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Madera Elementary

Public Grades K-6

309^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 95% of California elementary schools

Summary

Madera Elementary is a high-performing K-6 public school serving 457 students in El Cerrito, part of the West Contra Costa Unified district, and it consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in California.

Academically, Madera stands out dramatically from most other schools in the area, with over 77% of students proficient in English and over 78% proficient in Math, far exceeding both district and state averages. The school's success is mirrored by its exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of just 5.4%, a key factor that strongly correlates with high achievement. Interestingly, Kensington Elementary, located nearby, shows similar excellence with low absenteeism and efficient spending, forming a notable cluster of high performance within the same district.

Madera achieves these outstanding results with relatively modest per-student spending compared to other local schools, demonstrating that higher spending does not automatically lead to better outcomes. The school has maintained its top-tier status for over a decade, showing remarkable consistency. While the wider district faces challenges, Madera proves that individual schools can cultivate excellence through effective practices, strong attendance, and a supportive learning environment.

457

Students ?

24.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

12.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8500 Madera Dr.
El Cerrito, CA 94530-2051

(510) 231-1412

District: West Contra Costa Unified

Students who attend Madera Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Fred T. Korematsu Middle
High:	El Cerrito High

Racial breakdown:

White:

40.0%

Two or more races:

19.5%

Asian:

19.0%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 91st percentile in 2013 → 95th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (77% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of California elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in West Contra Costa Unified

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school77%

District avg28%

California avg41%

309^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 5%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 5% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 37Elementary Schools in the West Contra Costa Unified

1110^th of 1,543West Contra Costa 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	95.2	309 of 5857	94.7%	★★★★★
2024	91.4	615 of 5869	89.5%	★★★★☆
2023	89.5	738 of 5859	87.4%	★★★★☆
2022	91.7	615 of 5883	89.5%	★★★★☆
2019	89.2	687 of 5789	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	90.8	585 of 5662	89.7%	★★★★☆
2017	88.3	742 of 5692	87.0%	★★★★☆
2016	90.8	565 of 5614	89.9%	★★★★☆
2015	92.1	503 of 5611	91.0%	★★★★★
2013	89.5	499 of 5530	91.0%	★★★★★
2012	85.1	728 of 5390	86.5%	★★★★☆
2011	90.8	393 of 5377	92.7%	★★★★★
2010	93.6	221 of 5314	95.8%	★★★★★
2009	92.0	346 of 5193	93.3%	★★★★★
2008	88.9	552 of 5113	89.2%	★★★★☆
2007	88.7	575 of 5113	88.8%	★★★★☆
2006	79.7	982 of 4818	79.6%	★★★★☆
2005	81.6	864 of 4822	82.1%	★★★★☆
2004	78.5	958 of 4809	80.1%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	633 of 1203	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.7	692 of 1205	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.0	596 of 1190	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.5	715 of 1154	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.0	738 of 1149	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.6	571 of 1071	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.0	449 of 5597	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	88.1	716 of 5612	87.2%	★★★★☆
2023	85.0	886 of 5609	84.2%	★★★★☆
2022	90.2	627 of 5635	88.9%	★★★★☆
2019	88.2	654 of 5492	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	88.2	659 of 5413	87.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	92.6	240 of 5107	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	73.7	1002 of 5107	80.4%	★★★★☆
2023	73.6	1010 of 5087	80.1%	★★★★☆
2022	88.7	401 of 5084	92.1%	★★★★★
2019	64.2	1451 of 4963	70.8%	★★★★☆
2018	70.6	1116 of 4830	76.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	74.1	1095 of 5517	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	87.7	440 of 5264	91.6%	★★★★★
2019	50.3	2386 of 5173	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.3	1116 of 5084	78.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	95.0	262 of 5628	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	92.8	440 of 5643	92.2%	★★★★★
2023	91.0	548 of 5638	90.3%	★★★★★
2022	91.4	551 of 5663	90.3%	★★★★★
2019	86.1	783 of 5510	85.8%	★★★★☆
2018	90.4	551 of 5431	89.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	59.6	302 of 669	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	79.9	94 of 610	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	61.7	196 of 445	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.8	134 of 339	60.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	81.7	359 of 2598	86.2%	★★★★☆
2024	80.2	418 of 2651	84.2%	★★★★☆
2023	80.0	419 of 2661	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	81.0	410 of 2726	85.0%	★★★★☆
2019	85.8	231 of 2834	91.8%	★★★★★
2018	88.3	138 of 2737	95.0%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2025)95th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)95th percentile~ school

Female (2025)92nd percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)86th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)80th percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)55th percentile-33 vs school

Asian (2025)47th percentile-47 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics79%+41 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy77%+28 vs state

Science70%+37 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, April 2, 2012

Prior to the 2009-10 school year, Madera maintained a very high standard in curriculum and parent-teacher relationships. But since the changing of principals, the school has become a hostile environment for any student that Ms. Cotton does not like. There are also signs of racism with regards to the handing out of punishment to students. There is bullying with no consequence or without any teacher, principal and parent involvement. In addition, there are staff members who gossip about students records and behavior with non staff members with no control exerted over the situation by the principal Ms. Cotton. The teachers do work hard but have no support by the administration and is basically a school that is running itself without administrative oversight. Close Quote

