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Madera South High

Q: Is Madera South High a good school?

Madera South High ranks 1427 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1427^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 34% of California high schools

Summary

Madera South High is a large public high school serving approximately 1,859 students in grades 9-12 within the Madera Unified School District in Madera, CA, an area where the vast majority of students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The school presents a complex picture: it excels at graduating its students, with a 95.2% graduation rate that outpaces both the district and state, but struggles significantly with academic proficiency, especially in math where only about 9% of students meet state standards. This rate is notably lower than at other comprehensive high schools in the district like Madera High and Matilda Torres High. Chronic absenteeism, affecting nearly 30% of students, is a shared challenge with Matilda Torres and is higher than at Madera High, indicating it may be a broader community issue.

Compared to nearby schools, Madera South spends more per student than some peers but has lower academic rankings. While it consistently supports students to graduation day, the gap between that success and mastery of core subjects, particularly math, is the school's most pressing challenge. The school's performance has trended downward over the past decade in statewide rankings, even as graduation rates have improved, highlighting a need for targeted instructional strategies.

1,859

Students ?

20.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,433

Per pupil spending ?

95.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

755 W. Pecan Ave.
Madera, CA 93637

(559) 675-4450

District: Madera Unified

Feeder schools for Madera South High:

Elementary:	Alpha Elementary
	Berenda Elementary
	Cesar Chavez Elementary
	James Monroe Elementary
	More...
	John J. Pershing Elementary
	La Vina Elementary
	Millview Elementary
	Nishimoto Elementary
	Parkwood Elementary
	Sierra Vista Elementary
Middle:	Jack G. Desmond Middle
	Martin Luther King Junior Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

94.1%

African American:

2.2%

White:

1.8%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Madera South High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 29th percentile in 2022 → 34th in 2025

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 34th (2025) from a 29th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (24% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 19% California)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg25%

California avg41%

1,427^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4High 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.9	1427 of 2162	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.9	1269 of 2159	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.7	1353 of 2170	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.5	1501 of 2123	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.7	1240 of 2133	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.5	1245 of 2017	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.1	1311 of 2021	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.5	1270 of 2039	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	33.3	1298 of 1994	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.1	1208 of 2426	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	36.1	1153 of 2354	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	34.7	1186 of 2367	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	32.3	1216 of 2281	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	40.2	1014 of 2238	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	42.2	861 of 2117	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	43.3	796 of 2063	61.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.9	312 of 523	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.3	321 of 592	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	15.6	498 of 582	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	21.5	1065 of 1161	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.7	701 of 1117	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.6	801 of 1052	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	34.9	715 of 1085	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.2	627 of 1064	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	771 of 1044	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.3	623 of 941	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.1	467 of 938	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.3	1267 of 1906	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	1219 of 1915	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.2	1152 of 1915	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.7	1344 of 1858	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.6	1138 of 1833	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.0	1167 of 1760	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.2	1225 of 1900	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.4	1018 of 1902	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.9	1155 of 1917	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	1267 of 1861	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.8	958 of 1814	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.3	1003 of 1742	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.5	1315 of 2013	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.3	1090 of 2026	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.0	1170 of 2030	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.0	1334 of 1943	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.2	1025 of 1937	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.0	1099 of 1862	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.5	1375 of 1942	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.2	1151 of 1948	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.4	1433 of 1963	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.0	1442 of 1916	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.2	1156 of 1880	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.6	1189 of 1834	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.1	49 of 85	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.5	46 of 85	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.5	49 of 74	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.7	909 of 1252	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	1018 of 1216	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.4	636 of 1197	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	44.9	671 of 1193	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.4	1022 of 1204	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.9	681 of 1222	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.6	914 of 1173	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

White (2023)44th percentile+6 vs school

Migrant (2025)42nd percentile+8 vs school

African American (2025)40th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)36th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)35th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)34th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2025)34th percentile~ school

Male (2025)29th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)27th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2022)8th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy45%-4 vs state

Science18%-15 vs state

Mathematics9%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Madera South High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores 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)			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 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	$22,433	$3,826	$18,607
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)											$57,520	$2,739	$54,781
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	$20,881	$3,706	$17,175
Juvenile Hall (Endeavor/Voyager Secondary)	Public	7-12	28261 Avenue 14	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera County Superintendent of Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 675-7900	29	4	6.8	89.7%	3 (10.3%)	2 (6.9%)	22 (75.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.4%)	8.4	2099^th of 2162 public high schools	2.9%					(n/a)						8.3	5.9		0.0	0.0	$62,184	$21,404	$40,780
Enterprise Secondary	Public	6-12	1665 East Olive Ave.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Madera County Superintendent of Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 662-4856	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	$29,571	$5,768	$23,803
Sherman Thomas Charter High	Public, Charter	9-12	26303 Adell St.	Madera	93638	Madera County	Sherman Thomas Charter High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 675-6626	69	5	14.1	62.3%	15 (21.7%)	2 (2.9%)	50 (72.5%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	60	823^rd of 2162 public high schools	61.9%		53.9	908^th of 2159 public high schools	57.9%	85		28.6		28.6		66.7	66.7		23.8	23.8	$13,725	$17	$13,708
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	$19,810	$3,723	$16,087
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	$50,707	$10,558	$40,149
Independence Continuation High	Public	9-12	12150 Road 36	Madera	93636	Madera County	Golden Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 645-3580	45	4	11.7	88.9%	10 (22.2%)	1 (2.2%)	31 (68.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25.4	1584^th of 2162 public high schools	26.7%		11.3	1987^th of 2159 public high schools	8.0%	403		19.1		19.1		33.3	33.3		4.8	4.8	$11,944	$1,007	$10,937

Frequently Asked Questions about Madera South High

What district is Madera South High in?

Madera Unified

How many students attend Madera South High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,859 students attended Madera South High.

Is Madera South High a good school?

Madera South High ranks 1427^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Madera South High?

Students at Madera South High are 94% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% White, 1% Asian.

What schools feed into Madera South High?

Madera South High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Alpha Elementary
Elementary : Berenda Elementary
Elementary : Cesar Chavez Elementary
Elementary : James Monroe Elementary
Elementary : John J. Pershing Elementary
Elementary : La Vina Elementary
Elementary : Millview Elementary
Elementary : Nishimoto Elementary
Elementary : Parkwood Elementary
Elementary : Sierra Vista Elementary
Middle : Jack G. Desmond Middle
Middle : Martin Luther King Junior Middle

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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.