Ada Givens Elementary

Ada Givens Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 579 students in the Merced City Elementary district, which serves a community with significant economic needs.

Academically, the school performs below state averages, with about 31% of students proficient in English and 23% in math, placing it in the lower quarter of California schools. While it spends more per student than most nearby schools like Rudolph Rivera Elementary or John C. Fremont Elementary, these resources have not yet translated to higher test scores compared to schools with similar student populations, such as Luther Burbank Elementary. A notable challenge is a steep decline in math scores from 3rd to 6th grade, a pattern seen across the area but particularly pronounced here.

There are positive signs, however, as the school has made impressive progress in improving attendance, reducing chronic absenteeism from nearly 40% to under 20% in just a few years—a better rate than several neighboring schools including Don Stowell Elementary. Performance can be inconsistent from year to year for different groups of students, and a gap exists where female students tend to outperform male students. The school's key task is turning the success in getting students to school into consistent academic growth, especially in upper-grade math.