John Adams Elementary, Madera CA

Original Research by School Decision on John Adams Elementary

John Adams Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Madera, a Central Valley city with deep agricultural roots and a tight housing market. The school is a regular public elementary school in Madera Unified, where enrollment is substantial, about that size for its grade band across all grades. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a large majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the economic profile of the neighborhood and broader Madera community.

Academically, the school faces significant headwinds. On California's state assessment in English Language Arts across all tested grades, proficiency runs in the mid-range, with third grade performing closest to half meeting the standard and fourth grade notably lower. In mathematics, proficiency is considerably weaker. Third grade shows the highest math result among elementary grades, but fourth and fifth grades drop substantially, and sixth grade sits between them. In science, the one tested grade shows proficiency well below the other subjects. Across all tested subjects and grades combined, the school's overall proficiency sits above the midpoint relative to districts in Madera County, though that speaks more to the challenges across the region than to strong performance. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about what supports are in place to address the gaps in math and science, where students are struggling most.

Only one year of state test data is currently available, so trend information is not yet solid enough to tell whether performance is moving or static. The school has no reported chronic absenteeism or graduation data, as those are not applicable to elementary schools.

Madera itself is growing rapidly. The city is anchored by downtown's historic urban grid, where locally owned shops line Yosemite Avenue and single-family homes mix with small apartment buildings. The broader metro area is home to Valley Children's Hospital, a major regional employer, and is sustained by agriculture, food and goods manufacturing, and logistics. Housing values in the zip code are moderate for California, though rent has been climbing. Transit is available through Madera Metro's fixed routes and Dial-A-Ride service, connecting neighborhoods to schools and work.

The district as a whole is implementing a new Graduate Profile requirement for all seniors to earn a diploma, adding a capstone portfolio and oral defense to standard credit completion. Additionally, Madera Unified is opening King Husein School, a new TK-through-eighth-grade campus with dedicated STEM facilities, in August 2026, which will add capacity as the county continues to grow at rates well above the California average. These district-level shifts reshape what K-12 instruction emphasizes, and families with students at any grade level should be aware of the longer arc the district is building toward.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 33% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 24% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 19% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 23% · ▲ 7 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 29% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 29% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 32% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 34% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 17% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · even with county median

This schoolMadera 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income47%Higher-income67%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income20%Higher-income24%4 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income52%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income45%Higher-income58%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income41%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income48%22 pp gap