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Bernard L. Hughes Elementary

Q: Is Bernard L. Hughes Elementary a good school?

Bernard L. Hughes Elementary ranks 3572 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

3572^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 39% of California elementary schools

Summary

Bernard L. Hughes Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 455 students in Modesto, California, and stands out as a school on a strong upward trajectory within its Empire Union Elementary district.

The school has shown remarkable improvement, climbing from the 12th to the 39th percentile statewide in just three years, while other district schools like Empire Elementary and Capistrano Elementary have declined. Hughes is now the top performer in its district for math and science, and it has made exceptional progress in reducing chronic student absences, nearly matching the state average. The school is particularly effective at supporting English Language Learners, who perform far above the school's overall average.

While Hughes excels within its own district, nearby schools in other districts with similar student populations, such as Sonoma Elementary and Freedom Elementary, achieve higher overall rankings, highlighting the impact of different district environments. Despite receiving similar funding to its peers, Bernard L. Hughes Elementary demonstrates that focused school-level practices can lead to significant positive change for students.

455

Students ?

26.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,383

Per pupil spending ?

82.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

512 North McClure Rd.
Modesto, CA 95357-1542

(209) 527-1330

District: Empire Union Elementary

Students who attend Bernard L. Hughes Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Norman N. Glick Middle
High:	Peter Johansen High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.5%

White:

12.7%

Asian:

10.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Bernard L. Hughes Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 12th percentile in 2022 → 39th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 39th (2025) from a 12th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (33% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 12 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg29%

California avg41%

3,572^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From top 50% (2015) to bottom 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Elementary Schools in the Empire Union Elementary

1163^rd of 1,543Empire Union Elementary among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.1	3572 of 5857	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.8	4129 of 5869	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.8	3809 of 5859	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.0	5163 of 5883	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.1	4002 of 5789	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.4	3441 of 5662	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.3	3973 of 5692	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	31.6	3639 of 5614	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	44.1	2789 of 5611	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	46.9	2868 of 5530	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	43.4	3048 of 5390	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	42.9	3031 of 5377	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.6	2812 of 5314	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	61.5	1846 of 5193	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	48.4	2474 of 5113	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	53.2	2150 of 5113	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	49.7	2209 of 4818	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	50.6	2170 of 4822	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	60.1	1708 of 4809	64.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	23.0	2180 of 2585	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.5	786 of 2128	63.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	52.2	1066 of 3162	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.8	956 of 3245	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	25.1	2934 of 3311	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.2	1341 of 3275	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.2	1492 of 3246	54.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	3721 of 5597	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.8	3587 of 5612	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.5	4083 of 5609	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.9	5012 of 5635	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.8	3608 of 5492	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.6	3436 of 5413	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.4	2762 of 5107	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	2879 of 5107	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.1	2823 of 5087	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.2	4426 of 5084	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.5	2718 of 4963	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.3	2532 of 4830	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.9	3017 of 5460	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.0	3460 of 5517	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.4	3117 of 5363	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.4	4545 of 5264	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.4	3075 of 5173	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.9	2556 of 5084	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.5	3235 of 5628	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.7	4300 of 5643	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.1	3250 of 5638	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	18.9	4811 of 5663	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	4034 of 5510	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.2	3268 of 5431	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	10.8	2454 of 2661	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.4	2610 of 2726	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.4	2619 of 2834	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	28.3	2122 of 2737	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2024)66th percentile+37 vs school

Hispanic (2025)46th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)45th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)43rd percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)34th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2019)16th percentile-15 vs school

White (2023)8th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy37%-12 vs state

