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Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle

Q: Is Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle a good school?

Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle ranks 1391 st of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

1391^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 50% of California middle schools

Summary

Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle is a public school serving about 624 students in grades 7 and 8 in Merced, California, and is part of the Merced City Elementary district.

When looking at how the school performs, it stands out as the strongest middle school within its own district. It achieves higher test scores in English, Math, and Science than its district peers—Tenaya Middle, Herbert Hoover Middle, and Rudolph Rivera Middle—despite having more students per teacher and the lowest spending per student in the district. Compared to schools in the wider region, its performance is mixed; it outperforms Livingston Middle and Weaver Middle but trails behind schools like Winton Middle.

Academically, the school performs close to the state average in English Language Arts but faces significant challenges in Mathematics and Science, where scores are well below the state average. The school has a lower rate of chronic student absenteeism than other schools in its district and has shown improvement in this area since the pandemic. While the school's overall state ranking has seen some decline over the past several years, recent data suggests a positive trend, and it demonstrates that strong outcomes can be achieved even with fewer resources.

624

Students ?

30.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,205

Per pupil spending ?

58.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

601 Mercy Ave.
Merced, CA 95340-8334

(209) 385-6330

District: Merced City Elementary

Students who attend Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle usually attend:

High:

El Capitan High

Feeder schools for Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle:

Elementary:	Allan Peterson Elementary
	Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.7%

White:

17.9%

Asian:

12.0%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 55th percentile in 2013 → 50th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Merced City Elementary

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (34% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2013

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg27%

California avg41%

1,391^st of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 50%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Middle Schools in the Merced City Elementary

1221^st of 1,543Merced City 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
2025	43.0	1391 of 2761	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.0	1508 of 2783	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.5	1638 of 2781	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.9	1463 of 2740	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.7	1359 of 2715	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.2	1005 of 2480	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	42.7	1316 of 2508	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.0	1461 of 2497	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	42.3	1276 of 2477	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	52.9	1082 of 2379	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	52.2	1043 of 2259	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	55.2	961 of 2236	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	56.9	866 of 2179	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	45.7	1066 of 2063	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	45.0	1037 of 2005	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	45.3	995 of 1999	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	42.5	956 of 1804	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	58.1	649 of 1777	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	45.5	873 of 1769	50.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	460 of 609	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.2	428 of 627	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.5	490 of 613	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.1	360 of 637	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.1	195 of 643	69.7%	★★★★☆
2018	56.7	224 of 600	62.7%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.1	560 of 739	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	601 of 743	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.4	636 of 715	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	638 of 733	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	545 of 745	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	584 of 700	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	31.2	1021 of 1531	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.1	859 of 1491	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.8	788 of 1369	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	31.6	1139 of 1521	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	60.7	286 of 1540	81.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.9	1211 of 2533	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.4	1427 of 2551	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.9	1448 of 2531	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.2	1215 of 2509	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.9	1372 of 2380	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.1	1061 of 2262	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.2	1207 of 2395	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	1364 of 2388	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.2	1439 of 2374	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.5	1095 of 2359	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.6	1236 of 2213	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.4	872 of 2072	57.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.7	1395 of 2542	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	1651 of 2579	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.2	1741 of 2531	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.7	1240 of 2458	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.8	1363 of 2369	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.4	1038 of 2230	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.9	1403 of 2534	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.2	1374 of 2552	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.4	1571 of 2538	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.7	1488 of 2527	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.6	1136 of 2407	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.3	857 of 2273	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.8	414 of 726	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.8	447 of 701	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.8	493 of 677	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	525 of 665	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.4	480 of 554	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	47.6	277 of 462	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	863 of 1566	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.6	1153 of 1552	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.4	927 of 1531	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.4	1040 of 1520	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.0	1159 of 1537	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.1	1127 of 1543	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.9	1118 of 1555	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.8	1094 of 1602	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.1	816 of 1496	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)52nd percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)50th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)45th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)45th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2025)45th percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)43rd percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2022)33rd percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)32nd percentile-18 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)25th percentile-16 vs school

African American (2025)24th percentile-25 vs school

Asian (2025)24th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy48%~ state avg

