Sierra Lakes Elementary, Fontana CA

Original Research by School Decision on Sierra Lakes Elementary

Sierra Lakes Elementary is a mid-sized kindergarten through fifth-grade school in Fontana, California, serving a neighborhood-based student body with strong diversity and considerable economic need.

The school's most recent state testing results show proficiency in English language arts running in the mid-range, with fifth graders performing somewhat stronger than their younger peers. Math proficiency is lower across all grades, particularly in fifth grade, where performance drops notably. Science proficiency, tested only in fifth grade, is also relatively low. Against other schools tested in San Bernardino County, Sierra Lakes sits above the midpoint in overall proficiency. A parent investigating the school should understand that these are not leading numbers statewide, though they do fall above half the county schools with comparable reporting. The state testing snapshot comes from a single year, so trend data is not yet available.

The enrollment is evenly distributed across grades, with a slightly larger fifth-grade cohort. About half of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that family incomes cluster in a lower-income band. The student population is diverse: roughly a majority identify as Hispanic, with substantial Asian and white enrollment, and meaningful Black representation as well. The school draws from a working family, multi-ethnic residential neighborhood reflective of Fontana's makeup as an Inland Empire logistics and manufacturing hub with a young, family-heavy population.

Fontana itself is a car-oriented suburban city of significant size, the largest in San Bernardino County, with a mixed economy anchored in transportation, warehousing, healthcare, and public employment. The downtown core along Sierra Avenue is small, and the school district operates its 45 schools on dispersed suburban campuses across the city. Housing values in the area are moderate, with monthly rental costs roughly aligned with or slightly below the regional norm; a parent may want to assess whether the neighborhood's affordability and proximity to schools align with their family situation.

The district recently passed a school facilities bond in November 2024, a first major bond measure in many years. It directs funding toward modernizing classrooms, expanding career and technical education offerings including robotics, coding, medical assistant training, and construction, upgrading STEAM labs, and addressing accessibility and infrastructure needs. This signals ongoing investment in school environments and curriculum breadth, though completion timelines are a separate matter to confirm directly with the district.

No data was available on the school's special education enrollment, English learner population, staffing, discipline practices, attendance rates, or specific course and program offerings. A parent evaluating Sierra Lakes should reach out to the school to understand its approach to these dimensions, its classroom composition, its support for students learning English, and any specialized or advanced pathways available.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 35% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 29% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 22%

▼ 8 pts below state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 35% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 34% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 39% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 22% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above 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-income37%Higher-income41%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income55%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income52%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income36%Higher-income36%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income57%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income30%11 pp gap