How does La Merced Academy compare to other elementary schools in Montebello?

La Merced Academy has a SchoolScope composite score of 43.3/100, placing it at the 49th percentile statewide. 21% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,548 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at La Merced Academy?

21.4% of students at La Merced Academy exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 42.9% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is La Merced Academy improving or declining?

La Merced Academy's proficiency rate decreases by 21.4 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5, suggesting the school is not sustaining early academic gains.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at La Merced Academy?

12.6% of students at La Merced Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

La Merced Academy

Montebello Unified Montebello Los Angeles County 90640

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of elementary schools

State Rank

1,548 students tested

School overview

Enrollment

649 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

19:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

63%

Teachers

34 full-time

Student demographics

Hispanic 95.4%

White 0.5%

Asian 0.6%

Other 3.5%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for La Merced Academy
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	21.4%
Met Standard	21.6%
Below Standard	57.1%

Exceeded

21.4%

Met

21.6%

Below

57.1%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "43% proficient" for La Merced Academy and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

21.4% of students exceeded standard while 21.6% merely met it. That exceeded rate is near the state average of 21.0%. That's 6.8 points above the Montebello Unified district average of 14.6%. Nearby schools (within ~3 miles) average 21.0% exceeded — about the same. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Proficiency drops by 21.4 percentage points from grade 3 to grade 5 — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

Chronic absenteeism is 12.6%, better than the state average of 18.7%.

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

21.4%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

42.9%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G3→G5)

-21.4pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

12.6%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

0.7%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,548

Across all grades & subjects

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
3rd	69	13.0%	31.9%	21.7%	33.3%	44.9%
4th	95	18.9%	9.5%	14.7%	56.8%	28.4%
5th	94	9.6%	18.1%	20.2%	52.1%	27.7%
6th	58	27.6%	32.8%	20.7%	19.0%	60.3%
7th	33	18.2%	45.5%	21.2%	15.2%	63.6%
8th	40	47.5%	20.0%	20.0%	12.5%	67.5%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
3rd	69	13.0%	34.8%	26.1%	26.1%	47.8%
4th	93	14.0%	12.9%	34.4%	38.7%	26.9%
5th	94	10.6%	11.7%	19.1%	58.5%	22.3%
6th	58	29.3%	17.2%	25.9%	27.6%	46.5%
7th	30	20.0%	10.0%	36.7%	33.3%	30.0%
8th	41	39.0%	17.1%	19.5%	24.4%	56.1%