Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Nelson Elementary

Q: Is Nelson Elementary a good school?

Nelson Elementary ranks 2093 rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2093^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 64% of California elementary schools

Summary

Nelson Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 466 students in Pinedale, California, operating as a solidly performing school within the highly-regarded Clovis Unified School District.

While its test scores are above the state average, they are below the district average, a common pattern for schools in the area. The school's standout strength is its significantly lower rate of chronic student absenteeism (17.8%) compared to many nearby schools like Pinedale Elementary (29.6%) and Robinson Elementary (36.9%), and it performs particularly well in supporting its students from lower-income families. Interestingly, Nelson achieves these outcomes with lower per-student spending than several neighboring schools in the Fresno Unified district, such as Starr Elementary.

Performance varies greatly by grade, with strong results in 5th-grade English and 3rd-grade math, but a concerning drop in 6th-grade math proficiency. Compared to other local schools with similar student demographics, like Kratt Elementary, Nelson ranks higher, yet it trails behind higher-performing schools in its own district, such as Lincoln Elementary. The main challenges for Nelson are addressing the 6th-grade performance dip and continuing to close the gap with its district's high academic standards while maintaining its effective attendance and student support systems.

466

Students ?

20.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,583

Per pupil spending ?

60.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1336 West Spruce Ave.
Pinedale, CA 93650-1037

(559) 327-7600

District: Clovis Unified

Students who attend Nelson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Kastner Intermediate
High:	Clovis West High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.1%

White:

25.1%

African American:

7.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Nelson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 84th percentile in 2013 → 64th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (46% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Above the California median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2013

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Clovis Unified's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg59%

California avg41%

2,093^rd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From top 41% (2015) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

28^th of 34Elementary Schools in the Clovis Unified

285^th of 1,543Clovis 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	59.4	2093 of 5857	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.9	2289 of 5869	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.3	2417 of 5859	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.0	2175 of 5883	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.8	1931 of 5789	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.1	1668 of 5662	70.5%	★★★★☆
2017	66.1	1746 of 5692	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.2	1799 of 5614	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.8	2297 of 5611	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	82.7	907 of 5530	83.6%	★★★★☆
2012	81.2	956 of 5390	82.3%	★★★★☆
2011	82.6	865 of 5377	83.9%	★★★★☆
2010	71.4	1402 of 5314	73.6%	★★★★☆
2009	72.7	1314 of 5193	74.7%	★★★★☆
2008	79.3	1003 of 5113	80.4%	★★★★☆
2007	67.1	1510 of 5113	70.5%	★★★★☆
2006	63.1	1624 of 4818	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	71.7	1263 of 4822	73.8%	★★★★☆
2004	76.8	1041 of 4809	78.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	60.3	1936 of 5597	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	2254 of 5612	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.5	2382 of 5609	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.8	1746 of 5635	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.5	1993 of 5492	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.7	1560 of 5413	71.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.7	1269 of 5107	75.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	1114 of 5107	78.2%	★★★★☆
2023	62.8	1506 of 5087	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	69.5	1180 of 5084	76.8%	★★★★☆
2019	69.8	1180 of 4963	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	73.7	963 of 4830	80.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.9	1336 of 5460	75.5%	★★★★☆
2024	64.5	1529 of 5517	72.3%	★★★★☆
2023	59.6	1764 of 5363	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.2	1071 of 5264	79.7%	★★★★☆
2019	66.4	1389 of 5173	73.1%	★★★★☆
2018	71.4	1111 of 5084	78.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.7	2203 of 5628	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.4	2240 of 5643	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.7	2350 of 5638	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.4	2587 of 5663	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.6	1790 of 5510	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.2	1754 of 5431	67.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	1371 of 2598	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	1826 of 2651	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	1795 of 2661	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.3	1819 of 2726	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.3	1362 of 2834	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.1	1002 of 2737	63.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)76th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)75th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)65th percentile~ school

Male (2025)61st percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)47th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy55%+6 vs state

