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Harding Elementary

Q: Is Harding Elementary a good school?

Harding Elementary ranks 1236 th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1236^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 79% of California elementary schools

Summary

Harding Elementary is a K–6 school with 481 students in El Cerrito, in the West Contra Costa Unified district. Its 2025–2026 proficiency rates were above state and district levels in English language arts (ELA), math, and science, but lower than the average for the 10 nearby schools in the comparison. The most important finding for families is that strong results against state and district benchmarks do not translate into a strong position among nearby schools: Harding was below the local average in all three subjects.

Math is Harding’s strongest subject relative to the state, district, and nearby schools, while science has the largest local gap. In 2025–2026, 60% of Harding students were proficient in math, 21 percentage points above the state and 31 points above the district; the nearby-school average was 70%, 10 points higher than Harding. ELA proficiency was 61%, 12 points above the state and 27 above the district, but 11 points below the nearby average of 72%. Science proficiency was 47%, 11 points above the state and 22 above the district, but 17 points below the nearby average of 64%. Within the school, sixth grade was a bright spot: ELA proficiency was 77%, the highest among the four nearby K–6 schools, while third-grade ELA was 49%, the lowest among them.

Recent results show a modest rise in math and science and a slight decline in ELA: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, math increased 6 percentage points and science 2, while ELA fell 2. Chronic absenteeism also rebounded, rising 8 points to 20% in 2025–2026, above the state’s 18%. Harding Elementary was in SchoolDigger’s 79th statewide percentile and received four stars in 2025–2026, but ranked second-lowest among the 11 nearby schools. SchoolDigger’s group-specific standings differ: Asian students ranked in the 20th percentile for how well the school serves that group, compared with the school’s overall 79th percentile; the Multi-racial Students ranking rose from the 44th to the 76th percentile from 2023–2024 to 2025–2026. The student–teacher ratio was 24 in 2024–2025, and 34% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year, compared with a 29% average among nearby schools with the same measure.

481

Students ?

24.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

34.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

7230 Fairmont Ave.
El Cerrito, CA 94530-3797

(510) 231-1413

District: West Contra Costa Unified

Students who attend Harding Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Fred T. Korematsu Middle
High:	El Cerrito High

Racial breakdown:

White:

31.0%

Hispanic:

24.1%

Asian:

21.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Harding Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 72nd percentile in 2015 → 79th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (58% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg30%

California avg42%

1,236^th of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Top 21%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From top 30% (2016) to top 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 40Elementary Schools in the West Contra Costa Unified

689^th of 968West Contra Costa 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
2026	77.6	1236 of 5804	78.7%	★★★★☆
2025	72.4	1503 of 5857	74.3%	★★★★☆
2024	67.6	1699 of 5869	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	78.5	1219 of 5859	79.2%	★★★★☆
2022	72.5	1508 of 5883	74.4%	★★★★☆
2019	73.2	1460 of 5789	74.8%	★★★★☆
2018	68.2	1664 of 5662	70.6%	★★★★☆
2017	71.8	1478 of 5692	74.0%	★★★★☆
2016	66.1	1707 of 5614	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	68.0	1579 of 5611	71.9%	★★★★☆
2013	59.4	2145 of 5530	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.5	1602 of 5390	70.3%	★★★★☆
2011	56.1	2240 of 5377	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	48.8	2635 of 5314	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	37.0	3243 of 5193	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	36.2	3190 of 5113	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	24.5	3968 of 5113	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	32.1	3166 of 4818	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	24.7	3641 of 4822	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	33.0	3067 of 4809	36.2%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	24.6	971 of 1207	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.3	918 of 1203	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	954 of 1205	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.7	917 of 1190	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.2	840 of 1154	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.9	705 of 1149	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	30.5	1410 of 2128	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	77.1	1172 of 5569	79.0%	★★★★☆
2025	65.0	1742 of 5597	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.5	1838 of 5612	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.9	1555 of 5609	72.3%	★★★★☆
2022	69.9	1525 of 5635	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	67.7	1621 of 5492	70.5%	★★★★☆
2018	71.4	1436 of 5413	73.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	42.4	2846 of 5085	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.4	2468 of 5107	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.0	2614 of 5107	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.8	2016 of 5087	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.5	2710 of 5084	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.7	2236 of 4963	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.4	2264 of 4830	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	2697 of 5412	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.7	2388 of 5460	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.4	2371 of 5517	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.7	1760 of 5363	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.3	2258 of 5264	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.2	3627 of 5173	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.4	4467 of 5084	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	75.3	1267 of 5590	77.3%	★★★★☆
2025	74.8	1288 of 5628	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	68.1	1603 of 5643	71.6%	★★★★☆
2023	80.2	1083 of 5638	80.8%	★★★★☆
2022	71.4	1464 of 5663	74.1%	★★★★☆
2019	74.6	1318 of 5510	76.1%	★★★★☆
2018	63.3	1795 of 5431	66.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	74.6	183 of 752	75.7%	★★★★☆
2025	54.6	373 of 718	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.2	372 of 670	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	75.4	561 of 2532	77.8%	★★★★☆
2025	66.1	899 of 2598	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.6	849 of 2651	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	79.2	460 of 2661	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	70.4	797 of 2726	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	83.1	346 of 2834	87.8%	★★★★☆
2018	83.4	319 of 2737	88.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2026)79th percentile~ school

White (2026)78th percentile~ school

Male (2026)77th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)76th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)50th percentile-29 vs school

Hispanic (2026)44th percentile-35 vs school

Disabled (2018)34th percentile-37 vs school

Asian (2026)20th percentile-59 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy61%+12 vs state

Mathematics60%+21 vs state

Science47%+11 vs state

5.0

1 rating

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1★0

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Schools Near Harding Elementary

