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Duane E. Furman Independent Study

Public, Alternative Grades K-12

5473^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Alternative Schools

Better than 7% of California alternative schools

Summary

Duane E. Furman Independent Study is a K-12 alternative school serving 348 students in Madera Unified, a district that ranks in the bottom 18th percentile statewide, where over 92% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school serves students through an independent study model and faces significant challenges, particularly with chronic absenteeism, which at 44.4% is more than double the state average, and with academic proficiency rates that are well below district and state levels. However, it has shown important positive trends, improving its graduation rate to 87.5% and cutting its dropout rate by more than half since 2021. The school spends significantly more per student ($23,552) than many similar schools, such as Central Online Home ($7,061) and Freedom Home ($10,684), which both have much higher test scores and far lower absenteeism.

When compared to other local alternative schools, Furman's performance is mixed; its graduation rate is higher than several, like Gould Educational Center (15.4%), but its academic scores and attendance are similar to other struggling alternatives like Central Unified Alternative/Opportunity. The data suggests that while the school is making progress in helping students graduate, improving daily engagement and attendance remains a critical area for further academic improvement.

348

Students ?

19.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,793

Per pupil spending ?

92.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

955 West Pecan Ave.
Madera, CA 93637-6168

(559) 675-4482

District: Madera Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.4%

White:

6.0%

Asian:

2.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Duane E. Furman Independent Study to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2022 → 22nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2022

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (15% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (44% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg25%

California avg41%

Elementary school

5,473^rd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 7 pts since 2022

From bottom 13% (2022) to bottom 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

2,579^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 1 pts since 2022

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

1,686^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	12.4	5473 of 5857	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.8	4863 of 5859	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.5	5112 of 5883	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	24.6	4254 of 5635	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.9	4178 of 5107	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	3930 of 5087	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.6	4389 of 5084	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.7	4947 of 5460	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	5009 of 5363	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.4	4290 of 5264	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	15.2	5196 of 5663	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.3	2579 of 2761	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.1	2431 of 2783	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.6	2511 of 2781	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.3	2522 of 2740	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	29.4	1266 of 1478	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	2381 of 2533	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	2370 of 2551	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.0	2437 of 2531	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	2192 of 2509	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.1	2250 of 2395	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	2014 of 2388	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.9	1949 of 2374	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	2003 of 2359	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.4	2408 of 2542	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	2101 of 2579	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	2182 of 2531	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	2187 of 2458	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.5	2344 of 2534	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.1	1956 of 2552	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.9	1778 of 2538	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	7.7	2501 of 2527	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.4	1686 of 2162	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	1694 of 2159	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	1735 of 2170	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	1492 of 2123	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.7	1672 of 2133	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.2	1690 of 2017	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.1	1615 of 2021	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.3	1423 of 2039	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	19.8	1496 of 1994	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.1	1539 of 2426	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	27.5	1368 of 2354	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	31.1	1282 of 2367	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	33.7	1172 of 2281	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	43.7	914 of 2238	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	31.0	1141 of 2117	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	30.4	1126 of 2063	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	29.3	1113 of 1968	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	23.0	1279 of 1901	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2004	22.0	1190 of 1653	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.0	1530 of 1906	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	1542 of 1915	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	1476 of 1915	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.5	1350 of 1858	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.7	1649 of 1833	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.7	1540 of 1760	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.5	1514 of 1900	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.9	1468 of 1902	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	1522 of 1917	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.6	1230 of 1861	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.2	1418 of 1814	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.2	1498 of 1742	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.8	1555 of 2013	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	1584 of 2026	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	1620 of 2030	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.5	1391 of 1943	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	1481 of 1937	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	1520 of 1862	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.8	1563 of 1942	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.9	1536 of 1948	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	1922 of 1963	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	1387 of 1916	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.8	1448 of 1880	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.2	1553 of 1834	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Female (2022)25th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)18th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)9th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2022)8th percentile-5 vs school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2024)14th percentile~ school

