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Joshua Cowell Elementary

Public Grades K-8

5395^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of California elementary schools

Summary

Joshua Cowell Elementary is a K-8 school serving 702 students in the Manteca Unified School District, but it faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the bottom 8% of all California elementary schools with a 0-star rating.

The school's test scores are notably lower than both the district average and nearby schools; for example, only 23.5% of students are proficient in English and 17.1% in math, compared to 47% and 39.3% at the higher-performing Veritas Elementary. This performance gap exists even when comparing to schools with similar student demographics, suggesting challenges beyond poverty rates. The school has also seen a steady, eight-year decline in its statewide ranking, and while chronic absenteeism has improved, it remains higher than the state average.

Despite these struggles, Joshua Cowell has a more favorable student-teacher ratio than many peers and receives more funding per student than schools like Neil Hafley Elementary, indicating resources may not be the primary issue. Performance varies widely by grade, with middle schoolers doing better in English than younger students, but math scores dropping sharply by 5th grade. This, along with the broader struggles of the Manteca Unified district, points to potential needs for curriculum review and targeted instructional support.

702

Students ?

22.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,968

Per pupil spending ?

66.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

740 Pestana Ave.
Manteca, CA 95336-0032

(209) 858-7310

District: Manteca Unified

Students who attend Joshua Cowell Elementary usually attend:

High:

Manteca High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

53.4%

Asian:

18.5%

White:

17.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Joshua Cowell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2013 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (19% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg28%

California avg41%

Elementary school

5,395^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 23 pts since 2015

From bottom 30% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

2,227^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 23 pts since 2015

From bottom 42% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 20Elementary Schools in the Manteca Unified

1207^th of 1,543Manteca 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	13.3	5395 of 5857	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.1	5472 of 5869	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	5066 of 5859	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.8	4362 of 5883	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.1	4004 of 5789	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.2	3732 of 5662	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.0	3437 of 5692	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	29.1	3845 of 5614	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	27.4	3905 of 5611	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	27.6	4233 of 5530	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	20.9	4589 of 5390	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.0	4189 of 5377	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	25.7	4171 of 5314	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	40.8	3012 of 5193	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	23.1	4106 of 5113	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	25.2	3928 of 5113	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	28.6	3411 of 4818	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	34.8	3020 of 4822	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	33.9	3008 of 4809	37.5%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	3.8	1150 of 1203	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.9	1154 of 1205	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	1114 of 1190	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.5	1118 of 1154	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	24.7	2085 of 2585	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	59.4	597 of 2128	71.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	20.7	3049 of 3162	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	3001 of 3245	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	40.1	1799 of 3311	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.8	1998 of 3275	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.1	1499 of 3246	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.7	5268 of 5597	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	5090 of 5612	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	4732 of 5609	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	4149 of 5635	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.0	3750 of 5492	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.1	3476 of 5413	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.4	4840 of 5107	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.7	4895 of 5107	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	4599 of 5087	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	4224 of 5084	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.5	3060 of 4963	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.0	3077 of 4830	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.4	4908 of 5460	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.2	5135 of 5517	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	4845 of 5363	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	4355 of 5264	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.6	3385 of 5173	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.1	3306 of 5084	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	15.1	5119 of 5628	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	5368 of 5643	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.3	4964 of 5638	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.8	4258 of 5663	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	3914 of 5510	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.4	3830 of 5431	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.9	2327 of 2847	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	2570 of 2635	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.9	2421 of 2598	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.4	2545 of 2651	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.5	2570 of 2661	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	2257 of 2726	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	2429 of 2834	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.3	2274 of 2737	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.9	2227 of 2761	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	2095 of 2783	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.1	1836 of 2781	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.6	1629 of 2740	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.9	1180 of 2715	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.2	1060 of 2480	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	46.8	1192 of 2508	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	28.6	1699 of 2497	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.1	1438 of 2477	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.5	1404 of 2379	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	28.0	1703 of 2259	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	31.9	1588 of 2236	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	32.4	1506 of 2179	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.1	1083 of 2063	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.5	1050 of 2005	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	51.7	867 of 1999	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	39.3	1027 of 1804	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	51.1	785 of 1777	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	41.2	956 of 1769	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	3.1	708 of 739	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	649 of 743	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	6.3	659 of 715	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	33.1	955 of 1531	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.4	330 of 1491	77.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	64.8	249 of 1442	82.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.9	2165 of 2533	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.0	1903 of 2551	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	1601 of 2531	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.1	1463 of 2509	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.2	1180 of 2380	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.4	991 of 2262	56.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.1	1970 of 2395	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	1957 of 2388	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.8	1276 of 2374	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.4	1307 of 2359	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.7	867 of 2213	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.2	637 of 2072	69.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.3	1945 of 2542	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.1	1728 of 2579	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.6	1642 of 2531	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.9	1440 of 2458	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.1	900 of 2369	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.4	662 of 2230	70.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.6	1973 of 2534	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	2012 of 2552	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	1798 of 2538	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.3	1528 of 2527	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.6	1014 of 2407	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.9	1020 of 2273	55.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	6.9	1447 of 1520	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.6	1321 of 1543	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.6	1169 of 1602	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.4	1096 of 1496	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Disabled (2019)19th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2025)18th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)10th percentile~ school

