Summary:
ZIP code 94530 has three elementary schools—Fairmont Elementary, Harding Elementary and Madera Elementary—and all serve kindergarten through grade 6. In 2025–2026, their simple average proficiency was above the state in English language arts (ELA), math and science, but results differed considerably from one school to another. The most important finding is that choosing a school matters: Madera led the three in every subject, while Fairmont had the lowest scores.
Madera was the clear leader, with 79% proficient in ELA, 73% in math and 74% in science; it exceeded Harding, the second-place school, by 18, 14 and 27 percentage points, respectively. Harding scored 61% in ELA, 60% in math and 47% in science, above the state in all three. Fairmont scored 46% in ELA, 43% in math and 32% in science. It was below the state in ELA and science, but its math score was 5 points above the state’s 38%. The gap between the highest- and lowest-scoring schools ranged from 30 points in math to 41 in science.
Across the two years of test results, the schools’ average fell by about 1 point in ELA, 1 in math and 4 in science, while state results increased; the schools’ advantage over the state narrowed by 1, 2 and 7 points, respectively. SchoolDigger’s 2025–2026 statewide rankings also placed Madera highest at the 94th percentile, followed by Harding at the 79th and Fairmont at the 59th; over the three years shown, their rankings rose 4 and 8 percentile points for Madera and Harding, and fell 12 for Fairmont. All three reported free/reduced lunch eligible figures for 2024–2025: 13% at Madera, 34% at Harding and 53% at Fairmont. Chronic absenteeism followed the same ordering in 2025–2026, at 13%, 20% and 29%, respectively. Student–teacher ratios were similar—23.3 at Fairmont and 24 at each of the other schools—so they offer little distinction in this comparison; these measures describe patterns and do not explain results.
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