Schools Near Madera 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 (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 (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 (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
Madera Elementary	Public	K-6	8500 Madera Dr.	El Cerrito	94530	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1412	457	19	24.0	12.9%	183 (40.0%)	9 (2.0%)	81 (17.7%)	87 (19.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	89 (19.5%)	95.2	309^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.7%		91.4	615^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.5%	306	70.0		70.0	71.6	84.2	80.0	73.6			77.2	76.1	82.8	73.3	83.0			78.6
Mira Vista Elementary	Public	K-8	6397 Hazel Ave.	Richmond	94805	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1416	510	25	20.6	57.3%	121 (23.7%)	52 (10.2%)	208 (40.8%)	55 (10.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	69 (13.5%)	36.9	3411^th of 5857 public elementary schools	41.8%		44.5	2896^th of 5869 public elementary schools	50.7%	515	25.0	25.9	25.3	35.3	35.1	34.9	53.7	51.7	48.2	40.9	32.4	26.8	22.2	46.3	44.8	40.7	33.1	96.8			96.8
Kensington Elementary	Public	K-6	90 Highland Blvd.	Kensington	94708	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1415	473	20	23.6	14.2%	238 (50.3%)	6 (1.3%)	62 (13.1%)	72 (15.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (20.1%)	94.2	383^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	93.5%		96.3	237^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.0%	146	63.9		63.9	77.4	69.5	81.7	89.6			79.2	74.2	71.7	69.4	79.2			73.1
Fairmont Elementary	Public	K-6	724 Kearney St.	El Cerrito	94530	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1448	537	23	23.3	53.1%	109 (20.3%)	30 (5.6%)	182 (33.9%)	148 (27.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	65 (12.1%)	66.4	1771^st of 5857 public elementary schools	69.8%		67.4	1710^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.9%	61	36.1		36.1	51.6	63.3	44.4	51.3			52.2	62.5	63.3	38.4	47.4			52.0
Harding Elementary	Public	K-6	7230 Fairmont Ave.	El Cerrito	94530	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1413	481	20	24.0	34.3%	149 (31.0%)	24 (5.0%)	116 (24.1%)	104 (21.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	85 (17.7%)	72.4	1503^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	74.3%		67.6	1699^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.1%	196	58.1		58.1	56.3	48.8	72.6	63.0			59.0	51.6	42.5	58.1	47.4			49.3
Michelle Obama Elementary	Public	K-6	629 42nd st	Richmond	94805	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1456	431	19	22.3	77.7%	28 (6.5%)	30 (7.0%)	305 (70.8%)	40 (9.3%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	24 (5.6%)	19	4922^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	16.0%		21.8	4700^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.9%	222	14.3		14.3	14.1	33.3	18.2	13.7			19.8	22.7	42.4	19.6	9.4			23.9
Martin Luther King Junior Elementary	Public	K-6	4022 Florida Ave.	Richmond	94804	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1403	375	17	22.0	90.1%	10 (2.7%)	86 (22.9%)	228 (60.8%)	25 (6.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (6.4%)	4.1	5851^st of 5857 public elementary schools	0.1%		5.8	5849^th of 5869 public elementary schools	0.3%	2	1.8		1.8	11.9	5.2	5.5	3.5			6.1	7.1	3.4	1.8	0.0			2.8	69.8	86.8	86.8	84.9	83.0	86.8
Stege Elementary	Public	K-6	101 35th St.	Richmond	94804	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1425	225	12	18.1	77.3%	21 (9.3%)	73 (32.4%)	94 (41.8%)	22 (9.8%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.8%)	4.9	5839^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.3%		8	5777^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.6%	62	3.5		3.5	9.1	9.5	3.6	15.8			8.9	4.4	4.8	0.0	4.6			3.2	90.6	93.8	93.8	93.8	90.6	93.8
Riverside Elementary	Public	K-6	1300 Amador St.	Richmond	94806	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1409	343	16	21.5	66.8%	21 (6.1%)	46 (13.4%)	205 (59.8%)	48 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	19 (5.5%)	11.3	5550^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.2%		22.8	4599^th of 5869 public elementary schools	21.6%	951	12.2		12.2	6.5	15.0	22.5	23.9			18.1	9.7	16.7	10.2	13.0			12.5
Voices College-Bound Language Academy at W. Contra Costa County	Public, Charter	K-8	201 28th St.	Richmond	94804	Contra Costa County	Voices College-Bound Lang Academy @ W. Contra Costa County	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 480-0540	343	10	34.3	81.0%	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	333 (97.1%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	10.3	5615^th of 5857 public elementary schools	4.1%		16.7	5151^st of 5869 public elementary schools	12.2%	464	7.7		8.7	17.0	15.0	19.4	22.0			18.4	18.2	10.0	2.6	17.1			12.6	94.0			94.0		96.0	$39,831	$38,952	$879

Frequently Asked Questions about Madera Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Madera Elementary?

Students at Madera Elementary are 40% White, 19% Two or more races, 19% Asian, 18% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% Not Specified.

What schools do graduates of Madera Elementary attend?

Students who attend Madera Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Fred T. Korematsu Middle
High : El Cerrito High

How many students attend Madera Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 457 students attended Madera Elementary.

Is Madera Elementary a good school?

Yes. Madera Elementary ranks in the top 5.3% of California elementary schools.

What district is Madera Elementary in?

West Contra Costa Unified

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.