Is Alpha Elementary a good school?

Alpha Elementary ranks 4059 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Alpha Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 703 students attended Alpha Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Alpha Elementary?

Students at Alpha Elementary are 89% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 3% White, 2% African American, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Alpha Elementary attend?

Students who attend Alpha Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Martin Luther King Junior Middle High : Madera South High

Alpha Elementary

Summary:

Alpha Elementary is a public elementary school located in Madera, California, serving 702 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Madera Unified School District, which has a 1-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger.

Alpha Elementary faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates that have risen from 11.7% in 2018-2019 to 39.5% in 2021-2022, well above the district and state averages. The school's academic performance is also a concern, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science consistently lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels. While Alpha Elementary's English Language Learners perform relatively better, ranking in the top 25% of California elementary schools, other subgroups, such as Hispanic students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, perform significantly worse than their peers statewide. The school serves a high-poverty community, with 88.89% to 92.59% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch over the past few years.

When compared to nearby schools in the Madera Unified School District, Cesar Chavez Elementary and Millview Elementary also have relatively high chronic absenteeism rates, and the overall academic performance across the district remains below the state averages. The achievement gaps observed among student subgroups at Alpha Elementary are also present, to varying degrees, in the nearby schools, suggesting a broader systemic challenge within the district.

Detail:

Public K-6

900 Stadium Rd.
Madera, CA 93637-5700

(559) 661-4101

District: Madera Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4059^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $1,787

Students who attend Alpha Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Martin Luther King Junior Middle
High:	Madera South High

Student/teacher ratio: 25.1

Number of students: 703

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

89.0%

Two or more races:

3.4%

White:

3.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 93.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Alpha Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Alpha Elementary ranks worse than 69.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 8^th among 18 ranked elementary schools in the Madera Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 28.55. (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 (89%), two or more races (3.4%), White (3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 93.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Alpha Elementary is 25.1. 15 elementary schools in the Madera Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Alpha Elementary employs 28 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Alpha Elementary is $1,787, which is the 7^th highest among 18 elementary schools in the Madera Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Alpha Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Alpha Elementary 4059^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Alpha Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Madera Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Madera Unified 1170^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Alpha Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Alpha Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	21.93	3793^rd	4809	21.1%
2005	25.77	3570^th	4822	26.0%
2006	20.90	3934^th	4818	18.3%
2007	25.76	3877^th	5113	24.2%
2008	29.13	3657^th	5113	28.5%
2009	15.53	4705^th	5193	9.4%
2010	33.80	3559^th	5314	33.0%
2011	26.11	4256^th	5377	20.8%
2012	17.03	4844^th	5390	10.1%
2013	8.11	5373^rd	5530	2.8%
2015	13.29	5256^th	5611	6.3%
2016	11.07	5372^nd	5614	4.3%
2017	14.69	5138^th	5692	9.7%
2018	13.91	5192^nd	5662	8.3%
2019	18.10	4985^th	5789	13.9%
2022	28.28	4017^th	5883	31.7%
2023	19.79	4882^nd	5874	16.9%
2024	28.55	4059^th	5862	30.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Alpha Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.98	2658^th	3246	18.1%
2019	29.65	2521^st	3275	23.0%
2022	52.59	1070^th	3311	67.7%
2023	38.59	1918^th	3250	41.0%
2024	60.67	698^th	3160	77.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Alpha Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	35.03	1555^th	2634	41.0%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Alpha Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.31	4580^th	5084	9.9%
2019	25.92	4165^th	5173	19.5%
2022	38.26	3150^th	5264	40.2%
2023	27.64	4106^th	5374	23.6%
2024	36.54	3400^th	5511	38.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Alpha Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	14.03	4982^nd	5413	8.0%
2019	22.75	4406^th	5492	19.8%
2022	29.57	3774^th	5635	33.0%
2023	20.75	4625^th	5617	17.7%
2024	29.83	3806^th	5605	32.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Alpha Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.23	4946^th	5431	8.9%
2019	15.42	5023^rd	5510	8.8%
2022	27.88	3966^th	5663	30.0%
2023	20.50	4668^th	5650	17.4%
2024	28.08	3993^rd	5636	29.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Alpha Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.58	4280^th	4830	11.4%
2019	25.13	4028^th	4963	18.8%
2022	37.87	3068^th	5084	39.7%
2023	26.62	3985^th	5098	21.8%
2024	40.75	2915^th	5102	42.9%

