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Peggy Heller Elementary

Q: Is Peggy Heller Elementary a good school?

Peggy Heller Elementary ranks 3434 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

3434^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of California elementary schools

Summary

Peggy Heller Elementary is a K-8 school in Atwater, CA, serving about 712 students, but its statewide academic ranking has dropped significantly from the 70th to the 41st percentile over the past three years.

While the school's test scores in English, Math, and Science are currently below state averages, it shows some unique strengths and challenges compared to nearby schools. Its 7th and 8th graders perform exceptionally well in English, a potential benefit of its K-8 structure, yet early grade scores are low. The school also maintains a strong attendance record, with a chronic absenteeism rate much lower than the state average. However, its effectiveness with economically disadvantaged students has declined sharply, and it spends more per student than some higher-performing neighbors like Frank Sparkes Elementary in the Winton district, which achieves better results with a similar student population.

Overall, Peggy Heller faces academic challenges common across the Atwater Elementary district, particularly in science. Its recent performance decline, especially for vulnerable student groups, contrasts with more stable results at schools like Thomas Olaeta Elementary. The school's solid attendance and upper-grade success are positive foundations, but addressing early learning gaps and learning from higher-performing, nearby schools appear to be key opportunities for improvement.

712

Students ?

23.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,666

Per pupil spending ?

63.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

201 Lake View Dr.
Atwater, CA 95301-4769

(209) 357-6517

District: Atwater Elementary

Students who attend Peggy Heller Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Mitchell Intermediate
High:	Buhach Colony High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

70.1%

White:

19.4%

Asian:

4.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Peggy Heller Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 71st percentile in 2013 → 41st in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 30 percentile points since 2013

!Near the bottom of Atwater Elementary's ranking

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg36%

California avg41%

Elementary school

3,434^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to bottom 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

924^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 33%▼ down 2 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Atwater Elementary

765^th of 1,543Atwater Elementary among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.6	3434 of 5857	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.9	2513 of 5869	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.9	1962 of 5859	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.9	1740 of 5883	70.4%	★★★★☆
2019	62.6	1936 of 5789	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.0	2040 of 5662	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	66.3	1736 of 5692	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	57.3	2118 of 5614	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	51.7	2360 of 5611	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	69.3	1610 of 5530	70.9%	★★★★☆
2012	65.9	1740 of 5390	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.8	1762 of 5377	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.0	1627 of 5314	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.3	1857 of 5193	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	68.3	1485 of 5113	71.0%	★★★★☆
2007	59.0	1874 of 5113	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	55.9	1920 of 4818	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2005	51.8	2104 of 4822	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2004	53.4	1991 of 4809	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	81.4	277 of 2227	87.6%	★★★★☆
2019	45.8	1107 of 2585	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.1	1261 of 2128	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	60.8	697 of 3162	78.0%	★★★★☆
2023	40.4	1786 of 3245	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.0	843 of 3311	74.5%	★★★★☆
2019	49.9	1254 of 3275	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.1	1203 of 3246	62.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.1	3614 of 5597	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.5	2689 of 5612	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.1	2083 of 5609	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.8	1903 of 5635	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.4	1632 of 5492	70.3%	★★★★☆
2018	64.0	1793 of 5413	66.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	2924 of 5107	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.8	1798 of 5107	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.4	1060 of 5087	79.2%	★★★★☆
2022	75.0	933 of 5084	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	76.5	857 of 4963	82.7%	★★★★☆
2018	71.5	1070 of 4830	77.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.8	3675 of 5460	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.2	2176 of 5517	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.3	1552 of 5363	71.1%	★★★★☆
2022	66.6	1332 of 5264	74.7%	★★★★☆
2019	62.1	1622 of 5173	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.9	1579 of 5084	68.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.1	3046 of 5628	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.4	2200 of 5643	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.7	1737 of 5638	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.7	1548 of 5663	72.7%	★★★★☆
2019	57.1	2079 of 5510	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	2169 of 5431	60.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.0	1287 of 2847	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.0	886 of 2635	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.9	495 of 2420	79.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.1	1749 of 2598	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.3	1400 of 2651	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.9	1458 of 2661	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.4	1144 of 2726	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.3	1670 of 2834	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.0	1634 of 2737	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.1	924 of 2761	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.7	970 of 2783	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.9	793 of 2781	71.5%	★★★★☆
2022	64.0	800 of 2740	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	62.2	861 of 2715	68.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	60.4	397 of 1531	74.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	947 of 2533	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.3	1112 of 2551	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.4	1000 of 2531	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.2	772 of 2509	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.4	661 of 2380	72.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.1	570 of 2395	76.2%	★★★★☆
2024	62.8	667 of 2388	72.1%	★★★★☆
2023	67.3	578 of 2374	75.7%	★★★★☆
2022	75.0	395 of 2359	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	78.8	328 of 2213	85.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.2	753 of 2542	70.4%	★★★★☆
2024	63.6	672 of 2579	73.9%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	677 of 2531	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	63.6	650 of 2458	73.6%	★★★★☆
2019	66.9	567 of 2369	76.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	60.8	825 of 2534	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.3	773 of 2552	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.2	577 of 2538	77.3%	★★★★☆
2022	63.6	739 of 2527	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	52.5	976 of 2407	59.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	45.8	643 of 1552	58.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.0	631 of 1520	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.2	727 of 1537	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.0	418 of 1543	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	59.6	593 of 1555	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.7	921 of 1602	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Disabled (2022)88th percentile+17 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)78th percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2025)55th percentile+13 vs school

