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Merced Union High

At a glance

1134^thof 1,543 California districts▲ 17

Better than 26% of California districts

High 9Grades 9-12

3430 A St.
Atwater, CA 95301-5100·(209) 325-2000·All California district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2025

2025: better than 26.5% of districts

Schools

11,061

Students

Top rankedBuhach Colony High1032^nd of 2,162 California high schools

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Biggest riser

Buhach Colony High up 290 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Yosemite High (Continuation) 16 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

3★

2★

1★

0★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare California districts →See the top-ranked California schools →

Summary:

The Merced Union High district consists of nine high schools serving grades 9-12 to over 10,000 students in a predominantly economically disadvantaged area, ranking in the 27th percentile statewide.

Among the comprehensive high schools, El Capitan High stands out with the district's highest graduation rate and strongest English scores, while Buhach Colony High shows notable strength in science. Atwater High has the lowest chronic absenteeism. In contrast, Livingston High has the lowest math and science proficiency, and the alternative schools—Yosemite High (Continuation), Independence High (Alternative), and Sequoia High—struggle with very high absenteeism and dropout rates despite much higher per-student spending.

The district's key strength is its high graduation rate, which exceeds the state average. However, a major area for concern is math proficiency, which lags far behind the state average in every school. Chronic absenteeism is also higher than the state average, particularly at the alternative schools, and is correlated with lower academic performance. There are significant disparities in per-student spending across schools, but this does not clearly correlate with better academic outcomes.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Golden Valley High	Public	9-12	2121 East Childs Ave.	Merced	95344	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1800	1,917	90	21.3	85.1%	178 (9.3%)	96 (5.0%)	1,393 (72.7%)	182 (9.5%)	12 (0.6%)	4 (0.2%)	51 (2.7%)	36.4	1347^th of 2162 public high schools	37.7%		38.2	1288^th of 2159 public high schools	40.3%	59	20.1	6.3	19.6	40.8	40.8	17.1	17.1	$25,089	$23,500	$1,589
Atwater High	Public	9-12	2201 Fruitland Ave.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1200	2,029	98	20.6	82.1%	251 (12.4%)	30 (1.5%)	1,654 (81.5%)	54 (2.7%)	8 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (1.6%)	35.9	1362^nd of 2162 public high schools	37.0%		37.9	1294^th of 2159 public high schools	40.1%	68	22.2	7.1	21.7	41.5	41.5	13.5	13.5	$25,953	$24,340	$1,613
Livingston High	Public	9-12	1617 Main St.	Livingston	95334	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 398-3200	1,169	56	20.9	85.5%	41 (3.5%)	7 (0.6%)	994 (85.0%)	114 (9.8%)	5 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.5%)	24.9	1598^th of 2162 public high schools	26.1%		26.1	1571^st of 2159 public high schools	27.2%	27	13.8		13.8	34.5	34.5	9.0	9.0	$29,644	$27,798	$1,846
Merced High	Public	9-12	205 West Olive Ave.	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1000	1,943	86	22.5	79.4%	262 (13.5%)	107 (5.5%)	1,326 (68.2%)	142 (7.3%)	12 (0.6%)	7 (0.4%)	84 (4.3%)	36	1358^th of 2162 public high schools	37.2%		36	1339^th of 2159 public high schools	38.0%	19	21.1		21.6	41.6	41.6	14.5	14.5	$24,070	$22,352	$1,718
Yosemite High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1600	342	21	16.0	83.3%	39 (11.4%)	18 (5.3%)	266 (77.8%)	10 (2.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.0%)	10.5	1999^th of 2162 public high schools	7.5%		9.7	2088^th of 2159 public high schools	3.3%	89	4.7		4.4	10.8	10.8	2.3	2.3	$47,529	$45,556	$1,973
Independence High (Alternative)	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1600	87	10	8.2	88.5%	13 (14.9%)	9 (10.3%)	61 (70.1%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.4%)	12.1	1910^th of 2162 public high schools	11.7%		12.4	1921^st of 2159 public high schools	11.0%	11	5.3		4.7	20.5	20.5	0.0	0.0	$45,701	$44,854	$847
Buhach Colony High	Public	9-12	1800 Buhach Rd.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1400	1,704	76	22.5	78.5%	261 (15.3%)	36 (2.1%)	1,187 (69.7%)	169 (9.9%)	14 (0.8%)	2 (0.1%)	34 (2.0%)	50.3	1032^nd of 2162 public high schools	52.3%		36.7	1322^nd of 2159 public high schools	38.8%	290	31.6	40.0	31.9	53.0	53.0	15.3	15.3	$26,106	$24,400	$1,706
Sequoia High	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1700	77	9	8.9	90.9%	10 (13.0%)	3 (3.9%)	63 (81.8%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
El Capitan High	Public	9-12	100 West Farmland	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 384-5500	1,793	85	21.1	76.2%	243 (13.6%)	89 (5.0%)	1,173 (65.4%)	226 (12.6%)	3 (0.2%)	7 (0.4%)	47 (2.6%)	47.5	1085^th of 2162 public high schools	49.8%		47.3	1073^rd of 2159 public high schools	50.3%	12	28.5	20.0	28.2	53.6	53.6	14.3	14.3	$25,450	$23,858	$1,592

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Weaver Union	0.83 mi	4	925^th
Merced City Elementary	0.92 mi	19	1221^st
Merced County Regional Occupational Program	2.16 mi	1
Merced County Office of Education	2.19 mi	8	1475^th
McSwain Union Elementary	6.48 mi	1	509^th

See the top CA California districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.