart of Riverstone’s Lodge District neighborhood with an upcoming elementary school belonging to the award-winning Golden Valley Unified School District.

Riverstone’s future elementary school is planned to feature 21st century classrooms, a state-of-the-art Library/Media Center, a dedicated music room, outdoor learning spaces, a large outdoor amphitheater and a dynamic sports complex.

Part of Golden Valley USD, the upcoming school will be located in the heart of Riverstone’s Lodge District—just a short walk or bike ride away from new homes.

The development of construction plans is already underway for this inaugural Riverstone education facility, which is planned to open in time for the 2021 school year.

Rising from a 16.3-acre site conveniently close to new homes, the future elementary school is expected to accommodate 625 students. The innovative campus is planned to feature tech-forward 21st century classrooms, a state-of-the-art Library/Media Center, a dedicated music room, outdoor learning spaces, a large outdoor amphitheater and a dynamic sports complex.

“We’re fully committed to providing Riverstone’s children with the very best education,” said District Superintendent, Andy Alvarado. “It is our job to make sure this is the expectation and we surround ourselves with staff capable of carrying out this mission. Our core principles have been unwavering for many years, these are principles that have guided Golden Valley USD as one of the top-performing school districts in the State of California.”

The future school will be situated within the Lodge District, a family-friendly neighborhood featuring Riverstone’s inaugural collection of new residences from D.R. Horton, Lennar Homes and McCaffrey Homes. To date, more than 100 home-buying families have moved in and are enjoying the Lodge District’s newest amenities including Adventure Park, Garden Park and the many resort-style amenities of The Lodge—Riverstone’s brand-new community clubhouse.

Construction of Phases 3 and 4 in the Lodge District has started. Once completed, this will provide a total of 860 homesites. Homebuilder D.R. Horton is starting construction in the Lodge District on two new model centers, one for Stillwater at Riverstone and the other for The Summit at Riverstone. Also in the Lodge District is a new collection of homes from Lennar, one of the nation’s leading and most respected homebuilders. For more information on the new homes from D.R. Horton and Lennar, interested homebuyers should visit the Welcome Center within The Lodge at Riverstone, or go to www.RiverstoneCA.com and add their name to the Interest List.

An award-winning school district also known for its technological innovation, Golden Valley Unified comprises nine schools serving nearly 2,000 students. The district maintains an exceptional student-teacher ratio of 24:1, and was named a Silver Award recipient for Best High Schools from U.S. News & World Report.

Golden Valley Unified School District continues to be the standard bearer for school districts in Madera County. Over the past two years, the Smarter Balanced (SBAC) percentage of students meeting or exceeding the standards has risen five percent in English-Language Arts and six percent in mathematics.

The biggest gainer, Liberty High School, improved seven percent in English and 12 percent in math. Webster Elementary also produced a five percent increase in English and 12 percent in math. Since 2015, students exceeding standards in the District has gone from 54 percent to 59 percent while math rose from 39 to 45 percent.

GVUSD students’ mark for meeting or exceeding expectation was almost 11 percent higher than the state of California and nearly 25 percent higher than the rest of Madera County. Meanwhile, the District’s mark in math was almost eight percent better than the state’s and 22 percent higher than Madera County.

The district’s Liberty High School, named a California Distinguished School for 2009, boasts a graduation rate of 96.18%, which is the highest graduation rate in the region. Last year, 60% of Liberty High students finished above a 3.00 GPA, and traditionally, approximately 65% of its Seniors graduate UC/CSU-ready.

In addition to exemplary academics, Liberty High School is also recognized for its strong athletics program with league, division and valley championships in various sports. The school’s Football team finished with a strong record of 8-3. Girls Volleyball finished second in Division IV for the Central Section which qualifies them for the California CIF State play-offs where they are the #8 seed for the North Region in Division IV. Girls Tennis—the #8 seed in Division 3 Playoffs—is 8-5 overall and 6-4 in NSL (3rd place). The Girls Golf Team recently finished 3rd in NSL, and the Girls and Boys Cross Country teams both finished 3rd place at the NSL Championships and will be competing at the Central Section Championships.

Situated in the heart of the region’s path of growth, Riverstone—when complete—will total approximately 6,578 single-family, attached and multi-family homes, as well as commercial and mixed-use space including office, service and retail. Amenities at Riverstone are anticipated to include walkable neighborhoods, parks and open space, multiple community clubhouses, hiking and biking trails, a dog park, a community farm, historic olive and citrus groves, a sustainable water supply, and on-site schools belonging to the award-winning Golden Valley Unified School District.

For more information about the new-home community of Riverstone and its collections of new homes from D.R. Horton, Lennar Homes and McCaffrey Homes, homebuyers are encouraged to visit the community’s website at www.RiverstoneCA.com and add their name to the Interest List.