Summary:
The Hilmar Unified school district serves around 2,300 students across six schools, including three elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools, one of which is a small continuation school for at-risk students.
Among these schools, Hilmar High stands out as the academic leader with a near-perfect 99.4% graduation rate and the strongest English test scores in the district. In contrast, Merquin Elementary faces significant challenges, ranking in the bottom 4% of state elementary schools despite having the highest per-student spending. Hilmar Elementary and Elim Elementary show better student attendance rates, which correlates with stronger overall performance.
The district as a whole excels at keeping students on track to graduate but struggles with academic proficiency, especially in mathematics, where all schools score below the state average. Hilmar Middle serves as the feeder school to the high-performing high school, and the small Irwin High (Continuation) provides intensive, personalized support for a vulnerable group of students. Parents should note the wide variation in performance between schools within the same district.
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