Thompson Elementary, Highland CA

Original Research by School Decision on Thompson Elementary

Thompson Elementary sits in Highland, a residential foothill city in northern San Bernardino County where housing clusters around curved arterials and commercial centers. The school serves grades kindergarten through sixth and carries a student population that is substantially Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is small to mid-sized for an elementary school serving its grade band.

In math, Thompson's proficiency results are weak across tested grades. Grade three reaches the mid-thirties; fourth grade climbs slightly higher; but grades five and six drop sharply, both falling into the low to mid-teens. English language arts shows more variation. Grade three starts in the low thirties, grade four rises to about half of students, grade five settles around the mid-forties, and grade six falls back to near thirty. Science data is available only for grade five, where proficiency is very low. Across all tested subjects and grades, Thompson's overall proficiency sits just above the midpoint among school buildings in San Bernardino County, but that comparison masks the fact that math attainment is a pronounced soft spot, particularly in the upper elementary grades.

Parents considering Thompson should look closely at math instruction and support in grades five and six, where the data shows significant learning gaps. The school serves a community with high economic need; understanding what intervention or tutoring resources exist for students struggling in core academics would be a natural follow-up question with school staff.

The parent district, San Bernardino City Unified, adopted Vision 2030 in April 2024, a strategic plan that centers high academic expectations, equity, wellness, and safe learning environments through the end of the decade. At the high school level, the district has built a model around Linked Learning career pathways that integrate academics with career-technical education and dual enrollment. That structural direction does not directly touch elementary schools, but it signals the district's priorities in college and career readiness as students advance.

Thompson Elementary has no specialized magnet or program designation; it functions as a neighborhood elementary school. State testing data was available for English language arts and math across grades three through six, and science for grade five only, since California assesses science at that grade. Enrollment counts and demographic breakdowns are in the data above; the school's free-and-reduced-lunch rate reflects the economic circumstances of the families it serves. Special education enrollment data and English learner counts were not available in the school records.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 31% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 23% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 19% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 24% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 31% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 32% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 34% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 38% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 18% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

This schoolSan Bernardino City 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.