Here are comparison scores (percentiles) from the 2007 STAR tests taken by almost every public-school student in California. This test is administered annually by the California Department of Education.

We have broken out the results in a way that makes comparisons between schools easy.

The percentiles, based on the scores, range from 1 (the lowest) to 99 (the highest). A school that scores in the 20th percentile is landing in the bottom 20 percent of the state. A school that scores in the 95th percentile is placing among the top 5 percent of schools in the state.

The scores are presented alphabetically by district and within each district alphabetically by school.

The city profiles will give you the school district or districts serving each town. For ease of searching, read the city profile, find out the name of the district and search by district.

Or just scroll through the scores.

These percentiles should be considered approximate measures of how the schools and their students are performing.

A few schools will post scores that bounce all over or will have, say, scores in the 70s with the exception of one class in one test scoring in the 30s.

For the why … maybe the kids had an off day or misunderstood the tests or maybe the testing group is small and a few students scoring very high or very low will skew the scores. Or maybe the score is wrong. After issuing the scores, the department of education reviews its figures, accepts comments from the school districts and later makes corrections.

We suggest that you ignore the aberrational scores and look at what the majority of the scores imply.

These percentiles don’t show whether a school’s scores from year to year are rising or falling. The rankings show just how the schools compare against one another.

Many low- and middle-scoring schools have students who score high. Many high-scoring schools have students who land below the 25th percentile.

A few schools post average scores but turn out many high-scoring students.

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Sausalito has not experienced a decline in sales for 2007 compared to the same period in 2006. 53 single family homes sold from Janary to October 2007 compared with the same period in 2006. Prices have remained strong as follows:

Median and Average price have remained on par with 2006 results but the average days it takes for a house to sell has increased to 112 days, almost a 36.5% increase. These numbers are actually lower than actual as the days on market reset to zero when a house has been temporarily removed from the MLS for 30 days or the seller chooses a new Broker for the lisitng.

The Condominium Market for the period January - October 2007 has shown the same trends as Single Family Homes except that the average sale price has declined by 6.5%.

The next month will be slow in Marin sales as the holidays always takes some steam out of the market. If you would like more infomration about the Sausalito market drop me an email at rparks@visionrealtors.com or call me at 415-297-9000.

Belvedere has been and still is one of the most desirable areas of Marin to establish roots and enjoy all the wonders Marin County has to offer. The supply and demand characteristics for Belvedere are quite unique, as there is a limited number of single family homes available for sale in any year. According to statistics of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), on an average year 30-40 homes trade hands. There are also a handful of homes that are sold through brokered transactions which never hit the MLS.

The data on the flip side of this report shows all reported transactions from January 1, 2007 through October 31, 2007. Some of the data has been extracted in detail so you can get a good feel for what has occurred in your city. When a home sells and is reported on the MLS, it calculates the sales price as a percentage of the last posted list price, not taking into account there might have been many price reductions prior to the home being sold. It is not accurate to look at the price variance from list price unless you drill down and take into account the interim price reductions. The data here reflects the entire interim price reductions on each home sold.

Twenty-six homes sold from January 1, 2007 to October 31, 2007. Of these 26 homes, 3 sold for list price, which is 11.5% of the total. Two homes sold above list price which is 7.6% of the total. The remaining 21 homes sold below list price. The range of discounts from original list price was between 1% and 45%. The average discount from original list price was 12%, being skewed a bit by the large discount taken on 30 Crest Road at 45% and 18 Eucalyptus Road at 29%. The average number of days on the market for homes sold during this period was 189. In the current market it is important to realize that the quick turnovers of the previous years are not the norm. Exceptions to the rule will always apply, especially with homes on the Lagoon as well as homes on prime parcels with breathtaking views of the Golden Gate and San Francisco. If you would like to discuss the market in more detail, please contact us directly.

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Population: 7,330

Size: 2.2 square miles

Annual budget: $11 million

Number of dwellings: 4,510

Median home price, October 2007: $1 522,000

City Council: Mayor Dennis Scremin and council members Paul Albritton, Amy Belser, Ron Albert and Michael Kelly. The council meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 420 Litho St.

