El Verano Mentor Center, 18606 Riverside Dr, Sonoma, CA 95476, US

El Verano Elementary School is located on Riverside Drive in the Valley of the Moon section of Sonoma Valley. With a motto of "committed to our community," the school hosts numerous community events to raise funds. The facility is based around an open plan lot with covered walk-ways between classrooms and student-painted murals depicting the history of California. The grounds feature a large playground and an outdoor eating area as well as large athletic fields. In 2008 El Verano was a part of the pilot program, partnering with the Exploratorium in San Francisco to teach hands-on science concepts. Now all five elementary schools in the Sonoma Valley school district have received a 3 million dollar grant which will continue the program through 2012. The school is heavily focused on literacy training and employs special counselors to instill these concepts. API scores can be viewed online.