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 Alpha Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	280	29	21	340	0	n/a	n/a	0	670
1990	279	32	24	407	0	n/a	n/a	0	742
1991	377	38	20	533	1	n/a	n/a	0	969
1992	354	53	24	584	2	n/a	n/a	0	1017
1993	308	36	21	674	0	n/a	n/a	0	1039
1994	285	29	12	710	3	n/a	n/a	0	1039
1995	201	50	18	642	3	n/a	n/a	0	914
1996	201	50	18	642	3	n/a	n/a	0	914
1997	188	53	14	702	3	n/a	n/a	0	960
1998	193	43	17	655	6	n/a	n/a	0	914
1999	183	37	14	652	1	n/a	n/a	4	891
2000	176	34	13	618	0	n/a	n/a	4	845
2001	155	38	15	642	0	n/a	n/a	3	853
2002	139	40	13	700	0	n/a	n/a	4	896
2003	139	40	13	700	0	n/a	n/a	4	896
2004	134	34	7	701	0	n/a	n/a	5	881
2005	130	44	16	751	0	n/a	n/a	2	943
2006	121	31	19	819	0	n/a	n/a	2	992
2007	84	24	16	650	0	n/a	n/a	3	777
2008	69	34	11	619	4	n/a	n/a	0	737
2009	60	17	8	593	2	0	4	0	684
2010	60	14	8	611	7	0	2	0	702
2011	64	15	9	613	4	0	2	0	707
2012	43	18	5	637	7	0	1	0	711
2013	35	16	7	650	5	0	1	0	714
2014	42	20	4	657	4	0	2	0	729
2015	36	19	10	692	3	0	2	0	762
2016	47	17	5	699	2	0	0	0	770
2017	44	17	6	696	1	0	3	0	767
2018	42	24	8	697	1	0	5	0	777
2019	33	15	4	650	3	0	7	0	712
2020	27	15	8	622	5	0	9	0	686
2021	19	15	7	593	1	0	15	0	650
2022	20	7	6	617	6	0	19	0	675
2023	22	10	10	629	7	0	24	0	702
2024	21	15	10	626	7	0	24	0	703

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 Alpha Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	670	27.0	24.8	n/a
1990	742	27.7	26.7	n/a
1991	969	36.0	26.9	n/a
1992	1017	36.6	27.7	34.3
1993	1039	38.8	26.8	71.6
1994	1039	41.7	24.9	70.7
1995	914	36.2	25.2	78.7
1996	914	36.2	25.2	78.7
1997	960	42.9	22.4	81.8
1998	914	40.4	22.6	83.9
1999	891	45.0	19.8	88.6
2000	845	45.8	18.4	89.4
2001	853	45.8	18.6	86.9
2002	896	47.2	19.0	88.2
2003	896	47.2	19.0	88.2
2004	881	44.5	19.8	88.7
2005	943	46.0	20.5	90.5
2006	992	48.9	20.3	85.6
2007	777	38.5	20.2	87.2
2008	737	36.5	20.2	91
2009	684	32.4	20.4	89.9
2010	702	31.4	22.3	93.2
2011	707	n/a	n/a	89
2012	711	26.0	27.3	n/a
2013	714	25.5	28.0	92.3
2014	729	27.0	27.0	91.5
2015	762	29.0	26.2	94.2
2016	770	30.0	25.6	90.1
2017	767	28.5	26.9	89.2
2018	777	30.0	25.9	89.1
2019	712	28.0	25.4	92.7
2020	686	n/a	n/a	92.3
2021	650	30.4	21.3	91.8
2022	675	29.6	22.8	88.9
2023	702	29.7	23.6	92.6
2024	703	28.0	25.1	93.2

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 Alpha Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	670	27.0	24.8	n/a
1990	742	27.7	26.7	n/a
1991	969	36.0	26.9	n/a
1992	1017	36.6	27.7	34.3
1993	1039	38.8	26.8	71.6
1994	1039	41.7	24.9	70.7
1995	914	36.2	25.2	78.7
1996	914	36.2	25.2	78.7
1997	960	42.9	22.4	81.8
1998	914	40.4	22.6	83.9
1999	891	45.0	19.8	88.6
2000	845	45.8	18.4	89.4
2001	853	45.8	18.6	86.9
2002	896	47.2	19.0	88.2
2003	896	47.2	19.0	88.2
2004	881	44.5	19.8	88.7
2005	943	46.0	20.5	90.5
2006	992	48.9	20.3	85.6
2007	777	38.5	20.2	87.2
2008	737	36.5	20.2	91
2009	684	32.4	20.4	89.9
2010	702	31.4	22.3	93.2
2011	707	n/a	n/a	89
2012	711	26.0	27.3	n/a
2013	714	25.5	28.0	92.3
2014	729	27.0	27.0	91.5
2015	762	29.0	26.2	94.2
2016	770	30.0	25.6	90.1
2017	767	28.5	26.9	89.2
2018	777	30.0	25.9	89.1
2019	712	28.0	25.4	92.7
2020	686	n/a	n/a	92.3
2021	650	30.4	21.3	91.8
2022	675	29.6	22.8	88.9
2023	702	29.7	23.6	92.6
2024	703	28.0	25.1	93.2

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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