Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its California rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Juniper Elementary

Q: Is Juniper Elementary a good school?

Juniper Elementary ranks 2648 th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2648^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 54% of California elementary schools

Summary

Juniper Elementary is a K–6 school in Atwater, California, serving 495 students in the Atwater Elementary district. Its clearest academic strength is science: in 2025–26, 41% of students were proficient, above both the state and district rates, and the school had the second-highest science result among nine nearby schools with reported results.

Compared with nearby schools, Juniper ranked third in ELA, sixth in math and second in science. Its results were 46% in ELA, 35% in math and 41% in science, versus nearby averages of 44%, 38% and 28%, respectively. Compared with the state, ELA (46%) and math (35%) were below the state rates of 49% and 38%; science was above the state’s 36%. Juniper outperformed its district in all three subjects: district rates were 43% in ELA, 33% in math and 24% in science. Grade-level results show an important split: fourth-grade ELA and math were the lowest among nearby schools reporting those grades, at 28% and 20%, while sixth-grade math was the highest, at 55%.

Over three years, science proficiency rose 21 percentage points, from 21% in 2023–24 to 41% in 2025–26, though it fell 4 points from the prior-year peak. Math declined 3 points over the same period, while ELA increased 2 points. Attendance is a bright spot: chronic absenteeism fell from 14% in 2023–24 to 4% in 2025–26, below the district’s 8% and state’s 18%. SchoolDigger placed Juniper at the 54th statewide percentile in 2025–26, fourth among nine nearby schools with comparable rankings, and awarded it 3 stars; its percentile had been 60 the year before. In 2024–25, Juniper reported that 73% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. Its student–teacher ratio was 24.7, higher than every nearby school with a reported ratio. A notable subgroup result: SchoolDigger ranked English Language Learner students at the 79th percentile in 2023–24, compared with the schoolwide 55th percentile that year; this is a one-year ranking, not a continuing trend. Nearby comparisons have some limits because schools serve different grade spans.

495

Students ?

24.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,330

Per pupil spending ?

73.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

98%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

661 East Juniper Ave.
Atwater, CA 95301

(209) 357-9930

District: Atwater Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

77.0%

White:

12.3%

Asian:

7.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Juniper Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 55th percentile in 2024 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the California median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg36%

California avg42%

2,648^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Top 46%▬ steady since 2024

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 8Elementary Schools in the Atwater Elementary

811^th of 1,530Atwater 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	49.3	2648 of 5817	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.4	2345 of 5857	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.1	2657 of 5869	54.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	62.0	652 of 3162	79.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	48.4	2618 of 5581	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.1	2091 of 5597	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.9	2326 of 5612	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	58.0	1841 of 5094	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.7	1676 of 5107	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.9	2141 of 5107	58.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	2745 of 5423	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.8	1693 of 5460	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.6	1990 of 5517	63.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	46.2	2715 of 5603	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.9	2620 of 5628	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.3	2861 of 5643	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	1485 of 2927	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.7	980 of 2847	65.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.2	732 of 2598	71.8%	★★★★☆
2024	48.9	1447 of 2651	45.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)79th percentile+25 vs school

White (2025)72nd percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2026)64th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)53rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)52nd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)49th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)49th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy46%-3 vs state

Science41%+5 vs state

Mathematics35%-3 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Juniper Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Juniper Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Juniper Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	49.3	2648^th of 5817 public elementary schools	54.5%		54.4	2345^th of 5857 public elementary schools	60.0%	303	41.4		41.4	36.4	28.3	58.6	59.7			46.0	32.7	20.0	32.8	54.8			35.3	98%	0%	$19,330	$2,148	$17,182
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%)	55.7	2288^th of 5817 public elementary schools	60.7%		60.3	2051^st of 5857 public elementary schools	65.0%	237	32.7		32.7	49.1	45.1	54.9	35.4			46.3	50.9	41.2	47.1	43.8			45.9	93%	0%	$22,120	$2,118	$20,002
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%)	39.5	3261^st of 5817 public elementary schools	43.9%		32.2	3784^th of 5857 public elementary schools	35.4%	523	27.5		27.5	28.3	35.7	45.1	46.3			38.8	39.6	35.7	29.4	35.2			35.1	≥ 98%		$21,433	$2,140	$19,293
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%)	32.1	3812^th of 5817 public elementary schools	34.5%		33.1	3716^th of 5857 public elementary schools	36.6%	96	21.7		21.7	33.7	33.8	44.6	38.2			37.8	33.3	29.5	28.0	23.3			28.4	≥ 98%		$21,880	$2,446	$19,434
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%)	47.1	2778^th of 5817 public elementary schools	52.2%		47.7	2725^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.5%	53	39.3		39.3	28.6	41.6	50.6	40.4			40.5	33.8	49.4	32.9	42.1			39.2	97%	0%	$20,083	$2,314	$17,769
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%)	51.8	2507^th of 5817 public elementary schools	56.9%		54.7	2324^th of 5857 public elementary schools	60.3%	183	22.9		22.9	40.7	40.3	39.6	56.7			45.4	61.5	45.5	33.3	30.9			43.8	≥ 98%		$20,798	$2,078	$18,720
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%)	42.4	3084^th of 5817 public elementary schools	47.0%		36.6	3434^th of 5857 public elementary schools	41.4%	350	21.0	27.6	24.8	35.4	50.0	43.6	39.7	46.2	49.4	44.1	48.2	37.8	29.0	30.8	33.3	40.2	36.9	93%	1%	$19,422	$2,339	$17,083
Aileen Colburn Elementary	Public	K-6	2201 Heller St.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6136	371	17	21.8	91.6%	33 (8.9%)	12 (3.2%)	322 (86.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	35	3583^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	38.4%		40.1	3216^th of 5857 public elementary schools	45.1%	367	16.7		16.7	40.4	51.0	42.6	26.4			40.0	50.0	31.4	24.1	14.8			29.9	≥ 98%		$21,751	$2,393	$19,358
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%)	77.8	1226^th of 5817 public elementary schools	78.9%		78.9	1200^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.5%	26	51.5		51.5	62.5	65.5	64.6				64.2	65.6	49.2	45.5				53.4	≥ 98%		$15,314	$977	$14,337
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%)	33	3744^th of 5817 public elementary schools	35.6%		34.8	3603^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	38.5%	141	17.4		17.4	46.6	34.7	27.5				36.5	50.7	27.8	17.4				32.2	≥ 98%		$18,242	$1,192	$17,050

Frequently Asked Questions about Juniper Elementary

Is Juniper Elementary a good school?

Juniper Elementary ranks 2648^th of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Juniper Elementary in?

Atwater Elementary

How many students attend Juniper Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 495 students attended Juniper Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Juniper Elementary?

Students at Juniper Elementary are 77% Hispanic, 12% White, 7% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

Rate Juniper Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Atwater, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Juniper Elementary!

Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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.