Male (2025)46th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)43rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)35th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)33rd percentile-9 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)76th percentile+10 vs school

Disabled (2022)74th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)70th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)67th percentile~ school

Female (2025)63rd percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2024)59th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)58th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy47%~ state avg

Mathematics36%~ state avg

Science23%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Peggy Heller Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations 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)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Peggy Heller Elementary	Public	K-8	201 Lake View Dr.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6517	712	30	23.7	63.8%	138 (19.4%)	12 (1.7%)	499 (70.1%)	35 (4.9%)	5 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	21 (2.9%)	36.6	3434^th of 5857 public elementary schools	41.4%		50.9	2513^th of 5869 public elementary schools	57.2%	921	21.7	24.1	22.9	30.8	45.2	37.0	41.4	62.8	58.6	46.6	35.4	38.7	24.1	32.2	38.3	46.0	35.8	96.6			96.6			$17,666	$3,064	$14,602
Bellevue Elementary	Public	K-6	1020 East Bellevue Rd.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6140	599	25	23.9	91.8%	30 (5.0%)	9 (1.5%)	535 (89.3%)	10 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.2%)	33.1	3716^th of 5857 public elementary schools	36.6%		35	3514^th of 5869 public elementary schools	40.1%	202	16.3		16.3	33.8	33.3	32.2	47.7			36.8	39.0	30.0	29.4	24.4			30.5	95.3		98.1	97.2	96.3	97.2	$19,470	$3,723	$15,747
Elmer Wood Elementary	Public	K-6	1271 West Bellevue Rd.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6143	514	22	23.3	76.3%	95 (18.5%)	7 (1.4%)	387 (75.3%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.1%)	47.7	2725^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.5%		57.9	2156^th of 5869 public elementary schools	63.3%	569	25.4		25.4	32.5	50.0	44.1	53.7			45.2	32.5	48.1	28.8	38.6			37.5	94.3			96.6	96.6	96.6	$18,072	$2,947	$15,125
Thomas Olaeta Elementary	Public	K-6	2266 High St.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6148	374	17	22.0	73.8%	51 (13.6%)	6 (1.6%)	282 (75.4%)	17 (4.5%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.5%)	60.3	2051^st of 5857 public elementary schools	65.0%		64.1	1870^th of 5869 public elementary schools	68.1%	181	33.3		33.3	54.4	64.0	43.8	46.3			52.0	55.3	50.0	35.4	38.9			44.7	92.2	95.3	96.9	93.8	93.8	93.8	$19,391	$3,012	$16,379
Winfield Elementary	Public	K-5	6981 Chestnut Ln.	Winton	95388	Merced County	Winton	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6891	444	20	22.2	92.6%	22 (5.0%)	5 (1.1%)	403 (90.8%)	11 (2.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	34.8	3603^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	38.5%		34.3	3582^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	39.0%	21	16.7		16.7	39.0	41.7	37.2				39.2	40.3	36.1	20.5				32.2							$17,076	$1,056	$16,020
