Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.
The elementary years
34 points separate Merced Elementary (59) from California Virtual Academy @ Los Angeles (25) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.
34 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 9 elementary schools — the average hides more than it tells.
Merced Elementary (59/100) holds the Strong band — 47.0% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 24.3%.
34 points separate the top and bottom elementary schools — the district average won't predict the school in front of you.
The middle years
The middle schools sit at the state line (33.7 vs 38.6) — the 15-point school-to-school spread is where the choice lives.
2 middle schools span 15 points around an average of 33.7.
Students are showing up: chronic absenteeism runs 12.0% against a state average of 18.1%.
The level sits 4.9 points below the state line.
The high school years
The high schools sit at the state line (49.6 vs 54.0) — the 40-point school-to-school spread is where the choice lives.
40 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 4 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.
West Covina High (66/100) holds the Strong band — 20.8% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 18.6%.
28.8% 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.
What it means for your family
Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Merced Elementary at 59/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.
2 of the 15 ranked schools are charters — enrollment paths that don't depend on your address. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, those lotteries and applications are the levers worth the paperwork.
A band is a position, not a prophecy — 1 campus here ranks as On the Rise, its returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.
The strongest-scoring run through the district:
Merced Elementary 86th percentile · StrongScope Score 59/100Hollencrest Middle 61st percentile · SolidScope Score 41/100West Covina High 82nd percentile · StrongScope Score 66/100
Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and 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.