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Madera South High · Madera

Madera South High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Madera South posts 27% meeting the standard and 9.0% exceeding it, against 36% and 15.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

755 W. Pecan Avenue, 93637 (opens in new tab)·Madera Unified·Madera·Grades 9-12·1,859 students·95% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(559) 675-4450·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4044
% Exceeded9%16%
% Met+27%36%
Grad rate95.2%87.6%
College readiness29.3%35.4%
Absence29.2%30.2%
Suspension7.0%3.6%
Scope Score
40
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,347 statewide · #4 of 7 in Madera Unified

Madera South High scores 40 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 38th percentile of 2,160 California high 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.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “27% proficient” and call it done. Madera South 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.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has stayed near the 38th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAOrange(Declined Significantly)MathGreen(Increased Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 27% meet the standard today, versus 31% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1150%33%47%50%45%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1112%4%7%9%9%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
27%
State 36%
Graduate
95%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
29%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 27 are proficient by 11th grade → 95 graduate → 29 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
95.2%
State 87.6%
7.6pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
9.0%
State 15.8%
6.8pp below state avg
College readiness
29.3%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
27.1%
State 35.7%
8.6pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
29.2%
State 30.2%
1.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
7.0%
State 3.6%
3.4pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
10.1%
State 18.0%
7.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

  • Ask what share of students complete the full college-prep course sequence, and who gets steered into it.
  • 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 Madera South High in Madera, 44.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Madera South High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (7.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (44.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 39.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 399 students tested.

All students at this school: 27% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 27%, district —, state 36%27%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 26%, district 25%, state 32%26% · −1 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 26%, district 26%, state 32%26% · −0 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 29%, district 28%, state 44%29% · +2 vs school
MaleMale: this school 25%, district 26%, state 42%25% · −2 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 3%, district 9%, state 11%3% · −24 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 5%, district 6%, state 15%5% · −22 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 23%, district 22%, state 26%23% · −4 vs school

7 of 15 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 29.2%, district 23.4%, state 30.2%29.2% · −1.0pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 7.0%, district —, state 3.6%7.0% · +3.4pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1229.1%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Madera South High
40/100
This school

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 20:1, district 20:120:1
Teaching staff94 teachers
Avg. experience13.2 years
Fully credentialed89%
First-year teachers5%
Intern / emergency permit1.0%
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.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered13
AP exam qualifiers53 students
CTE pathway completers88 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $23,840, CA average $14,815$23,840 · spent at this school
Federal share$1,036 per student

$1,036 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

Hispanic94.1%
District 91.0% · CA 56.1%
Black2.1%
District 1.1% · CA 4.8%
White1.8%
District 4.3% · CA 19.9%
Asian1.0%
District 1.2% · CA 10.2%
Other1.0%
District 2.4% · CA 9.0%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 95.2% (31pp 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

On the state's science test (CAST), 18% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Madera South High a good high school?

Madera South High has a Scope Score of 40 out of 100, placing it in the 38th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,347 statewide. 9.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 6.8 percentage points below the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), 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 Madera South High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 27.1% of students at Madera South High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 9.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 9.0% 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. 848 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Madera South High rank in California?

Madera South High ranks #1,347 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 38th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), 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.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Madera South High?

29.2% of students at Madera South High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 7.0%. 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 Madera South High compare to other schools in Madera?

Madera South High scores 40/100 (38th percentile) among California high 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 1,859 students. Use the schools in Madera page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Madera South High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Madera South High in Madera, 44.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Madera South High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 12.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (7.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (44.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 39.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 399 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

All schools in Madera →

Private alternatives nearby

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

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

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

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
95.2%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 59th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
9.0%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 43th pctile
College readiness · 20%
29.3%
↓ vs CA 35.4% · 46th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
27.1%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 44th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
29.2%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 51th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
7.0%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 35th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
10.1%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 40th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1142016%29%30%25%45%−2
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 114282%7%18%73%9%−14
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/114491%17%72%10%

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 Disadvantaged39944.0%+12+6
Hispanic/Latino39544.2%+12+5
English Learners735.5%−5−5
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Madera South High ←—409.0%27.1%—7.0%
Madera High1.3 mi4514.5%38.8%—4.0%
Juvenile Hall (Endeavor/Voyager Secondary)2.1 mi240.0%4.2%—4.4%
Mountain Vista High2.6 mi211.4%11.0%—6.8%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
95.2%
AP Exam Prepared
29.3%
A-G Completion
45.3%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
74.6%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20194443#11728.4%30.9%17.6%8.5%—
20223735#13694.2%18.7%45.0%6.7%—
20234041#12746.3%27.1%30.0%8.6%—
20244243#12219.2%29.7%27.9%6.9%—
20254038#13479.0%27.1%29.2%7.0%—
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
Female18.0%31.9%+13.9pp
Male16.8%26.3%+9.5pp
Asian16.7%15.0%-1.7pp
Black/African American30.2%60.0%+29.8pp
Hispanic/Latino16.8%28.4%+11.6pp
Two or More Races20.0%——
Students with Disabilities27.8%34.3%+6.5pp
English Learners23.0%33.3%+10.3pp
Foster Youth20.0%21.4%+1.4pp
Homeless27.7%53.7%+26.0pp
Military-Connected10.9%25.0%+14.1pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged17.6%29.9%+12.3pp
All Students17.4%29.1%+11.7pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high 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

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