Male (2025)7th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile~ school

Female (2025)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)5th percentile~ school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)23rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)20th percentile~ school

Female (2025)20th percentile~ school

Male (2025)20th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy25%-24 vs state

Science11%-21 vs state

Mathematics8%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Duane E. Furman Independent Study

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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 ()				Ranking ()				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 (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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	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 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 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	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
Gould Educational Center	Public, Alternative	K-12	117 West Dunham	Madera	93637	Madera County	Madera County Superintendent of Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 674-0915	351	45	7.7	72.9%	58 (16.5%)	7 (2.0%)	268 (76.4%)	8 (2.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.0%)								(n/a)					8.3						0.0						0.0	75.9	75.9	75.9	75.9	75.9	75.9	$97,728	$83,700	$14,028
Pioneer Technical Center	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1665 East Olive Ave.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera County Superintendent of Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 664-1600	207	11	18.1	92.8%	24 (11.6%)	3 (1.4%)	177 (85.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)								(n/a)				5.9	5.0					17.9	14.1					0.0	0.0							$36,626	$34,596	$2,030
Madera County Independent Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1635 East Olive Ave.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera County Superintendent of Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 662-4640	61	2	25.4	88.5%	5 (8.2%)	2 (3.3%)	52 (85.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.3%)								(n/a)		0.0			3.0				3.6		16.7				0.0		8.2							$30,108	$27,596	$2,512
Centennial Independent Study	Public, Alternative	1-12	12150 Road 36	Madera	93636	Madera County	Golden Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 645-3580	25	2	12.7	84.0%	11 (44.0%)	2 (8.0%)	10 (40.0%)	1 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.0%)								(n/a)																								$41,684	$40,342	$1,342
Freedom Home	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	16362 Paula Rd.	Madera	93636	Madera County	Golden Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(559) 645-3590	53	2	27.7	37.7%	21 (39.6%)	1 (1.9%)	26 (49.1%)	1 (1.9%)	4 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					21.4						42.9						19.1							$10,203	$9,458	$745
Crescent View South II	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	4348 West Shaw Ave.	Fresno	93722	Fresno County	Crescent View South II District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 389-7270	1,260	45	27.7	89.8%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				23.5	23.5					29.9	29.9					9.4	9.4
Kerman Unified Online	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	14655 West F St.	Kerman	93630	Fresno County	Kerman Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(559) 843-9800	140	3	51.8	93.6%	10 (7.1%)	1 (0.7%)	125 (89.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	2 (1.4%)	1 (0.7%)								(n/a)			6.4		7.4					25.5	22.6					0.0	0.0							$32,308	$31,144	$1,164
Valley Children's Hospital	Public, Alternative	K-12	9300 Valley Children's Pl. Ste	Madera	93636	Madera County	Golden Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 645-3580	3	0	16.6		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Central Unified Alternative/Opportunity	Public, Alternative	K-12	2698 North Brawley	Fresno	93722	Fresno County	Central Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 276-5230	260	10	24.9	75.4%	35 (13.5%)	20 (7.7%)	181 (69.6%)	21 (8.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)								(n/a)			10.2	0.0	8.2					24.1	22.2					3.5	2.5							$33,622	$32,066	$1,556

Frequently Asked Questions about Duane E. Furman Independent Study

What is the racial makeup of Duane E. Furman Independent Study?

Students at Duane E. Furman Independent Study are 87% Hispanic, 6% White, 2% Asian, 2% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What district is Duane E. Furman Independent Study in?

Madera Unified

Is Duane E. Furman Independent Study a good school?

Duane E. Furman Independent Study ranks in the bottom 6.6% of California alternative schools.

How many students attend Duane E. Furman Independent Study?

In the 2024-25 school year, 348 students attended Duane E. Furman Independent Study.

Rate Duane E. Furman Independent Study!

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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.