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Don Stowell Elementary

Public Grades K-6

5290^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of California elementary schools

Summary

Don Stowell Elementary serves 501 students in grades K–6 in Merced, in an area where the nearby comparison group includes schools from both Merced City Elementary and Weaver Union. The most important concern is that its 2025–2026 test results were near the bottom of this local group: it ranked second-lowest among nearby schools in ELA, math, and science, with science the largest relative weakness.

In 2025–2026, Don Stowell’s proficiency rates were 26% in ELA, 15% in math, and 9% in science, below nearby-school averages of 32%, 23%, and 18%. Its results were also below the state by 24 points in ELA, 24 in math, and 27 in science, and below its district by 8, 6, and 9 points, respectively. Math was closest to the district result; science was furthest below both the state and nearby schools. Alicia Reyes Elementary scored lower than Don Stowell in all three subjects. Results also vary by grade: math proficiency was 7% in grade 4 and 5% in grade 5; Don Stowell was lowest among nearby schools in fourth-grade math and second-lowest in fifth-grade math.

Over four reported years, ELA improved: proficiency rose from 16% in 2022–2023 to 26% in 2025–2026, while math and science each gained less than one point overall. The ELA gap with the state narrowed from 31 points to 24, while the math and science gaps widened. SchoolDigger ranks Don Stowell 5,278th of 5,804 statewide, at the 9th percentile with 0 stars; its percentile rose from 5 to 9 between 2022–2023 and 2025–2026. One notable exception is the English Language Learner subgroup: SchoolDigger’s measure of how well the school serves that group placed it at the 57th percentile in 2023–2024, compared with the school’s overall 5th percentile. The 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 21.8. Also in 2024–2025, 96% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the second-highest rate among nearby schools and above their 86% average.

501

Students ?

21.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,622

Per pupil spending ?

96.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

97%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

251 East 11th St.
Merced, CA 95340-6228

(209) 381-2803

District: Merced City Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.2%

African American:

5.0%

White:

3.4%

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Compare Don Stowell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 4th percentile in 2015 → 9th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (19% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 18% California)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school19%

District avg26%

California avg42%

5,290^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 3% (2016) to bottom 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 13Elementary Schools in the Merced City Elementary

1288^th of 1,530Merced 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
2026	14.2	5290 of 5817	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.5	5312 of 5857	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	5549 of 5869	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.0	5565 of 5859	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.0	5670 of 5883	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	5306 of 5789	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	5284 of 5662	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.3	5471 of 5692	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	9.8	5453 of 5614	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.2	5405 of 5611	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	16.8	4938 of 5530	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	21.2	4574 of 5390	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	26.8	4200 of 5377	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.4	4504 of 5314	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	12.5	4880 of 5193	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	20.5	4307 of 5113	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	16.8	4515 of 5113	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	22.4	3824 of 4818	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	25.4	3605 of 4822	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	18.3	4093 of 4809	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	47.2	1345 of 3162	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.7	1440 of 3245	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.4	2658 of 3311	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	2442 of 3275	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.8	2799 of 3246	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	13.6	5157 of 5581	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.3	5005 of 5597	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	5289 of 5612	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	5272 of 5609	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	5247 of 5635	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.8	4966 of 5492	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.5	5168 of 5413	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	18.3	4535 of 5094	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.7	4472 of 5107	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	4669 of 5107	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	4798 of 5087	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	4893 of 5084	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.0	4505 of 4963	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.6	4483 of 4830	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	20.0	4684 of 5423	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.5	4678 of 5460	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	5111 of 5517	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	5058 of 5363	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	5024 of 5264	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.8	4580 of 5173	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	4595 of 5084	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	16.4	4978 of 5603	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.2	5181 of 5628	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.1	5308 of 5643	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	5330 of 5638	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.1	5547 of 5663	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	5114 of 5510	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	4934 of 5431	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	17.9	2501 of 2635	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)57th percentile+52 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)11th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)11th percentile~ school

Female (2026)8th percentile~ school

Special Education (2024)5th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy26%-24 vs state

Mathematics15%-24 vs state

Science9%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Don Stowell Elementary