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
Harding Elementary	Public	K-6	7230 Fairmont Ave.	El Cerrito	94530	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1413	481	20	24.0	34.3%	149 (31.0%)	24 (5.0%)	116 (24.1%)	104 (21.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	85 (17.7%)	77.6	1236^th of 5804 public elementary schools	78.7%		72.4	1503^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	74.3%	267	46.6	46.6	49.2	55.9	61.4	77.4	61.1	59.0	62.7	47.7	74.2	59.6
Fairmont Elementary	Public	K-6	724 Kearney St.	El Cerrito	94530	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1448	537	23	23.3	53.1%	109 (20.3%)	30 (5.6%)	182 (33.9%)	148 (27.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	65 (12.1%)	53.6	2400^th of 5804 public elementary schools	58.6%		66.4	1771^st of 5857 public elementary schools	69.8%	629	32.4	32.4	50.0	36.7	47.9	49.3	46.3	49.2	36.7	42.3	44.0	43.1
Cornell Elementary	Public	K-5	920 Talbot Ave.	Albany	94706	Alameda County	Albany City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 558-3700	560	23	24.7	25.5%	122 (21.8%)	6 (1.1%)	90 (16.1%)	178 (31.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	164 (29.3%)	95.4	288^th of 5804 public elementary schools	95.0%		94.2	381^st of 5857 public elementary schools	93.5%	93	73.8	73.8	81.6	75.7	82.2		79.9	77.6	73.5	73.8		74.9	86.2	93.1	95.4	90.8	96.6	96.6	$23,346	$22,716	$630
Thousand Oaks Elementary	Public	K-5	840 Colusa Ave.	Berkeley	94707	Alameda County	Berkeley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 644-6368	337	16	21.0	27.9%	148 (43.9%)	15 (4.5%)	79 (23.4%)	40 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (16.3%)	81	1089^th of 5804 public elementary schools	81.2%		83.1	1011^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.7%	78	55.0	55.0	50.9	70.0	63.3		61.0	61.0	71.4	55.7		62.1							$29,618	$28,938	$680
Marin Elementary	Public	K-5	1001 Santa Fe Ave.	Albany	94706	Alameda County	Albany City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 559-4700	524	22	24.0	26.1%	155 (29.6%)	21 (4.0%)	77 (14.7%)	137 (26.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	132 (25.2%)	94.9	339^th of 5804 public elementary schools	94.2%		90.8	616^th of 5857 public elementary schools	89.5%	277	61.0	61.0	82.0	86.4	75.6		81.4	84.4	81.5	64.6		77.1							$25,486	$24,422	$1,064
Ocean View Elementary	Public	K-5	1000 Jackson St.	Albany	94706	Alameda County	Albany City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 558-4800	563	24	23.4	46.9%	88 (15.6%)	25 (4.4%)	130 (23.1%)	195 (34.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	124 (22.0%)	88.1	741^st of 5804 public elementary schools	87.2%		80.9	1118^th of 5857 public elementary schools	80.9%	377	60.2	60.2	67.9	65.4	71.6		68.5	72.7	77.2	53.1		66.8	92.3	96.5	97.9	94.4	94.4	95.8	$26,098	$25,250	$848
Kensington Elementary	Public	K-6	90 Highland Blvd.	Kensington	94708	Alameda County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1415	473	20	23.6	14.2%	238 (50.3%)	6 (1.3%)	62 (13.1%)	72 (15.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (20.1%)	90.7	608^th of 5804 public elementary schools	89.5%		94.2	383^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	93.5%	225	65.5	65.5	57.9	78.3	89.1	67.2	73.0	64.9	76.3	67.3	69.0	69.4
Cragmont Elementary	Public	K-5	830 Regal Rd.	Berkeley	94708	Alameda County	Berkeley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 644-8810	290	14	21.4	28.6%	110 (37.9%)	29 (10.0%)	66 (22.8%)	29 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	55 (19.0%)	93.4	453^rd of 5804 public elementary schools	92.2%		91	605^th of 5857 public elementary schools	89.7%	152	68.1	68.1	73.2	76.2	74.5		74.6	78.6	73.2	66.0		72.3							$30,006	$29,616	$390
Madera Elementary	Public	K-6	8500 Madera Dr.	El Cerrito	94530	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1412	457	19	24.0	12.9%	183 (40.0%)	9 (2.0%)	81 (17.7%)	87 (19.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	89 (19.5%)	95	325^th of 5804 public elementary schools	94.4%		95.2	309^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.7%	16	73.5	73.5	82.8	76.4	80.9	76.3	79.1	80.0	72.2	64.7	78.0	73.5
Ruth Acty Elementary	Public	K-5	1465 Acton St.	Berkeley	94702	Alameda County	Berkeley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 644-6298	410	19	21.5	23.7%	170 (41.5%)	31 (7.6%)	61 (14.9%)	35 (8.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	111 (27.1%)	97	142^nd of 5804 public elementary schools	97.6%		97.7	94^th of 5857 public elementary schools	98.4%	48	71.9	71.9	87.9	75.4	85.7		82.6	90.0	79.7	79.0		82.7							$24,863	$24,532	$331

Frequently Asked Questions about Harding Elementary

What district is Harding Elementary in?

West Contra Costa Unified

What is the racial makeup of Harding Elementary?

Students at Harding Elementary are 31% White, 24% Hispanic, 22% Asian, 18% Two or more races, 5% African American.

Is Harding Elementary a good school?

Harding Elementary ranks 1236^th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Harding Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 481 students attended Harding Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Harding Elementary attend?

Students who attend Harding Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Fred T. Korematsu Middle
High : El Cerrito High

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Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

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.