Merle S. Casey Elementary, Rialto CA

Original Research by School Decision on Merle S. Casey Elementary

Merle S. Casey Elementary is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school in Rialto, a mixed residential and industrial city in the Inland Empire. The school serves a small student body in a community where family housing remains the dominant land use, though warehousing and logistics operations dominate the land south of the freeway.

The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, and an exceptionally high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic character of the neighborhoods the school serves. Enrollment is distributed across the grades, with larger cohorts in kindergarten and fifth grade. The data on English learner status and special education enrollment was not provided, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations and what support systems exist.

On California's state assessments in 2024-25, proficiency in reading and mathematics was low across all tested grades. In reading, students in grades three through five showed proficiency rates in the low to mid-range, with fifth grade performing somewhat better than fourth grade. Mathematics proficiency was notably lower, particularly in fourth grade. Fifth-grade science proficiency was similarly low. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile when compared to the other districts in San Bernardino County. Only one year of assessment data is available, so trend information is not yet possible.

Rialto Unified, the parent district, passed a significant facilities bond in November 2022 that is funding comprehensive upgrades across all schools, including replacement of old infrastructure, removal of hazardous materials, and construction of new permanent buildings to replace portable classrooms. This work unfolds over years and is paid for through a property tax on all district property. In 2022, the district also shifted from at-large to geographic trustee-area board elections, a change that affects how families' neighborhoods are represented at the board level.

Rialto itself is actively growing, with new residential development underway and a city planning focus on downtown revitalization and infill along major corridors. Housing values in the area are moderate, and the rental market is stable. The city's economy centers on logistics, distribution, manufacturing, and retail, with the school district itself as the largest single employer. Metrolink rail service connects Rialto to regional job centers, and local bus routes provide neighborhood transit.

A parent considering Casey Elementary should understand that the school is serving a population with substantial economic need and currently showing test performance well below the state average. The question of what interventions or support the school is putting in place to address these results is worth asking directly of school leadership. The ongoing bond-funded facility improvements suggest the district is investing in the physical plant, but academic performance data for a single year is limited. A parent may also want to learn more about the school's English learner programs and special education services, which were not included in the available data.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 34% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 28% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 516%

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

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

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 35% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 36% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 41% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 23% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below 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.