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Allan Peterson Elementary

Q: Is Allan Peterson Elementary a good school?

Allan Peterson Elementary ranks 2663 rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2663^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 55% of California elementary schools

Summary

Allan Peterson Elementary is a K-6 public school serving about 690 students in Merced, CA, and stands out as a school on a positive trajectory within the broader Merced City Elementary district.

The school has shown a strong recovery since the pandemic, now ranking above average for the state and significantly outperforming its district in English, math, and especially science. It also has a lower rate of chronic student absences than most nearby schools, including Don Stowell Elementary and John Muir Elementary. This progress is notable given the school's higher-than-ideal student-teacher ratio, suggesting resources are being used effectively. Interestingly, its closest neighbors, Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary and Luther Burbank Elementary, show similar strengths, hinting at positive community factors in this part of Merced.

Areas for attention include a performance gap between female and male students. While per-student spending has increased substantially in recent years, academic gains have been more gradual, indicating a focus on how those funds are used. Overall, Allan Peterson Elementary is a improving school that has demonstrated particular effectiveness in helping its students rebound academically.

690

Students ?

25.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,660

Per pupil spending ?

67%

Free/discounted lunch ?

848 East Donna Dr.
Merced, CA 95340-0600

(209) 385-6700

District: Merced City Elementary

Students who attend Allan Peterson Elementary usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.9%

White:

20.1%

Asian:

12.0%

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Compare Allan Peterson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 48th percentile in 2022 → 55th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 55th (2025) from a 48th-percentile low (2022)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Merced City Elementary

✓Above the California median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg27%

California avg41%

2,663^rd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 45%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From top 36% (2015) to top 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 13Elementary 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	48.7	2663 of 5857	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.5	2962 of 5869	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.1	2998 of 5859	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.9	3031 of 5883	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.5	1858 of 5789	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.2	1906 of 5662	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.4	2209 of 5692	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	56.3	2158 of 5614	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.9	2035 of 5611	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	65.7	1792 of 5530	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	46.9	2812 of 5390	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	63.1	1842 of 5377	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.3	1442 of 5314	72.9%	★★★★☆
2009	58.8	1988 of 5193	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	52.9	2225 of 5113	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	53.6	2129 of 5113	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	57.4	1853 of 4818	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	55.6	1926 of 4822	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	46.9	2309 of 4809	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	3.5	1135 of 1190	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.0	884 of 1149	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	23.0	2173 of 2585	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.6	2085 of 2128	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.9	2346 of 5597	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.1	2645 of 5612	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.2	2508 of 5609	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.9	2638 of 5635	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.6	1766 of 5492	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.3	1639 of 5413	69.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.5	1639 of 5107	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.6	2372 of 5107	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.5	2151 of 5087	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.4	3108 of 5084	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.8	1368 of 4963	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	65.5	1352 of 4830	72.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	2264 of 5460	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.1	2899 of 5517	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.0	2491 of 5363	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.3	2886 of 5264	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.5	1869 of 5173	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.0	1972 of 5084	61.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.0	2875 of 5628	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.9	3076 of 5643	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.1	3327 of 5638	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.1	3361 of 5663	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.4	1896 of 5510	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.5	2096 of 5431	61.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.4	1983 of 2598	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.6	1944 of 2651	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.8	2083 of 2661	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.7	1913 of 2726	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	59.4	1235 of 2834	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.3	1247 of 2737	54.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)68th percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)59th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)58th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)49th percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)24th percentile-31 vs school

Disabled (2019)16th percentile-52 vs school

Asian (2023)5th percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy46%-3 vs state