Male (2025)9th percentile~ school

White (2025)7th percentile~ school

Female (2025)6th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)5th percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2025)4th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)4th percentile-3 vs school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2019)83rd percentile+26 vs school

Disabled (2022)38th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)23rd percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)22nd percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)18th percentile~ school

Female (2025)15th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)5th percentile-15 vs school

Asian (2025)4th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy23%-25 vs state

Mathematics17%-20 vs state

Science11%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Joshua Cowell 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 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	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Joshua Cowell Elementary	Public	K-8	740 Pestana Ave.	Manteca	95336	San Joaquin County	Manteca Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 858-7310	702	31	22.2	66.2%	120 (17.1%)	23 (3.3%)	375 (53.4%)	130 (18.5%)	2 (0.3%)	19 (2.7%)	33 (4.7%)	13.3	5395^th of 5857 public elementary schools	7.9%		13.1	5472^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	6.8%	77	7.2	15.6	10.9	20.2	16.7	19.3	17.8	36.8	34.4	23.5	33.3	16.7	8.4	16.4	13.2	12.3	17.1	95.0				96.0		$15,968	$3,016	$12,952
Shasta Elementary	Public	K-8	751 East Edison St.	Manteca	95336	San Joaquin County	Manteca Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 858-7400	726	29	24.8	78.9%	123 (16.9%)	18 (2.5%)	517 (71.2%)	35 (4.8%)	3 (0.4%)	6 (0.8%)	24 (3.3%)	17.5	5055^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.7%		20.4	4818^th of 5869 public elementary schools	17.9%	237	24.4	28.6	26.7	7.6	24.4	32.9	29.1	43.2	38.4	28.9	17.4	15.2	20.0	14.8	19.7	18.0	17.5	95.8	95.8			95.8		$14,642	$1,934	$12,708
Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-8	750 East Yosemite Ave.	Manteca	95336	San Joaquin County	Manteca Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 858-7320	736	32	23.2	77.4%	68 (9.2%)	42 (5.7%)	495 (67.3%)	96 (13.0%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.8%)	28 (3.8%)	8.9	5690^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.9%		10.1	5683^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	3.2%	7	6.5	5.7	6.1	14.5	21.3	19.4	9.9	22.2	20.8	18.0	10.3	20.3	4.8	5.3	6.1	5.6	8.9	97.1	97.1	97.1		97.1		$15,378	$2,054	$13,324
New Haven Elementary	Public	K-8	14600 South Austin Rd.	Manteca	95336	San Joaquin County	Manteca Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 858-7360	514	22	23.4	61.7%	134 (26.1%)	9 (1.8%)	273 (53.1%)	75 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.5%)	29.5	3996^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.8%		29.8	3948^th of 5869 public elementary schools	32.7%	48	30.8	25.5	28.2	36.2	25.4	46.2	31.2	41.4	49.0	37.7	26.1	20.3	30.2	21.0	17.1	38.5	24.9							$15,131	$1,914	$13,217
Golden West Elementary	Public	K-8	1031 North Main St.	Manteca	95336	San Joaquin County	Manteca Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 858-7300	591	26	22.4	71.2%	100 (16.9%)	14 (2.4%)	415 (70.2%)	40 (6.8%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	15 (2.5%)	10.7	5592^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	4.5%		17.7	5057^th of 5869 public elementary schools	13.8%	535	12.9	4.4	8.5	10.3	4.3	21.0	27.0	17.0	19.1	16.2	8.6	9.9	12.9	17.2	9.4	13.2	11.9							$16,522	$2,465	$14,057
