Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Madera Unified

At a glance

1269^thof 1,543 California districts▼ 109

Better than 17% of California districts

Elementary 18 Middle 3 High 6 Alternative 1Grades K-12

1902 Howard Rd.
Madera, CA 93637-5123·(559) 675-4500·All California district rankings →

Statewide performance 2016–2025

2025: better than 17.8% of districts

Schools

19,922

Students

Top rankedMadera High1001^st of 2,162 California high schools

▲

Biggest riser

John Adams Elementary up 921 spots statewide this year

◉

Smallest classes

Mountain Vista High 12.4 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

2★

1★

0★

3 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare California districts →See the top-ranked California schools →

Summary:

The Madera Unified school district operates 28 schools serving grades K-12 in a predominantly high-need area, with most schools having over 90% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

While the district's high schools, particularly Matilda Torres High and Madera High, achieve graduation rates above the state average, academic proficiency in English and especially math lags significantly behind state benchmarks. All three middle schools in the district rank in the bottom quarter of schools statewide, creating a critical challenge for student preparation. Among elementary schools, performance varies, with Berenda Elementary and Howard Elementary showing relative strength, while others like Sierra Vista Elementary face greater academic hurdles.

A major concern across the district is chronic absenteeism, which is higher than the state average and reaches extreme levels at alternative schools like Ripperdan Community Day and Mountain Vista High. Interestingly, schools with the highest per-student spending, often those serving at-risk populations, do not show correspondingly higher academic results, indicating a complex relationship between resources and outcomes. For parents, this landscape highlights the importance of both school choice and engagement, particularly in supporting consistent attendance and mathematics learning from the elementary years onward.

