Is John Steinbeck Elementary a good school?

John Steinbeck Elementary ranks 3924 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend John Steinbeck Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 697 students attended John Steinbeck Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of John Steinbeck Elementary?

Students at John Steinbeck Elementary are 65% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 10% African American, 7% White, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of John Steinbeck Elementary attend?

Students who attend John Steinbeck Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Glacier Point Middle High : Central East High

John Steinbeck Elementary

Summary:

John Steinbeck Elementary is a public elementary school in Fresno, California, serving 683 students in grades K-6 as part of the Central Unified School District. Unfortunately, the school faces significant challenges, with consistently low academic performance, high rates of socioeconomic disadvantage and English Language Learners, and increasing chronic absenteeism.

John Steinbeck Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom half of California elementary schools, with proficiency rates on Smarter Balanced Assessments that are significantly below the Central Unified and California state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 33.91% of John Steinbeck students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 41.78% for Central Unified and 47.04% statewide. The school's performance is generally lower than nearby McKinley Elementary and Central Elementary, though it outperforms some Fresno Unified schools like Lawless Elementary, Slater Elementary, and Wilson Elementary.

John Steinbeck's challenges extend beyond academics, with 86.53% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and a high proportion of English Language Learners. The school has also experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 17.6% in 2018-2019 to 42.7% in 2021-2022, before slightly improving to 32.5% in 2022-2023. Addressing these issues should be a priority for the Central Unified School District and school leadership.

Detail:

Public K-6

3550 North Milburn Ave.
Fresno, CA 93722-7016

(559) 276-3141

District: Central Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3924^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,359

Students who attend John Steinbeck Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Glacier Point Middle
High:	Central East High

Student/teacher ratio: 27.8

Number of students: 697

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.0%

Asian:

14.8%

African American:

9.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 86.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare John Steinbeck Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details John Steinbeck Elementary ranks worse than 66.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 10^th among 14 ranked elementary schools in the Central Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 29.95. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (65%), Asian (14.8%), African American (9.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 86.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at John Steinbeck Elementary is 27.8. 12 elementary schools in the Central Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare John Steinbeck Elementary employs 25 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at John Steinbeck Elementary is $5,359. 8 elementary schools in the Central Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

John Steinbeck Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks John Steinbeck Elementary 3924^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See John Steinbeck Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

Central Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Central Unified 896^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for John Steinbeck Elementary

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Rank History for all students at John Steinbeck Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	61.10	1660^th	4809	65.5%
2005	54.11	1997^th	4822	58.6%
2006	57.34	1857^th	4818	61.5%
2007	51.49	2231^st	5113	56.4%
2008	29.72	3615^th	5113	29.3%
2009	27.89	3853^rd	5193	25.8%
2010	35.54	3460^th	5314	34.9%
2011	33.28	3743^rd	5377	30.4%
2012	31.96	3808^th	5390	29.4%
2013	39.45	3348^th	5530	39.5%
2015	22.00	4429^th	5611	21.1%
2016	18.28	4762^nd	5614	15.2%
2017	30.21	3811^th	5692	33.0%
2018	31.13	3736^th	5662	34.0%
2019	27.04	4184^th	5789	27.7%
2022	28.46	3992^nd	5883	32.1%
2023	33.78	3595^th	5874	38.8%
2024	29.95	3924^th	5862	33.1%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at John Steinbeck Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	68.86	580^th	3246	82.1%
2019	55.48	983^rd	3275	70.0%
2022	29.45	2656^th	3311	19.8%
2023	41.25	1727^th	3250	46.9%
2024	51.81	1085^th	3160	65.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at John Steinbeck Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	19.35	2422^nd	2634	8.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at John Steinbeck Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.46	2714^th	5084	46.6%
2019	36.98	3355^th	5173	35.1%
2022	36.95	3265^th	5264	38.0%
2023	44.56	2726^th	5374	49.3%
2024	37.19	3354^th	5511	39.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at John Steinbeck Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.16	3755^th	5413	30.6%
2019	23.97	4298^th	5492	21.7%
2022	27.28	3990^th	5635	29.2%
2023	32.00	3581^st	5617	36.2%
2024	29.06	3872^nd	5605	30.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at John Steinbeck Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	32.94	3474^th	5431	36.0%
2019	31.44	3669^th	5510	33.4%
2022	31.28	3679^th	5663	35.0%
2023	35.88	3345^th	5650	40.8%
2024	31.77	3670^th	5636	34.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at John Steinbeck Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.03	896^th	1071	16.3%
2019	5.40	1077^th	1149	6.3%
2022	3.51	1093^rd	1154	5.3%
2023	12.48	1052^nd	1190	11.6%
2024	7.61	1097^th	1203	8.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at John Steinbeck Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	49.79	297^th	700	57.6%
2019	62.13	223^rd	747	70.1%
2023	56.36	234^th	662	64.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at John Steinbeck Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	38.63	2956^th	4830	38.8%
2019	32.74	3500^th	4963	29.5%
2022	34.89	3294^th	5084	35.2%
2023	41.47	2798^th	5098	45.1%
2024	41.44	2866^th	5102	43.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at John Steinbeck Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	43.26	1752^nd	2834	38.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for John Steinbeck Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1995	296	34	61	203	4	n/a	n/a	0	598
1996	296	34	61	203	4	n/a	n/a	0	598
1997	303	51	95	248	11	n/a	n/a	0	708
1998	302	50	105	275	14	n/a	n/a	0	746
1999	275	53	113	316	7	n/a	n/a	0	764
2000	265	61	125	347	9	n/a	n/a	0	807
2001	287	62	140	347	5	n/a	n/a	1	842
2002	207	53	140	287	5	n/a	n/a	15	707
2003	207	53	140	287	5	n/a	n/a	15	707
2004	200	55	148	316	5	n/a	n/a	3	727
2005	188	52	123	332	2	n/a	n/a	2	699
2006	183	52	138	338	3	n/a	n/a	0	714
2007	166	57	128	349	3	n/a	n/a	7	710
2008	110	113	107	343	6	n/a	n/a	0	679
2009	109	114	83	335	11	3	45	0	700
2010	118	123	93	376	9	1	29	0	749
2011	100	123	91	370	6	0	39	0	729
2012	102	108	96	398	9	1	29	0	743
2013	106	123	103	425	10	2	23	0	792
2014	98	128	101	433	7	4	13	0	784
2015	87	118	102	434	6	2	8	0	757
2016	82	132	99	454	5	2	1	0	775
2017	75	124	100	448	10	2	6	0	765
2018	75	129	101	453	7	2	2	0	769
2019	73	92	96	455	2	2	6	0	726
2020	67	72	103	470	0	2	7	0	721
2021	53	66	92	460	1	1	9	0	682
2022	50	68	91	437	1	0	14	0	661
2023	48	72	89	450	1	4	19	0	683
2024	51	68	103	453	2	2	18	0	697

