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William Saroyan Elementary

Q: Is William Saroyan Elementary a good school?

William Saroyan Elementary ranks 2897 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2897^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 51% of California elementary schools

Summary

William Saroyan Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 697 students in the Central Unified School District, representing a middle-performing school within its local context.

Academically, the school's overall state ranking has declined over several years, now placing it in the 51st percentile. Its performance is a mix of strengths and challenges: it generally outperforms nearby schools like John Steinbeck Elementary and Teague Elementary, but lags behind higher-performing schools in the district such as River Bluff Elementary and Norman Liddell Elementary. A notable internal pattern is the strong performance in 3rd grade, particularly in math, which sees a sharp decline by 5th grade. The school has also made impressive progress in reducing chronic student absenteeism, cutting the rate nearly in half since 2022.

When considering resources, William Saroyan operates with significantly lower per-student spending than schools in the neighboring Fresno Unified district, yet achieves comparable academic results. The school's student-teacher ratio of 24-to-1 is more favorable than some similar schools. Key areas for potential growth include addressing the performance drop in upper grades and a consistent achievement gap where female students outperform male students.

697

Students ?

24.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

74.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5650 West Escalon Ave.
Fresno, CA 93722-3154

(559) 276-3131

District: Central Unified

Students who attend William Saroyan Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rio Vista Middle
High:	Central East High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

64.7%

White:

13.6%

Asian:

8.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare William Saroyan Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2013 → 51st in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the California median (51st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2013

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg35%

California avg41%

2,897^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 49%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 14Elementary Schools in the Central Unified

835^th of 1,543Central Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	2897 of 5857	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.9	3005 of 5869	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.7	2772 of 5859	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.7	2595 of 5883	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.0	2130 of 5789	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.7	1634 of 5662	71.1%	★★★★☆
2017	68.6	1639 of 5692	71.2%	★★★★☆
2016	53.6	2319 of 5614	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	45.9	2689 of 5611	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.0	1778 of 5530	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	70.3	1510 of 5390	72.0%	★★★★☆
2011	71.0	1451 of 5377	73.0%	★★★★☆
2010	64.4	1760 of 5314	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	73.3	1291 of 5193	75.1%	★★★★☆
2008	71.1	1352 of 5113	73.6%	★★★★☆
2007	67.0	1512 of 5113	70.4%	★★★★☆
2006	71.1	1290 of 4818	73.2%	★★★★☆
2005	72.8	1210 of 4822	74.9%	★★★★☆
2004	71.6	1249 of 4809	74.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	44.2	286 of 593	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.5	328 of 661	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.6	182 of 663	72.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	49.8	2474 of 5597	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.0	2597 of 5612	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.2	2507 of 5609	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.0	2574 of 5635	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.8	1902 of 5492	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.2	1646 of 5413	69.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	53.8	2050 of 5107	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.8	2275 of 5107	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.5	1862 of 5087	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.7	1605 of 5084	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.1	1170 of 4963	76.4%	★★★★☆
2018	78.7	739 of 4830	84.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.2	2354 of 5460	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.5	2569 of 5517	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.5	1840 of 5363	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.1	2086 of 5264	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.1	1177 of 5173	77.2%	★★★★☆
2018	77.3	809 of 5084	84.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.0	3115 of 5628	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.2	3057 of 5643	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.2	2857 of 5638	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.7	2464 of 5663	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.2	2246 of 5510	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.5	1585 of 5431	70.8%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.3	89 of 153	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	6.8	118 of 118	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.2	1348 of 2598	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.3	1321 of 2651	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.5	1556 of 2661	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.5	1885 of 2726	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.2	1239 of 2834	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.0	1074 of 2737	60.8%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2025)60th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)57th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)56th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2024)52nd percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)48th percentile~ school

Male (2025)45th percentile-6 vs school

Military Connected (2025)42nd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy46%-3 vs state

