Centerville Elementary, Sanger CA

Original Research by School Decision on Centerville Elementary

Centerville Elementary sits on South Smith Avenue in Sanger, a small Central Valley agricultural city roughly sixteen miles east of Fresno, surrounded by citrus groves and farmland. The school serves kindergarten through eighth grade, which is somewhat unusual and means a child can stay in one building from their first day of school through the end of middle school. Enrollment is a few hundred students, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller share of white students and a very small number of other groups. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the broader community. English learner data and special education rates were not available in the data we reviewed.

On the California state assessments, the picture is mixed and parents should look at it carefully. Third grade math stands out as a relative strength, with most students there meeting or exceeding standards, and eighth grade English language arts is the other grade where results reach a similar level. Seventh grade in both subjects also shows a notable uptick compared to the grades just below. That said, grades four through six in both math and English language arts show lower proficiency, and science scores at both tested grade levels sit well below the majority mark. Across all tested grades combined, the school's overall proficiency index lands above the midpoint when placed relative to districts in Fresno County, a county with a wide range of performance across its many school systems. That position is real and worth noting, though it does not erase the fact that large shares of students in the middle elementary years are not yet meeting grade-level standards. A parent asking whether to investigate further with the school about how specific grades and groups of students are supported would be reasonable.

One data gap: trend information is limited to a single year, so it is not possible from this data to tell whether results are improving, declining, or holding steady. That context would be useful, and the school or district should be able to speak to it.

The school is part of Sanger Unified. We looked for recent district-level changes, a bond program, or curriculum shifts that might affect families, but the search did not surface confirmed specifics. There are public signals of an active bond oversight structure, but no verified details on what a specific measure funded or what it changed in classrooms.

Sanger itself is growing. New residential neighborhoods are under development on the west side of the city, and a housing element was adopted by the City Council in 2024 covering the coming years. Home values sit below the California statewide benchmark but above the national median, and they have seen modest year-over-year appreciation. Rents, relative to income, consume a meaningful share of a household budget by standard affordability measures. The city's downtown has a walkable historic core with local restaurants and a county library branch, and the city maintains a network of parks with fields, playgrounds, and recreational amenities. Public bus service connects Sanger to Fresno and surrounding communities through the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency.

For a family settling in the Centerville attendance zone, this is a K-8 school with an above-median academic standing among Fresno County districts, situated in a community that is predominantly Hispanic and family-oriented, in a city at an active stage of residential growth. The single-building K-8 structure brings continuity; the uneven grade-level results, particularly in the fourth through sixth grade years, are worth a direct conversation with school staff about supports and instructional approaches.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 60% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 45% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 35% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 44% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 35% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 38% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 57% · ▼ 16 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 49% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 49% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 52% · ▼ 28 pts below district

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

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 51% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 50% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Science

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 30% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 34% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

This schoolSanger 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-income34%Higher-income53%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income24%Higher-income48%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income48%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income29%Higher-income75%46 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income52%Higher-income53%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income14%Higher-income52%39 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income7%Higher-income43%36 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income58%25 pp gap