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Public school district · California

Merced Union High.Many schools. Many different stories.

Compare elementary, middle, and high schools across Merced Union High—and look beyond a single district average.

El Capitan HighBuhach Colony HighMerced HighAtwater HighGolden Valley HighLivingston HighIndependence High (Alternative)Yosemite High (Continuation)Merced Union HighN ↑
8 schools mapped · Location contextOpen map →
Census district boundary
High schools at a glance
High8 schools
avg 43.5/1005 Developing, 3 Needs Support

High schools are scored on their own scale — never ranked against other levels.

The high school years

34 points separate El Capitan High (52) from Yosemite High (Continuation) (18) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.

0100
Strong Solid Developing Needs Support district avg state avg

34 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 8 high schools — the average hides more than it tells.

1 continuation/alternative school not plotted — it ranks within its own class, not on this statewide axis.

The strength

El Capitan High is the strongest option at 52/100 — 11.9% of its students exceed the state standard.

The catch

32.9% of students are chronically absent (state: 23.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.

El Capitan High
Building Momentum
48th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 52/100
Buhach Colony High
Building Momentum
43rd percentile · DevelopingScope Score 51/100
Merced High
Building Momentum
42nd percentile · DevelopingScope Score 50/100

All 8 high schools, ranked, in the appendix →

What it means for your family

If you're choosing a neighborhood

The 34-point spread means the district average is nearly meaningless for an address decision — the zoned high school is the whole decision. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is El Capitan High at 52/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.

If you already live here

No charters or magnets among the ranked schools here, so the main lever is an intra-district transfer — California districts run them on their own windows and criteria. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, ask the district office for this year's dates.

If your kid is enrolled now

A band is a position, not a prophecy — a school's number can move without your kid's experience moving with it. Ask your school two questions: what it is doing about attendance, and what the classroom looks like for a kid who arrives ahead.

The strongest-scoring campus:

El Capitan High 48th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 52/100

The top scorer district-wide — confirm enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.

What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.

Merced Union High has 8 public schools in this SchoolScope results directory. Compare schools by their primary reporting level below.

2024–25 CAASPP reporting · SchoolScope analysis. Directory coverage, not a complete inventory of every campus. Each school appears at its primary reporting level; K–8 and K–12 campuses can serve additional grades. Sources and methodology →

One district, three stages

The average changes with the journey.

High schools

Explore high →
Lower reported resultsHigher reported results

7 comparable schools · average 47.1/100 · range 39.9–52.0

Explore Merced Union High by place.

Districts nearby

DistrictAverage scoreRanked schoolsTop schoolDistance
Merced Union Highthis district47.1 / 1007El Capitan High—
Merced City Elementary26.5 / 10013Allan Peterson Elementary3.1 mi
Atwater Elementary31.9 / 1008Thomas Olaeta Elementary4.1 mi
Weaver Union28.7 / 1003Pioneer Elementary5.5 mi
Winton37.4 / 1004Frank Sparkes Elementary6.1 mi

Averages blend every school level in a district and carry no score band. Compare a level at a time in the spreads above, then open the schools. Distances run between school-location centers.

Cities served

City pages include schools from other districts too. Check the district named on each school profile.

Patterns across the district

What kinds of schools are here?

Patterns worth exploring.

Choose a pattern to find matching schools in the lists below. Open a profile to see the underlying measures and questions to ask on a visit.

How patterns are defined →

Archetypes describe reported patterns, not school quality or fit. Available measures differ by school level.

Schools in Merced Union High

Browse by level, then compare the evidence behind each profile.

Map ↗

High schools in Merced Union High · 8 schools

CompareSchoolExceededScore
El Capitan High
Merced Union High Building Momentum
11.9%48th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 52/100
Buhach Colony High
Merced Union High Building Momentum
12.7%43rd percentile · DevelopingScope Score 51/100
Merced High
Merced Union High Building Momentum
9.8%42nd percentile · DevelopingScope Score 50/100
Atwater High
Merced Union High Building Momentum
9.8%32nd percentile · DevelopingScope Score 47/100
Golden Valley High
Merced Union High Building Momentum
9.3%30th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 47/100
Livingston High
Merced Union High Building Momentum
5.8%20th percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 43/100
Compare selected schools

Select two to four schools at the same level. Rankings and score bands compare each school with its own enrollment group.

District finance · FY 2024–25

Where the district's dollars go.

Merced Union High spent $19,638 per student in FY 2024–25 — close to the median California district ($20,491). About 54 cents of every dollar goes to classroom instruction.

Current expense per student

Current expense of education per unit of average daily attendance, from the district's annual SACS filing to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus. Spending is context, not a measure of school quality.

Share by function

  • Instruction54%
  • Instruction support13%
  • Student services13%
  • Administration7%
  • Buildings & maintenance9%
  • Other3%

Shares of the same current-expense total, by SACS function. Names are simplified from the filing's own categories.

The system behind the schools

The people behind the classrooms — district-grain context that never enters a school's score.

People
Teacher salary range$69,345–$131,810
Teaching staff576 · FTE
District enrollment10,977 · students
Who attends
Hispanic 73.8% · White 11.8% · Black 4.4% · Asian 6.5% · Other 3.5%
Free/reduced lunch82% · economic need indicator

CDE Form J-90 salary schedule 2024–25 · CDE enrollment (district averages)

See how the school years fit together.

Explore the next stage, then verify the schools available for your address.

These are browsing links, not a feeder path. Assignments vary by residence, program, permits, and available space.

Looking beyond Merced Union High?

Explore public, private, and early-learning options.

Know what you’re comparing.

Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology

Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.

Source: CDE CAASPP 2025 · 8 schoolsMethodology · Download this data (CSV)

Free to download, CC BY 4.0 with attribution.

Frequently asked questions

How many schools are listed in Merced Union High?
This SchoolScope directory lists 8 public schools in Merced Union High with 2024–25 reporting records. This is directory coverage, not a complete campus inventory. Each school appears under its primary reporting level; a K–8 or K–12 campus may serve additional grades.
Which schools have the highest scores in Merced Union High?
Among comprehensive public schools listed here, the highest Scope Score at each primary reporting level is: High: El Capitan High (52/100). These are separate level rankings, not a single cross-level league table. A score does not establish fit or enrollment eligibility. See the methodology.
Can I compare elementary, middle, and high schools directly?
Compare schools at the same level and within the same enrollment group. Scope Score formulas and available measures differ by level. The plots show comprehensive public schools separately for each level; individual profiles explain their comparison group.
Does living in Merced Union High guarantee a particular school?
A district outline does not establish assignment to an individual school. Attendance boundaries, programs, permits, and available space can affect enrollment. Confirm the requirements directly with the district.
What does a SchoolScope pattern mean?
Archetypes summarize patterns in publicly reported academic and school-climate measures. They describe reported results, not a school’s quality or a child’s fit. Open the school profile for reporting years, missing measures, and questions to ask. Read how the patterns are defined.
Where do these results come from?
The underlying public data comes from the California Department of Education, including CAASPP reporting for 2024–25. Scope Scores and archetypes are SchoolScope calculations, not official CDE ratings. View CDE data and SchoolScope’s methodology and limitations.