Madera Elementary School

We've been happy with our kid's experience at Madera. No school is perfect, but this one has a lot of great things going for it.1. The teachers we've had have been wonderful and caring. My kid has learned a lot and enjoys showing up for class every day.2. The community funds a lot of enrichment programs, like gardening class, music class, field trips, and special assemblies - along with classroom supplies and extra reading support.3. Principal Ranch genuinely cares about the school, teachers, and students. I was surprised/impressed at how much he cares about getting students' opinions on things that impact their experience there.4. I see a lot of family involvement - there are so many parents in the community who help out with substitute teaching when needed, spend time in the classroom, and also help outside of the classroom (for things like school cleanup projects).5. There's a great after school program that's conveniently on campus, and there are several enrichment programs offered throughout the year (chess, art, science, improv, sports, you name it).

Thought this was supposed to be a good school, but teaching seems to be hit or miss depending on who you get. Not enough consistency across classes in each grade so some learn a lot and others don't have that opportunity

My kids attended Madera from K through 4th and K through 2nd. While I believe the new principal, Mr. Ranch, is really strong, the PTA is excellent, and some of the teachers are excellent, my overall rating for this school is mixed. Both of my kids are dyslexic and while the principal and their teachers were supportive in terms of getting a diagnosis, the school psychologist and the district were horrendous and violated my childrens' rights as they did not do assessments until 1.5 yrs after I requested them! I could have sued, but opted not too because the pandamic tired me out and I just didn't have the energy to fight. So if you have a kid who is dyslexic, I cannot recommend Madera as the district violates the rights of children with dyslexia. I also believe that their reading instruction is not adequate as they base it on Lucy Calkins and Columbia Teacher's College methods which does not include proper phonics instruction. The district should be using a method that is based on phonics and the science of reading which helps ALL children read more effectively including children with dyslexia.

I noticed there's only one review since the pandemic-induced closure of West Contra Costa Unified School District. A couple of major changes have taken place: 1) we have an amazing new principal with an enormous commitment to our students and teachers, and 2) a good portion of the longest-serving teachers at Madera retired during the pandemic and we were able to hire really enthusiastic and incredibly well qualified new teachers. The result of these changes is a strong school community, it will probably take a couple years for all of the scores to reflect these improvements, but suffice it to say that we feel incredibly lucky to be Madera parents.

Despite a difficult time with distance learning under a global Covid-19 pandemic. Madera continues to be an excellent school for academic, social, and character learning and development. Parent participation is high. A new influx of high-quality teachers has meant that the level of energy, innovation, and enthusiasm for learning and growth continues to be at the forefront of not only the faculty and staff, but also the administration of the little school on the hill. Your child will feel at home in a welcoming environment where children are challenged and supported to succeed, grow in maturity and develop into responsible little citizens. At Madera, school faculty and staff look out for the students not for themselves.