Gerald A. Smith Elementary, Bloomington CA

Original Research by School Decision on Gerald A. Smith Elementary

Gerald A. Smith Elementary is a public school in Bloomington, California, serving kindergarten through sixth grade within the Colton Joint Unified School District. The school enrolls a student body drawn almost entirely from the local community, with the vast majority of students identifying as Hispanic and a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The neighborhood is residential with a mix of established single-family homes on larger lots and newer subdivisions, reflecting Bloomington's identity as an affordable place to own a home in a high-cost region.

The school's academic performance shows proficiency rates well below state benchmarks across tested subjects. In English language arts, students in grades three through six achieved proficiency in the mid-to-upper thirties, with sixth grade performing slightly stronger than the earlier grades. Mathematics proficiency was lower, declining notably from third through sixth grade, with the oldest tested cohort showing the lowest achievement. Science testing at grade five yielded proficiency around one in five students. When taken together across tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the county's elementary schools, though the absolute performance levels remain modest. State test data for prior years was not available, so trend information is limited to this single year.

The school sits within a community undergoing substantial transformation. Bloomington, historically a rural-residential unincorporated area in the Inland Empire, now faces competing pressures toward growth and change. Warehouse and logistics development is expanding dramatically, with major facilities operated by Amazon, FedEx, and other logistics companies now occupying or neighboring the area. Simultaneously, the county has invested in affordable housing projects and new civic infrastructure, including a renovated community park with a library component. The Colton Joint Unified School District recently secured voter approval for a major school facilities bond to repair and modernize aging school buildings across the district, a multi-year commitment with tax implications for homeowners.

For families choosing a school, Gerald A. Smith represents a neighborhood elementary option in a community with low barrier to homeownership and strong peer cultural continuity. The academic performance data suggests a parent may want to look further into the school's specific instructional approach, any intervention programs, and support systems for students who are not yet proficient, particularly in mathematics. The school's position above the county midpoint is not a strength but rather a reflection of broadly lower achievement across the school district's tested schools, a context a parent might investigate when considering whether additional academic support outside the school would be needed.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 31% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 26% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 16% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 22% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 32% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 34% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 33% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 36% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 17% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolColton Joint 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.