Fresno, CA: 60% of students not proficient in English; 71% not proficient in math

Oct 29, 2026, Fresno Land: Fresno Unified test scores remain off pace but is momentum growing?

Fresno Unified Superintendent Misty Her had a clear message for the community on Wednesday night.

“We are not a failing district.”

Her built her case around the latest results of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium or SBAC tests that measure proficiency and growth in English and mathematics for students in the third to the eighth grade. SBAC test results are frequently viewed as a kind of report card for school districts.

And, as has become an emerging theme in recent years, FUSD test scores are improving — but still well below minimum state standards and the growth is coming slower than Her and district leaders have promised.

“Fresno Unified has delivered four consecutive years of growth, and the district ranks No. 1 in ELA growth and No. 3 in mathematics growth in SBAC proficiency among comparable districts since 2022,” Her said Wednesday.

The latest round of SBAC scores, released earlier this month, showed that 39.92% of all students met or exceeded California state standards in English. 

That’s a Fresno Unified record.

“ELA proficiency is at its highest level in district history and now it exceeds the pre-pandemic performance. And next year, we are ready and we’re going to get you more results, and we’re going to get you better results,” Her said on Wednesday, adding “Mathematics proficiency has nearly returned to its pre-pandemic high.”

And it still means that well over half of the district’s over 70,000 students — 60.08% — failed to meet averages.

And math scores, which also have been climbing, remain far below district benchmarks, with 29.46% of students meeting or exceeding standards — and a whopping 70.54% failing to meet the mark.

And the superintendent of California’s third-largest district was clear — she likes the growth but is far from ready to declare victory. .