Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks 2506 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 762 students attended Central Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary?

Students at Central Elementary are 53% Hispanic, 31% Asian, 7% White, 6% African American, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : El Capitan Middle High : Central East High

Central Elementary

Summary:

Central Elementary is a public elementary school located in Fresno, California, serving grades K-6 with a total enrollment of 762 students. It is part of the Central Unified School District, which is ranked 896 out of 1,568 school districts in California and has a 2-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger.

Central Elementary consistently outperforms the Central Unified district and the state of California in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency rates across all grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 47.89% of Central Elementary students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 41.78% for the district and 47.04% for the state. In Mathematics, 35.28% of Central Elementary students were proficient or better, compared to 28.68% for the district and 35.54% for the state. The school also outperforms the district and state in Science proficiency. However, Central Elementary struggles with Asian and English Language Learner (ELL) student performance, ranking in the bottom 20% of California elementary schools for these subgroups.

When compared to nearby schools within the Central Unified district, such as Madison Elementary, John Steinbeck Elementary, and McKinley Elementary, Central Elementary generally outperforms them in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency. However, when compared to schools outside the district, such as Addams Elementary and Lawless Elementary from the Fresno Unified district, Central Elementary's performance is more mixed, with some areas where it underperforms.

Detail:

Public K-6

2195 North Polk Ave.
Fresno, CA 93722-5052

(559) 274-9780

District: Central Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2506^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,294

Students who attend Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	El Capitan Middle
High:	Central East High

Student/teacher ratio: 26.7

Number of students: 762

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

52.9%

Asian:

31.0%

White:

6.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 79.3%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Central Elementary ranks better than 57.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 4^th among 14 ranked elementary schools in the Central Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 50.96. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (52.9%), Asian (31%), White (6.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 79.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Central Elementary is 26.7. 9 elementary schools in the Central Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Central Elementary employs 28.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Central Elementary is $5,294. 9 elementary schools in the Central Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Central Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Central Elementary 2506^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Central Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

Central Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Central Unified 896^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Central Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2007	25.45	3898^th	5113	23.8%
2008	31.18	3502^nd	5113	31.5%
2009	49.25	2532^nd	5193	51.2%
2010	49.71	2577^th	5314	51.5%
2011	66.13	1692^nd	5377	68.5%
2012	73.36	1360^th	5390	74.8%
2013	71.72	1493^rd	5530	73.0%
2015	51.79	2349^th	5611	58.1%
2016	57.85	2090^th	5614	62.8%
2017	56.70	2191^st	5692	61.5%
2018	60.06	2035^th	5662	64.1%
2019	59.18	2118^th	5789	63.4%
2022	47.63	2668^th	5883	54.6%
2023	51.80	2449^th	5874	58.3%
2024	50.96	2506^th	5862	57.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	71.01	507^th	3275	84.5%
2022	60.24	749^th	3311	77.4%
2023	35.26	2140^th	3250	34.2%
2024	33.33	2308^th	3160	27.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	61.00	629^th	2420	74.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	74.13	979^th	5084	80.7%
2019	72.10	1081^st	5173	79.1%
2022	54.61	1996^th	5264	62.1%
2023	65.49	1453^rd	5374	73.0%
2024	55.16	2050^th	5511	62.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	55.85	2197^th	5413	59.4%
2019	58.06	2048^th	5492	62.7%
2022	44.11	2751^st	5635	51.2%
2023	50.44	2386^th	5617	57.5%
2024	52.91	2279^th	5605	59.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	66.86	561^st	2585	78.3%
2022	90.43	160^th	2227	92.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	36.02	91^st	140	35.0%
2024	35.98	74^th	118	37.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	62.33	1839^th	5431	66.1%
2019	58.52	2013^th	5510	63.5%
2022	50.37	2422^nd	5663	57.2%
2023	52.06	2335^th	5650	58.7%
2024	47.82	2583^rd	5636	54.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	34.82	815^th	1071	23.9%
2019	24.34	944^th	1149	17.8%
2022	10.51	1036^th	1154	10.2%
2023	11.20	1061^st	1190	10.8%
2024	16.26	1035^th	1203	14.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	33.22	505^th	747	32.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	68.62	1201^st	4830	75.1%
2019	69.32	1202^nd	4963	75.8%
2022	66.68	1309^th	5084	74.3%
2023	70.23	1170^th	5098	77.0%
2024	67.68	1290^th	5102	74.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Central Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	37.00	1896^th	2737	30.7%
2019	48.87	1587^th	2834	44.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 4)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Central Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2005	123	58	57	195	5	n/a	n/a	3	441
2006	113	88	65	226	2	n/a	n/a	9	503
2007	149	81	95	288	4	n/a	n/a	15	632
2008	123	86	101	282	4	n/a	n/a	0	596
2009	112	89	116	299	4	3	24	0	647
2010	99	85	138	363	5	3	7	0	700
2011	96	77	136	392	7	2	11	0	721
2012	94	76	154	416	10	3	14	0	767
2013	108	80	170	456	5	3	16	0	838
2014	105	76	176	490	3	2	11	0	863
2015	115	66	186	506	2	3	6	0	884
2016	96	64	177	453	5	3	7	0	805
2017	97	61	185	476	3	2	10	0	834
2018	96	59	200	444	5	1	6	0	811
2019	91	49	197	458	4	1	7	0	807
2020	74	43	209	452	4	2	12	0	796
2021	67	48	221	436	4	2	15	0	793
2022	51	46	229	420	4	2	23	0	775
2023	50	43	236	403	3	2	25	0	762

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Central Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2005	441	24.9	17.7	66.9
2006	503	27.0	18.6	67.6
2007	632	33.0	19.2	61.9
2008	596	34.0	17.5	65.8
2009	647	32.0	19.0	62.1
2010	700	31.0	22.5	69.1
2011	721	n/a	n/a	66
2012	767	28.5	26.8	n/a
2013	838	28.5	29.3	71.2
2014	863	28.0	30.8	72.5
2015	884	27.0	32.7	65.7
2016	805	27.0	29.8	75.4
2017	834	28.0	29.7	62.6
2018	811	29.0	27.9	68.4
2019	807	28.0	28.8	77.1
2020	796	n/a	n/a	74.4
2021	793	28.0	28.3	70.7
2022	775	27.0	28.7	55
2023	762	28.5	26.7	79.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Central Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2005	441	24.9	17.7	66.9
2006	503	27.0	18.6	67.6
2007	632	33.0	19.2	61.9
2008	596	34.0	17.5	65.8
2009	647	32.0	19.0	62.1
2010	700	31.0	22.5	69.1
2011	721	n/a	n/a	66
2012	767	28.5	26.8	n/a
2013	838	28.5	29.3	71.2
2014	863	28.0	30.8	72.5
2015	884	27.0	32.7	65.7
2016	805	27.0	29.8	75.4
2017	834	28.0	29.7	62.6
2018	811	29.0	27.9	68.4
2019	807	28.0	28.8	77.1
2020	796	n/a	n/a	74.4
2021	793	28.0	28.3	70.7
2022	775	27.0	28.7	55
2023	762	28.5	26.7	79.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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