Madera South High School: Full Guide

Location: Madera, CA

Are you a student or parent at Madera South High School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?

We've written the best guide to Madera South High available. Here we'll cover:

Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
How safe Madera South High is to attend
SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Madera South High students
Which AP/IB classes you can take at Madera South High
Every sports team you can join at Madera South High

Let's get started!

Basic Information

Madera South High School is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Madera, CA in Madera County.

Based on its location, Madera South High is classified as a school in a small city. Here's the location on a map:

Contact Information

Mailing address:

Madera South High School
755 W. Pecan Ave.
Madera, CA 93637

Phone number: 5596754450

Madera South High School homepage: http://www.madera.k12.ca.us/Domain/97

Principal: Oracio Rodriguez
Email the principal: [email protected]

Student Demographics

Student Enrollment

The total enrollment at Madera South High School is 2652 students, making it a very large high school, in the top 10% of all California high schools by size.

Wow! Attending Madera South High might feel like attending a college. You'll be surrounded by a large group of students (over 500 per class) and have more options for activities and clubs to join, which can be exciting.

On the other hand, you may also find that resources like counseling are spread thin across so many students. Make sure that you can get enough teacher and counselor attention to succeed at Madera South High, which may require being proactive.

Growth in Student Body Size

Is Madera South High School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.

From our calculations, the enrollment at Madera South High has steadily increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.

	Male Students	Female Students	All Students
9^th grade	433	371	804
10^th grade	360	360	720
11^th grade	310	313	623
12^th grade	251	254	505

As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 299 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.

There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of Madera could be growing in population, thus sending more students into Madera South High. Alternatively, Madera South High could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.

Gender Split

Are there more boys or girls at Madera South High School?

From our statistics, Madera South High has a 52:48 split between male and female students in the high school grades.

Madera South High has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in Madera County. Since the student body is roughly half and half, it should feel like there are equal numbers of boys and girls in your classes.

This usually means that Madera South High doesn't strongly select for either males or females, unlike other schools that have a large majority of males or females.

Ethnicity Breakdown

What's the racial diversity at Madera South High School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?

From our statistics, Madera South High has a homogenous student body, with the overwhelming majority of students identifying as one ethnicity. Only a third of California schools show as little diversity as Madera South High does. When attending class, most students will be of the same ethnicity, with some variation.

The majority of students at Madera South High are Hispanic. In California, Hispanic students make up the majority of all students at 51.5%, and are thus the most common ethnicity. Predominantly Hispanic schools are the most common type of homogenous school, and Madera South High fits within this category.

	Percentage	Number
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.4%	13
Asian	1.0%	29
Hispanic	87.9%	2333
Black	3.2%	85
White	6.7%	180
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander	0.0%	1
Two or more races	0.4%	11

High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Madera. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.

Income Level of Madera South High Families

What are the family incomes of students at Madera South High School? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.

To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.

To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.

The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.

At Madera South High, 12.3% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 73.6% qualify for free lunches.

This means Madera South High has a high percentage of students at or near poverty. Almost a third of all schools in California show this level of poverty, and by National Center for Education Statistics standards, Madera South High can be classified as a high poverty school. The income level of families in Madera is thus likely to be low.

	Number	Percent
Reduced-price lunches	328	12.3%
Free lunches	1953	73.6%
Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches	371	13.9%

As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Madera and doesn't speak much about the school itself.

Unfortunately, schools in areas of lower income levels are likely to be more poorly funded. As a result, they might feature less advanced coursework like AP/IB classes, and you may not have a full range of sports and extracurriculars to draw from. Because Madera South High is an especially high poverty-level school, it might not have the resources you need to meet your full potential.

You definitely don't have control over the city, the school, or other families, but you can structure your own learning to be more productive. If you'd like to open yourself to more opportunities, you can look into whether it's possible to transfer to a nearby school with higher income levels.

If not, don't be alarmed - it's possible that Madera South High has all that you need for your ambition. And you can definitely be proactive about learning outside of your school, looking to your community or to the Internet to find more resources.

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School Safety

How safe is Madera South High School to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?

To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at Madera South High: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.

These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other Madera South High students at risk.

In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 0 referrals to law enforcement, and 0 school-related arrests. This is out of a total enrollment of 2851 students.

To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.

Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:

Madera Unified School District Safety

School Name	Total Referred	Total Arrests	Enrollment
Madera High	0	0	2228
Furman (duane E.) High (independent Study Program)	0	0	193
Sherman Thomas Charter High	0	0	54
Mountain Vista Educational Center	0	0	0
Eastin-arcola High	0	0	213

Academic Performance

Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at Madera South High School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?

We've compiled everything we could find about Madera South High's academics here.

Graduation Rate

To start off, an important benchmark of academic achievement is graduation rate. For all students who start high school at Madera South High, the state of California wants as many students to graduate as possible, since a high school diploma can mean a big difference in getting a job.

At Madera South High, 87% (of 539) Madera South High students graduated within four years of starting high school.

Here's how this stacks up to other schools. The California state government has defined 90% as a target rate. The state average is around 80-85%.

Madera South High is in the 61st percentile of all public high schools in California for graduation rate. This is above average. Generally, a graduation rate of above 90% is considered good and well above average, and below 75% is well below average.

Note: This data comes from a few years back, but the trends are likely to stay the same, since schools don't get significantly better or worse within a short period of time.

Standardized Testing

Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Madera South High School students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.

Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.

SAT Scores

As you probably know, the SAT is a critical test used for college admissions. The higher the score you get, the better your academic performance compared to students nationwide, and the easier it is to get into top colleges.

We did in-depth research and found the average Madera South High School SAT scores.

The average composite SAT score is a 1250 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 294 at Madera South High take the SAT.

This is a very low SAT score, putting Madera South High in the bottom 25% of all California schools, and well below the national average. Only 14% of SAT takers here score above the national average. Unfortunately, this suggests that most students attending Madera South High are not high-achieving, and may find it difficult to be admitted to a good college.

Note, however, that an average is just an average - you still have the potential to rise above expectations. If you work hard and earn an SAT score well above Madera South High's average, you'll have a great shot at entering a good college.

Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:

Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)

Source	Critical Reading	Math	Writing	Composite
Madera South High	417	417	417	1250
California	498	510	496	1504
United States	495	511	484	1490

Note that the SAT has since changed to a 1600 scale, but the trends above for your high school are likely to continue. Just use this guide to convert between the old 2400 scale and the new 1600 scale.

To learn more about SAT percentile rankings, read our guide on what SAT percentiles really mean.

How good is 1250 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1250 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1250 or any other SAT score!

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ACT Scores

In California, the ACT is less popular than the SAT. Fewer students take the ACT, and typically these students are more motivated and academically prepared for college. Therefore, it's harder to compare Madera South High School ACT scores with the rest of the country.

At Madera South High, the average ACT composite score was 16, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 100 out of 2652 total students take the ACT.

Unfortunately, this is well below average performance, putting Madera South High in the bottom 25% of high schools in California. Most students who take the ACT here are well below the national average.

Since the ACT tests what you learn in school, this may be a warning sign that the quality of education you'll receive at Madera South High may be lacking compared to other schools.

Here are the average English, Math, Reading, and Science scores for Madera South High compared to California and the US:

Average ACT Scores

Source	English	Math	Reading	Science
Madera South High	15	18	17	17
California	21.8	22.8	22.3	21.7
United States	20.3	20.9	21.3	20.8

Scores provided are for the 2013-14 school year.

Find out more about percentile rankings and the ACT in this article.

Every individual is different. What counts as a good ACT score for you? Learn more with this article!

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Advanced Placement (AP)

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give Madera South High School students credit for college.

Here's what we're looking for: high average AP test scores as well as high AP passing rates.

AP Scores

Every year, roughly 238 students in grades 9-12 at Madera South High take 416 AP exams. It's important to understand how students score on the AP - earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP test means passing the test and often earning college credit.

The average score of all AP exams taken at Madera South High is 2.1 out of 5.

Unfortunately, this score puts Madera South High at below average performance. For AP tests, the passing score is considered a 3, and the majority of students who take AP tests at Madera South High don't pass. This performance places Madera South High School in the bottom 50% of schools for AP tests in California.

