Summary
Rutherford B. Gaston Senior Middle serves 814 students in grades 7–8 in Fresno, within Fresno Unified and a group of nearby middle schools with widely varying results. In 2025–26, Gaston had the lowest proficiency in English language arts, math and science among the 11 schools compared—the most important finding for families weighing its academic results.
Gaston’s results were below both district and state rates in all three subjects. In 2025–26, proficiency was 12% in ELA, 11% in math and 5% in science, compared with 40%, 29% and 24% in Fresno Unified, and 49%, 38% and 36% statewide. Math is its relatively strongest subject against the state, with a 28-point gap; ELA is weakest, with a 37-point gap. Results were also below every nearby school: the lowest neighboring rates were 21% in ELA, 11% in math and 6% in science. For contrast, nearby Edison Computech had the group’s highest rates—93% in ELA, 75% in math and 70% in science.
Results show mixed progress: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, ELA fell from 15% to 12%, while math rose from 9% to 11% and science from 4% to 5%; nevertheless, Gaston’s gaps with the state widened in all three subjects. SchoolDigger placed Gaston at the 3rd percentile statewide, with 0 stars, in 2025–26; the district ranked at the 34th percentile with 2 stars. In 2024–25, its student-teacher ratio was 17.5, the second-lowest among nearby schools with data, and 96% of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Chronic absenteeism remained high at 36% in 2025–26, above the district’s 27% and the state’s 18%. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for effectiveness serving English Language Learner students fell from the 34th percentile in 2021–22 to the 17th in 2023–24, while its overall percentile was 4 in 2023–24.
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