Pacific Drive Elementary, Fullerton CA

Original Research by School Decision on Pacific Drive Elementary

Pacific Drive Elementary sits in Fullerton, an Orange County city known as "The Education Community." The school serves kindergarten through sixth grade and enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's location in Fullerton places it in a region shaped by transit-oriented redevelopment around the Fullerton Transportation Center downtown, though most residential neighborhoods including those near Pacific Drive require a car for daily errands.

In state testing, Pacific Drive's results fall below the midpoint among Orange County's school districts. On the English language arts assessment, the school shows stronger performance in upper grades, with sixth graders reaching a proficiency rate around where students in fourth and fifth grades also performed, while third graders posted a lower rate. Math proficiency is a softer point across all grade levels, declining as students advance; sixth graders showed the lowest performance. Science testing in fifth grade was similarly low. The school has only one year of assessment data on file, so no trend information is available. A parent may want to look further into the school's instructional approach in mathematics and science, and what support systems or interventions are in place for students not yet proficient.

The school is part of Fullerton Elementary School District, a small district that recently expanded career and technical education at the junior high level and maintains a structured gifted and talented education program across elementary schools, with cohorts of identified students staying together from third through sixth grade. The district also offers dual language programs in Spanish and Korean, with plans to expand the Spanish program in a south Fullerton location by the 2027-28 school year. These programs shape the broader educational landscape families encounter in the district.

Fullerton itself combines residential, industrial, and commercial areas, with downtown serving as a lively entertainment and cultural center built around the historic rail station. The neighborhoods surrounding Pacific Drive are primarily car-dependent residential tracts. Housing costs in the area are substantial, with median home values well above state averages and monthly rents reflecting tight local supply. Employment in the city centers on education, healthcare, manufacturing, and public service, anchored by California State University, Fullerton, St. Jude Medical Center, Boeing, and the school district itself.

The school's enrollment is small to mid-sized for its grade band, with kindergarten the largest cohort and sixth grade notably smaller. The demographic composition reflects the city's strong Hispanic population, and the high rate of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch indicates a student body with limited household resources. No specific data on English learner status or students with individualized education programs were available.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 58% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 57% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 50% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 51% · ▼ 31 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 53% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 59% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 62% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 66% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Science

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 44% · ▼ 28 pts below district

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

This schoolFullerton Elementary, 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-income31%Higher-income39%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income46%Higher-income18%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income64%27 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income45%Higher-income50%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income27%Higher-income50%23 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income29%Higher-income36%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income46%17 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income19%Higher-income23%4 pp gap