Mcmanus (john A.) Elementary, Chico CA

Original Research by School Decision on Mcmanus (john A.) Elementary

John A. McManus Elementary is a small kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school in Chico, serving a diverse student body where a substantial majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school enrolls students across all six grades in roughly equal numbers, with Hispanic and white students each making up a large portion of the enrollment, and a meaningful Asian student population alongside smaller numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds.

State testing data shows that academic proficiency is low across all tested subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from below one-quarter of students in third and fourth grade to about one-third in fifth. Math proficiency is notably lower, with single digits in the higher grades and below one-fifth across all tested students. Fifth-grade science proficiency sits at a similar low level. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among districts across Butte County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what supports and interventions are in place, what the school's recent academic trajectory has been, and what options exist for students who need additional help.

Chico itself is a college town of mid-sized population centered on California State University and a compact historic downtown, with a diverse local economy spanning agriculture, food and beverage manufacturing, healthcare, and education. Housing costs are moderate relative to much of California, with median single-family home values and median monthly rents both in a stable range for the region. Bidwell Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the United States, anchors recreational life, and the B-Line regional transit system connects the city. The city is on a growth trajectory, with residential development ongoing and several new housing projects in planning or early construction stages, though an agricultural growth boundary protects farmland to the west.

McManus Elementary sits in the Chico neighborhood and is part of Chico Unified. Information about recent district priorities or initiatives was not available, so you may want to reach out to the district directly for insight into longer-term planning, curriculum emphasis, or programs that might be relevant to your family's needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 48% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 45% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 40% · ▼ 31 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 44% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 46% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 54% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Science

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 39% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

This schoolChico Unified, 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.