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Bernard L. Hughes Elementary

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

Bernard L. Hughes Elementary ranks 4324 th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

4324^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 25% of California elementary schools

Summary

Bernard L. Hughes Elementary is a 455-student K–6 school in Modesto, part of the Empire Union Elementary district, with ten nearby schools used for comparison. Its 2025–26 results were below both district and state levels in English language arts (ELA), math, and science. The clearest concern is science, where Hughes had its largest gap from state results.

ELA is Hughes’s strongest subject compared with nearby schools, though it remains below local and state benchmarks: 35% of students were proficient, versus a nearby-school average of 39%, and rates about 3 points higher in the district and 14 points higher statewide. Math proficiency was 22%, compared with a nearby average of 32%; science was 14%, versus 26% nearby. Science was 8 points below the district and 22 below the state, and ranked second-lowest among the eleven schools; only Empire Elementary was lower. Hughes’s overall results therefore sit toward the low end of the local group, especially in science.

Results have moved in different directions: from 2022–23 to 2025–26, ELA rose 4 percentage points, while math fell 6 and science fell 1; science had climbed to 26% in 2024–25 before dropping to 14%. SchoolDigger placed Hughes at the 25th percentile with 1 star in 2025–26, down 14 percentile points from the prior year. Chronic absenteeism improved from 54% in 2021–22 to 20% in 2025–26, still slightly above the state’s 18%. In 2024–25, Hughes had a 26.7 student-teacher ratio, the highest among nearby schools, and 82% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. SchoolDigger’s historical statewide rankings also indicated stronger results for English Language Learner Students than overall in 2022–23 (71st percentile versus 35th) and 2023–24 (66th versus 30th); White Students ranked lower in 2022–23 (8th versus 35th). These group rankings describe how well the school served each group according to SchoolDigger.

455

Students ?

26.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$1,566

Per pupil spending ?

82.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

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: Declining — 50th percentile in 2015 → 25th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (27% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg29%

California avg42%

4,324^th of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 25%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Elementary Schools in the Empire Union Elementary

765^th of 968Empire 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
2026	25.6	4324 of 5804	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	29.2	3933 of 5569	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	31.4	3611 of 5085	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	29.0	4006 of 5412	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	23.6	4394 of 5590	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
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

Female (2026)29th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)29th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)26th percentile~ school

Male (2026)21st percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2019)16th percentile-15 vs school

White (2023)8th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy35%-14 vs state

Mathematics22%-16 vs state

Science14%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bernard L. Hughes Elementary

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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%)	25.6	4324^th of 5804 public elementary schools	25.5%		35.1	3572^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	39.0%	752	14.1	14.1	35.4	34.4	31.3	40.6	35.4	33.9	17.2	9.5	28.1	22.3	94.9	95.9	96.9	95.9	95.9	96.9	$1,566	$320	$1,246
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%)	27.6	4172^nd of 5804 public elementary schools	28.1%		20.3	4803^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	18.0%	631	30.4	30.4	18.6	46.0	39.3	19.1	30.2	22.9	42.2	25.0	7.8	24.4	94.5			97.3	95.9		$1,667	$400	$1,267
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%)	20.6	4748^th of 5804 public elementary schools	18.2%		26.4	4289^th of 5857 public elementary schools	26.8%	459	17.5	17.5	31.3	25.8	30.2	34.6	30.3	33.3	11.3	9.5	25.5	18.9	94.8	96.1		96.1	94.8	96.1	$1,643	$418	$1,225
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%)	71.3	1513^th of 5804 public elementary schools	73.9%		80.7	1130^th of 5857 public elementary schools	80.7%	383	42.9	42.9	59.5	56.5	58.7	63.2	59.4	54.8	48.4	44.4	50.9	49.1							$26,031	$24,380	$1,651
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%)	44.6	2936^th of 5804 public elementary schools	49.4%		41.4	3125^th of 5857 public elementary schools	46.6%	189	31.8	31.8	40.3	40.6	49.2	50.0	45.0	46.3	29.7	23.8	34.4	33.7	94.3	95.7		94.3	95.7	94.3	$1,648	$388	$1,260
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%)	34.2	3641^st of 5804 public elementary schools	37.3%		24.7	4435^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.3%	794	19.6	19.6	38.0	38.5	48.3	46.8	42.6	35.2	21.0	15.8	27.9	25.5	90.2	95.1		95.1	91.5	95.1	$29,535	$27,580	$1,955
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%)	62.8	1936^th of 5804 public elementary schools	66.6%		63	1921^st of 5857 public elementary schools	67.2%	15	35.6	35.6	60.0	51.5	45.8	55.7	53.5	60.0	48.5	36.7	39.3	46.7	78.5	93.9	96.9	95.4	95.4	95.4	$29,321	$27,590	$1,731
Empire Elementary	Public	K-6	5201 First St	Empire	95319	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%)	15.4	5181^st of 5804 public elementary schools	10.7%		16.8	5121^st of 5857 public elementary schools	12.6%	60	12.7	12.7	21.7	31.7	18.2	27.6	25.1	21.7	16.7	9.1	19.0	16.4							$1,649	$398	$1,251
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%)	50.3	2591^st of 5804 public elementary schools	55.4%		53.3	2402^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	59.0%	189	29.4	29.4	37.8	43.2	47.5		42.9	53.2	45.1	38.7		45.5							$19,205	$18,824	$381
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%)	25.7	4315^th of 5804 public elementary schools	25.7%		41.1	3148^th of 5857 public elementary schools	46.3%	1167	24.2	24.2	25.8	29.1	24.5		26.3	37.0	27.9	27.4		30.8	94.7	96.5	97.4	98.3	95.6		$20,842	$19,916	$926

Frequently Asked Questions about Bernard L. Hughes Elementary

Is Bernard L. Hughes Elementary a good school?

Bernard L. Hughes Elementary ranks 4324^th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

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.

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

How many students attend Bernard L. Hughes Elementary?

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

What district is Bernard L. Hughes Elementary in?

Empire Union Elementary

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Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

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.