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Joe Stefani

Q: Is Joe Stefani a good school?

Joe Stefani ranks 4148 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 3-6

4148^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of California elementary schools

Summary

Joe Stefani Elementary is a public school serving about 640 students in grades 3 through 6 in the Merced City Elementary district, a school that performs in the middle of its district but faces significant challenges common to high-poverty areas.

Within its own district, Joe Stefani is actually one of the stronger performers, ranking above schools like Alicia Reyes Elementary and Margaret Sheehy Elementary. It achieves this despite having larger class sizes and less funding per student than many of its district peers. The school has shown real strength in supporting English Language Learners and has made excellent progress in improving student attendance since the pandemic. However, test scores, especially in math, are low overall, and performance varies widely from grade to grade.

The most striking finding is the dramatic difference between Joe Stefani and high-performing schools in neighboring districts, like McSwain Elementary just a few miles away. McSwain has much higher test scores, far better attendance, and smaller classes, highlighting a significant district-level gap. For parents, this means Joe Stefani is managing its resources effectively in a tough context, but its overall academic results are heavily influenced by the broader challenges of the Merced City Elementary district.

641

Students ?

27.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,069

Per pupil spending ?

88%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2768 Ranchero Ln.
Merced, CA 95348-3503

(209) 724-2500

District: Merced City Elementary

Students who attend Joe Stefani usually attend:

High:

El Capitan High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.3%

Asian:

18.9%

White:

9.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Joe Stefani to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 23rd percentile in 2023 → 29th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 29th (2025) from a 23rd-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (28% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 15 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg27%

California avg41%

4,148^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 38% (2015) to bottom 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th 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	27.8	4148 of 5857	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	4055 of 5869	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.3	4521 of 5859	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	4476 of 5883	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.8	3954 of 5789	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.8	4013 of 5662	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	30.6	3793 of 5692	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.6	3438 of 5614	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.7	3489 of 5611	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	36.0	3603 of 5530	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	27.7	4110 of 5390	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.1	4058 of 5377	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	38.7	3254 of 5314	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	16.9	4626 of 5193	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.5	4231 of 5113	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	35.2	3218 of 5113	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.8	1104 of 1203	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.7	1095 of 1205	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.8	1105 of 1190	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.7	1091 of 1154	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.6	1075 of 1149	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.9	1028 of 1071	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	36.2	1227 of 2227	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.5	1711 of 2585	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.0	1442 of 2128	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	38.2	1941 of 3162	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.3	1527 of 3245	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.9	1152 of 3311	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.2	1709 of 3275	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.8	2331 of 3246	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.8	3711 of 5597	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.2	3778 of 5612	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.2	4406 of 5609	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	4560 of 5635	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.2	3969 of 5492	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.1	4160 of 5413	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	3631 of 5107	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.7	3598 of 5107	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.0	4021 of 5087	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.6	3906 of 5084	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.5	3135 of 4963	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.0	3274 of 4830	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.3	3569 of 5460	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.6	3396 of 5517	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	3913 of 5363	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.7	3612 of 5264	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.1	3266 of 5173	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.4	3364 of 5084	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.2	4265 of 5628	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	4049 of 5643	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.4	4308 of 5638	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.2	3945 of 5663	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.4	3594 of 5510	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.9	3634 of 5431	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.5	1971 of 2847	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.8	1783 of 2635	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	15.2	2409 of 2420	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	20.1	2169 of 2598	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.9	2308 of 2651	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.5	2511 of 2661	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.1	2569 of 2726	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.0	2298 of 2834	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.0	2259 of 2737	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)45th percentile+21 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)39th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)35th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)34th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2025)31st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)29th percentile~ school

Male (2025)24th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)17th percentile-13 vs school

Asian (2025)8th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy36%-13 vs state

