Heaton Elementary, Fresno CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Heaton Elementary

Heaton Elementary is a kindergarten-through-sixth-grade public school in the north Fresno area serving a student body that is overwhelmingly low-income and predominantly Hispanic. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school enrolls roughly five hundred students, drawn mostly from the immediate neighborhood.

The school faces a significant academic challenge. On the most recent state testing data available, proficiency rates across the school in math and English language arts are very low. In math, proficiency across tested grades ranges from around one in twenty students to roughly one in five. In English language arts, the range is somewhat better, between roughly one in six and one in five students meeting proficiency benchmarks. The school's overall proficiency index, when averaged across subjects and grades, places it in the bottom quartile among districts in Fresno County. Science proficiency data, reported only for fifth grade, shows a similarly thin result. A parent may want to discuss with the school administration what initiatives are underway to improve instruction and support, and what resources are available to students who are struggling.

The setting itself reflects Fresno's postwar sprawl. The city has historically grown outward in low-density single-family neighborhoods rather than remaining anchored to a central core, and Heaton sits in one of those residential areas north of downtown, on North San Pablo Avenue. The neighborhood is car-dependent; the school serves families whose housing costs are modest relative to the region and the nation, reflecting both Fresno's affordability and the economic strain on the families in this school's zone. The median home value in the school's zip code is well below the state benchmark, and rents, while moderate in absolute terms, consume a substantial share of household income.

Fresno itself is the largest city in California's Central Valley and carries a strong agricultural imprint in its economy and culture, though government, services, healthcare and other sectors employ more workers. The downtown area, which has been undermined by decades of sprawl, is now in an active phase of reinvestment, with state funding for housing and infrastructure and a planned high-speed rail station drawing new development downtown. A handful of neighborhoods near the city center, including the Mural District and Little Italy, are genuinely walkable, but most of Fresno, including the area where Heaton sits, requires a car for daily errands. The city's major parks, including Woodward Park along the San Joaquin River, and the county library system anchor civic life for residents who can reach them.

Enrollment data for students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent seeking information about specialized services should inquire directly with the school. No trend data is available; the proficiency figures shown are from the most recent school year only. The district brief yielded no specific recent policy changes or new initiatives to report.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 311%

School 11% · District 37% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 34% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 26% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 66%

School 6% · District 29% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 35% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 35% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 36% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 38% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Science

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 19% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 17 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.