South Tamarind Elementary

South Tamarind Elementary is a mid-tier elementary-level community in Fontana, California, operated by Fontana Unified. The school caters to 565 students in grades K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 22% larger than typical.

Within Fontana Unified, which oversees 44 schools and 32,735 students, South Tamarind Elementary is one campus in the system.

Looking at the student body, South Tamarind Elementary reports that 91% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority; the rest reads as 4% Black, 2% White. By comparison, San Bernardino County as a whole is about 55% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the resource side, On paper, South Tamarind Elementary has 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 20.4:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting South Tamarind Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. About 84% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, San Bernardino County runs at roughly 74%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, South Tamarind Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 29.6%; this one delivers 23.6%.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for San Bernardino County indicate median household income runs about $85,478, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. South Tamarind Elementary is one of 583 public schools in San Bernardino County (combined enrollment of about 393,648 students).

The closest other public school is Fontana Middle, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts South Tamarind Elementary at 5th of 7; the average score across the group is 25.5%.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 19%: 698 students in 2018 compared to 565 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 24.9:1 in 2018 to 20.4:1 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.