Mathematics34%-3 vs state

Science24%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near William Saroyan Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
William Saroyan Elementary	Public	K-6	5650 West Escalon Ave.	Fresno	93722	Fresno County	Central Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 276-3131	697	29	24.0	74.5%	95 (13.6%)	51 (7.3%)	451 (64.7%)	61 (8.8%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.6%)	32 (4.6%)	44.8	2897^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.5%		42.9	3005^th of 5869 public elementary schools	48.8%	108	24.2	24.2	57.5	46.2	37.0	45.9	46.1	60.8	37.6	19.8	21.2	33.8	96.4	96.4		97.3	97.3	97.3
River Bluff Elementary	Public	K-6	6150 West Palo Alto	Fresno	93722	Fresno County	Central Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 276-6001	694	26	26.6	68.2%	100 (14.4%)	42 (6.1%)	338 (48.7%)	182 (26.2%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	27 (3.9%)	78.5	1216^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.2%		74.5	1387^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.4%	171	48.5	48.5	45.8	64.4	60.2	79.2	62.6	52.5	60.7	56.6	61.2	57.7
Norman Liddell Elementary	Public	K-6	5455 West Alluvial Ave.	Fresno	93722	Fresno County	Central Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 276-3176	628	25	24.9	69.7%	144 (22.9%)	51 (8.1%)	297 (47.3%)	107 (17.0%)	5 (0.8%)	3 (0.5%)	21 (3.3%)	73.5	1447^th of 5857 public elementary schools	75.3%		79.6	1171^st of 5869 public elementary schools	80.0%	276	43.8	43.8	53.7	64.1	58.6	61.5	59.4	55.4	62.8	40.7	50.0	51.8	94.4				95.4
Herndon-Barstow Elementary	Public	K-6	6265 North Grantland Ave.	Fresno	93723	Fresno County	Central Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 276-5250	754	28	27.2	68.6%	85 (11.3%)	36 (4.8%)	339 (45.0%)	273 (36.2%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (2.0%)	62.6	1934^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.0%		58.8	2116^th of 5869 public elementary schools	63.9%	182	36.1	36.1	44.3	48.9	60.4	55.1	52.0	49.1	40.4	56.3	42.4	47.1
Teague Elementary	Public	K-6	4725 North Polk Ave.	Fresno	93722	Fresno County	Central Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 276-5260	551	23	23.9	91.5%	16 (2.9%)	37 (6.7%)	408 (74.0%)	64 (11.6%)	10 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.7%)	27.9	4143^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	29.3%		26.2	4272^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	27.2%	129	17.1	17.1	24.1	34.9	37.8	41.1	34.2	12.2	33.7	30.3	20.3	24.2	97.0	98.0			97.0
Lawless Elementary	Public	K-6	5255 North Reese Ave.	Fresno	93722	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 451-4520	663	29	23.0	84.2%	67 (10.1%)	73 (11.0%)	337 (50.8%)	134 (20.2%)	10 (1.5%)	3 (0.5%)	39 (5.9%)	30.3	3939^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.7%		32.7	3715^th of 5869 public elementary schools	36.7%	224	7.2	7.2	44.4	32.0	23.5	42.2	35.4	50.7	24.7	15.7	24.7	28.3							$16,262	$2,023	$14,239
Figarden Elementary	Public	K-6	6235 North Brawley Ave.	Fresno	93722	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 451-4480	608	32	19.2	78.8%	84 (13.8%)	55 (9.0%)	353 (58.1%)	51 (8.4%)	9 (1.5%)	6 (1.0%)	50 (8.2%)	46.5	2797^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.2%		41.1	3118^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.9%	321	28.3	28.3	45.4	44.6	46.7	42.7	44.6	51.2	38.5	30.0	25.0	36.2	95.2	95.2	97.1	95.2	95.2	95.2	$22,197	$2,965	$19,232
Harvest Elementary	Public	K-6	6514 West Gettysburg Ave.	Fresno	93723	Fresno County	Central Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 271-0420	1,010	35	28.8	74.8%	93 (9.2%)	48 (4.8%)	509 (50.4%)	312 (30.9%)	3 (0.3%)	7 (0.7%)	38 (3.8%)	44.9	2894^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.6%		39.4	3212^th of 5869 public elementary schools	45.3%	318	30.1	30.1	46.7	33.6	50.4	52.1	45.7	42.8	16.0	29.6	38.0	31.5	95.9	96.6	97.9	97.2	96.6	97.2
H. Roger Tatarian Elementary	Public	K-6	7120 North Valentine Ave.	Fresno	93711	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 451-4490	470	24	19.6	51.9%	130 (27.7%)	38 (8.1%)	218 (46.4%)	41 (8.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	40 (8.5%)	66.1	1787^th of 5857 public elementary schools	69.5%		62.3	1967^th of 5869 public elementary schools	66.5%	180	40.0	40.0	51.3	63.4	50.0	43.9	53.0	50.0	66.2	53.9	33.3	51.3							$19,711	$2,885	$16,826
John Steinbeck Elementary	Public	K-6	3550 North Milburn Ave.	Fresno	93722	Fresno County	Central Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 276-3141	689	25	27.5	85.1%	55 (8.0%)	52 (7.5%)	454 (65.9%)	107 (15.5%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (2.3%)	29	4048^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.9%		29.9	3930^th of 5869 public elementary schools	33.0%	118	17.0	17.0	37.0	24.6	44.6	41.3	36.3	28.8	21.1	20.8	28.9	24.4	94.0	96.4		96.4

Frequently Asked Questions about William Saroyan Elementary

What schools do graduates of William Saroyan Elementary attend?

Students who attend William Saroyan Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rio Vista Middle
High : Central East High

What is the racial makeup of William Saroyan Elementary?

Students at William Saroyan Elementary are 65% Hispanic, 14% White, 9% Asian, 7% African American, 5% Two or more races.

What district is William Saroyan Elementary in?

Central Unified

How many students attend William Saroyan Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 697 students attended William Saroyan Elementary.

Is William Saroyan Elementary a good school?

William Saroyan Elementary ranks 2897^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate William Saroyan Elementary!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.