Cardiff Elementary

The area includes two elementary schools serving kindergarten through grade 6: Cardiff Elementary serves kindergarten–grade 2, and Ada W. Harris Elementary serves grades 3–6; together they enroll 641 students. Test results are available only for Ada, where 2025–26 proficiency was above California’s in all three reported subjects—the area’s clearest achievement finding.

Ada stands out in the available test results: its proficiency exceeded the state by 24 points in English language arts (ELA), 28 points in math, and 24 points in science. Its strongest grade-level comparison was fourth-grade ELA, at 80% versus 46% statewide, a 34-point advantage. Cardiff cannot be placed at the top or bottom for achievement because scores are not provided. For chronic absenteeism, however, Cardiff’s 6% was higher than Ada’s 5% by 1 point, though both were below the state’s 18%; the district rate was 5%. The district is rated five stars and ranked 68 of 968 by SchoolDigger.

Ada’s year-over-year results were mixed: from 2024–25 to 2025–26, ELA fell 4 points and math fell 2, while science rose 5. Its advantage over the state narrowed in ELA by 5 points and in math by 4, but widened in science by 2; its average advantage across the subjects narrowed by 2 points. SchoolDigger ranked Ada 610 of 5,804 with four stars in 2025–26, after ranking it 570 of 5,857 with five stars the prior year. The schools have similar 2024–25 free/reduced lunch eligible figures—11.0% at Ada and 11.2% at Cardiff—while Cardiff’s student-teacher ratio was slightly lower, 21.5:1 compared with 22.4:1 at Ada. These measures provide context, but Cardiff’s missing test results prevent a fair achievement comparison between the schools.