Merced · Merced County

Schools in Merced

Merced’s 18 public elementary schools run from the bottom 1% to the 53rd percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Elementary · 18 schools

from bottom 1% to 53rd · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Allan Peterson Elementary: 53rd percentile, Solid
  • Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary: 51st percentile, Solid
  • Plainsburg Union Elementary: 43rd percentile, Developing
  • Luther Burbank Elementary: 31st percentile, Developing
  • Charles Wright Elementary: 30th percentile, Developing
  • McSwain Elementary: 29th percentile, Developing
  • Pioneer Elementary: 28th percentile, Developing
  • Margaret Sheehy Elementary: 19th percentile, Needs Support
  • John Muir Elementary: 15th percentile, Needs Support
  • Ada Givens Elementary: 14th percentile, Needs Support
  • Joe Stefani: 13th percentile, Needs Support
  • Farmdale Elementary: 13th percentile, Needs Support
  • Leontine Gracey Elementary: 9th percentile, Needs Support
  • Merced Scholars Charter: 8th percentile, Needs Support
  • Rudolph Rivera Elementary: 8th percentile, Needs Support
  • Don Stowell Elementary: 6th percentile, Needs Support
  • Alicia Reyes Elementary: 5th percentile, Needs Support
  • John C. Fremont Elementary: bottom 1%, Needs Support
11Needs Support
5Developing
2Solid
0Strong

One dot per school.

Middle and high school pictures

Middle · 8 schools

from 3rd to 76th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests

  • Plainsburg Union Elementary: 76th percentile, Strong
  • McSwain Elementary: 45th percentile, Developing
  • Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle: 35th percentile, Developing
  • Weaver Middle: 26th percentile, Developing
  • Herbert Hoover Middle: 25th percentile, Developing
  • Rudolph Rivera Middle: 12th percentile, Needs Support
  • Merced Scholars Charter: 11th percentile, Needs Support
  • Tenaya Middle: 3rd percentile, Needs Support
3Needs Support
4Developing
0Solid
1Strong

High · 5 schools

from 2nd to 46th · among 1,498 California high schools we score · spring 2025 tests

  • El Capitan High: 46th percentile, Developing
  • Golden Valley High: 31st percentile, Developing
  • Merced High: 26th percentile, Developing
  • Merced Scholars Charter: 24th percentile, Needs Support
  • Independence High (Alternative): 2nd percentile, Needs Support
2Needs Support
3Developing
0Solid
0Strong

One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 3 of the 27 ranked schools teach more than one level, 1 of them all three, so they appear in more than one picture.

Schools around Merced

32 listed public schools with mapped locations.

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Percentile among California schools at the same level

  • Strong75th+
  • Solid50–74th
  • Developing25–49th
  • Needs Supportbelow 25th
  • Not scored

The school lists on this page are also available without the map.

Elementary schools

Which elementary schools in Merced score highest?

Allan Peterson Elementary is highest, at the 53rd percentile.

That’s higher than 53 in 100 of the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Merced

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Show the other 15 elementary schools
Context

The average Merced elementary school had 21 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.

1 elementary school not ranked statewide

Middle schools

Which middle schools in Merced score highest?

Plainsburg Union Elementary is highest, at the 76th percentile.

That’s higher than 76 in 100 of the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).

Highest in Merced

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Show the other 5 middle schools
Context

The average Merced middle school had 19 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.

High schools

Which high schools in Merced score highest?

El Capitan High is highest, at the 46th percentile.

That’s higher than 46 in 100 of the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests).

Highest in Merced

Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level.

Show the other 2 high schools
Context

The average Merced high school had 26 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100.

4 high schools not ranked statewide

Continuation schools, court and community schools and special education centers enroll students differently from a regular school, so each is compared only with its own kind or not ranked.

6 private schools have a Merced address. They don’t take California’s state tests, so we don’t score them. See them in the private-school directory →

Which places nearby can you look at next?

School districts

More places (7)

ZIP codes

Before kindergarten

Common questions

Which public schools in Merced rank highest?

Elementary: Allan Peterson Elementary, 53rd percentile (Solid). Middle: Plainsburg Union Elementary, 76th percentile (Strong). High: El Capitan High, 46th percentile (Developing). Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.

Does living in Merced decide which school my child attends?

No. A city can hold schools from more than one district, and attendance boundaries decide which school serves an address. Confirm the school for your address with the district.
More questions (3)

Are the public schools in Merced good?

Merced’s 18 public elementary schools run from the bottom 1% to the 53rd percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 2 Solid, 5 Developing and 11 Needs Support. Merced’s 8 public middle schools run from the 3rd to the 76th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 1 Strong, 4 Developing and 3 Needs Support. Merced’s 5 public high schools run from the 2nd to the 46th percentile among the 1,498 California high schools we score (spring 2025 tests). By band: 3 Developing and 2 Needs Support. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.

How does chronic absence in Merced compare with California?

The average Merced elementary school had 21 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. The average Merced middle school had 19 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. The average Merced high school had 26 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California high school we score had 22 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.

Where do these results come from?

California’s state tests (CAASPP): spring 2026 for elementary and middle schools, spring 2025 for high schools, and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.

Sources and methodology

This page lists the public schools with a Merced address, which can belong to more than one school district.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26 elementary and middle school; 2024–25 high school

Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.

View CDE data ↗ (opens in a new tab)How Scope Scores work →

Download these schools (CSV)Free to use under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.