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La Vina Elementary · Madera

La Vina Elementary: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

La Vina posts low test scores — and test scores are one lens among several. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

8594 Road 23, 93637 (opens in new tab)·Madera Unified·Madera·Grades TK-8·203 students·97% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(559) 673-5194·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope2145
% Exceeded2%21%
% Met+11%43%
Growth-3.2-2.9
Absence22.1%17.9%
Suspension1.4%1.6%
Scope Score
21
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #5,525 statewide · #20 of 21 in Madera Unified

La Vina Elementary scores 21 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 4th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

Most rating sites would stop at “11% proficient” and call it done. La Vina deserves a closer read. The school sits in Madera, where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Slipped from the 67th to the 4th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAOrange(Declined Significantly)MathOrange(Declined Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 11% meet the standard today, versus 27% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 39%24%26%0%29%
Grade 427%33%30%23%8%
Grade 536%35%38%43%23%
Grade 653%33%57%48%41%
Grade 737%62%48%59%64%
Grade 856%57%60%42%48%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 326%10%30%12%0%
Grade 423%29%50%36%4%
Grade 541%0%29%19%0%
Grade 647%29%39%33%45%
Grade 723%31%22%36%32%
Grade 844%39%36%25%17%

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

25%
71%
Grade 3 · 29% proficient
8%
92%
Grade 4 · 8% proficient
9%
14%
77%
Grade 5 · 23% proficient

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
2.2%
State 21.3%
19.1pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-3.2pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
10.7%
State 42.7%
32.0pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
22.1%
State 17.9%
4.2pp above state avg
Suspension rate
1.4%
State 1.6%
0.2pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
8.2%
State 18.0%
9.7pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.

  • Ask what changes between grade 3 and grade 5 here, and who teaches the older kids.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At La Vina Elementary in Madera, 35.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. La Vina Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (36.5% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 135 students tested.

All students at this school: 25% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 25%, district —, state 43%25%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 26%, district 25%, state 32%26% · +1 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 27%, district 26%, state 32%27% · +1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 21%, district 28%, state 44%21% · −4 vs school
MaleMale: this school 25%, district 26%, state 42%25% · −0 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 4%, district 9%, state 11%4% · −22 vs school

6 of 12 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 6.6pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +1.7pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 22.1%, district 23.4%, state 17.9%22.1% · +4.2pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.4%, district —, state 1.6%1.4% · −0.2pp vs state

TK/K students miss school at roughly twice the rate of Grades 7–8 students (39.4% vs 17.4%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the earliest grades — worth asking how the school works with new families on attendance.

Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–619.4%
Grades 7–817.4%
TK/K39.4%

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
La Vina Elementary
21/100
This school
High School

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 15:1, district 20:115:1
Teaching staff21 teachers
Avg. experience14.2 years
Fully credentialed69%
First-year teachers5%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$52,709 – $107,743
Principal salary$143,118 – $154,013
Superintendent salary$266,200

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $25,582, CA average $14,815$25,582 · spent at this school
Federal share$904 per student

$904 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$21,575 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction53%
Instruction support11%
Student services13%
Administration7%
Buildings & maintenance10%
Other5%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$14,158 per pupil
2019$12,750 per pupil
2018$13,001 per pupil
2017$12,013 per pupil
2016$11,204 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic95.1%
District 91.0% · CA 56.1%
White2.5%
District 4.3% · CA 19.9%
Other2.0%
District 2.4% · CA 9.0%
Asian0.5%
District 1.2% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 96.5% (33pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$72K · CA $85K
Median home value$384K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+14% · CA 35%
ZIP population43,785
Median age32 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

At 203 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California elementary school (≈480).

Transitional kindergarten is offered here — confirmed by actual Census Day enrollment, not just the listed grade span.

On the state's science test (CAST), 16% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is La Vina Elementary a good elementary school?

La Vina Elementary has a Scope Score of 21 out of 100, placing it in the 4th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #5,525 statewide. 2.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 19.1 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 3-to-5 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are La Vina Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 10.7% of students at La Vina Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 2.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 8.4% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 2.2% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 142 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does La Vina Elementary rank in California?

La Vina Elementary ranks #5,525 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 4th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

Is La Vina Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at La Vina Elementary decreases by 3.2 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.

What is the attendance and school culture like at La Vina Elementary?

22.1% of students at La Vina Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 1.4%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does La Vina Elementary compare to other schools in Madera?

La Vina Elementary scores 21/100 (4th percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 203 students. Use the schools in Madera page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does La Vina Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At La Vina Elementary in Madera, 35.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. La Vina Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (36.5% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 135 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.


For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 38%
2.2%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 32th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-3.2pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 34th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
10.7%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 26th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
22.1%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 43th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.4%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 52th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
8.2%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 39th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3244%25%17%54%29%−14
Grade 4250%8%16%76%8%−37
Grade 5229%14%27%50%23%−25
Grade 62214%27%23%36%41%−6
Grade 72214%50%14%23%64%+16
Grade 82317%30%22%30%48%+2
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3240%0%42%58%0%−46
Grade 4250%4%20%76%4%−38
Grade 5220%0%32%68%0%−35
Grade 62223%23%23%32%45%+10
Grade 72223%9%36%32%32%−2
Grade 8234%13%30%52%17%−15
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11450%16%53%31%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged13535.6%+4−3
Hispanic/Latino12636.5%+4−2
English Learners267.7%−3−3
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
La Vina Elementary ←212.2%10.7%−3.21.4%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195067#18054.9%27.1%6.7%0.7%+21.1pp
2022209#52114.3%21.8%41.6%2.9%+0.7pp
20233232#38743.7%33.9%27.8%2.6%+5.1pp
20243427#41851.6%22.2%22.8%1.8%+25.0pp
2025214#55252.2%10.7%22.1%1.4%-3.2pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female8.3%20.6%+12.3pp
Male5.0%25.2%+20.2pp
Hispanic/Latino6.9%21.2%+14.3pp
Students with Disabilities5.3%39.1%+33.8pp
English Learners5.8%24.7%+18.9pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged6.8%22.9%+16.1pp
All Students6.6%23.0%+16.4pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction