Northridge Elementary, Fair Oaks CA

Original Research by School Decision on Northridge Elementary

Northridge Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Fair Oaks, a community in Sacramento County. The school enrollment is small, with about equal representation across its grade bands. Just over half the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a mixed-income community. The racial composition is diverse: roughly equal shares of Hispanic and white students, with meaningful Black, Asian, two or more races, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander representation, along with a small American Indian population. Specific data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.

State testing results from the most recent school year show proficiency well below county standards. Across math and English language arts grades where the state tests, proficiency rates run substantially lower than the county median across district schools. In math, grade three performed better than grades four, five, and six; grade six in particular shows very low proficiency. In English language arts, grade five stands out as notably higher than the other tested grades. Science proficiency in grade five was similarly low. Overall proficiency sits in the bottom quartile among district schools in Sacramento County. With only one year of data available, it is not possible to assess whether proficiency is rising, falling, or stable. A parent may want to look into current intervention or support efforts the school is undertaking in response to these results, and to understand what classroom supports are available for students working below grade level.

Fair Oaks is an unincorporated Sacramento County community. Housing values and rental costs in the surrounding area are moderate by California standards. Mortgage and rental affordability are manageable relative to both national and state benchmarks. The local unemployment rate sits at a moderate level, and median household income is solid.

San Juan Unified, the parent district, approved Measure P, a major facilities bond funded by new property taxes on real estate, in November 2024. The bond funds capital improvements to aging school buildings through fiscal year 2055, including classroom upgrades, asbestos and lead removal, roof repairs, and other deferred maintenance. Families relocating to the community should account for this new property tax increase alongside the school's operational costs. The district also adopted a multi-year strategic plan in May 2024 emphasizing early literacy and mathematics instruction in grades three through eight, and is implementing new TK-8 mathematics instructional materials with full rollout into the 2026-27 school year. These curriculum and instruction changes shape what students experience in the classroom district-wide, including at Northridge.

Northridge is a straightforward neighborhood elementary school. The combination of low proficiency and a student population with substantial economic need suggests the school would benefit from close engagement with families about academic progress and available interventions. For families considering this school, understanding the school's specific literacy and math support structures, teacher qualifications, and how the new district math curriculum is being implemented there would be valuable next steps.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 33% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 31% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 26% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 613%

School 13% · District 27% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 34% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 36% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 40% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 41% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 30% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolSan Juan 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-income21%Higher-income25%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income18%Higher-income25%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income45%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income42%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income23%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income40%20 pp gap