Willow Elementary's Story

Willow Elementary School is the product of the consolidation of El Centro Elementary and Salvador Elementary, opening in August of 2018. Due to declining enrollment and efficiency to run one larger school rather than two small schools, the NVUSD school board voted in March of 2016 to move Salvador students from the campus at 1850 Salvador Ave, to the El Centro campus at 1480 El Centro Ave.  At that vote, it was decided that the Arts Integration Magnet program at Salvador would follow the students to El Centro.

In March 2018, the NVUSD school board voted to change the name of the newly consolidated school, to Willow Elementary upon opening, 8/18.  The acronym, WE, represents the joining of the two communities and becoming united with common goals and interests.  

Artful Learning is the model for learning at Willow. This comprehensive school model is especially designed to engage students at a deeper level of inquiry and understanding than can be achieved with standard educational approaches.  By providing educators with a unique framework to present academic content, Artful Learning links the arts and the artistic process to the daily classroom learning experience. Artful Learning employs an interdisciplinary approach that is anchored by a central Concept while posing a Significant Question that allows educators to teach a broad spectrum of rigorous academic content.  Studying through the lens of the arts generates a measurable deeper level of comprehension and retention in students.