Roger S. Oraze Elementary, Fresno CA

Original Research by School Decision on Roger S. Oraze Elementary

Roger S. Oraze Elementary is a public K-6 school in Fresno serving about nine hundred students in a neighborhood setting on North Armstrong Avenue. The school sits within Clovis Unified, California's 12th largest district, which recently approved a major facilities bond and opened a new educational campus for intermediate and high school students to accommodate ongoing growth in the region.

The most recent state assessment results show mixed but stabilizing performance. Across all tested grades, students scored at proficiency in English language arts at a rate slightly above the mid-range, with sixth graders performing notably stronger than younger grades. In math, proficiency runs lower, ranging from roughly half of students at grade five to near three-fifths at grade three and six. Fifth grade science results show about half the students meeting proficiency. This profile reflects what many elementary schools in Central California experience: early grades showing somewhat stronger performance in reading comprehension relative to mathematics, with proficiency declining through the middle elementary grades before rising again at sixth grade. A parent may want to look into whether the school has specific interventions or supports focused on grade four and five math.

The school's enrollment is racially and ethnically diverse. About a third of students identify as Asian, roughly a third as Hispanic, and about a quarter as white. About a sixth of students identify with other groups. Roughly four in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a mixed-income enrollment with a substantial share of families at lower economic levels. State testing data on English learner enrollment and special education enrollment were not available, which sometimes reflects data reporting lags rather than absence of these populations.

Within Fresno County's broader school landscape, Oraze's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the county's schools with available proficiency data. This is a genuine strength: the school is outperforming the majority of schools in its county on academic measures.

Fresno itself is a large Central Valley city undergoing strategic downtown revitalization after decades of sprawl. The neighborhood where Oraze sits, in the Armstrong Avenue corridor, is car-dependent like much of Fresno, though the city has tree-lined green corridors and walkable pockets in its cultural districts closer to downtown. Housing in the 93727 zip code is markedly affordable by state standards, with median home values well below the California average and rents correspondingly lower. For families with school-age children, this affordability often makes the Fresno area accessible to working and middle-class households who might struggle to afford homes in coastal or Bay Area communities. Clovis Unified recently adjusted attendance boundaries in 2025-26, so families should verify which school zone applies to their address.

The district is investing heavily in facility upgrades. Voters approved a major bond in November 2024 without raising property tax rates, funding both infrastructure modernization and completion of the new Clovis South High School and Sanchez Intermediate in a phased opening that began in August 2025. This signals a district actively managing growth and aging facilities.

For families considering this school, the strengths are clear: strong relative performance within the county, diversity, affordability, and a district adding significant new capacity and facility investment. The softer areas are in fourth and fifth grade math, where families might ask the school about targeted support strategies.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 64% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 58% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 50% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 54% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 63% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 63% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 65% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 65% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Science

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 48% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

This schoolClovis 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 3Lower-income55%Higher-income65%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income64%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income55%Higher-income69%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income57%Higher-income78%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income60%Higher-income65%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income58%Higher-income58%0 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income58%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income44%Higher-income70%26 pp gap