Juniper Elementary	Public	K-6	661 East Juniper Ave.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-9930	495	20	24.7	73.3%	61 (12.3%)	4 (0.8%)	381 (77.0%)	36 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)	54.4	2345^th of 5857 public elementary schools	60.0%		48.1	2657^th of 5869 public elementary schools	54.7%	312	45.3		45.3	29.1	53.3	57.8	42.1			46.2	37.5	41.7	42.2	36.8			39.7							$17,706	$2,620	$15,086
Mitchell Elementary	Public	K-6	1761 Grove Ave.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6112	528	22	24.0	86.0%	40 (7.6%)	8 (1.5%)	444 (84.1%)	21 (4.0%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.7%)	54.7	2324^th of 5857 public elementary schools	60.3%		51.3	2491^st of 5869 public elementary schools	57.6%	167	28.6		28.6	46.0	24.4	47.4	56.1			45.4	63.5	30.4	40.8	44.8			46.0	96.9				96.9		$18,222	$2,695	$15,527
Frank Sparkes Elementary	Public	K-5	7265 West Almond Ave.	Winton	95388	Merced County	Winton	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6180	422	18	23.4	92.7%	21 (5.0%)	2 (0.5%)	377 (89.3%)	20 (4.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	78.9	1200^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.5%		73.7	1423^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	75.8%	223	38.7		38.7	71.7	70.8	71.2				71.2	67.9	52.3	46.7				54.4	96.9			96.9			$15,868	$790	$15,078
Shaffer Elementary	Public	K-6	1434 California St.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6145	405	18	22.2	81.0%	48 (11.9%)	5 (1.2%)	324 (80.0%)	21 (5.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	32.2	3784^th of 5857 public elementary schools	35.4%		35.2	3503^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	40.3%	281	24.6		24.6	35.6	36.8	41.1	31.2			36.1	42.4	26.3	16.1	26.2			27.9	94.4			97.2	97.2	97.2	$18,876	$3,128	$15,748
Sybil N. Crookham Elementary	Public	K-5	7160 West Walnut Ave.	Winton	95388	Merced County	Winton	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6182	362	17	21.2	95.6%	19 (5.2%)	2 (0.6%)	327 (90.3%)	13 (3.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53.2	2408^th of 5857 public elementary schools	58.9%		47.7	2684^th of 5869 public elementary schools	54.3%	276	32.7		32.7	47.1	57.1	55.8				53.3	37.7	48.0	23.6				36.1							$18,410	$1,318	$17,092

Frequently Asked Questions about Peggy Heller Elementary

What schools do graduates of Peggy Heller Elementary attend?

Students who attend Peggy Heller Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mitchell Intermediate
High : Buhach Colony High

What district is Peggy Heller Elementary in?

Atwater Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Peggy Heller Elementary?

Students at Peggy Heller Elementary are 70% Hispanic, 19% White, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Is Peggy Heller Elementary a good school?

Peggy Heller Elementary ranks 3434^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Peggy Heller Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 712 students attended Peggy Heller Elementary.

Rate Peggy Heller Elementary!

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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.