Biola-pershing Elementary, Fresno CA

Original Research by School Decision on Biola-pershing Elementary

Biola-Pershing Elementary is a small public school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in a residential part of Fresno, about four miles north of downtown. The school enrolls a small population, with a student body that is almost entirely Hispanic, and reflects the economic circumstances of the surrounding area: nearly nine in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school's most recent state test results show modest academic performance. On the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress in English language arts, students achieved proficiency rates that ranged by grade, with third graders at about midpoint and sixth graders notably stronger. Math results were lower, particularly in the upper elementary grades, where proficiency dipped below a third in both fourth and sixth grade. Science testing, available only in fifth grade, showed proficiency around a third. Overall, when averaged across tested subjects and grades, the school's proficiency index placed it in the top quartile among elementary schools in Fresno County, a positioning that reflects both the school's own results and the performance profile of other district schools in the county.

Fresno itself is the largest city in California's Central Valley, built on a low-density, sprawling pattern that has spread outward over decades. The economic foundation reflects agriculture: the region employs farm workers at roughly three times the national average rate. Daily life centers on parks like Woodward Park and the public library system; transit is provided by Fresno Area Express. Downtown Fresno has been undergoing revitalization in recent years, with new affordable housing projects and state-funded infrastructure improvements, though much of the city remains car-dependent. The Biola-Pershing area itself is characterized by residential subdivisions in a neighborhood miles from the downtown core.

Housing in Fresno remains below state median values, making the area relatively affordable for Central Valley standards, though rental costs have risen modestly over the past year. Parents interested in this school may want to look further into the school's approach to mathematics instruction and support, given the gap between performance there and in language arts. The school sits within Central Unified, which in 2025-26 split its long-standing multi-campus high school arrangement into two separate institutions, though this change applies to secondary grades beyond Biola-Pershing's span.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 43% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 33% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 31% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 33% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 43% · ▼ 2 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 41% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 45% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 48% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 27% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

This schoolCentral Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.