South Tamarind Elementary, Fontana CA

Original Research by School Decision on South Tamarind Elementary

South Tamarind Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Fontana, a large industrial and logistics hub in San Bernardino County. The school sits on Tamarind Avenue in a city defined by its role as a major warehousing and distribution center tied to regional freeways and rail. Like much of Fontana, it is embedded in a working-class, family-centered community.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the immediate area. The enrollment is small to mid-sized for an elementary school across the six tested grades. English learner status and special education enrollment data were not available.

State testing results from the most recent year show proficiency rates well below the midpoint among San Bernardino County's other schools. In English language arts across tested grades, proficiency ranges from below one-quarter at the highest to around one-eighth at the lowest. Mathematics proficiency is similarly weak, with the lowest grade tested at single digits and the highest just below two-fifths. Science proficiency in the tested grade is also low. Across all tested subjects and grades combined, the school's proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the county's schools.

The pattern visible in these results suggests students are struggling with grade-level academic content in both reading and mathematics, with particular difficulty at the upper elementary grades. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about what interventions are in place for students not yet proficient and what support exists for students moving into middle school.

Fontana Unified, the parent district, recently passed a voter-approved facilities bond that includes funding for expanded career and technical education, STEAM lab upgrades, classroom modernization, and infrastructure repair. While that bond does not directly address elementary academics, it signals district investment in students' long-term pathways and school facilities.

The broader Fontana housing market is stable and moderately priced relative to state benchmarks, with home values holding steady and rental costs remaining a meaningful but not extreme share of household income. The city itself is car-dependent suburban, with a downtown revitalization effort underway but most residential and school facilities dispersed across separate sites. Schools, including South Tamarind, operate as separate campuses rather than integrated into walkable neighborhood cores.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 35% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 29% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 22% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 35% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 34% · ▲ 7 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 39% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Science

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 22% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

This schoolFontana 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-income27%Higher-income7%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income43%Higher-income33%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income14%Higher-income9%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income23%Higher-income7%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income33%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income5%Higher-income18%13 pp gap