Dr. Edward Fitzgerald Elementary, Rialto CA

Original Research by School Decision on Dr. Edward Fitzgerald Elementary

Dr. Edward Fitzgerald Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Rialto, a mixed residential and industrial city in the Inland Empire. The school sits in a community experiencing active growth, with new housing development and commercial expansion reshaping the area while longstanding family neighborhoods remain the backbone of daily life.

The school's student population is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the neighborhood. The enrollment is small for its grade band, distributed fairly evenly across the grade levels.

On state assessments, Dr. Edward Fitzgerald Elementary shows below-midpoint performance among San Bernardino County's school districts. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from low across the lower grades to somewhat higher in fifth grade. Mathematics proficiency is notably lower, sitting in the low double digits in grades three and four, with a modest lift in grade five. Science proficiency, measured in fifth grade only, is similarly low. These results indicate that a clear majority of students are not yet meeting California's proficiency standards in tested subjects.

The school benefits from Rialto Unified's substantial infrastructure investment. In 2022, the district's voters approved a bond measure funding a multiyear overhaul of facilities, including upgrades to science, engineering, and vocational classrooms, replacement of aging pipes and roofs, removal of hazardous materials, and replacement of portable classrooms with permanent buildings. Parents should expect these improvements to unfold over time, funded through a property tax on all property within district boundaries.

The district also shifted from at-large board elections to by-trustee-area representation beginning in 2022, a change that allows families to elect board members representing their geographic area specifically.

Rialto itself is a family-oriented, car-oriented city where residential neighborhoods blend ranch-style, Spanish Revival, and newer townhouse development. The city has a historic downtown along Foothill Boulevard that is undergoing revitalization, though daily life outside the downtown centers on residential streets and shopping centers reached by car. Transit access includes the Metrolink San Bernardino Line station with dozens of weekday departures, and local bus service via Omnitrans. Housing values in the zip code are moderate compared to California statewide, though rents and mortgage costs remain a significant household expense relative to median income. The area is growing actively, with new residential projects underway and substantial industrial and warehouse development tied to the Inland Empire logistics economy. Major employers include the school district itself, Niagara Bottling, Medline Industries, Amazon, FedEx, and distribution and transportation companies.

A parent considering Dr. Edward Fitzgerald Elementary should look into the school's approach to literacy and numeracy instruction, particularly in the lower grades where proficiency gaps are widest. The school may want to discuss with families what supports are available for students working toward grade-level competency and what the family's own literacy and numeracy routines at home can contribute.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 34% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 28% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 21% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 35% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 36% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 41%

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

Science

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 23% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

This schoolRialto 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-income40%Higher-income21%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income38%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income64%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income24%Higher-income14%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income29%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income36%10 pp gap