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Dona Merced Elementary

Public Grades K-5
2545th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,857 California Elementary Schools
Better than 57% of California elementary schools
Summary

Dona Merced Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 547 students in the Central Elementary district of Rancho Cucamonga, a neighborhood with many elementary schools across several districts.

The school holds a middle-of-the-road state ranking but is actually the second-highest performing school within its own district, outperforming peers like Bear Gulch Elementary and Central Elementary. It achieves this with relatively lean resources, spending less per student than some lower-ranked nearby schools. A standout strength is its 5th-grade Science program, where proficiency rates meet or exceed those of higher-ranked schools in neighboring districts like Etiwanda Elementary and Alta Loma Elementary. The school also does an excellent job managing chronic absenteeism compared to its district peers.

However, the school's overall rank has declined in recent years, driven largely by a significant and concerning drop in its effectiveness for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. While it serves Hispanic students and students in special education very well, it faces challenges with other student groups. The performance gap between Dona Merced and the higher-ranked schools in adjacent districts highlights the complex relationship between district resources, community factors, and educational outcomes.

547
Students ?
24.8
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,998
Per pupil spending ?
67.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 10333 Palo Alto
       Rancho Cucamonga, CA  91730-1744

(909) 980-1600

District: Central Elementary


Students who attend Dona Merced Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Ruth Musser Middle
High:    Rancho Cucamonga High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
54.8%
White:
17.4%
African American:
10.4%
more
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 Compare Dona Merced Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 70th percentile in 2013 → 57th in 2025
Strengths
✓Above the California median (57th percentile)
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2013
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school42%
District avg40%
California avg41%
2,545th of 5,857
California public elementary schools ?
Top 43%▼ down 20 pts since 2015
From top 24% (2015) to top 43% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
3rd of 5Elementary Schools in the Central Elementary
697th of 1,543Central 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202551.22545 of 585756.5%★★★☆☆
202460.32054 of 586965.0%★★★☆☆
202363.11888 of 585967.8%★★★☆☆
202266.81752 of 588370.2%★★★★☆
201972.31498 of 578974.1%★★★★☆
201868.71633 of 566271.2%★★★★☆
201770.61535 of 569273.0%★★★★☆
201664.31795 of 561468.0%★★★☆☆
201574.61328 of 561176.3%★★★★☆
201368.21670 of 553069.8%★★★☆☆
201272.71390 of 539074.2%★★★★☆
201168.81533 of 537771.5%★★★★☆
201063.81794 of 531466.2%★★★☆☆
200967.31570 of 519369.8%★★★☆☆
200880.8937 of 511381.7%★★★★☆
200764.91606 of 511368.6%★★★☆☆
200668.91393 of 481871.1%★★★★☆
200563.41597 of 482266.9%★★★☆☆
200460.21701 of 480964.6%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202476.195 of 59384.0%★★★★☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202248.7837 of 222762.4%★★★☆☆
201949.4996 of 258561.5%★★★☆☆
201853.2709 of 212866.7%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202558.22037 of 559763.6%★★★☆☆
202455.72146 of 561261.8%★★★☆☆
202361.51877 of 560966.5%★★★☆☆
202266.81652 of 563570.7%★★★★☆
201976.51238 of 549277.5%★★★★☆
201867.01665 of 541369.2%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202561.81625 of 510768.2%★★★☆☆
202465.31405 of 510772.5%★★★★☆
202366.51337 of 508773.7%★★★★☆
202271.61075 of 508478.9%★★★★☆
201979.4735 of 496385.2%★★★★☆
201877.8781 of 483083.8%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202544.92810 of 546048.5%★★☆☆☆
202462.81636 of 551770.3%★★★★☆
202371.01170 of 536378.2%★★★★☆
202277.1867 of 526483.5%★★★★☆
201977.2842 of 517383.7%★★★★☆
201870.21172 of 508476.9%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202543.82890 of 562848.6%★★☆☆☆
202462.21877 of 564366.7%★★★☆☆
202362.71821 of 563867.7%★★★☆☆
202265.01723 of 566369.6%★★★☆☆
201966.41668 of 551069.7%★★★☆☆
201868.61538 of 543171.7%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202558.3821 of 284771.2%★★★★☆
202452.2913 of 263565.4%★★★☆☆
202351.1886 of 242063.4%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202536.71788 of 259831.2%★★☆☆☆
202453.71305 of 265150.8%★★★☆☆
202343.21629 of 266138.8%★★☆☆☆
202251.41419 of 272647.9%★★☆☆☆
201946.31671 of 283441.0%★★☆☆☆
201850.11523 of 273744.4%★★☆☆☆
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)
African American (2024)84th percentile+19 vs school
Special Education (2025)71st percentile+15 vs school
Hispanic (2025)68th percentile+12 vs school
Female (2025)64th percentile+7 vs school
Disabled (2022)62nd percentile-8 vs school
Male (2025)49th percentile-8 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile-8 vs school
White (2025)31st percentile-25 vs school
By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy49%~ state avg
Science42%+10 vs state
Mathematics35%~ state avg

4.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Monday, September 2, 2019

Open Quote We love the teachers and the proctor staff. They genuinely care for the children and are committed to teaching. Close Quote




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Frequently Asked Questions about Dona Merced Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 547 students attended Dona Merced Elementary.

Dona Merced Elementary ranks 2545th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Dona Merced Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ruth Musser Middle
High : Rancho Cucamonga High

Students at Dona Merced Elementary are 55% Hispanic, 17% White, 10% African American, 10% Asian, 8% Two or more races.


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Schools in Rancho Cucamonga, CA

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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.




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