Enrollment
487
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Madera, CA
Howard Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Howard Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062334003546
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Howard Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools.
- #6 of 24
- elementary schools in Madera · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.7:1
- small classes for California
- 58.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Howard Elementary has class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Howard Elementary ranks #6 of 24 elementary schools in Madera, CA.
School address
District: Madera Unified · California
NCES ID 062334003546 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.5%
vs 55.5% California avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Howard Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Howard Elementary
Howard Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Madera, California, enrolling 487 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.5% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 487 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,758 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #534.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 162 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.7% 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): Howard Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.7:1 vs 22.7:1).
Madera Unified also operates Matilda Torres High (2,017 students) and Madera High (1,869 students) alongside Howard 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 Howard Elementary compares
Howard 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 | 18.7:1 | ▼ 13% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.5% | ▲ 5% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 487 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.7:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
487
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.7:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 25% in California - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.7%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 162 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 85.8%
White 8.6%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 85.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.5, Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matilda Torres High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madera High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madera South High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Howard 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 (~487 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Howard Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Howard 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 Howard Elementary
How many students attend Howard Elementary?
Howard Elementary has 487 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Madera, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Howard Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Howard Elementary is 18.7:1, which is 13% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 19% 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 Howard Elementary?
58.5% of students at Howard Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Howard Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Howard Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 85.8% of enrollment, in Madera, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Howard Elementary?
Howard Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (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 Howard Elementary rank among elementary schools in Madera?
By Resource Investment Index, Howard Elementary ranks #6 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 Howard Elementary a good school?
Howard Elementary earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 75% of 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 Howard 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.