Mccardle Elementary, Fresno CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Mccardle Elementary

McCardle Elementary sits on East Sierra Avenue in Fresno, serving kindergarten through sixth grade as a regular public school within Fresno Unified. The enrollment is mid-sized for its grade band, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with meaningful shares of white and Asian students as well. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing this squarely among Fresno's higher-need schools. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs were not available in the data provided.

On the California CAASPP assessments, proficiency rates in both English language arts and math sit in a range that runs from the upper twenties to around the low fifties depending on the grade, with fifth grade showing the strongest results in both subjects. Across tested grades, the school's overall proficiency index lands above the midpoint relative to districts in Fresno County, which is a meaningful position in a county that includes many schools with considerably lower attainment. Science results from the California Science Test, reported at fifth grade, run below the reading and math figures for that same grade. Trend data covers only the most recent year, so it is not possible to say whether results have been moving up or down. A parent who wants to understand whether McCardle's performance has changed, and what the school is doing instructionally to support students who are not yet meeting standards, would be well served by asking those questions directly of the school.

No information on specific program offerings, course access, discipline rates, attendance figures, or staffing was available in the data for this school. The district brief for Fresno Unified did not surface parent-relevant changes before research was complete, so district-level context here is limited.

The surrounding neighborhood sits within Fresno's broader residential fabric, a car-dependent, single-family city that has grown outward from its historic core. Fresno itself is the Central Valley's largest city, with an economy anchored by government, healthcare, and agriculture-linked industries. Home values in the zip code where McCardle sits run well below California's statewide median, and modestly above the national median, making this one of the more attainable corners of the state for buyers. Rents have been rising at a pace that exceeds the citywide average, and rental affordability relative to income bears watching. Publicly reported downtown investment and new affordable housing development suggest the city's center is in active transition, though most of McCardle's surrounding area reads as established residential rather than a zone of rapid change.

For families considering the school, the academic picture is mixed but not out of step with the demographics and economic context of this part of Fresno. The above-midpoint position among Fresno County districts indicates the school is not at the bottom of the local distribution. What the data cannot tell you is what the classroom experience looks like day to day, how staff support students who are still building toward grade-level proficiency, and what enrichment or intervention structures exist. Those are questions worth exploring with the school directly.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 37% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 4 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 26% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 29% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 35% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 35% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 36% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 38% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 19% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income27%Higher-income46%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income22%Higher-income46%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income75%35 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income60%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income27%Higher-income54%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income64%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income75%35 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income50%20 pp gap