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at John Steinbeck Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1995	598	25.0	23.9	37.6
1996	598	25.0	23.9	37.6
1997	708	30.0	23.6	39.5
1998	746	36.0	20.7	27.6
1999	764	40.0	19.1	43.6
2000	807	43.0	18.8	46.5
2001	842	43.5	19.4	45.5
2002	707	37.0	19.1	45.5
2003	707	37.0	19.1	45.5
2004	727	36.0	20.2	50.3
2005	699	34.0	20.6	50.8
2006	714	33.0	21.6	47.6
2007	710	32.0	22.2	55.9
2008	679	36.0	18.9	73
2009	700	33.0	18.9	70.9
2010	749	34.0	22.0	74
2011	729	n/a	n/a	75.6
2012	743	27.5	27.0	n/a
2013	792	29.5	26.8	83.5
2014	784	25.0	31.3	82.5
2015	757	26.0	29.1	79.4
2016	775	28.0	27.6	88.6
2017	765	29.5	25.9	80.5
2018	769	30.5	25.2	84.4
2019	726	29.5	24.6	84.6
2020	721	n/a	n/a	83.2
2021	682	27.5	24.8	81.8
2022	661	24.5	26.9	69.4
2023	683	24.5	27.8	86.5
2024	697	25.0	27.8	86.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio John Steinbeck Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1995	598	25.0	23.9	37.6
1996	598	25.0	23.9	37.6
1997	708	30.0	23.6	39.5
1998	746	36.0	20.7	27.6
1999	764	40.0	19.1	43.6
2000	807	43.0	18.8	46.5
2001	842	43.5	19.4	45.5
2002	707	37.0	19.1	45.5
2003	707	37.0	19.1	45.5
2004	727	36.0	20.2	50.3
2005	699	34.0	20.6	50.8
2006	714	33.0	21.6	47.6
2007	710	32.0	22.2	55.9
2008	679	36.0	18.9	73
2009	700	33.0	18.9	70.9
2010	749	34.0	22.0	74
2011	729	n/a	n/a	75.6
2012	743	27.5	27.0	n/a
2013	792	29.5	26.8	83.5
2014	784	25.0	31.3	82.5
2015	757	26.0	29.1	79.4
2016	775	28.0	27.6	88.6
2017	765	29.5	25.9	80.5
2018	769	30.5	25.2	84.4
2019	726	29.5	24.6	84.6
2020	721	n/a	n/a	83.2
2021	682	27.5	24.8	81.8
2022	661	24.5	26.9	69.4
2023	683	24.5	27.8	86.5
2024	697	25.0	27.8	86.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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