NCES CCD 2024-25 180 schools CA

Best-Resourced Schools in Fresno, CA

180 public K-12 schools in Fresno from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

180
Schools
119,416
Students
25.8/100
Avg Resource Index
20.6:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Large, fragmented school market

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Fresno has more public-school enrollment than 99% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Fresno is among the largest city school systems in this directory by enrollment, but its campuses are divided among 30 districts. That combination matters: citywide averages blend separate budgets, staffing policies, attendance boundaries, and program rules. For a family comparing schools here, the district column is as important as the city average; two nearby campuses may answer to different boards and draw on different F-33 funding pools.

The school portfolio is elementary-weighted

115 of Fresno's 180 listed schools are elementary campuses. That composition means citywide enrollment and staffing averages are influenced more by early-grade operating patterns than by the city's 19 middle and 25 high-school records. Families comparing later grades should rely on those individual rows rather than the all-school mean.

Campus spread matters more than the city mean

The 72-point gap between Pathway Community Day and Sanger West High shows the range hidden by Fresno's average Resource Investment Index. The city figure is useful for national placement, but families ultimately choose among campuses with different grade spans, enrollment, district affiliations, and reported support fields. Start with schools serving the relevant grade level, then compare the index components rather than assuming the city average describes any one classroom.

City enrollment
Top 1%
School count
Top 1%
Resource Index average
5th percentile
Teacher staffing
13th percentile

Fresno school enrollment varies 307× across entities

Fresno school enrollment ranges from 10 students (lowest) to 3,065 students (highest), a spread of 3,055 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Fresno reports 61.5% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Fresno operates 30 school districts — one of the single most fragmented governance structures in the country

Each school district has independent budgeting, hiring, and service delivery authority, and the sheer count here puts it in the extreme tail of fragmentation nationally. The fragmentation reflects historical patterns of inter-municipal boundary lines that pre-date modern city growth, students in different parts of the same city can attend different districts with different per-pupil spending, calendars, and graduation requirements. Per-region variation is largest in fragmented systems because each school district sets its own budget, contracts, and priorities without higher-level coordination above the regulatory floor.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Fresno student-teacher ratio is 20.6:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

20 of Fresno's 180 listed schools are charters

11% of the city's listed public-school campuses are reported as charter schools in NCES CCD. Charter status identifies a different governance arrangement; it does not establish admissions availability, academic quality, or the share of city students enrolled in those campuses. Open each school record to compare enrollment and staffing directly.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

# School Score
1. Pathway Community Day 72
2. Phoenix Secondary 69
3. Pershing Continuation High 66
4. Phoenix Elementary Academy Community Day 66
5. Alice M. Worsley 59
6. West Park Charter Academy 56
7. Central Online Home 55
8. Granite Ridge Intermediate 52
9. Central East High 51
10. Clovis North High 50
11. Fulton 50
12. Clovis West High 49
13. J. E. Young Academic Center 49
14. James S. Fugman Elementary 48
15. School of Unlimited Learning 48
16. Justin Garza High 44
17. University High 44
18. Sierra Charter 44
19. Monroe Elementary 43
20. Violet Heintz Education Academy 43
21. Career Technical Education Charter 42
22. Houghton-Kearney Elementary 42
23. Easton Continuation High 42
24. Kastner Intermediate 41
25. Fresno High 40
26. Roger S. Oraze Elementary 39
27. Fort Washington Elementary 39
28. Fancher Creek Elementary 38
29. Janet L. Young Elementary 38
30. Central High 38
31. Dewolf Continuation High 38
32. Manchester Gate 37
33. Copper Hills Elementary 37
34. Valley Oak Elementary 37
35. Carter G. Woodson Public Charter 37
36. Design Science Middle College High 37
37. Biola-Pershing Elementary 37
38. Florence E. Rata 37
39. W.E.B. Dubois Public Charter 36
40. Roosevelt High 35
41. Cambridge Continuation High 35
42. Kepler Neighborhood 35
43. West Fresno Middle 35
44. Irwin O. Addicott 35
45. Sunnyside High 33
46. Yosemite Valley Charter 32
47. Herbert Hoover High 32
48. Rio Vista Middle 32
49. Riverview Elementary 32
50. Fresno County Special Education 32

Showing top 50 of 180 schools.

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Fresno

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 James S. Fugman Elementary 73.3/100
  2. 2 University High 72.7/100
  3. 3 Granite Ridge Intermediate 71.9/100
  4. 4 Maple Creek Elementary 71.8/100
  5. 5 Roger S. Oraze Elementary 71.5/100

What do families ask about schools in Fresno?

Which Fresno school has the highest Resource Investment Index?

Pathway Community Day has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Fresno schools in this federal-data comparison at 72/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Fresno, CA?

Fresno has 180 public schools with a total enrollment of 119,416 students. 20 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 20.6:1.

Other Cities in California

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in California →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.