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Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle · Merced

Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle: The state doesn't publish enough data to score this school fairly.

Herbert H. Cruickshank is a middle school in Merced. The state doesn't publish enough data to score it fairly — so we won't. Here's what we can show.

No Scope Score available

California doesn't publicly report per-grade test results when fewer than 11 students are tested in a grade — a privacy protection for small schools. We can't compute a Scope Score without that data.

Worth a school visit

With little published data, a visit does the heavy lifting: ask about class sizes, teacher tenure, and where last year's students went next.

  • Ask about typical class sizes and the student-teacher ratio.
  • Ask how long teachers have stayed at the school.
  • Ask where recent graduates or transfers went next.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom, and watch how a lesson actually runs.

How every group of students does here

At Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle in Merced, 41.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 10.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (44.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 48.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 372 students tested.

All students at this school: 39% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 39%, district —, state 39%39%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 31%, district 25%, state 32%31% · −7 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 33%, district 25%, state 32%33% · −5 vs school
MaleMale: this school 35%, district 26%, state 42%35% · −4 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 42%, district 30%, state 44%42% · +4 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 46%, district 41%, state 56%46% · +7 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 57%, district 39%, state 72%57% · +18 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 7%, district 7%, state 15%7% · −31 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 54%, district 36%, state 56%54% · +16 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 13%, district 17%, state 26%13% · −25 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 6%, district 7%, state 11%6% · −32 vs school

6 of 17 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 31:1, district 26:131:1
Teaching staff24 teachers
Avg. experience14.7 years
Fully credentialed94%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$68,682 – $137,063
Principal salary$174,280 – $0
Superintendent salary$255,000

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $17,198, CA average $14,815$17,198 · spent at this school
Federal share$420 per student

$420 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$18,875 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction62%
Instruction support13%
Student services10%
Administration6%
Buildings & maintenance8%
Other1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$13,083 per pupil
2019$12,124 per pupil
2018$12,653 per pupil
2017$11,348 per pupil
2016$11,284 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic57.7%
District 70.1% · CA 56.1%
White17.9%
District 10.8% · CA 19.9%
Asian10.7%
District 8.6% · CA 10.2%
Other8.5%
District 5.9% · CA 9.0%
Black5.1%
District 4.7% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 58.5% (5pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$71K · CA $85K
Median home value$399K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+27% · CA 35%
ZIP population38,303
Median age32 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 16% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.


SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction