Enrollment
1,859
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Madera, CA
Madera South High
Federal NCES profile for Madera South High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062334011679
👥 S:T ratio 16
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Madera South High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #1 of 8
- high schools in Madera · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.9:1
- students per teacher
- 84.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Madera South High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Madera South High ranks #1 of 8 high schools in Madera, CA.
School address
District: Madera Unified · California
NCES ID 062334011679 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
89.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
+52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Madera South High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Madera South High
Madera South High is a high-poverty, large high school in Madera, California, enrolling 1,859 students.
At 20.9:1, 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: 84.6% of students qualify for free meals, 52% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 96% of state schools at 1,859 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 172 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #20.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 9 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 133 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 18 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Madera's high schools, it stands alongside Matilda Torres High (2,017 students): Madera South High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20.9:1 vs 23.5:1).
Madera Unified also operates Matilda Torres High (2,017 students) and Madera High (1,869 students) alongside Madera South High.
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 Madera South High compares
Madera South High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.9:1 | ▼ 3% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.6% | ▲ 52% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,859 | top 4% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.9:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,859
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% 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
20.9:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 42% in California - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
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
Counselors14.0 FTE
Per 133 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
85
in-school suspensions + 160 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 18 expulsions.
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 94.1%
African American 2.2%
White 1.8%
Asian 1.1%
Two or More 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.4, Madera South High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madera Unified, which includes Madera South High.
$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 Madera South High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matilda Torres High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Madera High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson Middle | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jack G. Desmond Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Madera South High'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
- 948
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 865
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 838
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar high schools in Madera
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Matilda Torres High
Standard public school
2,017 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Madera High
Standard public school
1,869 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Liberty High
Standard public school
748 students 23.4:1 students per teacher
Mountain Vista High
Alternative education program
162 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Sherman Thomas Charter High
Standard public school
69 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Independence Continuation High
Alternative education program
45 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Similar high 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 (~1,859 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Madera South High's federal record.
- Compare Madera South High 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 Madera South High
How many students attend Madera South High?
Madera South High has 1,859 students enrolled. It is a high school in Madera, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Madera South High?
The student-teacher ratio at Madera South High is 20.9:1, which is 3% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 33% 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 Madera South High?
84.6% of students at Madera South High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Madera South High?
The largest demographic group at Madera South High is Hispanic or Latino at 94.1% of enrollment, in Madera, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Madera South High?
Madera South High has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Madera South High rank among high schools in Madera?
By Resource Investment Index, Madera South High ranks #1 of 8 high 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 high schools in Madera on the city page.
Is Madera South High a good school?
Madera South High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Madera South High, Madera Unified also operates Matilda Torres High (2,017 students), Madera High (1,869 students), and Thomas Jefferson Middle (948 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.