The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 24% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Ronald Reagan Fundamental School
Ronald Reagan Fundamental School is a regular public elementary school in Yuma, Arizona, serving students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade as part of the Crane Elementary District. The school is designated as a fundamental school, a label that typically signals a traditional approach to academics, character education, and a structured learning environment.
The student body is large for an elementary school and is the most defining feature of its peer environment. The vast majority of students identify as Hispanic, with smaller shares of white students and those identifying as two or more races, and very few students from other racial backgrounds. The school’s demographic composition is distinct and is a plain characteristic of the community it serves. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, who receive special education services, or who are English learners was not available, so the full economic and support-need picture is incomplete.
Academic performance results are mixed, with some important gaps in the data. For third grade, state test results in both math and English language arts were suppressed, meaning the proficiency rate was not reported, likely due to small group sizes or privacy concerns. For fourth graders, math results were also suppressed, but English language arts results were reported: just over a third of students scored proficient or above. Fifth graders posted a math proficiency rate of about a third, and sixth graders about a quarter. In English language arts, fifth graders were at about a third proficient and sixth graders approached half. In science, fifth graders had a proficiency rate of about a quarter. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, places it above the midpoint among districts in Yuma County. Still, the reported rates are on the lower end of the scale, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school. Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
The community of Yuma is a mix of residential, commercial, military, and agricultural uses. It is the county seat, and its economy is anchored by agriculture, the Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma Proving Ground, and tourism. The city has a historic downtown but is spread over a large area and is largely car-dependent outside that core. The school’s location on West 16th Street places it within the broader suburban residential fabric of the city.
Housing in the area is more attainable than the state and national benchmarks, with home values and rents both below the Arizona average and the national average. The estimated monthly rent is lower than a typical mortgage payment in the area, which is a consideration for families deciding whether to rent or buy. Yuma’s population has seen modest growth over recent decades, and seasonal winter visitors add a temporary population each year.
The district itself recently secured a voter-approved maintenance and operations budget override. That override funds smaller class sizes, art, music, physical education, and teacher and staff compensation. This is a tangible change that affects daily classroom experience across the district and is worth noting for any family considering schools within Crane Elementary District.
For a family, Ronald Reagan Fundamental School offers a traditional fundamental school model within a large, majority-Hispanic student body in a mid-sized desert city with a lower cost of housing. The academic results show a mix of suppressed and modest proficiency data, and the absence of economic and special population data makes it harder to assess the full support context. A parent would benefit from visiting the school and asking about its fundamental program and how it supports students across the range of performance levels reflected in the test results.
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