Summary
Alder Middle serves 964 students in grades 6–8 in Fontana, California. In 2025–2026, proficiency was below Fontana Unified and California in English language arts (ELA), math, and science; the most important concern is that results were also below the nearby grade-span schools’ averages in all three subjects.
Math is Alder’s relative academic strength, though scores remain low: 20% were proficient, compared with a 23% average among nine nearby schools, 27% in the district, and 38% statewide. ELA is the clearest weakness: 29% were proficient, versus 41% at nearby schools, 41% in the district, and 49% statewide; Alder ranked second-lowest among the nearby schools in ELA. In science, 17% were proficient, compared with 24% at nearby schools, 25% in the district, and 36% statewide; Alder was second-lowest among nearby peers. These comparisons show math is closer to district and nearby-school results, while ELA has the largest gap to the state and nearby-school average.
Scores have risen since 2022–2023 by 4 points in ELA, 4 in math, and 8 in science, but ELA and math fell in the latest year, and gaps with the state widened again. Attendance offers a brighter trend: chronic absenteeism declined from 42% in 2021–2022 to 18% in 2025–2026, below the district’s 20% and state’s 18% rates. Still, Alder Middle ranked at the 20th statewide percentile and received one star from SchoolDigger in 2025–2026. Its 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 22.4, below the nearby-peer average of 24.4, and 92.1% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s statewide effectiveness ranking for African American students was at the 2nd percentile in 2025–2026, down from the 30th percentile in 2023–2024; its ranking for Homeless Students was at the 40th percentile, above the school’s overall standing.
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