Josephine Chrysler Elementary, Modesto CA

Original Research by School Decision on Josephine Chrysler Elementary

Josephine Chrysler Elementary is a public elementary school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Modesto, a mid-sized Central Valley city anchored by agriculture, food and beverage processing, and healthcare. The school enrolls around six hundred students, nearly all of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is roughly evenly split between Hispanic and multiracial students, with smaller populations of Asian, white, and Black students. English learner count and special education enrollment data were not available.

The school's recent state assessment results show proficiency well below the state average across both math and English language arts. In math, student proficiency ranges from about ten percent in grade five to nearly eighteen percent in grade six, with an overall school average around fourteen percent. In English language arts, the pattern is similar, with grades three and four hovering near single digits to low teens, while grades five and six reach the mid-to-high twenties. Science proficiency data was available only for grade five, where it sat around fourteen percent. These numbers reflect a school serving a population with significant academic needs; a parent may want to look into the school's instructional approach and what supports are available to students struggling with grade-level content.

In comparison with other districts serving Stanislaus County, Josephine Chrysler's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among tested schools across the county. That said, this comparison reflects the fact that the school enrolls a student population in which nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and a large share speak another language at home, populations that typically show lower standardized test proficiency statewide.

The school sits within Stanislaus Union Elementary School District, which encompasses six schools. In November 2024 voters approved Measure R, a facilities bond to replace inefficient heating and air-conditioning systems, modernize classrooms for STEAM programs, and improve student safety. The bond carries a property tax obligation for homeowners, though the estimated levy is designed to remain modest. The district also backed Measure Y in 2020 and has issued bonds against that authorization, so school property in the district carries a cumulative bond-tax obligation that families should weigh when considering home costs.

Modesto itself is a car-dependent city, though downtown is highly walkable and bike-friendly with restaurants, galleries, theaters, and parks concentrated within a few blocks. The local economy is dominated by food and beverage firms, particularly E. & J. Gallo Winery, along with Save Mart Supermarkets, healthcare providers including Sutter Central Valley Hospitals, and major food processors such as Del Monte and Frito-Lay. Housing construction has slowed significantly; only a small number of homes were built citywide in recent years compared to the 1980s and 1990s, though new projects including The Crossings, a large residential development near the Amtrak station, and the planned Tivoli project in northeast Modesto aim to add supply. Median home values in the area sit in the mid-range for California, and monthly rents are roughly in line with mortgage costs after accounting for down payment and interest, making both ownership and rental economically comparable from the household budget perspective.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 38% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 31% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 27% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 33% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 34% · ▼ 26 pts below district

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

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 33% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 528%

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

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

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 42% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 25% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

This schoolStanislaus Union Elementary, 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.