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)						CSA Spanish Listening (2025)						CSA Spanish Writing (2025)						CSA Spanish Reading (2025)						CAST Science (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)								% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-6	650 Liberty Ln.	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 675-4600	816	43	18.9	79.3%	75 (9.2%)	15 (1.8%)	635 (77.8%)	48 (5.9%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (4.9%)	30.7	3904^th of 5857 public elementary schools	33.3%		35.5	3478^th of 5869 public elementary schools	40.7%	426																									20.5				20.5	23.4	37.7	44.7	27.7				33.7	38.9	28.1	28.5	21.4				29.2	98.3					$21,211	$18,804	$2,407
John Adams Elementary	Public	K-6	1822 National Ave.	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-4631	736	34	21.7	85.5%	78 (10.6%)	10 (1.4%)	604 (82.1%)	12 (1.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	29 (3.9%)	36.1	3479^th of 5857 public elementary schools	40.6%		24.6	4400^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.0%	921																									19.8				19.8	49.5	20.2	33.7	40.5				36.4	46.7	28.6	25.7	30.3				32.8						$20,694	$18,248	$2,446
Dixieland Elementary	Public	K-8	18440 Road 19	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 673-9119	266	15	18.1	94.4%	16 (6.0%)	1 (0.4%)	239 (89.8%)	3 (1.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.9%)	23.6	4540^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.5%		24.2	4440^th of 5869 public elementary schools	24.3%	100																									10.8	15.4			12.7	40.0	25.0	37.8	34.2	46.2	34.6		35.4	30.8	12.8	18.9	22.0	18.5	38.5		22.5						$25,988	$23,666	$2,322
Howard Elementary	Public	K-8	13878 Road 21 1/2	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-8568	487	26	18.7	78.9%	42 (8.6%)	3 (0.6%)	418 (85.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.1%)	34.7	3611^th of 5857 public elementary schools	38.3%		33.2	3664^th of 5869 public elementary schools	37.6%	53																									21.0	21.5			21.3	19.6	33.3	32.3	50.0	45.9	41.5		37.7	28.3	35.2	29.0	38.9	25.8	30.8		31.2						$22,847	$20,704	$2,143
La Vina Elementary	Public	K-8	8594 Road 23	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 673-5194	203	14	14.1	96.6%	5 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	193 (95.1%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	18.6	4955^th of 5857 public elementary schools	15.4%		32.5	3735^th of 5869 public elementary schools	36.4%	1220																									8.7	22.7			15.6	29.2	8.0	22.7	40.9	63.6	47.8		34.8	0.0	4.0	0.0	45.5	31.8	17.4		15.9	90.0					$32,928	$30,420	$2,508
Madera High	Public	9-12	200 South L St.	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 675-4444	1,869	91	20.5	81.8%	136 (7.3%)	25 (1.3%)	1,625 (86.9%)	42 (2.2%)	8 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (1.7%)	51.6	1001^st of 2162 public high schools	53.7%		42.6	1182^nd of 2159 public high schools	45.3%	181																											26.5		26.4							57.9	57.9							19.6	19.6						$26,768	$24,158	$2,610
Millview Elementary	Public	K-6	1609 Clinton St.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-8509	594	30	19.8	98.5%	10 (1.7%)	9 (1.5%)	561 (94.4%)	3 (0.5%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	24.9	4411^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.7%		26.1	4277^th of 5869 public elementary schools	27.1%	134																									13.3				13.3	44.7	22.7	22.0	30.2				29.9	43.7	17.8	12.2	24.4				24.6						$24,062	$19,504	$4,558
James Monroe Elementary	Public	K-6	1819 North Lake St.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-5679	624	30	20.7	97.1%	9 (1.4%)	5 (0.8%)	602 (96.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	31.1	3871^st of 5857 public elementary schools	33.9%		38.8	3247^th of 5869 public elementary schools	44.7%	624																									22.0				22.0	25.5	30.2	37.4	42.7				33.9	38.5	29.2	26.6	23.3				29.5	98.0					$24,591	$22,036	$2,555
Sierra Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	917 E. Olive Ave.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-8579	740	38	19.5	97.7%	7 (0.9%)	10 (1.4%)	703 (95.0%)	6 (0.8%)	7 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.8%)	11.9	5515^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.8%		10.7	5653^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	3.7%	138																									13.5				13.5	14.9	20.2	22.2	26.4				20.5	18.3	9.7	5.9	15.9				12.5						$21,914	$19,500	$2,414
Thomas Jefferson Middle	Public	7-8	1407 Sunset Ave.	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 673-9286	948	50	18.9	87.7%	49 (5.2%)	11 (1.2%)	845 (89.1%)	17 (1.8%)	7 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.0%)	23	2102^nd of 2761 public middle schools	23.9%		24.9	2038^th of 2783 public middle schools	26.8%	64																										15.5			15.5					38.1	34.3		36.1					14.0	11.9		12.9						$22,577	$19,906	$2,671
George Washington Elementary	Public	K-6	509 E. South St.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-6705	578	29	19.9	97.9%	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	566 (97.9%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	18.2	4995^th of 5857 public elementary schools	14.7%		24.5	4418^th of 5869 public elementary schools	24.7%	577	4.1	14.3				8.1	40.2	9.5				28.1	9.3	28.6				16.9	3.1	15.9				8.1	11.0				11.0	13.7	18.8	30.5	42.9				26.5	17.7	16.9	17.1	20.0				18.0						$21,345	$18,674	$2,671
Duane E. Furman Independent Study	Public, Alternative	K-12	955 West Pecan Ave.	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 675-4482	348	18	19.6	92.2%	21 (6.0%)	6 (1.7%)	304 (87.4%)	8 (2.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)								(n/a)																									18.2	3.7	15.7		11.5			27.3	16.7	32.3	14.6	28.0	24.5			9.1	0.0	19.4	2.1	3.1	7.8						$27,793	$25,880	$1,913
Martin Luther King Junior Middle	Public	7-8	601 Lilly St.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-4681	865	49	17.6	96.9%	16 (1.8%)	7 (0.8%)	829 (95.8%)	5 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	13.6	2492^nd of 2761 public middle schools	9.7%		14.9	2482^nd of 2783 public middle schools	10.8%	10																										11.3			11.3					22.6	22.6		22.6					12.5	9.8		11.1						$24,395	$21,500	$2,895
James Madison Elementary	Public	K-8	109 Stadium Rd.	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 675-4630	739	36	20.4	85.5%	12 (1.6%)	3 (0.4%)	704 (95.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.3%)	21.8	4684^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.0%		21.8	4690^th of 5869 public elementary schools	20.1%	6	6.0	12.4	5.3	6.7	3.5	6.7	34.5	14.8	26.6	18.0	15.1	21.9	9.5	22.2	6.4	9.0	15.1	12.2	6.0	9.9	4.3	6.7	3.5	6.0	16.1				16.1	18.8	25.9	31.1	42.1	31.4			30.0	22.6	24.7	12.8	23.6	16.5			19.9						$20,971	$18,638	$2,333
