Summary
Bear Gulch Elementary serves 443 students in grades K–5 in Rancho Cucamonga. Its 2025–2026 proficiency results are low, and the most important concern is that it ranked last among 11 nearby schools in both English language arts (ELA) and math.
Science is the school’s strongest subject relative to its comparisons, though results remain well behind. Proficiency was 18% in science, compared with 35% in the Central Elementary district and 36% statewide; it was the third-lowest result among the 11 schools. ELA proficiency was 23%, versus 49% in the district and 49% statewide, while math was 13%, versus 32% and 38%, respectively. The nearby-school averages were 46% in ELA, 36% in math, and 31% in science. Fourth-grade math stands out as especially low: 10%, compared with 42% statewide for that grade.
Results have weakened over time: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, proficiency fell by 15 points in ELA, 6 points in math, and 7 points in science, while the gaps with the state widened by 18, 10, and 13 points, respectively. SchoolDigger’s overall ranking also declined, from the 34th percentile in 2021–2022 to the 7th percentile and 0 stars in 2025–2026. In contrast, chronic absenteeism improved from 35% to 20%, though the latest rate remained 4 points above the district’s. The 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 22.1:1, below the nearby average of 23.3:1; 84% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for how well the school serves African American students was at the 33rd percentile, above its 7th-percentile overall ranking, but fell from the 54th percentile in 2023–2024. Its ranking for serving Special Education Students was at the 22nd percentile, down from the 46th percentile in 2023–2024.
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