Strathmore Elementary, Strathmore CA

Original Research by School Decision on Strathmore Elementary

Strathmore Elementary serves kindergarten through eighth grade in a small, predominantly Hispanic farming community in the southern San Joaquin Valley. The school is part of Strathmore Union Elementary District, which recently secured a state Community Schools Partnership grant, bringing additional counselors, social workers, and behavioral health services to the school site. This represents a meaningful expansion of support services beyond academics for families using the school.

The student body reflects the town's agricultural character and economic conditions. The vast majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating substantial economic need. The enrollment is modest in size, with roughly equivalent numbers across most grade levels. Spanish-language learners make up a significant share, though the data on their exact count was not available. Special education enrollment figures were also not provided.

Academic performance across the school is below the midpoint for Tulare County districts. In English language arts, results vary by grade. Third grade shows the strongest proficiency, with upper middle and eighth grades also in the low-to-mid forties. Fourth grade drops sharply to the low twenties, and fifth through seventh grades sit in the low to mid thirties. Mathematics proficiency is consistently weaker. Third grade again shows the best result, but fourth through eighth grades all fall in the mid-teens to low thirties, with sixth grade performing lowest. Science proficiency in fifth grade is similarly low; eighth grade science is somewhat higher but still modest. A social studies assessment from over a decade ago showed below-proficiency results at that time.

The pattern across subjects suggests students face cumulative academic challenges, particularly in mathematics from grade four onward. Parents may want to ask the school directly about what targeted supports exist for students below proficiency, especially the progression of math difficulty in the elementary-to-middle grades. The recent community school grant funding should bring additional resources; asking about how those are being deployed—particularly in literacy and numeracy—would be worth exploring.

The school's setting is entirely rural. Strathmore is a small, car-dependent agricultural town about a short drive from Porterville, surrounded by citrus orchards. The local economy centers on packinghouses and farm operations, and most families have ties to agricultural work. The town has limited commercial services and no public transit system of its own, though county bus service connects it to nearby towns. Housing costs in the area are modest relative to the state, though household incomes are comparatively lower. This is a tight-knit farming community where the school serves students whose families' economic stability is tied directly to seasonal agricultural employment.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 34%

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

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 16%

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

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 18%

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

Grade 612%

School 12% · District 12%

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

Grade 717%

School 17% · District 17%

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

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 23%

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

English language arts

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 43%

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

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 24%

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

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 33%

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

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 35%

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

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 18%

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

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 27%

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

Social studies

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 38% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

This schoolStrathmore Union Elementary, 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-income42%Higher-income46%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income32%Higher-income46%13 pp gap