Birney Elementary, Fresno CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Birney Elementary

Birney Elementary sits in east Fresno, serving kindergarten through sixth grade in a neighborhood where the vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Nearly all enrolled students are Latino, with smaller populations of Asian, Black, and white students. The school is part of Fresno Unified, the district anchoring the region's largest city.

Academic performance at Birney reflects the profile of many under-resourced elementary schools in high-poverty settings. On California's CAASPP assessments in English language arts, students showed mixed results across grades, with third-graders reaching the state's proficiency benchmark and sixth-graders close behind, but fourth and fifth graders falling notably lower. In math, the pattern is steeper. Third-graders held around the midpoint of proficiency, but fourth graders fell significantly, with only about a quarter reaching the benchmark. Fifth and sixth graders improved somewhat but remained well below where third grade started. Science testing, available only for fifth grade on the state's CAST assessment, showed proficiency well below both the school's own ELA and math results. Across tested subjects and grades, Birney's overall proficiency index sits above the median among Fresno County districts, which itself reflects the economic and educational challenges across that region.

The school enrolls a relatively stable group, with fairly consistent numbers across most grades. The overwhelming concentration of students in poverty--nearly all eligible for federal lunch assistance--shapes the school's context. English learner and special education enrollment data were not available, so parents may want to ask the school directly about the availability of English support services and special education identification rates. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, so it serves its attendance-area neighborhood population.

Fresno as a city is sprawling and car-dependent, though downtown and a handful of neighborhoods like the Tower District and the Mural District have walkable cores. The broader economic picture includes government, healthcare, and significant agricultural employment. Recent state investment has focused on downtown revitalization and housing development, though much of the city remains low-density residential. The 93703 zip code where Birney sits reflects Fresno's general housing market, where home values are well below state and national medians and rentals remain moderately priced but have ticked upward. Affordability remains better than many California markets, though household income in the region lags the national average.

For a family considering this school, the core question is support for elementary-age students in a high-poverty, predominantly Latino environment where academic proficiency is below state targets and where the school itself may face resource constraints typical of such settings. The upper grades show meaningful struggle in math, which is worth discussing directly with the school's principal about intervention and support structures. The neighborhood itself is car-oriented, so proximity matters for access. A parent evaluating Birney should visit, ask about class sizes, reading intervention programs, and how the school supports English learners and students needing special education services.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 37% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 34% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 26% · ▲ 4 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 29% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 35% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 35% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 36% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 38% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 19% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

This schoolFresno 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.