Science37%+5 vs state

Mathematics35%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Allan Peterson 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 Immunizations 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)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	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/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 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	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Allan Peterson Elementary	Public	K-6	848 East Donna Dr.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6700	690	27	25.6	67.0%	139 (20.1%)	28 (4.1%)	386 (55.9%)	83 (12.0%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.1%)	48.7	2663^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	54.5%		43.5	2962^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	49.5%	299	37.4	37.4	47.4	28.6	58.6	46.2	45.5	44.3	29.7	39.4	26.9	35.3	94.9	97.5		94.9	97.5	96.2	$22,660	$21,686	$974
Donn B. Chenoweth Elementary	Public	K-6	3200 Parsons Ave.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6620	722	29	24.8	59.6%	138 (19.1%)	33 (4.6%)	433 (60.0%)	65 (9.0%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	46 (6.4%)	44.8	2901^st of 5857 public elementary schools	50.5%		43.6	2955^th of 5869 public elementary schools	49.7%	54	30.7	30.7	52.6	46.4	38.6	48.0	46.3	47.4	33.0	18.0	27.8	31.4	97.1		98.1				$23,075	$22,070	$1,005
Merced City School District Community Day	Public	K-6	601 Mercy Ave.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6647	22	3	7.6	86.4%	4 (18.2%)	4 (18.2%)	9 (40.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (18.2%)								(n/a)							0.0
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%)	44.1	2947^th of 5857 public elementary schools	49.7%		45.6	2825^th of 5869 public elementary schools	51.9%	122	37.7	37.7	33.3	41.5	55.3	43.4	43.8	39.4	27.4	28.1	30.0	31.1	95.1		96.3		96.3		$22,307	$21,388	$919
Rudolph Rivera Elementary	Public	K-6	945 Buena Vista Dr.	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6680	917	34	27.0	75.5%	68 (7.4%)	77 (8.4%)	588 (64.1%)	126 (13.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (5.9%)	23.6	4538^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.5%		25.3	4339^th of 5869 public elementary schools	26.1%	199	11.6	11.6	32.5	43.8	27.9	41.4	36.4	27.9	15.7	9.3	15.0	16.8	95.9	97.5		96.7	97.5	97.5	$19,187	$18,370	$817
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%)	23	4592^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	21.6%		25.1	4356^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.8%	236	24.4	24.4	17.9	17.9	34.6	35.6	26.4	19.1	15.5	21.8	32.2	22.2	93.1	96.6			93.1	96.6	$22,443	$21,488	$955
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%)	24.1	4486^th of 5857 public elementary schools	23.4%		34.4	3565^th of 5869 public elementary schools	39.3%	921	17.8	17.8	31.7	33.8	31.5	27.5	31.0	39.0	26.3	17.8	11.0	23.3	96.5	98.2		98.2	97.4	98.2	$25,084	$24,046	$1,038
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%)	29.4	4008^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.6%		24.9	4374^th of 5869 public elementary schools	25.5%	366	25.4	25.4	32.1	33.8	41.8	15.4	31.0	39.2	31.3	28.4	9.2	27.8	96.8						$22,428	$21,348	$1,080
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%)	25.2	4373^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	25.3%		22.3	4653^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	20.7%	280	16.4	16.4	33.8	34.9	30.1	38.0	34.3	36.4	20.3	20.6	8.9	21.5							$26,942	$26,022	$920
Don Stowell Elementary	Public	K-6	251 East 11th St.	Merced	95341	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%)	14.5	5312^th of 5857 public elementary schools	9.3%		12.1	5549^th of 5869 public elementary schools	5.5%	237	13.2	13.2	20.0	16.4	23.7	28.0	22.2	30.8	18.9	10.9	7.9	16.3	92.8		94.2	97.1	94.2		$25,622	$24,630	$992

Frequently Asked Questions about Allan Peterson Elementary

What district is Allan Peterson Elementary in?

Merced City Elementary

Is Allan Peterson Elementary a good school?

Allan Peterson Elementary ranks 2663^rd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Allan Peterson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Allan Peterson Elementary usually go on to attend:

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

How many students attend Allan Peterson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 690 students attended Allan Peterson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Allan Peterson Elementary?

Students at Allan Peterson Elementary are 56% Hispanic, 20% White, 12% Asian, 7% Two or more races, 4% African American.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.