Is James Madison Elementary a good school?

James Madison Elementary ranks in the bottom 10.4% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend James Madison Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 377 students attended James Madison Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of James Madison Elementary?

Students at James Madison Elementary are 88% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% White, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of James Madison Elementary attend?

Students who attend James Madison Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Indio Middle High : Indio High

James Madison Elementary

Summary:

James Madison Elementary is a public elementary school in Indio, California, serving 377 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Desert Sands Unified School District, which has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

James Madison Elementary is struggling academically, with consistently low proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics that are well below the district and state averages. The school's performance is particularly weak for English Language Learners and students with disabilities, ranking in the bottom 10-15% of California elementary schools in these subgroups. Additionally, the school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 10.0% in 2017-2018 to 50.7% in 2021-2022, which is notably higher than the district and state averages. These challenges may be exacerbated by the school's high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds (85.41%) and a relatively high student-teacher ratio.

When compared to other nearby schools within the Desert Sands Unified School District, James Monroe Elementary and Gerald R. Ford Elementary have proficiency rates that are 30-40 percentage points higher than James Madison Elementary. However, James Madison Elementary performs slightly better than the nearby Mountain Vista Elementary, which is part of the Coachella Valley Unified School District and has even lower academic achievement levels.

Detail:

Public K-5

80-845 Avenue 46
Indio, CA 92201-5059

(760) 775-3850

District: Desert Sands Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5254^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,515

Students who attend James Madison Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Indio Middle
High:	Indio High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.5

Number of students: 377

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.1%

Two or more races:

7.2%

White:

2.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 85.4%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details James Madison Elementary ranks worse than 89.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 15^th among 18 ranked elementary schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 15.46. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (88.1%), two or more races (7.2%), White (2.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 85.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at James Madison Elementary is 23.5, which is the 8^th best among 18 elementary schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare James Madison Elementary employs 16 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at James Madison Elementary is $8,515, which is the 6^th highest among 18 elementary schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

James Madison Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks James Madison Elementary 5254^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See James Madison Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Desert Sands Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Sands Unified 1011^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for James Madison Elementary

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Rank History for all students at James Madison Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	26.55	3441^st	4809	28.4%
2005	26.18	3547^th	4822	26.4%
2006	24.03	3721^st	4818	22.8%
2007	29.83	3585^th	5113	29.9%
2008	41.27	2870^th	5113	43.9%
2009	27.04	3908^th	5193	24.7%
2010	29.66	3877^th	5314	27.0%
2011	25.12	4326^th	5377	19.5%
2012	25.48	4278^th	5390	20.6%
2013	32.53	3848^th	5530	30.4%
2015	27.76	3876^th	5611	30.9%
2016	21.62	4461^st	5614	20.5%
2017	19.71	4720^th	5692	17.1%
2018	24.44	4281^st	5662	24.4%
2019	20.52	4749^th	5789	18.0%
2022	15.58	5311^th	5883	9.7%
2023	12.95	5494^th	5874	6.5%
2024	15.46	5254^th	5862	10.4%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at James Madison Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	46.18	1444^th	3246	55.5%
2019	57.32	914^th	3275	72.1%
2022	18.38	3255^th	3311	1.7%
2023	17.03	3226^th	3250	0.7%
2024	20.50	3056^th	3160	3.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at James Madison Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.56	3880^th	5084	23.7%
2019	22.53	4389^th	5173	15.2%
2022	22.37	4479^th	5264	14.9%
2023	17.63	4862^nd	5374	9.5%
2024	20.71	4729^th	5511	14.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at James Madison Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.88	4462^nd	5413	17.6%
2019	20.61	4564^th	5492	16.9%
2022	18.49	4847^th	5635	14.0%
2023	14.20	5221^st	5617	7.1%
2024	17.23	4935^th	5605	12.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at James Madison Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	19.64	2368^th	2585	8.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at James Madison Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	29.04	3769^th	5431	30.6%
2019	22.04	4465^th	5510	19.0%
2022	14.67	5236^th	5663	7.5%
2023	13.29	5294^th	5650	6.3%
2024	14.81	5168^th	5636	8.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at James Madison Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	29.67	3575^th	4830	26.0%
2019	26.07	3968^th	4963	20.0%
2022	21.20	4425^th	5084	13.0%
2023	17.33	4664^th	5098	8.5%
2024	21.22	4383^rd	5102	14.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for James Madison Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1991	189	11	11	428	0	n/a	n/a	0	639
1992	227	15	16	469	1	n/a	n/a	0	728
1993	209	14	16	475	0	n/a	n/a	0	714
1994	233	14	18	508	0	n/a	n/a	0	773
1995	195	15	19	617	0	n/a	n/a	0	846
1996	195	15	19	617	0	n/a	n/a	0	846
1997	191	17	17	672	0	n/a	n/a	0	897
1998	193	16	19	734	3	n/a	n/a	0	965
1999	184	18	22	813	0	n/a	n/a	0	1037
2000	170	19	20	875	1	n/a	n/a	0	1085
2001	145	12	21	770	0	n/a	n/a	0	948
2002	113	10	21	742	0	n/a	n/a	0	886
2003	113	10	21	742	0	n/a	n/a	0	886
2004	85	7	14	655	3	n/a	n/a	114	878
2005	88	16	16	689	2	n/a	n/a	68	879
2006	74	11	7	630	3	n/a	n/a	48	773
2007	68	11	4	633	1	n/a	n/a	42	759
2008	85	16	6	618	1	n/a	n/a	0	726
2009	76	16	9	617	1	1	9	0	729
2010	55	11	12	575	3	0	4	0	660
2011	53	6	11	548	2	0	6	0	626
2012	39	7	12	499	0	0	7	0	564
2013	32	6	13	488	0	0	5	0	544
2014	32	1	10	498	0	1	4	0	546
2015	30	1	9	487	0	0	2	0	529
2016	39	4	7	498	0	0	3	0	551
2017	39	3	7	500	0	0	3	0	552
2018	37	3	4	486	0	0	10	0	540
2019	34	3	3	447	0	0	16	0	503
2020	25	4	4	427	0	0	22	0	482
2021	21	3	2	380	0	0	17	0	423
2022	14	4	2	323	0	0	13	0	356
2023	11	4	3	332	0	0	27	0	377

