Is John J. Pershing Elementary a good school?

John J. Pershing Elementary ranks 3801 st of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend John J. Pershing Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 781 students attended John J. Pershing Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of John J. Pershing Elementary?

Students at John J. Pershing Elementary are 93% Hispanic, 3% White, 1% American Indian, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of John J. Pershing Elementary attend?

Students who attend John J. Pershing Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Jack G. Desmond Middle High : Madera South High

John J. Pershing Elementary

Summary:

John J. Pershing Elementary is a public elementary school in Madera, California, serving 731 students in grades K-6 and part of the Madera Unified School District.

While the school has some bright spots, such as its English Language Learners performing better than their peers statewide, it faces significant challenges. Chronic absenteeism rates have sharply increased from 6.5% to 32.8% in recent years, notably higher than nearby Berenda Elementary (30.4%) and James Madison Elementary (19.7%). Academically, John J. Pershing Elementary's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are generally lower than the district and state averages. The school also has a higher percentage of students from low-income backgrounds, with 92-94% receiving free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 84-89% at the nearby schools.

These challenges suggest the need for targeted interventions and support to address the school's high chronic absenteeism, achievement gaps among subgroups, and overall academic performance. Understanding the unique factors influencing John J. Pershing Elementary, such as its high rates of poverty and English Language Learners, will be crucial for improving student outcomes and ensuring all children have access to a quality education.

Detail:

Public K-6

1505 E. Ellis St.
Madera, CA 93638-5513

(559) 664-9741

District: Madera Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3801^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $2,094

Students who attend John J. Pershing Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Jack G. Desmond Middle
High:	Madera South High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.3

Number of students: 781

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

92.8%

White:

2.8%

American Indian:

1.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 93.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare John J. Pershing Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details John J. Pershing Elementary ranks worse than 64.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 6^th among 18 ranked elementary schools in the Madera Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 31.55. (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 (92.8%), White (2.8%), American Indian (1.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 93.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at John J. Pershing Elementary is 22.3, which is the 4^th best among 18 elementary schools in the Madera Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare John J. Pershing Elementary employs 34.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at John J. Pershing Elementary is $2,094, which is the 3^rd highest among 18 elementary schools in the Madera Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

John J. Pershing Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks John J. Pershing Elementary 3801^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See John J. Pershing 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:

Madera Unified:

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

What do you think?

Your rating for John J. Pershing Elementary?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for John J. Pershing Elementary

Compare

Rank History for all students at John J. Pershing Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2009	59.06	1969^th	5193	62.1%
2010	55.87	2224^th	5314	58.1%
2011	45.39	2870^th	5377	46.6%
2012	37.09	3456^th	5390	35.9%
2013	35.43	3641^st	5530	34.2%
2015	24.85	4146^th	5611	26.1%
2016	26.03	4096^th	5614	27.0%
2017	40.65	3060^th	5692	46.2%
2018	45.86	2785^th	5662	50.8%
2019	34.02	3614^th	5789	37.6%
2022	29.66	3895^th	5883	33.8%
2023	26.74	4206^th	5874	28.4%
2024	31.55	3801^st	5862	35.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at John J. Pershing Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	52.10	1159^th	3246	64.3%
2019	37.88	1923^rd	3275	41.3%
2022	39.87	1811^th	3311	45.3%
2023	40.54	1766^th	3250	45.7%
2024	55.67	899^th	3160	71.6%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at John J. Pershing Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	60.56	1716^th	5084	66.2%
2019	47.12	2604^th	5173	49.7%
2022	42.78	2774^th	5264	47.3%
2023	35.57	3418^th	5374	36.4%
2024	40.94	3063^rd	5511	44.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at John J. Pershing Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	42.80	2900^th	5413	46.4%
2019	28.23	3963^rd	5492	27.8%
2022	27.82	3948^th	5635	29.9%
2023	25.88	4150^th	5617	26.1%
2024	33.11	3552^nd	5605	36.6%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at John J. Pershing Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	36.46	1161^st	2128	45.4%
2019	22.22	2222^nd	2585	14.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at John J. Pershing Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	48.64	2534^th	5431	53.3%
2019	40.04	3038^th	5510	44.9%
2022	32.67	3563^rd	5663	37.1%
2023	29.63	3817^th	5650	32.4%
2024	30.57	3768^th	5636	33.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at John J. Pershing Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	60.22	1616^th	4830	66.5%
2019	45.07	2609^th	4963	47.4%
2022	41.94	2753^rd	5084	45.8%
2023	37.90	3072^nd	5098	39.7%
2024	46.69	2491^st	5102	51.2%

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

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for John J. Pershing Elementary.

If you have first-hand knowledge about John J. Pershing Elementary, submit a rating!

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for John J. Pershing Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2008	66	46	7	628	11	n/a	n/a	758
2009	76	44	9	632	11	0	2	774
2010	50	23	9	714	6	0	6	808
2011	47	25	13	724	8	0	6	823
2012	49	28	9	777	8	0	8	879
2013	34	25	8	788	8	0	6	869
2014	36	22	8	780	8	0	8	862
2015	36	15	12	790	7	0	8	868
2016	30	14	11	776	8	0	4	843
2017	26	21	13	782	5	0	6	853
2018	25	16	7	669	7	0	6	730
2019	28	12	5	623	6	0	4	678
2020	20	16	10	588	8	0	6	648
2021	19	11	5	596	7	0	4	642
2022	24	7	7	642	6	0	2	688
2023	21	6	5	684	7	0	8	731
2024	22	9	5	725	11	0	9	781

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 John J. Pershing Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2008	758	33.0	23.0	86.1
2009	774	33.0	22.8	88.1
2010	808	34.0	23.7	92.8
2011	823	n/a	n/a	91.6
2012	879	33.0	26.6	n/a
2013	869	32.0	27.1	93
2014	862	33.0	26.1	92.5
2015	868	33.0	26.3	93.8
2016	843	32.0	26.3	93.8
2017	853	32.5	26.2	94.6
2018	730	32.0	22.8	90.8
2019	678	30.0	22.6	95.4
2020	648	n/a	n/a	95.7
2021	642	30.2	21.2	94.1
2022	688	31.4	21.9	92.9
2023	731	32.9	22.1	94.1
2024	781	34.9	22.3	93.6

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 John J. Pershing Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2008	758	33.0	23.0	86.1
2009	774	33.0	22.8	88.1
2010	808	34.0	23.7	92.8
2011	823	n/a	n/a	91.6
2012	879	33.0	26.6	n/a
2013	869	32.0	27.1	93
2014	862	33.0	26.1	92.5
2015	868	33.0	26.3	93.8
2016	843	32.0	26.3	93.8
2017	853	32.5	26.2	94.6
2018	730	32.0	22.8	90.8
2019	678	30.0	22.6	95.4
2020	648	n/a	n/a	95.7
2021	642	30.2	21.2	94.1
2022	688	31.4	21.9	92.9
2023	731	32.9	22.1	94.1
2024	781	34.9	22.3	93.6

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.

Kindergarten Immunization Rates