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Merced High

Q: Is Merced High a good school?

Merced High ranks 1389 th of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1389^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,135 California High Schools

Better than 35% of California high schools

Summary

Merced High is a large public high school in Merced, California, serving grades 9–12 with 1,943 students. In 2025–2026, results were below California’s averages in all three subjects: 41% in English language arts (ELA) versus 49% statewide, 16% in math versus 38%, and 23% in science versus 36%. Graduation was a bright spot at 96%, compared with 88% statewide, while chronic absenteeism was 28%, versus 18% statewide. The clearest academic concern is math, where the school was 23 percentage points below the state.

Compared with the Merced Union High district, the school was slightly below average in all three subjects: by 1 point in ELA, less than 1 point in math, and 2 points in science. Against the three nearby traditional high schools’ average, the largest gap was in ELA: the school was 7 points lower, compared with gaps of 3 points in math and 4 in science. It ranked second-lowest of the four in each subject, ahead of Golden Valley High in math and science, and just below it in ELA. So ELA is closest to the state, while math is closest to the district and nearby-school average.

Results have moved unevenly: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, ELA fell 6 points, while math rose 1 point and science rose 1 point; statewide results improved in all three subjects, widening the gaps. SchoolDigger’s overall ranking also fell from the 62nd percentile in 2015–2016 to the 35th percentile in 2025–2026, when the school had 2 stars. Its 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 22.5, at the high end among nearby traditional schools; 79% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s subgroup rankings put its measured effectiveness for Asian students and multiracial students at the 5th percentile, compared with 35th overall. The supplied data do not include subgroup counts, so those rankings do not show how many students they represent.

1,943

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,935

Per pupil spending ?

79.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

205 West Olive Ave.
Merced, CA 95344-3100

(209) 325-1000

District: Merced Union High

Feeder schools for Merced High:

Elementary:	John C. Fremont Elementary
	John Muir Elementary
	Luther Burbank Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

68.2%

White:

13.5%

Asian:

7.3%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Merced High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 62nd percentile in 2016 → 35th in 2026

Strengths

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (27% 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 school27%

District avg27%

California avg42%

1,389^th of 2,135

California public high schools ?

Bottom 35%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to bottom 35% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^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	34.4	1389 of 2135	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.0	1358 of 2162	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.0	1339 of 2159	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.7	1134 of 2170	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.3	1197 of 2123	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.2	682 of 1290	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.8	1083 of 2133	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.4	1024 of 2017	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	49.4	1039 of 2021	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	61.0	772 of 2039	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	66.2	638 of 1994	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	70.2	299 of 2426	87.7%	★★★★☆
2012	76.1	203 of 2354	91.4%	★★★★★
2011	75.3	202 of 2367	91.5%	★★★★★
2010	69.8	297 of 2281	87.0%	★★★★☆
2009	55.1	598 of 2238	73.3%	★★★★☆
2008	56.3	536 of 2117	74.7%	★★★★☆
2007	52.3	604 of 2063	70.7%	★★★★☆
2006	48.3	666 of 1968	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	50.9	576 of 1901	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	48.0	533 of 1653	67.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	36.3	305 of 492	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.1	415 of 523	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	381 of 517	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	70.5	124 of 521	76.2%	★★★★☆
2022	22.8	423 of 522	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	405 of 592	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.7	334 of 582	42.6%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	4.1	548 of 575	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.3	517 of 585	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	4.6	547 of 573	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.5	553 of 591	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	501 of 581	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.2	473 of 582	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	479 of 581	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	32.9	742 of 1161	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.7	444 of 555	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.0	537 of 1117	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	17.7	970 of 1052	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	40.4	574 of 1085	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.5	323 of 1064	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.2	695 of 1044	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.7	292 of 467	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.4	751 of 941	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	739 of 938	21.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	32.1	1282 of 1864	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.4	1291 of 1906	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.3	1357 of 1915	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.6	1025 of 1915	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.0	1224 of 1858	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.0	608 of 1054	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.7	1177 of 1833	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.6	1063 of 1760	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	36.3	1229 of 1880	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.3	1264 of 1900	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.7	1225 of 1902	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.3	1065 of 1917	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.9	1015 of 1861	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.9	1038 of 1814	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.0	1016 of 1742	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	36.8	217 of 358	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.9	145 of 410	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.8	98 of 328	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	13.4	281 of 299	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	33.7	195 of 290	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	32.3	1384 of 1997	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.1	1355 of 2013	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	1392 of 2026	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.8	1107 of 2030	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.0	1178 of 1943	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.4	669 of 1126	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.1	955 of 1937	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.7	1038 of 1862	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	31.7	1321 of 1930	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.0	1240 of 1942	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	1149 of 1948	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.6	1105 of 1963	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.6	1041 of 1916	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.9	622 of 1122	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.0	820 of 1880	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.9	923 of 1834	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	25.4	67 of 85	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	6.0	556 of 588	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.1	502 of 577	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	490 of 574	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.1	504 of 541	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	892 of 1235	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.0	973 of 1252	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	979 of 1216	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	1029 of 1197	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	850 of 1130	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.1	719 of 1155	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.8	835 of 1173	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	51.1	588 of 1193	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.3	897 of 1204	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.3	640 of 1222	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.7	514 of 1173	56.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)47th percentile+9 vs school

Homeless (2026)39th percentile+4 vs school

African American (2026)38th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2022)36th percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)35th percentile~ school

Male (2026)32nd percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)31st percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)31st percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2026)28th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)25th percentile-10 vs school

Migrant (2024)21st percentile-17 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)5th percentile-29 vs school

Asian (2026)5th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy41%-8 vs state

Science23%-13 vs state

Mathematics16%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Merced 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
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
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
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
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)
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
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 Merced High

Is Merced High a good school?

Merced High ranks 1389^th of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Merced High in?

Merced Union High

How many students attend Merced High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,943 students attended Merced High.

What schools feed into Merced High?

Merced High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : John C. Fremont Elementary
Elementary : John Muir Elementary
Elementary : Luther Burbank Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Merced High?

Students at Merced High are 68% Hispanic, 13% White, 7% Asian, 6% African American, 4% Two or more races.

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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.