Madera Elementary School

250 Royal Avenue

School District

Simi Valley Unified
Grade

K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:22
Type

public

School Map for Simi Valley Unified School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on December 10, 2024

My son had a tough adjustment from Pre-school to elementary school and the Madera staff really helped him. What started as screaming matches to get him into the school has turned into barely saying bye to me when he walks himself onto campus thanks to the encouragement of the principal Tracie Bowden. He was a little behind in academics and now he’s meeting expectations and is more active in certain classroom tasks he refused to do like sitting on the mat with the kids and coloring. He loves his teacher Mrs. Coffey, she has made it so he looks forward to going to school. My daughter is a year older and has loved both the teachers she has had so far. They have all been very responsive with any questions or concerns I’ve had. The office staff keeping the gates and front door locked which gives me big peace of mind.
Submitted by parent on October 31, 2024

I have three kids attending this school and have been greatly disappointed in the direction this school has gone the last few years. The new principle discourages creativity, does not support teacher and parent engagement, and apparently does not believe bullying happens in elementary schools. We have seen numerous families leaving the school in recent years due to these issues and continue to hear of parent and student frustration over the school environment. There is a major bullying issue going on at this school that they are not addressing even though they are receiving multiple complaints/escalations every week. The kids do not feel like they can go to the teachers or staff for help and many are unhappy. My kids are hitting a point where they do not like school and are asking to go to a different school or be home schooled. I would not recommend sending your children her until a new principle takes over. The current principle is fostering a culture of victim shaming and unfair punishment in an effort to discourage incidents that may make her look bad.I have never seen a school with so many unhappy kids, teachers, and parents.I hope the school district steps in and does something about this soon or I fear this school will slowly lose students until it gets shutdown.
Submitted by principal on June 08, 2021

Madera has dedicated teachers and supportive families that work together to acheive academic success for their students. Madera has a school focus of Civic Leadership with monthly themes and character traits that promote character development, respect, empathy and tolerance. The school has been recognized several times by the California Department of Education with the Civic Learning Award of Merit and recognized as an Honor Award School twice in the last several years. Staff and administration work collaboratively with famiies when students are struggling with academics or behavior issues. Families who visit the campus often remark about the kindness of students and staff that they encounter during tours. Madera was recently renovated from top to bottom with exterior paint, interior paint, new flooring and new furniture. Madera has an active PTA that supports the arts on campus and monthly events to bring families together.
Submitted by parent on June 08, 2021

I love Madera Elementary School! My older daughter graduated from Madera and I currently have a 5th grader and next year a kindergartener will be starting! The principal is amazing and knows all of the kid's names and is genuinely concerned about the welfare of all students. There is also a drama club that is free for the students! The PTA is awesome and very involved. I always recommend Madera to parents looking for a great school!
Submitted by parent on June 12, 2020

-0000000/10, I would never ever want to send my kids there again.They are horrible with everything including education. I had to see my poor son cry every single day after being bullied for his weight and his learning disabilities while the teachers did not even blink an eye. I would rather die than send my kid to this school again.
Submitted by parent on November 29, 2017

This school is honestly the worst school that I've ever had to deal with (3 kids and raised 2 nieces also). They don't tackle bullying they brush it under the rug. They do focus on the kid being bullied by telling the parents to navigate the kid to play alone ...basically to withdraw themselves to alleviate the situation. I feel there is favoritism toward kids that aren't ethnic(using polite terms). When your child tells you they cant talk to anyone in the school and feels like his teacher, classmate, principle hates him. It hurts when I feel like I'm making excuses for the school and teacher, you ultimately feel like your lying to your child. What's worst is you see it in their eyes that they know you and are getting more discouraged with every word you say to them.
Submitted by parent on April 10, 2015

We love attending this school!! The district leaves much to be desired aesthetically but the people here (teachers, students, staff, volunteers and families) make up for that!
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2014

Madera is a product of a district that has been poorly lead from the district office. I hope that a change in leadership will reset district priorities. Mr. Hall, the prior principal, and Ms. Palmer the new principal seem like wonderful people, but when principals have such limited authority to actually accomplish anything, and they remain on a campus for only two to three years, it not a surprise how little they can accomplish. The teaching staff has some wonderful teachers, but there are almost an equal number that should be convinced to retire or consider another field of employment. The schools test score reflect the disparity in the teaching quality between staff in the various grade. While the site is well taking care of by its custodian, the facility is poorly maintained by the district. The painted is chipped or peeling off of metal surfaces everywhere, and worn elsewhere, The grass fields are a disaster, pockmarked with gofer holes, growing weeds, and worn from a lack of care. The black top area is in similar condition. The school's technology is simply a disgrace and years behind neighboring district and schools. The Teacher and our students deserve better.
Submitted by parent on August 21, 2014