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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 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 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 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
Don Stowell Elementary	Public	K-6	251 East 11th St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 381-2803	501	23	21.8	96.0%	17 (3.4%)	25 (5.0%)	437 (87.2%)	12 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.0%)	14.2	5290^th of 5817 public elementary schools	9.1%		14.5	5312^th of 5857 public elementary schools	9.3%	22	8.9	8.9	24.6	20.8	28.6	28.0	25.7	24.6	7.3	5.5	17.3	14.6	97%	0%	$25,622	$24,630	$992
Charles Wright Elementary	Public	K-6	900 East 20th St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6615	527	24	22.0	80.3%	60 (11.4%)	5 (0.9%)	402 (76.3%)	23 (4.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.3%)	24.9	4404^th of 5817 public elementary schools	24.3%		25.2	4373^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	25.3%	31	17.5	17.5	41.1	32.9	31.3	32.1	34.2	37.0	23.2	14.1	16.7	22.5	≥ 98%		$26,942	$26,022	$920
Farmdale Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Winder Ave.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Weaver Union	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 725-7170	919	44	20.7	92.9%	41 (4.5%)	31 (3.4%)	682 (74.2%)	149 (16.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	14 (1.5%)	32.9	3745^th of 5817 public elementary schools	35.6%		40.8	3162^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	46.0%	583	15.2	15.2	38.9	46.1	26.6		37.3	42.6	35.4	17.7		32.0	93%	0%	$24,327	$22,196	$2,131
Alicia Reyes Elementary	Public	K-6	123 South N St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6761	540	22	24.6	96.3%	6 (1.1%)	13 (2.4%)	495 (91.7%)	16 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.5%)	12.3	5445^th of 5817 public elementary schools	6.4%		9.7	5650^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.5%	205	6.7	6.7	25.6	20.0	24.7	23.1	23.4	28.2	18.8	3.4	6.4	13.9	≥ 98%		$26,382	$25,322	$1,060
John Muir Elementary	Public	K-6	300 West 26th St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6667	613	24	25.6	88.6%	58 (9.5%)	42 (6.9%)	437 (71.3%)	42 (6.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.2%)	20.3	4784^th of 5817 public elementary schools	17.8%		23	4592^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	21.6%	192	18.9	18.9	18.4	18.8	34.7	41.2	28.1	11.5	11.4	18.7	29.4	17.8	96%	0%	$22,443	$21,488	$955
Margaret Sheehy Elementary	Public	K-6	1240 West Sixth St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6676	481	20	24.0	94.4%	16 (3.3%)	33 (6.9%)	395 (82.1%)	19 (4.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.3%)	19.5	4862^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	16.4%		18.2	4996^th of 5857 public elementary schools	14.7%	134	15.2	15.2	26.0	34.2	28.8	13.4	26.0	35.1	29.3	13.6	3.0	21.2	96%	0%	$25,676	$24,292	$1,384
John C. Fremont Elementary	Public	K-6	2150 S St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6627	580	23	25.2	84.7%	56 (9.7%)	29 (5.0%)	436 (75.2%)	26 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (5.2%)	16.1	5133^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	11.8%		29.4	4008^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.6%	1125	13.7	13.7	22.8	23.3	29.5	33.3	27.1	26.6	16.1	6.4	18.8	16.4	91%	0%	$22,428	$21,348	$1,080
Ada Givens Elementary	Public	K-6	2900 Green St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6610	579	25	23.2	78.9%	86 (14.9%)	30 (5.2%)	402 (69.4%)	35 (6.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.3%)	28.3	4135^th of 5817 public elementary schools	28.9%		24.1	4486^th of 5857 public elementary schools	23.4%	351	25.9	25.9	27.9	38.4	39.5	33.8	35.0	29.1	41.2	11.1	11.3	23.7	95%	0%	$25,084	$24,046	$1,038
Leontine Gracey Elementary	Public	K-6	945 West Ave.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6710	509	22	23.1	81.7%	25 (4.9%)	14 (2.8%)	419 (82.3%)	31 (6.1%)	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.6%)	16.6	5099^th of 5817 public elementary schools	12.3%		23.7	4525^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.7%	574	17.7	17.7	25.6	26.0	25.8	30.0	26.7	19.2	23.4	7.6	16.7	17.1	96%	0%	$26,225	$25,220	$1,005
Luther Burbank Elementary	Public	K-6	609 East Alexander Ave.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6674	716	28	25.6	70.9%	130 (18.2%)	20 (2.8%)	430 (60.1%)	75 (10.5%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (7.5%)	40.1	3228^th of 5817 public elementary schools	44.5%		44.1	2947^th of 5857 public elementary schools	49.7%	281	27.3	27.3	37.2	39.4	50.5	51.0	44.6	36.2	29.3	19.2	33.0	29.3	98%	0%	$22,307	$21,388	$919

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Stowell Elementary

Is Don Stowell Elementary a good school?

Don Stowell Elementary ranks in the bottom 9.1% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Don Stowell Elementary?

Students at Don Stowell Elementary are 87% Hispanic, 5% African American, 3% White, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Don Stowell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 501 students attended Don Stowell Elementary.

What district is Don Stowell Elementary in?

Merced City Elementary

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Latest California data All new data »

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

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

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.