Alicia Cortez Elementary, Chino CA

Original Research by School Decision on Alicia Cortez Elementary

Alicia Cortez Elementary is a public school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Chino, a rapidly growing suburban city in the western Inland Empire. The school enrolls a student population that is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The majority of the school's families are navigating economic conditions where housing costs are rising and wages are stretched, a pattern common across this part of San Bernardino County.

The school's state test results in math and English language arts show performance below the state average. In math, proficiency across tested grades ranges from the low end to mid-range, with results dropping notably in the upper elementary grades. In English language arts, the school shows somewhat stronger performance, with results in third grade and sixth grade near or at the mid-40s range, though fifth grade dips lower. Science proficiency at fifth grade is similarly modest. These outcomes reflect a school where a meaningful share of students are meeting grade-level standards, but where the majority are still working toward proficiency. When measured against other schools in San Bernardino County that reported comparable data, Alicia Cortez's overall proficiency index places it above the county's median, a positioning that speaks to the school's standing within a broader regional context of academic performance.

The Chino Valley Unified School District, the school's parent district, has recently invested in professional learning communities and targeted mathematics instruction improvements. District-wide, proficiency gains in math and English language arts have outpaced state growth rates in recent years, and achievement gaps have narrowed across most student subgroups. That work is ongoing and may benefit students as it filters through the school system, though the pace of that influence depends on implementation depth at individual schools.

Chino itself is undergoing substantial growth. The city's fastest-expanding area is The Preserve, a master-planned community rising on former agricultural land with new housing, retail, and on-site schools. Neighborhoods throughout Chino range from older, walkable areas near the historic downtown along Central Avenue to sprawling car-dependent suburban developments. Housing costs in the zip code are moderate relative to California, though still substantial relative to many families' incomes. The community's economic base includes logistics, manufacturing, retail distribution, and public sector employment. Transit is primarily bus-based through Omnitrans, with rail connections available at hubs in nearby cities.

The district has been at the center of a multi-year, contested governance dispute over parental notification policies regarding student name, pronoun, and facility use requests. That dispute has involved litigation, court orders, and policy revisions, and remains unresolved. For families considering Chino Valley schools, this ongoing conflict is part of the school climate and may be relevant to their values and preferences around school governance and student privacy.

Alicia Cortez serves a school community with real economic need and modest current academic proficiency. The school sits in a district undertaking measurable instructional improvements, within a city experiencing rapid residential growth. A parent should look into what supports the school offers for math and reading intervention, what the school's approach to English learner instruction involves, and how the school engages families in student progress conversations.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 58% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 57% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 48% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 56% · ▼ 33 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 58% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 60% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 62% · ▼ 28 pts below district

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

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 66% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 43% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · even with county median

This schoolChino Valley 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income54%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income46%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income51%Higher-income33%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income43%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income36%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income15%10 pp gap