Mathematics30%-8 vs state

Science26%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bernard L. Hughes Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	CAST Science 5th 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 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 All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bernard L. Hughes Elementary	Public	K-6	512 North McClure Rd.	Modesto	95357	Stanislaus County	Empire Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 527-1330	455	17	26.7	82.4%	58 (12.7%)	22 (4.8%)	289 (63.5%)	46 (10.1%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (5.3%)	14 (3.1%)	35.1	3572^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	39.0%		27.8	4129^th of 5869 public elementary schools	29.6%	557	26.2	26.2	34.3	28.8	42.9	43.1	37.1	42.3	16.7	33.9	24.6	29.6	94.9	95.9	96.9	95.9	95.9	96.9	$17,383	$2,744	$14,639
Capistrano Elementary	Public	K-6	400 Capistrano Dr.	Modesto	95354	Stanislaus County	Empire Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 521-8664	469	18	26.0	89.8%	45 (9.6%)	22 (4.7%)	358 (76.3%)	20 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (4.9%)	20.3	4803^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	18.0%		24.7	4397^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.1%	406	12.5	12.5	21.7	26.7	26.6	36.4	27.8	20.3	33.3	10.9	21.2	21.2	94.5			97.3	95.9		$17,406	$2,832	$14,574
Alice N. Stroud Elementary	Public	K-6	815 Frazine Rd.	Modesto	95357	Stanislaus County	Empire Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 491-0754	379	16	23.6	81.3%	71 (18.7%)	7 (1.8%)	275 (72.6%)	13 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	10 (2.6%)	26.4	4289^th of 5857 public elementary schools	26.8%		21.8	4696^th of 5869 public elementary schools	20.0%	407	13.7	13.7	34.8	23.8	21.6	37.3	29.2	50.0	26.6	8.0	27.1	27.4	94.8	96.1		96.1	94.8	96.1	$17,385	$2,779	$14,606
Lakewood Elementary	Public	K-6	2920 Middleboro Pl.	Modesto	95355	Stanislaus County	Modesto City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 574-8152	395	18	22.2	42.5%	129 (32.7%)	9 (2.3%)	183 (46.3%)	22 (5.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	50 (12.7%)	80.7	1130^th of 5857 public elementary schools	80.7%		80.6	1130^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.7%		52.4	52.4	61.9	62.7	61.9	74.0	64.6	54.7	53.7	55.6	67.4	57.2							$20,897	$3,284	$17,613
Christine Sipherd Elementary	Public	K-6	3420 East Orangeburg Ave.	Modesto	95355	Stanislaus County	Empire Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 524-4844	505	21	24.0	82.4%	122 (24.2%)	31 (6.1%)	291 (57.6%)	32 (6.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	26 (5.1%)	41.4	3125^th of 5857 public elementary schools	46.6%		33.8	3616^th of 5869 public elementary schools	38.4%	491	19.1	19.1	57.8	31.3	32.3	41.9	41.2	59.7	25.4	19.1	34.9	35.5	94.3	95.7		94.3	95.7	94.3	$17,294	$2,740	$14,554
El Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	450 El Vista Ave.	Modesto	95354	Stanislaus County	Modesto City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 574-1972	447	22	20.6	86.6%	57 (12.8%)	13 (2.9%)	340 (76.1%)	9 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.3%)	24.7	4435^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.3%		40.4	3158^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.2%	1277	17.9	17.9	28.6	26.3	49.3	31.7	34.4	19.1	19.0	22.4	18.3	19.8	90.2	95.1		95.1	91.5	95.1	$23,799	$3,572	$20,227
Sonoma Elementary	Public	K-6	1325 Sonoma Ave.	Modesto	95355	Stanislaus County	Modesto City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 574-8432	536	25	21.1	57.8%	136 (25.4%)	8 (1.5%)	291 (54.3%)	45 (8.4%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	51 (9.5%)	63	1921^st of 5857 public elementary schools	67.2%		67.2	1720^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.7%	201	29.2	29.2	63.6	42.4	59.4	66.7	57.6	55.4	36.4	40.6	46.3	44.6	78.5	93.9	96.9	95.4	95.4	95.4	$21,966	$3,349	$18,617
Empire Elementary	Public	K-6	5201 First St	Empire	95351	Stanislaus County	Empire Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 521-2970	384	16	24.0	89.6%	42 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	325 (84.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (3.6%)	16.8	5121^st of 5857 public elementary schools	12.6%		10.7	5646^th of 5869 public elementary schools	3.8%	525	13.8	13.8	30.0	22.5	16.1	31.3	25.2	27.5	14.3	7.0	18.2	16.6							$17,414	$2,825	$14,589
Freedom Elementary	Public	K-5	2101 Fine Ave.	Modesto	95355	Stanislaus County	Sylvan Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 552-3400	713	29	25.0	50.2%	172 (24.1%)	13 (1.8%)	290 (40.7%)	141 (19.8%)	1 (0.1%)	19 (2.7%)	77 (10.8%)	53.3	2402^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	59.0%		51.9	2454^th of 5869 public elementary schools	58.2%	52	29.0	29.0	50.9	46.9	48.4		48.7	46.7	46.0	34.7		42.2							$13,438	$849	$12,589
Orchard Elementary	Public	K-5	1800 Wisdom Way	Modesto	95355	Stanislaus County	Sylvan Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 552-3100	579	28	20.6	70.1%	120 (20.7%)	32 (5.5%)	324 (56.0%)	39 (6.7%)	3 (0.5%)	9 (1.6%)	52 (9.0%)	41.1	3148^th of 5857 public elementary schools	46.3%		32.1	3776^th of 5869 public elementary schools	35.7%	628	28.4	28.4	40.3	31.9	40.9		37.5	51.3	30.9	34.1		38.1	94.7	96.5	97.4	98.3	95.6		$13,957	$863	$13,094

Frequently Asked Questions about Bernard L. Hughes Elementary

What schools do graduates of Bernard L. Hughes Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bernard L. Hughes Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Norman N. Glick Middle
High : Peter Johansen High

What district is Bernard L. Hughes Elementary in?

Empire Union Elementary

Is Bernard L. Hughes Elementary a good school?

Bernard L. Hughes Elementary ranks 3572^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Bernard L. Hughes Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 455 students attended Bernard L. Hughes Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Bernard L. Hughes Elementary?

Students at Bernard L. Hughes Elementary are 64% Hispanic, 13% White, 10% Asian, 5% Pacific Islander, 5% African American, 3% Two or more races.

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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.