Yosemite School Community Day (K-6)	Public	K-6	737 West Yosemite Ave.	Manteca	95337	San Joaquin County	Manteca Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 239-6282	5	2	2.5		3 (60.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																								$77,644	$4,204	$73,440
Sequoia Elementary	Public	K-8	710 Martha St.	Manteca	95337	San Joaquin County	Manteca Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 858-7440	814	27	29.6	77.5%	85 (10.4%)	26 (3.2%)	628 (77.1%)	51 (6.3%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.7%)	16 (2.0%)	15.3	5240^th of 5857 public elementary schools	10.5%		13.2	5456^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.0%	216	10.5	12.4	11.5	26.7	19.0	33.3	17.0	20.4	33.3	24.8	30.0	14.7	12.8	10.9	6.1	14.4	14.6							$14,250	$1,837	$12,413
Neil Hafley Elementary	Public	K-8	849 Northgate Ave.	Manteca	95336	San Joaquin County	Manteca Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 858-7215	799	31	25.9	61.5%	156 (19.5%)	30 (3.8%)	495 (62.0%)	85 (10.6%)	4 (0.5%)	6 (0.8%)	23 (2.9%)	16	5181^st of 5857 public elementary schools	11.5%		15.8	5227^th of 5869 public elementary schools	10.9%	46	16.7	11.2	13.7	20.7	22.6	27.0	27.3	34.0	37.7	28.8	28.1	18.1	12.6	9.2	15.5	13.2	15.9	96.3			96.3			$14,148	$2,277	$11,871
Walter Woodward Elementary	Public	K-8	575 Tannehill Dr.	Manteca	95337	San Joaquin County	Manteca Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 858-7430	1,056	43	24.7	58.4%	185 (17.5%)	66 (6.3%)	444 (42.0%)	281 (26.6%)	3 (0.3%)	17 (1.6%)	60 (5.7%)	33	3725^th of 5857 public elementary schools	36.4%		33.7	3625^th of 5869 public elementary schools	38.2%	100	23.6	17.0	20.2	23.4	35.3	39.8	42.6	46.4	54.1	40.5	20.5	43.1	25.2	30.4	26.1	27.4	28.4	93.0	96.9	98.5	95.4	96.1	96.9	$14,693	$2,115	$12,578
Veritas Elementary	Public	K-8	1600 Pagola St.	Manteca	95337	San Joaquin County	Manteca Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 858-7390	1,266	48	26.4	61.2%	136 (10.7%)	55 (4.3%)	422 (33.3%)	590 (46.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (0.8%)	53 (4.2%)	54.7	2329^th of 5857 public elementary schools	60.2%		51.3	2493^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	57.5%	164	39.0	24.8	32.0	44.2	44.4	55.6	29.4	46.0	58.3	47.0	53.9	43.4	45.6	29.4	34.1	27.1	39.3							$14,103	$1,911	$12,192

Frequently Asked Questions about Joshua Cowell Elementary

What schools do graduates of Joshua Cowell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Joshua Cowell Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Manteca High

How many students attend Joshua Cowell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 702 students attended Joshua Cowell Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Joshua Cowell Elementary?

Students at Joshua Cowell Elementary are 53% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 17% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American, 3% Pacific Islander.

What district is Joshua Cowell Elementary in?

Manteca Unified

Is Joshua Cowell Elementary a good school?

Joshua Cowell Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.9% of California elementary schools.

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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.