Mathematics29%-8 vs state

Science16%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle

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 (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 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle	Public	7-8	601 Mercy Ave.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6330	624	21	30.1	58.5%	112 (17.9%)	32 (5.1%)	360 (57.7%)	75 (12.0%)	7 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	35 (5.6%)	43	1391^st of 2761 public middle schools	49.6%		39	1508^th of 2783 public middle schools	45.8%	117	16.0	16.0		50.7	45.9	48.3		28.5	29.3	28.9	$16,205	$2,333	$13,872
Rudolph Rivera Middle	Public	7-8	945 Buena Vista Dr.	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6680	608	21	28.7	81.7%	60 (9.9%)	45 (7.4%)	368 (60.5%)	106 (17.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	25 (4.1%)	26.5	1942^nd of 2761 public middle schools	29.7%		29.5	1829^th of 2783 public middle schools	34.3%	113	21.8	21.8		31.8	40.9	36.3		12.1	16.7	14.3	$17,480	$2,679	$14,801
Herbert Hoover Middle	Public	7-8	800 East 26th St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6631	629	21	29.6	87.3%	102 (16.2%)	19 (3.0%)	459 (73.0%)	19 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (4.3%)	25.8	1967^th of 2761 public middle schools	28.8%		28.2	1893^rd of 2783 public middle schools	32.0%	74	15.0	15.0		34.0	35.3	34.7		22.4	16.9	19.7	$16,927	$2,611	$14,316
Tenaya Middle	Public	7-8	760 West Eighth St.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6687	607	22	27.2	91.6%	21 (3.5%)	35 (5.8%)	504 (83.0%)	27 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.0%)	18.4	2299^th of 2761 public middle schools	16.7%		19.9	2264^th of 2783 public middle schools	18.6%	35	12.6	12.6		31.0	27.2	29.2		14.4	13.6	14.0	$18,018	$3,093	$14,925
Weaver Middle	Public	6-8	3076 East Childs Ave.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Weaver Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 723-2174	1,073	48	22.1	93.7%	83 (7.7%)	40 (3.7%)	744 (69.3%)	165 (15.4%)	3 (0.3%)	4 (0.4%)	33 (3.1%)	30.8	1804^th of 2761 public middle schools	34.7%		29.3	1842^nd of 2783 public middle schools	33.8%	38	17.3	17.3	34.0	35.5	27.8	32.5	24.6	29.6	28.1	27.3	$17,133	$2,743	$14,390
Bellevue Senior Elementary	Public	7-8	1020 East Bellevue Rd.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6140	178	12	15.2	93.8%	8 (4.5%)	5 (2.8%)	161 (90.4%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.7%)	33.1	1712^th of 2761 public middle schools	38.0%		37.7	1538^th of 2783 public middle schools	44.7%	174	23.3	23.3		41.9	38.1	40.0		21.6	19.8	20.7	$13,834	$1,921	$11,913
Mitchell Intermediate	Public	7-8	1753 Fifth St.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6124	744	31	23.8	75.9%	97 (13.0%)	15 (2.0%)	577 (77.6%)	37 (5.0%)	3 (0.4%)	3 (0.4%)	12 (1.6%)	38.9	1520^th of 2761 public middle schools	44.9%		43.6	1352^nd of 2783 public middle schools	51.4%	168	17.6	17.6		48.1	45.0	46.5		25.0	24.3	24.7	$16,502	$2,752	$13,750
Atwater Senior Academy	Public	6-8	1800 Juniper Ave.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6515	5	1	4.9		0 (0.0%)	2 (40.0%)	3 (60.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)						6.3				0.0	$38,536	$7,034	$31,502
Cesar E. Chavez Middle	Public	6-8	161 South Plainsburg Rd.	Planada	95365	Merced County	Planada Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 382-0768	305	17	17.4	89.8%	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	299 (98.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42.4	1416^th of 2761 public middle schools	48.7%		45.5	1298^th of 2783 public middle schools	53.4%	118	30.1	30.1	40.8	52.5	41.3	44.9	19.8	27.0	29.0	25.1	$25,189	$19,459	$5,730
Winton Middle	Public	6-8	6300 North Cypress Ave.	Winton	95388	Merced County	Winton	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6189	579	25	22.7	92.1%	39 (6.7%)	4 (0.7%)	499 (86.2%)	33 (5.7%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	47.3	1256^th of 2761 public middle schools	54.5%		39.2	1492^nd of 2783 public middle schools	46.4%	236	27.2	27.2	47.4	39.4	52.1	46.3	30.2	27.6	34.9	30.9	$16,077	$1,255	$14,822

Frequently Asked Questions about Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle

What district is Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle in?

Merced City Elementary

Is Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle a good school?

Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle ranks 1391^st of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle?

Students at Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle are 58% Hispanic, 18% White, 12% Asian, 6% Two or more races, 5% African American, 1% American Indian.

What high school do graduates of Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle attend?

Students who attend Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle usually go on to attend El Capitan High

How many students attend Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 624 students attended Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle.

Rate Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle!

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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.