Mathematics41%+3 vs state

Science37%+4 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Nelson Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Nelson Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Nelson Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Nelson Elementary	Public	K-6	1336 West Spruce Ave.	Pinedale	93650	Fresno County	Clovis Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 327-7600	466	23	20.6	60.1%	117 (25.1%)	33 (7.1%)	266 (57.1%)	21 (4.5%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.7%)	59.4	2093^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	64.3%		54.9	2289^th of 5869 public elementary schools	61.0%	196	36.7		36.7	59.7	52.2	66.1	40.3			54.5	55.2	40.3	43.3	22.6			40.6					$25,583	$24,530	$1,053
Starr Elementary	Public	K-6	1780 West Sierra Ave.	Fresno	93711	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 451-4560	336	21	16.0	54.2%	99 (29.5%)	11 (3.3%)	175 (52.1%)	23 (6.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.0%)	64.9	1845^th of 5857 public elementary schools	68.5%		71	1545^th of 5869 public elementary schools	73.7%	300	26.9		26.9	44.2	55.3	44.2	62.1			50.0	69.8	55.3	48.1	58.6			57.4					$35,598	$31,576	$4,022
Kratt Elementary	Public	K-6	650 West Sierra Ave.	Fresno	93704	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 451-4510	620	31	20.0	79.2%	99 (16.0%)	39 (6.3%)	398 (64.2%)	40 (6.5%)	7 (1.1%)	2 (0.3%)	35 (5.6%)	33	3726^th of 5857 public elementary schools	36.4%		40	3175^th of 5869 public elementary schools	45.9%	551	12.5		12.5	22.2	33.8	44.9	38.9			35.1	35.8	37.8	32.6	25.0			32.9	96.7		96.7		$25,444	$23,344	$2,100
Pinedale Elementary	Public	K-6	7171 Sugar Pine Ave.	Pinedale	93650	Fresno County	Clovis Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 327-7700	433	23	18.8	91.2%	24 (5.5%)	30 (6.9%)	321 (74.1%)	42 (9.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.2%)	23.1	4577^th of 5857 public elementary schools	21.9%		27.5	4159^th of 5869 public elementary schools	29.1%	418	15.9		15.9	18.3	36.2	32.3	33.3			29.7	23.9	23.2	22.6	24.6			23.6	96.3	96.3		96.3	$28,625	$27,020	$1,605
Malloch Elementary	Public	K-6	2251 West Morris Ave.	Fresno	93711	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 451-4530	495	24	20.8	52.7%	159 (32.1%)	47 (9.5%)	234 (47.3%)	18 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	34 (6.9%)	58	2170^th of 5857 public elementary schools	63.0%		57.9	2154^th of 5869 public elementary schools	63.3%	16	40.0		40.0	46.7	39.7	56.7	54.9			48.8	58.3	41.1	37.7	35.3			43.3					$26,367	$23,958	$2,409
Gibson Elementary	Public	K-6	1266 West Barstow Ave.	Fresno	93711	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 451-4500	358	20	18.0	62.3%	80 (22.3%)	32 (8.9%)	194 (54.2%)	20 (5.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (8.4%)	57	2209^th of 5857 public elementary schools	62.3%		55.9	2241^st of 5869 public elementary schools	61.8%	32	41.5		41.5	50.8	37.0	65.9	58.1			52.4	50.0	36.2	34.2	30.2			38.9					$33,396	$30,422	$2,974
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					$29,282	$26,370	$2,912
McCardle Elementary	Public	K-6	577 East Sierra Ave.	Fresno	93710	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 451-4540	463	25	18.6	76.9%	71 (15.3%)	26 (5.6%)	286 (61.8%)	48 (10.4%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.9%)	25 (5.4%)	40.8	3164^th of 5857 public elementary schools	46.0%		34.2	3588^th of 5869 public elementary schools	38.9%	424	29.5		29.5	31.2	26.2	49.2	36.4			35.6	32.8	33.9	49.2	36.4			37.9					$29,242	$26,886	$2,356
Bullard Talent	Public	K-8	4950 North Harrison Ave.	Fresno	93704	Fresno County	Fresno Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 248-7030	744	38	19.4	47.0%	172 (23.1%)	41 (5.5%)	454 (61.0%)	28 (3.8%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	44 (5.9%)	70.8	1563^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	73.3%		67.6	1698^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.1%	135	38.0	47.6	42.5	67.1	55.0	59.3	56.5	54.7	58.5	58.2	71.4	55.0	41.8	39.1	39.0	37.8	46.3					$25,941	$23,826	$2,115
Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-6	774 East Alluvial Ave.	Fresno	93720	Fresno County	Clovis Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 327-7200	631	29	21.9	62.3%	156 (24.7%)	39 (6.2%)	325 (51.5%)	53 (8.4%)	6 (1.0%)	5 (0.8%)	47 (7.4%)	78.4	1224^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.1%		76	1337^th of 5869 public elementary schools	77.2%	113	49.0		49.0	56.1	63.8	61.2	62.9			60.8	68.0	55.1	54.9	45.8			56.0					$22,438	$21,318	$1,120

Frequently Asked Questions about Nelson Elementary

Is Nelson Elementary a good school?

Nelson Elementary ranks 2093^rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Nelson Elementary in?

Clovis Unified

What is the racial makeup of Nelson Elementary?

Students at Nelson Elementary are 57% Hispanic, 25% White, 7% African American, 5% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend Nelson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 466 students attended Nelson Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Nelson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Nelson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Kastner Intermediate
High : Clovis West High

Rate Nelson Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Pinedale, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Nelson Elementary!

Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.