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Howard Elementary

Q: Is Howard Elementary a good school?

Howard Elementary ranks 3611 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

3611^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of California elementary schools

Summary

Howard Elementary is a K-8 public school serving 487 students in the Madera Unified district, operating in a high-need community where it has shown steady academic improvement in recent years.

The school stands out for its strong mathematics program, where 31.2% of students are proficient—the highest rate among nearby schools and well above the district average of 19.99%. It also maintains a lower rate of chronic absenteeism (17.8%) than most district schools and has shown remarkable recovery since the pandemic. Compared to schools like La Vina Elementary and Nishimoto Elementary, Howard demonstrates a more consistent and positive academic trajectory.

While the school's overall state ranking is in the 38th percentile, it performs particularly well with its student population, ranking in the 55th percentile for Hispanic students and the 44th percentile for low-income students. It achieves these outcomes with mid-range per-student spending, suggesting effective use of resources. Areas for continued growth include science proficiency and supporting middle school math performance, but Howard Elementary represents a case of reliable improvement within the district.

487

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,368

Per pupil spending ?

78.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13878 Road 21 1/2
Madera, CA 93637-9212

(559) 674-8568

District: Madera Unified

Students who attend Howard Elementary usually attend:

High:

Madera High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

85.8%

White:

8.6%

Two or more races:

4.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Howard Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 26th percentile in 2013 → 38th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2013

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Madera Unified

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (32% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Science scores 11 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg25%

California avg41%

Elementary school

3,611^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▲ up 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 22% (2015) to bottom 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,314^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 48%▲ up 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to top 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 18Elementary Schools in the Madera Unified

1269^th of 1,543Madera Unified 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.7	3611 of 5857	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.2	3664 of 5869	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.2	4044 of 5859	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.5	4606 of 5883	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.9	3866 of 5789	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.3	3725 of 5662	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	32.0	3681 of 5692	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	22.6	4382 of 5614	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.3	4392 of 5611	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.5	4091 of 5530	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	35.6	3555 of 5390	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.1	2529 of 5377	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	50.1	2563 of 5314	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	56.8	2085 of 5193	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	52.6	2238 of 5113	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	45.9	2564 of 5113	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	46.4	2362 of 4818	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	42.0	2604 of 4822	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	33.3	3043 of 4809	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	39.4	1861 of 3245	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.0	2000 of 3246	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.2	3282 of 5597	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.7	3910 of 5612	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.9	4058 of 5609	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	4260 of 5635	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.0	3751 of 5492	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.1	3475 of 5413	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.1	2282 of 5107	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.5	2804 of 5107	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.0	3303 of 5087	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.8	3886 of 5084	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.2	3010 of 4963	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	3026 of 4830	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.6	3043 of 5460	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.7	3556 of 5517	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.3	3944 of 5363	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.4	4294 of 5264	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.9	3049 of 5173	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.4	3213 of 5084	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.3	3604 of 5628	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	3208 of 5643	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.4	3741 of 5638	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.0	4510 of 5663	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.9	3723 of 5510	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.3	3675 of 5431	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	38.5	1899 of 2834	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.3	1948 of 2737	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.4	1314 of 2761	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.6	1607 of 2783	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.3	2019 of 2781	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.0	1770 of 2740	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	1585 of 2715	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.3	1598 of 2480	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	29.5	1685 of 2508	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	22.5	1923 of 2497	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.1	1603 of 2477	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	50.5	1134 of 2379	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	51.0	1072 of 2259	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.3	980 of 2236	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.6	999 of 2179	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	43.8	1113 of 2063	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	52.6	869 of 2005	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	41.8	1077 of 1999	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	51.2	789 of 1804	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	45.5	885 of 1777	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	36.0	1059 of 1769	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.9	1349 of 2533	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.9	1581 of 2551	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.4	2023 of 2531	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.7	1415 of 2509	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.9	1293 of 2380	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.2	1397 of 2262	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.0	894 of 2395	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.9	1201 of 2388	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	1603 of 2374	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.0	1457 of 2359	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.5	1107 of 2213	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.8	1216 of 2072	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.8	1019 of 2542	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.4	1253 of 2579	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.5	1814 of 2531	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.4	1600 of 2458	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.0	1216 of 2369	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.9	1388 of 2230	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.3	1134 of 2534	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.6	1456 of 2552	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	1629 of 2538	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.6	1909 of 2527	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.0	1524 of 2407	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.9	1531 of 2273	32.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Hispanic (2025)55th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)43rd percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)41st percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)36th percentile~ school

White (2019)33rd percentile~ school

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)63rd percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)60th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)55th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)47th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy38%-11 vs state

Mathematics31%-6 vs state

Science21%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Howard Elementary

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 (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	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 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 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 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
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						$19,368	$3,236	$16,132
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					$18,454	$3,357	$15,097
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						$18,330	$3,183	$15,147
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	$19,033	$3,171	$15,862
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						$19,146	$3,128	$16,018
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						$20,700	$3,412	$17,288
Sherman Thomas Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	101 West Adell St.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Sherman Thomas Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-1192	233	10	23.3	65.2%	51 (21.9%)	1 (0.4%)	179 (76.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	24.6	4448^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.1%		21.5	4725^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.5%	277																									25.9	11.1	18.5	35.0	20.8	33.3	20.0	19.2	30.8	26.6	30.0	33.3	14.8	20.0	3.9	7.4	17.4	91.3					$15,663	$1,443	$14,220
Liberty Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	26247 Ellis St.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Liberty Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 675-2070	704	29	24.2	91.1%	15 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	681 (96.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	17.7	5032^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	14.1%		15.1	5297^th of 5869 public elementary schools	9.7%	265																									13.3	14.1	13.7	31.9	29.5	18.1	15.7	35.1	32.1	26.7	34.7	25.6	12.1	9.6	18.9	13.0	18.6						$28,277	$2,672	$25,605
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						$18,624	$3,371	$15,253
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					$24,453	$3,583	$20,870

Frequently Asked Questions about Howard Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Howard Elementary?

Students at Howard Elementary are 86% Hispanic, 9% White, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Howard Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 487 students attended Howard Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Howard Elementary attend?

Students who attend Howard Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Madera High

What district is Howard Elementary in?

Madera Unified

Is Howard Elementary a good school?

Howard Elementary ranks 3611^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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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.