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Golden Valley High

Q: Is Golden Valley High a good school?

Golden Valley High ranks 1423 rd of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1423^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,135 California High Schools

Better than 33% of California high schools

Summary

Golden Valley High serves 1,917 students in grades 9–12 in Merced, in the Merced Union High district. Its 2025–26 results show a mixed picture: 97% of students graduated, above the state’s 88%, while 28% were chronically absent, compared with 18% statewide. The clearest concern is math: proficiency was 13%, below both the district’s 16% and California’s 38%.

English language arts is the school’s strongest subject relative to its district, with 41% proficiency, about 1 percentage point below the district and 8 below the state. It was just ahead of Merced High (41%), but below El Capitan High (48%) and Buhach Colony High (53%). In math and science, Golden Valley also trailed the three other full-size district high schools’ averages: 6 percentage points in math and 5 in science. Its 97% graduation rate was higher than the district’s 96% and state’s 88%; its 3% dropout rate was below the district’s 3% and state’s 8%.

Results have moved unevenly: math gained 3 points from 2022–23 to 2025–26 but fell 4 points in the latest year, while science rose 6 points over the four-year period and ELA was essentially unchanged. SchoolDigger rates Golden Valley 2 stars and places it at the 33rd statewide percentile, down from the 60th percentile in 2015–16. Its 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 21.3, similar to other full-size district schools; 85% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s rankings also show a notable rise for African American Students, from the 17th percentile in 2023–24 to the 57th in 2025–26, while Multi-racial Students ranked at the 4th percentile in 2025–26, well below the school’s overall 33rd percentile.

1,917

Students ?

21.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,380

Per pupil spending ?

85.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

2121 East Childs Ave.
Merced, CA 95344-0188

(209) 325-1800

District: Merced Union High

Feeder schools for Golden Valley High:

Elementary:	Ada Givens Elementary
	Charles Wright Elementary
	El Nido Elementary
	Farmdale Elementary
	More...
	Pioneer Elementary
Middle:	Herbert Hoover Middle
	Weaver Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.7%

Asian:

9.5%

White:

9.3%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Golden Valley High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2016 → 33rd in 2026

Strengths

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (26% vs 42% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 18% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school26%

District avg27%

California avg42%

1,423^rd of 2,135

California public high schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 26 pts since 2016

From top 40% (2016) to bottom 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 8High Schools in the Merced Union High

1066^th of 1,530Merced Union High 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	33.0	1423 of 2135	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.4	1347 of 2162	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	1288 of 2159	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.1	1340 of 2170	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.7	1289 of 2123	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.7	798 of 1290	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.3	1334 of 2133	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.3	1061 of 2017	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.4	1017 of 2021	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	58.4	820 of 2039	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.0	939 of 1994	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	65.0	426 of 2426	82.4%	★★★★☆
2012	67.1	363 of 2354	84.6%	★★★★☆
2011	64.6	408 of 2367	82.8%	★★★★☆
2010	52.7	685 of 2281	70.0%	★★★★☆
2009	50.5	733 of 2238	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	40.1	910 of 2117	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	38.6	910 of 2063	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	40.8	819 of 1968	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	41.3	771 of 1901	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2004	46.7	560 of 1653	66.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	50.7	214 of 492	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.5	341 of 523	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.4	430 of 517	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.9	254 of 521	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.9	352 of 522	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.8	352 of 592	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.4	381 of 582	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	17.2	489 of 575	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.4	446 of 585	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	4.0	552 of 573	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.5	545 of 591	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	507 of 581	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.0	513 of 582	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.2	519 of 581	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	22.7	1033 of 1161	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.7	329 of 555	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.3	998 of 1117	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.0	928 of 1052	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	41.7	548 of 1085	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.2	821 of 1064	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	825 of 1044	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.6	265 of 467	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.4	752 of 941	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	739 of 938	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	29.7	1330 of 1864	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.7	1242 of 1906	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.7	1235 of 1915	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.1	1244 of 1915	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.6	1212 of 1858	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.5	698 of 1054	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.9	1217 of 1833	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.3	1127 of 1760	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	33.4	1279 of 1880	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.9	1246 of 1900	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.3	1096 of 1902	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.5	1168 of 1917	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.3	1236 of 1861	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.4	1144 of 1814	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.5	984 of 1742	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	30.7	250 of 358	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.3	306 of 410	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.0	237 of 328	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	204 of 299	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.4	161 of 290	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	35.9	1302 of 1997	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.5	1295 of 2013	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.7	1301 of 2026	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	1256 of 2030	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.3	1243 of 1943	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.2	703 of 1126	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.5	1221 of 1937	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.6	1112 of 1862	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	31.4	1332 of 1930	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.8	1264 of 1942	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.1	1169 of 1948	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.0	1235 of 1963	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.2	1190 of 1916	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.1	754 of 1122	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.1	1222 of 1880	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.4	932 of 1834	49.2%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	4.1	566 of 588	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.5	525 of 577	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.2	511 of 541	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.2	397 of 422	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	30.6	267 of 366	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	28.3	898 of 1235	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.4	1092 of 1252	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	1138 of 1216	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	42.9	557 of 1197	53.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	18.8	947 of 1130	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.2	966 of 1155	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.8	827 of 1173	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	978 of 1193	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.5	712 of 1204	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.3	1012 of 1222	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.3	806 of 1173	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)57th percentile+23 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)49th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)35th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)32nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)31st percentile~ school