If you don't mind having your child have to navigate around hundreds of gopher holes around the entire campus and kinder playground, have to sit on the concrete for recess snacks as well as AR assemblies, participate in music programs outside in the heat then this is the school for you! We sent our child here for two years and felt like it was a waste of two years. In kinder, our child was left in her classroom by her self during lunch and ran outside the front door which is just a few feet away from the busy traffic of Royal Avenue and anyone who walks on the sidewalk to find her class in the cafeteria. Luckily, she made it to safety. A class mate of hers was sent to the office mistakenly for misbehavior when he wet his pants and no one even in the office noticed for four hours that a boy wet his pants. This is very telling for this school and its staff including the office. We are thoroughly relieved we made the switch!
Submitted by parent on August 14, 2014

Madera Elementary has surpassed my expectations. Great school, excellent PTA that has given the school additional valuable programs. Teachers are amazing! Class size is perfect. And there is plenty of staff and parent volunteers on campus so safety and security is definitely in check.
Submitted by parent on July 24, 2014

Great School, Awsome teachers! my son has been attending madera since k, now hes going to 4th grade and my other and my other son starting k there too. very happy with their academic.
Submitted by other on October 24, 2013

My grandson has been going to Madera for four years (since kindergarten). I am pleased with his academic progress (I am a retired teacher) . I am also pleased that all of his teachers have been willing to meet with me and keep me appraised of his progress.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2013

We are brand new at this school with a Kindergartner attending. The school has been very receptive to us, answering any questions we may have. The on-site after school care is EXCELLENT. The only reason why I gave four stars and not five - the students need more time at lunch to eat their lunch.
Submitted by parent on September 02, 2013

My daughter attended Madera last year for her first year kindergarten. We were very blessed to of had a great teacher MRS. HEDRICK. My daughter thought very highly of her. She learned a lot through the year. She also learned about animals too. I recommend her to any new family's that come to Madera for kindergarten. We miss her dearly :) but the good news is that we can drop by her class and say hello during the school week.
Submitted by parent on August 28, 2013

Thanks to Mr. Hall we had a wonderful kindergarten year, my son has an impulsivity disorder which i feared would hinder his progress but the principal was there to support our family every day! We now live on the other side of the city but driving to Madera is so worth it. Mrs. Hedrick was a wonderful teacher who taught my kindergartener to read and more than I knew about animal science! (The class project was to dissect owls pellets and the kids saw duckling eggs hatching during class!) very thankful my son is attending Madera.
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2013

We came from a fundamental school to Madera. We have been at the school for the last two years. The same amount of time as the new Principle Mr Hall. It has been a wonderful change. The Principle is very involved he works with you. The teachers have been great. The PTA is over the top. I just wished we started here and not the fundamental school. I would definitely recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on October 30, 2012

First year at Madera, so far it has been a great experience. Principal Hall has been so down to earth, very engaged with parents and students and you dont get that "fake" vibe from him that you do with other administrators. There is a sincere "caring" vibe from the teachers and my daughter has said nothing but good things about her experience so far. As they say, first impression is what counts, so this is why I am posting this so soon into the year. We just had our anual Harvest festival and both parents and students had a blast. We are very happy and thankful to have our daughter here. (5th grade) BTW, the PTA here is soooo involved and are doing a fantastic job fundraising and coordinating fun events for the kids... GO PTA!!!
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2012

My family has been at Madera since 2005. While there have been a few hiccups, our overall experience has been great. I think a child's education starts at home and the school should expand upon that. My son has moved on to middle school and he and his friends from Madera are involved in leadership, NJHS and are in some Honors classes. They learned the basics they need for the future from Madera. At age 13 he still goes back and sees a few teachers. My daughter is going to second grade and has learned so much in 2 short years. A few teachers were irritating along the way, but that could just be personality issues. Our true love from the 2011-2012 school year was our new principal. He has made a huge difference in the atmosphere and spirit of Madera. My largest complaint does not fall solely on Madera (economy and pc district policies), however I have noticed it more there than at friends schools; the utter lack of field trips. While, as a busy parent I am happy with minimal fundraisers, I feel that I would be willing to do more to allow our children to enjoy more out of school learning experiences. Overall, my family loves the fun, friendly atmosphere at Madera Elementary.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2012

The teachers are excellent, and really work with you and your child. Madera is one of the few schools in the district that offer both art and music to all students.
Submitted by parent on February 08, 2012

Maybe there is hope with the new Principle. The campus supervisors/ yard duties do not assist in establishing an enviroment that stimulates growth of desirable social and emotional habits for the children. This is there job description. Adults stand watching after school as the kids bully, they take no action and are generally accepting this as normal .