Mathematics22%-15 vs state

Science21%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Joe Stefani

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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 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th 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
Joe Stefani	Public	3-6	2768 Ranchero Ln.	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 724-2500	641	23	27.6	88.0%	59 (9.2%)	24 (3.7%)	406 (63.3%)	121 (18.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	28 (4.4%)	27.8	4148^th of 5857 public elementary schools	29.2%		28.7	4055^th of 5869 public elementary schools	30.9%	93	20.6		20.6	22.1	38.8	42.2	36.8			35.7	24.2	32.3	23.2	10.2			22.4							$21,069	$20,380	$689
Franklin Elementary	Public	K-3	2936 Franklin Rd.	Merced	95348	Merced County	Merced City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 385-6623	602	27	22.2	81.6%	41 (6.8%)	14 (2.3%)	414 (68.8%)	107 (17.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.0%)								(n/a)				35.3						35.3	29.4						29.4	97.3				98.4		$27,126	$25,676	$1,450
Leontine Gracey Elementary	Public	K-6	945 West Ave.	Merced	95341	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%)	23.7	4525^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.7%		26.4	4260^th of 5869 public elementary schools	27.4%	265	17.0		17.0	15.8	21.9	30.5	52.2			29.5	15.4	16.2	10.2	38.8			20.1							$26,225	$25,220	$1,005
McSwain Elementary	Public	K-8	922 Scott Rd.	Merced	95341	Merced County	McSwain Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 354-2700	912	44	20.9	35.1%	354 (38.8%)	3 (0.3%)	464 (50.9%)	56 (6.1%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (3.6%)	58.5	2141^st of 5857 public elementary schools	63.4%		55.4	2268^th of 5869 public elementary schools	61.4%	127	30.6	29.7	30.2	68.5	39.1	44.9	60.4	50.4	52.5	52.3	60.7	39.1	30.6	44.1	21.7	26.7	36.5							$33,014	$32,558	$456
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
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
Margaret Sheehy Elementary	Public	K-6	1240 West Sixth St.	Merced	95341	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%)	18.2	4996^th of 5857 public elementary schools	14.7%		13.7	5423^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	7.6%	427	7.6		7.6	28.6	32.1	26.6	18.2			26.2	36.4	22.6	4.6	13.6			19.9	95.6				96.7		$25,676	$24,292	$1,384
Juniper Elementary	Public	K-6	661 East Juniper Ave.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-9930	495	20	24.7	73.3%	61 (12.3%)	4 (0.8%)	381 (77.0%)	36 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)	54.4	2345^th of 5857 public elementary schools	60.0%		48.1	2657^th of 5869 public elementary schools	54.7%	312	45.3		45.3	29.1	53.3	57.8	42.1			46.2	37.5	41.7	42.2	36.8			39.7							$20,392	$18,244	$2,148
Bellevue Elementary	Public	K-6	1020 East Bellevue Rd.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Atwater Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 357-6140	599	25	23.9	91.8%	30 (5.0%)	9 (1.5%)	535 (89.3%)	10 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.2%)	33.1	3716^th of 5857 public elementary schools	36.6%		35	3514^th of 5869 public elementary schools	40.1%	202	16.3		16.3	33.8	33.3	32.2	47.7			36.8	39.0	30.0	29.4	24.4			30.5	95.3		98.1	97.2	96.3	97.2	$25,194	$22,748	$2,446
Alicia Reyes Elementary	Public	K-6	123 South N St.	Merced	95341	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%)	9.7	5650^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.5%		16.3	5189^th of 5869 public elementary schools	11.6%	461	12.5		12.5	13.3	14.0	21.9	22.5			17.8	14.7	10.5	11.1	5.6			10.2							$26,382	$25,322	$1,060

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Stefani

Is Joe Stefani a good school?

Joe Stefani ranks 4148^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Joe Stefani?

Students at Joe Stefani are 63% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 9% White, 4% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What district is Joe Stefani in?

Merced City Elementary

How many students attend Joe Stefani?

In the 2024-25 school year, 641 students attended Joe Stefani.

What schools do graduates of Joe Stefani attend?

Students who attend Joe Stefani usually go on to attend:

High : El Capitan High

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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.