Homeless (2026)30th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)29th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)27th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)16th percentile-17 vs school

Asian (2026)15th percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2022)11th percentile-28 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)4th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy41%-8 vs state

Science23%-13 vs state

Mathematics13%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Golden Valley High

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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 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)					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 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Golden Valley High	Public	9-12	2121 East Childs Ave.	Merced	95344	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1800	1,917	90	21.3	85.1%	178 (9.3%)	96 (5.0%)	1,393 (72.7%)	182 (9.5%)	12 (0.6%)	4 (0.2%)	51 (2.7%)	33	1423^rd of 2135 public high schools	33.3%		36.4	1347^th of 2162 public high schools	37.7%	76		22.8		22.6				41.5	41.5				13.4	13.4	$19,380	$1,589	$17,791
Sequoia High	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95344	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1700	77	9	8.9	90.9%	10 (13.0%)	3 (3.9%)	63 (81.8%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)															$60,330	$4,834	$55,496
Yosemite High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1600	342	21	16.0	83.3%	39 (11.4%)	18 (5.3%)	266 (77.8%)	10 (2.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.0%)	11	1888^th of 2135 public high schools	11.6%		10.5	1999^th of 2162 public high schools	7.5%	111		3.7		4.3				8.2	8.2				8.1	8.1	$30,792	$1,973	$28,819
Independence High (Alternative)	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1600	87	10	8.2	88.5%	13 (14.9%)	9 (10.3%)	61 (70.1%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.4%)	18.8	1674^th of 2135 public high schools	21.6%		12.1	1910^th of 2162 public high schools	11.7%	236		14.3		14.0				32.1	32.1				1.8	1.8	$29,315	$847	$28,468
Merced County Regional Occupational Program	Public	11-12	632 West 13th St.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Merced County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(209) 381-6740	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Merced High	Public	9-12	205 West Olive Ave.	Merced	95344	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1000	1,943	86	22.5	79.4%	262 (13.5%)	107 (5.5%)	1,326 (68.2%)	142 (7.3%)	12 (0.6%)	7 (0.4%)	84 (4.3%)	34.4	1389^th of 2135 public high schools	34.9%		36	1358^th of 2162 public high schools	37.2%	31		23.1		22.8				41.1	41.1				15.6	15.6	$18,935	$1,718	$17,217
Come Back Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	350 West Yosemite Ave	Merced	95341	Merced County	Merced County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 386-6025	128	5	27.2	88.3%	20 (15.6%)	3 (2.3%)	99 (77.3%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	3 (2.3%)								(n/a)			14.3	14.3											$13,606	$202	$13,404
Valley Merced Community	Public	6-12	1850 Wardrobe Ave.	Merced	95341	Merced County	Merced County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 381-4500	99	5	20.2	94.9%	10 (10.1%)	10 (10.1%)	76 (76.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)	10.6	1913^th of 2135 public high schools	10.4%		8.6	2093^rd of 2162 public high schools	3.2%	180	4.2	4.6	0.0	3.5			4.2	0.0	3.6			0.0	8.7	5.6	$20,661	$503	$20,158
El Capitan High	Public	9-12	100 West Farmland	Merced	95344	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 384-5500	1,793	85	21.1	76.2%	243 (13.6%)	89 (5.0%)	1,173 (65.4%)	226 (12.6%)	3 (0.2%)	7 (0.4%)	47 (2.6%)	42.2	1214^th of 2135 public high schools	43.1%		47.5	1085^th of 2162 public high schools	49.8%	129		26.6	18.2	26.3				48.3	48.3				18.5	18.5	$19,562	$1,592	$17,970
Buhach Colony High	Public	9-12	1800 Buhach Rd.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Merced Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 325-1400	1,704	76	22.5	78.5%	261 (15.3%)	36 (2.1%)	1,187 (69.7%)	169 (9.9%)	14 (0.8%)	2 (0.1%)	34 (2.0%)	53.2	969^th of 2135 public high schools	54.6%		50.3	1032^nd of 2162 public high schools	52.3%	63		32.7		32.4				53.3	53.3				25.1	25.1	$19,947	$1,706	$18,241

Frequently Asked Questions about Golden Valley High

What schools feed into Golden Valley High?

Golden Valley High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Ada Givens Elementary
Elementary : Charles Wright Elementary
Elementary : El Nido Elementary
Elementary : Farmdale Elementary
Elementary : Pioneer Elementary
Middle : Herbert Hoover Middle
Middle : Weaver Middle

What is the racial makeup of Golden Valley High?

Students at Golden Valley High are 73% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 9% White, 5% African American, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Golden Valley High in?

Merced Union High

How many students attend Golden Valley High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,917 students attended Golden Valley High.

Is Golden Valley High a good school?

Golden Valley High ranks 1423^rd of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Golden Valley High!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

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

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 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.