Bret Harte Elementary, Modesto CA

Original Research by School Decision on Bret Harte Elementary

Bret Harte Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Modesto's Modesto City Elementary district. The school enrolls a small student body made up almost entirely of Hispanic students, with a very high share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is located on Glenn Avenue in the city's 95358 zip code.

Academic performance at Bret Harte is substantially below state proficiency benchmarks in the most recent testing cycle. In math, students across grades three through six demonstrate proficiency rates that fall between roughly the high teens to low thirties. English language arts results show a similar pattern, with proficiency ranging from the high teens to the low thirties depending on grade level. In science, proficiency at fifth grade is in single digits. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Stanislaus County.

This academic profile reflects broader challenges. State testing data comes from a single year, so trend information is not yet available. The school's results align with the profile of an elementary serving a population with significant economic challenges: nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and the enrollment is almost entirely Hispanic. A parent may want to look into what targeted interventions the school and district are implementing to address these proficiency gaps, and what support systems exist for students who enter school behind grade level.

The broader context shapes conditions at the school. Modesto is a mid-sized Central Valley city anchored by agriculture and food-processing industries, with E. & J. Gallo Winery and Save Mart Supermarkets among the largest employers. The city is car-dependent overall, though downtown is walkable and serves as the civic center. Housing prices in the area are moderate relative to California as a whole but represent a significant share of household income, with home values and rents pushing affordability for working families.

The Modesto City Elementary district itself approved a new sex education curriculum for eighth grade in a contested vote in June 2024, and voters passed a facilities bond in 2022 to fund ongoing campus repairs and construction. The school sits within a district serving the city's elementary-age population.

Bret Harte is a regular public elementary school without charter or magnet designation. For families considering it, the key questions center on the school's plans to raise proficiency, the resources available to address student needs, and how the school's support systems align with their child's starting point and learning profile.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 32% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 25% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 21% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 23% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 29% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 422%

School 22% · District 31% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 35% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 628%

School 28% · District 37% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 17% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

This schoolModesto City 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-income15%Higher-income43%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income32%Higher-income40%8 pp gap