City Hall: City Manager and City Clerk Dana Whitson, 289-4166; Community Development Director Paul Kermoyan, 289-4133; Public Works Director Tom Birse, 289-4176; Parks and Recreation Director Adam Politzer, 289-4126; City Attorney Mary Wagner, 453-8866. City Hall is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Community Development office is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and is closed on Fridays.

Police: Police Chief Scott Paulin, 289-4170, oversees a 22-member department. Headquarters: 300 Locust St.

Fire: Southern Marin Fire Protection District Chief Mike Stone, 388-8182, oversees a combined force of 36 district personnel and 18 personnel from the Sausalito Fire Department. The two agencies cooperate under a joint powers agreement. District headquarters: 308 Reed Blvd. in Mill Valley. Sausalito headquarters: 333 Johnson St.

Library: 289-4121, 420 Litho St. The library is open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

Chamber of Commerce: Director of Operations Peggy Day, 331-7262. Headquarters: 10 Libertyship Way, Suite 250

Schools: Superintendent Rose Marie Roberson, 332-3190. Headquarters: 630 Nevada St.

Garbage service: Bay Cities Refuse Service, 332-3646.

Population: 48,754

Size: 28 square miles

Annual budget: $32.5 million

Number of single-family detached dwellings: 10,898

Median home price, October 2007: $787,705

City Council: Mayor Pat Eklund and council members Bernie Meyers, Carole Dillon-Knutson, Judy Arnold and Jeanne MacLeamy. The council meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.

City Hall: City Manager Dan Keen, 899-8905; Community Development Director Harry Graves, 898-8989; Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Larry Dito, 899-8200; Public Works Director Steve Wallace, 899-8949; City Clerk Shirley Gremmels, 899-8900; City Attorney Jeff Walter, 707-996-9690. The city’s administrative center is at 75 Rowland Way, Suite 200. Offices are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and every other Friday. The main phone number is 899-8900.

Police: Interim Police Chief Larry Todd, 897-4361, oversees an 83-member police department. Headquarters: Novato Police Department, 909 Machin Ave.

Fire: Novato Fire Protection District Chief Jeff Meston, 878-2690, oversees an 97-member department that also provides paramedic services. Headquarters: 7025 Redwood Blvd.

Library: The library, 898-4623, is at 1720 Novato Blvd. It is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

Chamber of Commerce: Phone: 897-1164. Headquarters: 807 De Long Ave.

Schools: Superintendent Jan La Torre-Derby, 897-4222. Office: 1015 Seventh St.

Garbage service: Novato Disposal Service, Inc., 897-4177. Headquarters: 3417 Standish Ave., Santa Rosa

Population: 12,400

Size: 2.7 square miles

Annual budget: $10 million

Number of dwellings: 5,398

Median home price, October 2007: $950,000

Town Council: Mayor Barbara Thornton, Vice Mayor Wayne Cooper and councilmembers Peter Breen, Ian Roth and Ted Freeman. Meetings are the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the Ross Valley School District Board Room, 110 Shaw Drive, San Anselmo.

Town Hall: Town Administrator Debra Stutsman, 258-4652; Public Works/Parks Director Rabi Elias, 258-4616; Recreation Director Doug Long, 258-4661; Planning Director Lisa Wight, 258-4616. Town Hall is located at 525 San Anselmo Ave. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Town Hall is closed on Fridays.

Police: Police Chief Charles Maynard oversees a department of 17 officers and 6 civilian staffers. Temporary headquarters: 400 Red Hill Avenue, 258-4610.

Fire: Acting Chief Roger Meagor oversees 25 firefighters and 15 volunteers who provide service to Fairfax and San Anselmo. The department also provides paramedic service. Temporary headquarters are at 777 San Anselmo Ave. in San Anselmo, 258-4686, but the department has stations at 150 Butterfield Road in San Anselmo and 10 Park Road in Fairfax.

Library: San Anselmo Public Library, 258-4656, is located at 110 Tunstead Ave. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Mondays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.,Tuesdays and and Wednesdays; 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Closed Thursday, Friday and Sundays.

Chamber of Commerce: President Connie Rodgers, 454-2510.

Schools:

• The Ross Valley School District,110 Shaw Drive, San Anselmo, 454-2162.
• The Tamalpais Union High School District, 395 Doherty Drive, Larkspur, 945-3720, includes Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo.

Garbage service: Marin Sanitary Service, 1050 Andersen Drive, San Rafael, 456-2601.