Kings Canyon Joint Unified School District, which serves Reedley, and Sanger Unified are receiving praise for accelerating student math skills.

The eastern Fresno County districts are among 12 in California to be recognized as a “District on the Rise” by Education Scorecard, a collaboration involving staff at Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth universities.

“The ‘learning recession’ started a decade ago, after policymakers switched off the early warning system of test-based accountability and social media took over children’s lives,” said professor Tom Kane, faculty director of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University.

“In this report, we highlight the work of a small group of state leaders who have started digging out by changing how students learn to read, and 108 local school districts (nationally) that are finding ways to get students learning again. The recovery of U.S. education has begun. But it’s up to the rest of us to spread it.”

Education Scorecard’s report cited Compton Unified, Delano Union Elementary, and Ontario-Montclair for showing excellent progress in math and reading among California’s public schools.

Kings Canyon, Sanger Cited for Math Improvement

Joining Kings Canyon and Sanger as rising California districts in math are Modesto City Elementary, Oxnard, and Little Lake City Elementary. In reading, Orange Unified, Bonita Unified, Berkeley Unified, and San Carlos Elementary are leading the way

“We highlight these ‘districts on the rise’ in the hope that they can serve as examples of what is possible,” the report said.

The report noted that California ranked 19th out of 38 states in math growth and 29th out of 35 states in reading growth from 2022 to 2025, making the progress seen in districts like Kings Canyon and Sanger noteworthy.

“This recognition reflects the incredible work happening across our district every single day,” said Kings Canyon John Campbell. “Our teachers, support staff, administrators, students, and families have stayed focused on student learning and growth.

“We know the challenges students have faced over the last several years, and this honor shows what is possible when a community comes together with a shared commitment to supporting our children.”

California Chronic Absenteeism Drops

Statewide, there is some good news on chronic absenteeism (students missing more than 10% of a school year), which has fallen from over 30% in 2022 to less than 20% in 2025. However, chronic absence rates remain about 8 percentage points above pre-pandemic levels.

Kings Canyon serves about 9,700 students in Reedley. Sanger’s enrollment is about 13,300.

Click on the links to see full reports on Kings Canyon and Sanger.