Berenda Elementary	Public	K-6	26820 Club Dr.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-3325	709	35	20.3	85.0%	44 (6.2%)	4 (0.6%)	621 (87.6%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.4%)	32.6	3763^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	35.8%		33	3687^th of 5869 public elementary schools	37.2%	76																									17.2				17.2	35.0	31.3	41.0	43.3				37.5	29.7	20.2	28.3	35.6				28.2						$20,864	$18,322	$2,542
Alpha Elementary	Public	K-6	900 Stadium Rd.	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 661-4101	735	35	20.8	92.1%	18 (2.4%)	13 (1.8%)	659 (89.7%)	12 (1.6%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (3.9%)	27	4221^st of 5857 public elementary schools	27.9%		28.5	4065^th of 5869 public elementary schools	30.7%	156																									18.9				18.9	36.8	38.4	38.7	30.1				36.0	36.8	20.0	17.1	13.6				21.9	95.0	98.3	98.3	96.7	98.3	$20,858	$18,338	$2,520
Jack G. Desmond Middle	Public	7-8	26490 Martin St.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-1775	838	45	18.4	93.6%	21 (2.5%)	6 (0.7%)	803 (95.8%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	22.5	2133^rd of 2761 public middle schools	22.7%		26.5	1973^rd of 2783 public middle schools	29.1%	160																										21.3			21.3					29.2	33.7		31.3					12.4	15.7		13.9						$25,336	$22,538	$2,798
Nishimoto Elementary	Public	K-6	26460 Martin St.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 664-8110	704	36	19.4	93.8%	22 (3.1%)	5 (0.7%)	659 (93.6%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.8%)	25.4	4360^th of 5857 public elementary schools	25.6%		27.8	4132^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	29.6%	228																									11.5				11.5	28.2	31.3	26.0	21.5				26.8	44.1	41.2	14.4	19.2				30.1						$23,340	$20,940	$2,400
Cesar Chavez Elementary	Public	K-6	2600 East Pecan	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 664-9701	659	33	20.1	93.3%	6 (0.9%)	5 (0.8%)	607 (92.1%)	26 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.1%)	17.6	5048^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.8%		21.8	4695^th of 5869 public elementary schools	20.0%	353																									14.7				14.7	34.8	29.6	20.0	13.8				24.5	27.2	22.0	17.0	7.4				18.4	98.3	98.3				$24,437	$22,056	$2,381
Madera South High	Public	9-12	755 W. Pecan Ave.	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 675-4450	1,859	93	20.0	95.2%	33 (1.8%)	40 (2.2%)	1,749 (94.1%)	21 (1.1%)	5 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (0.5%)	32.9	1427^th of 2162 public high schools	34.0%		38.9	1269^th of 2159 public high schools	41.2%	158																											18.7	0.0	18.0							44.8	44.8							9.4	9.4						$29,312	$26,672	$2,640
John J. Pershing Elementary	Public	K-6	1505 E. Ellis St.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 664-9741	788	38	20.7	93.1%	21 (2.7%)	8 (1.0%)	730 (92.6%)	6 (0.8%)	12 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.4%)	32.1	3789^th of 5857 public elementary schools	35.3%		31.5	3807^th of 5869 public elementary schools	35.1%	18	10.3	15.4				12.8	30.8	18.0				24.4	10.3	41.0				25.6	5.1	12.8				9.0	21.8				21.8	28.1	34.1	35.1	44.3				34.8	34.7	24.6	26.0	34.7				30.1						$22,036	$19,616	$2,420
Parkwood Elementary	Public	K-6	1150 E. Pecan Ave.	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 673-2500	635	32	19.9	96.5%	31 (4.9%)	10 (1.6%)	576 (90.7%)	12 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	32.6	3754^th of 5857 public elementary schools	35.9%		28.8	4040^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.2%	286																									27.2				27.2	32.3	28.1	38.0	40.5				34.6	41.9	25.3	20.9	29.1				29.4						$21,651	$19,166	$2,485
Madera Unified Adult Transition Program	Public	12	955 W. Pecan Ave.	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 675-4482	15	2	7.5	60.0%	1 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (93.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Mountain Vista High	Public	10-12	1901 Clinton Ave.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 675-4580	162	13	12.4	96.3%	5 (3.1%)	4 (2.5%)	149 (92.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	12.5	1895^th of 2162 public high schools	12.3%		16.4	1777^th of 2159 public high schools	17.7%	118																											5.4		5.3							21.9	21.9							0.0	0.0						$45,746	$42,040	$3,706
Eastin Arcola Elementary	Public	K-8	29551 Avenue 8	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-8841	225	13	16.7	95.6%	9 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	204 (90.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.3%)	10.5	5604^th of 5857 public elementary schools	4.3%		28	4112^th of 5869 public elementary schools	29.9%	1492																									3.3	8.0			5.5	21.1	25.0	10.0	11.1	31.8	28.0		21.0	31.6	16.7	3.3	5.6	18.2	12.0		13.8						$33,211	$30,770	$2,441
Ripperdan Community Day	Public	7-12	26133 Ave. 7	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-0059	49	7	6.8	98.0%	2 (4.1%)	4 (8.2%)	42 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.0%)								(n/a)																										0.0			0.0						0.0	0.0	0.0						0.0		0.0						$83,400	$67,612	$15,788
Virginia Lee Rose Elementary	Public	K-6	1001 Lilly St.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 662-2662	714	32	22.6	96.8%	6 (0.8%)	8 (1.1%)	685 (95.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.8%)	22.1	4663^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	20.4%		22.6	4618^th of 5869 public elementary schools	21.3%	45																									14.7				14.7	31.7	37.8	26.8	30.9				31.5	26.3	26.4	11.6	19.1				20.4						$21,592	$19,088	$2,504
Matilda Torres High	Public	9-12	16645 Road 26	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 416-5909	2,017	98	20.4	89.9%	95 (4.7%)	14 (0.7%)	1,856 (92.0%)	21 (1.0%)	6 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (1.0%)	46.2	1112^th of 2162 public high schools	48.6%		48.1	1056^th of 2159 public high schools	51.1%	56																											25.3	21.4	25.2							52.5	52.5							16.7	16.7						$25,132	$22,658	$2,474

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Sherman Thomas Charter High District	2.45 mi	1	521^st
Sherman Thomas Charter District	2.55 mi	1	1399^th
Sherman Thomas STEM Academy District	2.66 mi	1	33^rd
Madera County Superintendent of Schools	2.67 mi	5	1511^th
Liberty Charter District	2.7 mi	1	1422^nd

See the top CA California districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.