Sherman Thomas Stem Academy, Madera CA

Original Research by School Decision on Sherman Thomas Stem Academy

Sherman Thomas STEM Academy is a charter school serving grades six through eight in Madera, a Central Valley city with agricultural roots and a rapidly growing population. The school sits on East Adell Street, a short walk from downtown's walkable core and close to the transit hub where Madera Metro buses meet regional connections.

The school operates as a single-school district, and its most recent state testing data shows solid proficiency. In English language arts, students performed well across the grades, with eighth graders showing particularly high proficiency. Math results were more uneven by grade: sixth and seventh graders showed lower-to-moderate proficiency, while eighth graders reached high proficiency. Eighth-grade science proficiency was substantial. When proficiency rates are averaged across all tested subjects and grades, Sherman Thomas's overall academic index places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Madera County, making it one of the stronger-performing schools in the county by this measure. The school has only one year of data in the system, so trend information is not yet available.

The enrollment is small, under a hundred students spread across the three grades. About two-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of white students and Asian students. Data on special education enrollment and English learners are not available from the state; parents may want to ask the school directly about support services and language support.

Madera itself is experiencing rapid housing growth, among the fastest in California, driven by large master-planned communities like Riverstone and Tesoro Viejo that are still under construction. The median home value in the school's zip code is below the state benchmark, and the housing market has seen modest appreciation. Downtown Madera maintains locally owned shops and a fairly walkable environment, though many newer developments are on the city's outskirts. The workforce is tied to agriculture, manufacturing, health care, and logistics. Valley Children's Hospital is the county's largest private employer, and a second community hospital recently reopened. Spanish is widely spoken in central neighborhoods.

The school's STEM focus appears to be its defining feature, though specific program details and course offerings beyond the subject-based designation were not available. A parent considering this school would want to learn more directly about how the STEM curriculum is structured, what hands-on or project-based learning looks like in practice, and how students are prepared for high school. The small size means close-knit instruction and likely close teacher-student relationships, though it also means fewer course electives and clubs than a larger school might offer. Given the low eighth-grade math and ELA proficiency rate in sixth grade, families with younger students should also discuss how the school supports students who enter below grade level.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 668%

School 68% · district not reported

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Grade 763%

School 63% · district not reported

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 889%

School 89% · district not reported

▲ 61 pts above state median · ▲ 65 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 680%

School 80% · district not reported

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Grade 779%

School 79% · district not reported

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 896%

School 96% · district not reported

▲ 52 pts above state median · ▲ 57 pts above county median

Science

Grade 881%

School 81% · district not reported

▲ 55 pts above state median · ▲ 62 pts above county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 8Lower-income92%Higher-income100%8 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 8Lower-income77%Higher-income100%23 pp gap