Richman Elementary, Fullerton CA

Original Research by School Decision on Richman Elementary

Richman Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Fullerton, a city centered on a history of agriculture that shifted to aerospace and manufacturing mid-century and is now undergoing mixed-use redevelopment near its major transit hub. The school enrolls a small population, with a significant majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and the student body predominantly Latino, alongside smaller populations of Asian, white, and multiracial students.

On California's state assessments, Richman's performance is below the middle of the range for schools tested in Orange County. In English language arts, students show uneven results across grades, with younger grades (third and fourth) in the low range while fifth and sixth grades improve noticeably. In mathematics, proficiency is generally low across all tested grades, with fourth grade notably lower than the others. Science testing occurs only in fifth grade and shows the lowest performance of all subjects. This pattern suggests the school may benefit from examining its math instruction and approaches to building foundational skills in earlier grades. A parent interested in the school may want to discuss curriculum choices and any targeted academic support with administration.

The school is part of Fullerton Elementary School District, which has maintained structured but evolving programs that shape the broader elementary landscape. The district tests all second graders for gifted and talented education using a nationally recognized assessment, with parents able to opt out. Qualified students either receive enrichment at their home school or transfer into designated GATE schools where cohorts stay together from third through sixth grade. The district also runs dual language programs in Spanish and Korean, with plans underway to expand Spanish immersion in a south Fullerton location. In the junior high grades, the district has launched the Spyder Lab, a career and technical education program emphasizing entrepreneurship, graphic design, and business strategy alongside hands-on learning.

Fullerton itself is a mid-sized city with a mixed character: downtown and the immediate environs near the Fullerton Transportation Center are walkable, vibrant, and home to Fullerton College and cultural institutions; northern and western residential neighborhoods, including subdivisions in the Coyote Hills, are car-dependent; and southeastern sectors retain light industrial and small manufacturing uses. The downtown has undergone renewal in recent decades and now hosts shops, restaurants, galleries, and entertainment alongside restored historic architecture. The city is in the early stages of transit-oriented redevelopment centered on the transportation center, with zoning changes and adaptive reuse of office space to residential now underway. Housing costs are above state and national medians, with monthly mortgage estimates substantially higher than rent, placing affordability pressure on families buying compared to renting. The median household income regionally remains solid, though unemployment is stable at moderate levels.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 58% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 57% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 50% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 51% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▼ 6 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 433%

School 33% · District 59% · ▼ 26 pts below district

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

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 62% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 66% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 528%

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

even with state median · ▼ 13 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-income27%Higher-income58%31 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income54%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income60%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income47%Higher-income75%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income40%Higher-income75%35 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income29%Higher-income39%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income60%27 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income50%12 pp gap