Superintendent: Fallbrook shows near‑double‑digit gains in ELA and math; district named a 'star'

Superintendent Hazel told the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District board on Monday that the district has recorded substantial academic gains and was named an honor‑roll “star district.” Hazel said the systemwide effort produced about 9.6 percentage‑point growth in English language arts and 9.4 percentage‑point growth in mathematics over two years.

Hazel framed the gains as the result of research‑based systems and sustained instructional work across schools, and she stressed that the district’s progress comes despite serving a high share of students in poverty. “In Fallbrook, a student's ZIP code does not define their future. Excellence does,” Hazel said.

Assistant Superintendent Tavka Bustani and students joined Hazel to present assessment and social‑emotional data. Bustani reported current proficiency rates of 57% in ELA and 45% in math, and noted a decline in chronic absenteeism by approximately 6 percentage points districtwide. Student Daylene Vasquez Martinez described how reclassification and support systems have helped English learners and said the assessments inform teachers where to target instruction.

The presenters emphasized that the improvements are not final and that the district has set incremental benchmarks — for example, a January ELA benchmark of 56% toward a year‑end goal of 67% proficiency. Officials said they will continue to report out progress and monitor both academic and social‑emotional indicators.

The board congratulated students and staff and recognized top schools for attendance and reading/math participation. San Onofre School was singled out for the highest average daily attendance in October (95.4%).

The district said further detail on the 2024–25 California Dashboard will be released in coming weeks, when more granular growth and subgroup data will be available.