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Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary

Public Grades K-6
2699th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,804 California Elementary Schools
Better than 53% of California elementary schools
Summary

Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary serves 722 students in kindergarten through sixth grade in Merced, in the Merced City Elementary district. Its 2025–2026 results put it just below California’s all-grade proficiency rates, but clearly ahead of nearby traditional schools. The most important finding is that Chenoweth leads the nearby schools in all three tested subjects.

In 2025–2026, Chenoweth’s proficiency was 47% in ELA, 37% in math and 29% in science, compared with nearby-school averages of 35%, 23% and 20%. The school was also above district results—34% in ELA, 21% in math and 18% in science—while remaining below state results of 49%, 38% and 36%. Fifth-grade ELA stands out: 52% of students were proficient, above the state rate. Sixth-grade math is the clearest weakness, at 28%, compared with 43% in third grade, 41% in fourth and 34% in fifth.

Results have moved in different directions over time: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, ELA rose 3 percentage points and math rose 2, while science fell 8. SchoolDigger rates Chenoweth at the 53rd percentile with 3 stars, the highest standing among nearby schools with current rankings; its district is at the 13th percentile with 1 star. Chenoweth’s student–teacher ratio is 24.8, close to the nearby-school average of 24.0. Its reported free/reduced lunch eligible share was 59.6% in 2024–2025, the lowest among nearby schools with comparable measures. SchoolDigger’s ranking for how well the school serves Special Education Students was at the 30th percentile in 2024–2025, versus the school’s overall 50th percentile. Its ranking for how well it serves Male Students improved from the 41st percentile in 2023–2024 to the 52nd in 2025–2026.

722
Students ?
24.8
Student/teacher ratio ?
$23,075
Per pupil spending ?
59.6%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
 3200 Parsons Ave.
       Merced, CA  95340-1624

(209) 385-6620

District: Merced City Elementary


Students who attend Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle
High:    El Capitan High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
60.0%
White:
19.1%
Asian:
9.0%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 61st percentile in 2015 → 53rd in 2026
Strengths
✓Among the top-ranked schools in Merced City Elementary
✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2015
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school41%
District avg26%
California avg42%
2,699th of 5,804
California public elementary schools ?
Top 47%▼ down 12 pts since 2016
From top 35% (2016) to top 47% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 13Elementary Schools in the Merced City Elementary
840th of 968Merced 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202648.22699 of 580453.5%★★★☆☆
202544.82901 of 585750.5%★★★☆☆
202443.62955 of 586949.7%★★☆☆☆
202350.52502 of 585957.3%★★★☆☆
202254.42326 of 588360.5%★★★☆☆
201960.12065 of 578964.3%★★★☆☆
201859.12077 of 566263.3%★★★☆☆
201757.82128 of 569262.6%★★★☆☆
201661.21937 of 561465.5%★★★☆☆
201554.62210 of 561160.6%★★★☆☆
201363.51918 of 553065.3%★★★☆☆
201266.21719 of 539068.1%★★★☆☆
201170.71461 of 537772.8%★★★★☆
201070.41438 of 531472.9%★★★★☆
200971.71360 of 519373.8%★★★★☆
200867.11536 of 511370.0%★★★★☆
200761.41749 of 511365.8%★★★☆☆
200653.22037 of 481857.7%★★★☆☆
200552.92053 of 482257.4%★★★☆☆
200445.52380 of 480950.5%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202649.92494 of 556955.2%★★★☆☆
202551.12397 of 559757.2%★★★☆☆
202450.92373 of 561257.7%★★★☆☆
202350.62374 of 560957.7%★★★☆☆
202253.92221 of 563560.6%★★★☆☆
201959.22005 of 549263.5%★★★☆☆
201860.21966 of 541363.7%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202655.12017 of 508560.3%★★★☆☆
202546.92501 of 510751.0%★★★☆☆
202452.62089 of 510759.1%★★★☆☆
202363.11486 of 508770.8%★★★★☆
202259.91649 of 508467.6%★★★☆☆
201969.51193 of 496376.0%★★★★☆
201871.81053 of 483078.2%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202646.42696 of 541250.2%★★★☆☆
202540.53151 of 546042.3%★★☆☆☆
202444.02816 of 551749.0%★★☆☆☆
202351.52268 of 536357.7%★★★☆☆
202250.82232 of 526457.6%★★★☆☆
201955.12062 of 517360.1%★★★☆☆
201859.21783 of 508464.9%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202646.32705 of 559051.6%★★★☆☆
202538.73211 of 562842.9%★★☆☆☆
202436.03344 of 564340.7%★★☆☆☆
202349.42482 of 563856.0%★★★☆☆
202253.62258 of 566360.1%★★★☆☆
201958.82008 of 551063.6%★★★☆☆
201856.52098 of 543161.4%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202529.92000 of 284729.8%★☆☆☆☆
202433.31645 of 263537.6%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202641.51591 of 253237.2%★★☆☆☆
202547.11483 of 259842.9%★★☆☆☆
202436.21802 of 265132.0%★★☆☆☆
202342.31654 of 266137.8%★★☆☆☆
202249.71469 of 272646.1%★★☆☆☆
201945.41689 of 283440.4%★★☆☆☆
201852.21445 of 273747.2%★★☆☆☆
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)
Hispanic (2026)60th percentile+7 vs school
Female (2026)55th percentile~ school
Male (2026)52nd percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)50th percentile-3 vs school
White (2026)37th percentile-16 vs school
Special Education (2025)30th percentile-21 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy47%~ state avg
Mathematics37%~ state avg
Science29%-7 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary

Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary ranks 2699th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary are 60% Hispanic, 19% White, 9% Asian, 6% Two or more races, 5% African American.

Students who attend Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Herbert H. Cruickshank Middle
High : El Capitan High

In the 2024-25 school year, 722 students attended Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary.

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Latest California data All new data »
2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026
2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026
2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 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.

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