Sam V. Curtis Elementary, Rialto CA

Original Research by School Decision on Sam V. Curtis Elementary

Sam V. Curtis Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Rialto, a mixed residential and industrial city in San Bernardino County. The school enrolls a small student body across its elementary grades, drawn largely from surrounding neighborhoods in a community where the Rialto Unified School District operates campuses spread across the broader city area.

The enrollment is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial shares of Black and small numbers of Asian and white students. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of Rialto, where logistics, distribution, manufacturing, and retail form the backbone of employment. Housing in the Rialto zip code is moderately priced for the region, and homeownership is common among local families, though many households carry significant housing cost burdens relative to income.

The school's performance on state assessments shows areas where students face learning challenges. In English language arts across tested grades, proficiency rates run in the low to mid range, with third grade performing modestly better than upper grades. Mathematics proficiency is notably lower, dropping sharply from third to fourth and fifth grade. In science, where only fifth grade is assessed, proficiency is quite limited. These results place the school below the midpoint among schools in San Bernardino County on a measure of overall proficiency across subjects and grades. A parent may want to look into the school's approach to math support and how instruction is being adjusted for students entering the upper elementary grades, where the data shows a marked decline.

The school operates within Rialto Unified, which in November 2022 won voter approval for a substantial general obligation bond dedicated to district-wide facility improvements: upgraded security and fire systems, replacement of aging infrastructure including water pipes and roofing, removal of environmental hazards such as asbestos and lead paint, and addition of permanent buildings to replace portables. These improvements have bearing on the physical learning environment families will encounter. The district also shifted to by-trustee-area board elections beginning in 2022, moving away from at-large voting and allowing residents to elect board members representing their geographic area.

Rialto itself is experiencing active growth, with new residential development and an improving downtown core. The city sits on the Metrolink San Bernardino Line with regular service, and Omnitrans bus routes connect neighborhoods. Parks, a community center, fitness and aquatic facilities, and a performing arts theater serve the city's civic life.

State testing data was only available for the current school year, so trends over time cannot be shown. Information on the share of students receiving special education services or identified as English learners was not available in the data provided.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 34% · ▲ 9 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 28% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 21% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 35% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 36% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 41% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 23% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 11 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income47%Higher-income54%7 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income69%43 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income42%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income38%Higher-income77%39 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income13%Higher-income39%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income15%Higher-income17%2 pp gap