This isn't all bad news. It's already good that Madera South High offers an AP program, so you can start dipping your toes into college-level courses. Some schools are new to offering AP courses, and teachers often get better at preparing students for AP tests. Furthermore, a good number of students still earn a passing grade of 3 or above. With hard work throughout the year, you'll still be able to beat your school's average.

We have specific data on how many students got a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (out of 5) on AP exams in the chart below:

To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at Madera South High School, you'll have to talk to your guidance counselor (who can then help you find that information). For instance, one AP Calculus teacher may have an above-90% passing rate, while another might only have a 50% passing rate. If you can, you'll want to take the class with the teacher who has more students get a 3 or above on the AP exam.

Find out more about the average score for each AP subject here.

State Tests

As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Madera South High School must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.

If Madera South High students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at Madera South High.

English/Language Arts

At Madera South High School, 33% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.

This is considered below average and puts Madera South High in the bottom 50% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. The majority of Madera South High students do not pass state standards, and only a small percentage pass.

This specific percentage isn't much cause for concern - because the Common Core is new, the pass rate at Madera South High will likely rise over time. But it still reflects Madera South High's below average standing among California high schools.

English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)

Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.

Math

The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.

At Madera South High School, 8% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Madera South High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Madera South High students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.

Math Test Results (2015)

Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.

Academic Offerings

In addition to the standard high school curriculum, many high schools like Madera South High School offer advanced coursework as part of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

Brief Intro to AP/IB

AP and IB courses are designed at the difficulty level of college introductory classes. There are several important benefits to taking advanced coursework at Madera South High. First, taking more advanced classes shows colleges that you're committed to challenging yourself academically, and that you're one of the more advanced students at Madera South High. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.

Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Madera South High AP/IB coursework as college coursework. In some cases, you'll be able to skip introductory-level classes and move to more advanced classes. In other cases, you'll be able to avoid having to take required courses and might even be able to graduate earlier than the standard 4 years. Often this will require you to pass the AP test, getting a score of 3 or above.

So what advanced courses does Madera South High School offer?

AP Courses

Madera South High School offers AP courses in 15 subjects.

This is a reasonable number of AP subjects, putting Madera South High School in the top 50% of California schools that offer AP courses. You'll likely have access to some of the most popular math and humanities AP subjects, as well as a few others.

The total number of AP subjects is 38, so Madera South High is missing a large number of subjects, including some popular ones. If there are any AP courses you want to take that aren't being offered at Madera South High, ask your counselor for ideas on how to cover the gap.

Of course, keep in mind that quality matters even more than quantity - even if Madera South High doesn't offer every AP course under the sun, the classes might still be taught very well. You can see student performance in the AP score analysis section above.

The following AP courses were offered at Madera South High during 2015-2016:

Course Title
Biology
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Chemistry
English Language and Composition
English Literature and Composition
Environmental Science
European History
Psychology
Spanish Language and Culture
Statistics
Studio Art: 2-D Design
Studio Art: 3-D Design
Studio Art: Drawing
United States History

Sports Teams

Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at Madera South High School. Sports are an integral part of many students' high school experiences. The more sports that are available, and the more levels supported (Frosh, JV, Varsity), the more likely you'll be able to participate in a sport at Madera South High.

By the way, the Madera South High mascot is the Stallions. Go Stallions!

Madera South High School fields 19 teams for girls' sports. This is a high number that puts Madera South High in the top 25% of California schools that offer girls' sports. If you're a female, you'll have lots of options of sports and levels to try out for.

And now for the boys: Madera South High School fields 23 teams for boys' sports. This puts Madera South High in the top 25% of California schools that offer boys' sports. Boys will have a large pick of sports to try out for.

Boys Teams	Girls Teams
Basketball Var JV Fr	Basketball Var JV Fr
Golf Var JV Fr	Golf Var JV Fr
Tennis Var JV Fr	Tennis Var JV Fr
Football Var JV Fr
Wrestling Var JV Fr
Volleyball Var JV Fr	Volleyball Var JV Fr
Baseball Var JV Fr
	Softball Var JV Fr
Waterpolo Var JV Fr	Waterpolo Var JV Fr
Crosscountry Var JV Fr	Crosscountry Var JV Fr
Soccer Var JV Fr	Soccer Var JV Fr

What’s Next?

Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!

Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.

Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.

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