Enrollment
659
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Madera, CA
Cesar Chavez Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cesar Chavez Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 11/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062334011678
👥 S:T ratio 15
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cesar Chavez Elementary earns 11/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #12 of 24
- elementary schools in Madera · Resource Index
- 11
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.3:1
- students per teacher
- 84.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Cesar Chavez Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cesar Chavez Elementary ranks #12 of 24 elementary schools in Madera, CA.
School address
District: Madera Unified · California
NCES ID 062334011678 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.9%
vs 55.5% California avg
+53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cesar Chavez Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cesar Chavez Elementary
Cesar Chavez Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Madera, California, enrolling 659 students.
At 21.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 84.9% of students qualify for free meals, 53% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 659 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 1,716 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #1,553, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 15/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 659 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 65.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Madera's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lincoln Elementary (816 students): Cesar Chavez Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.3:1 vs 22.7:1).
Madera Unified also operates Matilda Torres High (2,017 students) and Madera High (1,869 students) alongside Cesar Chavez Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cesar Chavez Elementary compares
Cesar Chavez Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.3:1 | ▼ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.9% | ▲ 53% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 659 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.3:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
659
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.3:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 46% in California - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
65.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,587
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 659 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 92.1%
Asian 3.9%
Two or More 2.1%
White 0.9%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 92.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.0, Cesar Chavez Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madera Unified, which includes Cesar Chavez Elementary.
$15,587
Per student
-6%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.4%
State 70.9%
Federal 15.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Cesar Chavez Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matilda Torres High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madera High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madera South High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cesar Chavez Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,017
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 1,869
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,859
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 948
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 865
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar elementary schools in Madera
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Lincoln Elementary
Standard public school
816 students 22.7:1 students per teacher
John J. Pershing Elementary
Standard public school
788 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
Sierra Vista Elementary
Standard public school
740 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
James Madison Elementary
Standard public school
739 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
John Adams Elementary
Standard public school
736 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Alpha Elementary
Standard public school
735 students 25.3:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~659 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cesar Chavez Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cesar Chavez Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Madera Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Cesar Chavez Elementary
How many students attend Cesar Chavez Elementary?
Cesar Chavez Elementary has 659 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Madera, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cesar Chavez Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cesar Chavez Elementary is 21.3:1, which is 1% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cesar Chavez Elementary?
84.9% of students at Cesar Chavez Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cesar Chavez Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cesar Chavez Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 92.1% of enrollment, in Madera, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cesar Chavez Elementary?
Cesar Chavez Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 11/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cesar Chavez Elementary rank among elementary schools in Madera?
By Resource Investment Index, Cesar Chavez Elementary ranks #12 of 24 elementary schools in Madera, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Madera on the city page.
Is Cesar Chavez Elementary a good school?
Cesar Chavez Elementary earns 11/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Madera Unified?
Besides Cesar Chavez Elementary, Madera Unified also operates Matilda Torres High (2,017 students), Madera High (1,869 students), and Madera South High (1,859 students). See the Madera Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.