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at James Madison Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	639	25.0	25.5	n/a
1992	728	25.4	28.6	45.2
1993	714	27.0	26.4	49.2
1994	773	27.5	28.1	48.3
1995	846	33.5	25.3	61.5
1996	846	33.5	25.3	61.5
1997	897	38.5	23.3	58
1998	965	40.5	23.8	60.7
1999	1037	47.0	22.1	61.2
2000	1085	50.0	21.7	62.7
2001	948	45.0	21.1	51.7
2002	886	45.0	19.7	60.8
2003	886	45.0	19.7	60.8
2004	878	42.0	20.9	63
2005	879	42.0	20.9	60.3
2006	773	38.0	20.3	64.8
2007	759	37.0	20.5	67.5
2008	726	39.0	18.6	68.9
2009	729	32.0	21.4	68.3
2010	660	31.0	21.2	76.1
2011	626	n/a	n/a	76.4
2012	564	22.0	25.6	99.5
2013	544	20.5	26.5	89.5
2014	546	18.5	29.5	72.7
2015	529	21.0	25.1	88.3
2016	551	22.0	25.0	85.7
2017	552	22.0	25.0	83.3
2018	540	21.0	25.7	83.7
2019	503	21.0	23.9	83.1
2020	482	n/a	n/a	85.7
2021	423	20.0	21.1	84.9
2022	356	17.0	20.9	91.3
2023	377	16.0	23.5	85.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio James Madison Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	639	25.0	25.5	n/a
1992	728	25.4	28.6	45.2
1993	714	27.0	26.4	49.2
1994	773	27.5	28.1	48.3
1995	846	33.5	25.3	61.5
1996	846	33.5	25.3	61.5
1997	897	38.5	23.3	58
1998	965	40.5	23.8	60.7
1999	1037	47.0	22.1	61.2
2000	1085	50.0	21.7	62.7
2001	948	45.0	21.1	51.7
2002	886	45.0	19.7	60.8
2003	886	45.0	19.7	60.8
2004	878	42.0	20.9	63
2005	879	42.0	20.9	60.3
2006	773	38.0	20.3	64.8
2007	759	37.0	20.5	67.5
2008	726	39.0	18.6	68.9
2009	729	32.0	21.4	68.3
2010	660	31.0	21.2	76.1
2011	626	n/a	n/a	76.4
2012	564	22.0	25.6	99.5
2013	544	20.5	26.5	89.5
2014	546	18.5	29.5	72.7
2015	529	21.0	25.1	88.3
2016	551	22.0	25.0	85.7
2017	552	22.0	25.0	83.3
2018	540	21.0	25.7	83.7
2019	503	21.0	23.9	83.1
2020	482	n/a	n/a	85.7
2021	423	20.0	21.1	84.9
2022	356	17.0	20.9	91.3
2023	377	16.0	23.5	85.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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