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Merced High

Q: Is Merced High a good school?

Merced High ranks 1358 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1358^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 37% of California high schools

Summary

Merced High is a public high school located in Merced, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,951 students. The school is part of the Merced Union High School District, which is ranked 1134 out of 1543 districts in California and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Merced High performs below the state average and the nearby schools in the district, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts (41.61%), Mathematics (14.54%), and Science (21.59%) all lower than the district and state averages. The school's performance has been relatively consistent over the past few years, with its statewide ranking ranging from 1134 to 1362 out of around 2,200 California high schools. While Merced High's four-year graduation rate is generally in line with the district and state averages, its dropout rate has been higher, ranging from 2.6% to 8.9% in recent years.

One notable challenge for Merced High is its relatively high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 20.4% to 28.1% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with African American and Asian students tending to perform below their peers, while White and Hispanic students perform closer to the school and state averages. The school's performance for English Language Learners, Special Education students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds is also below the school and state averages.

1,943

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,194

Per pupil spending ?

79.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

205 West Olive Ave.
Merced, CA 95348-3100

(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 — 68th percentile in 2015 → 37th in 2025

Strengths

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (26% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 19% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 31 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg26%

California avg41%

1,358^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 31 pts since 2015

From top 32% (2015) to bottom 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

1134^th of 1,543Merced 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)

Homeless (2025)65th percentile+27 vs school

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

White (2025)38th percentile~ school

Male (2025)36th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)36th percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)33rd percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)32nd percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)22nd percentile-15 vs school

Migrant (2024)21st percentile-17 vs school

African American (2025)21st percentile-17 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)13th percentile-24 vs school

Asian (2025)12th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Science22%-11 vs state

Mathematics15%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Merced High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores 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)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 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	95348	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%)	36	1358^th of 2162 public high schools	37.2%		36	1339^th of 2159 public high schools	38.0%	19		21.1		21.6		41.6	41.6		14.5	14.5	$12,194	$1,105	$11,089
Come Back Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	350 West Yosemite Ave	Merced	95348	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)			4.8	4.8							$11,488	$752	$10,736
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%)	10.5	1999^th of 2162 public high schools	7.5%		9.7	2088^th of 2159 public high schools	3.3%	89		4.7		4.4		10.8	10.8		2.3	2.3	$20,460	$3,034	$17,426
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%)	12.1	1910^th of 2162 public high schools	11.7%		12.4	1921^st of 2159 public high schools	11.0%	11		5.3		4.7		20.5	20.5		0.0	0.0	$27,616	$1,539	$26,077
Sequoia High	Public	9-12	1900 G St.	Merced	95340	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)											$35,926	$5,721	$30,205
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%)	36.4	1347^th of 2162 public high schools	37.7%		38.2	1288^th of 2159 public high schools	40.3%	59		20.1	6.3	19.6		40.8	40.8		17.1	17.1	$12,796	$2,372	$10,424
El Capitan High	Public	9-12	100 West Farmland	Merced	95348	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%)	47.5	1085^th of 2162 public high schools	49.8%		47.3	1073^rd of 2159 public high schools	50.3%	12		28.5	20.0	28.2		53.6	53.6		14.3	14.3	$12,870	$2,058	$10,812
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%)	50.3	1032^nd of 2162 public high schools	52.3%		36.7	1322^nd of 2159 public high schools	38.8%	290		31.6	40.0	31.9		53.0	53.0		15.3	15.3	$13,560	$1,548	$12,012
Valley Atwater Community	Public	6-12	1800 Matthew Ave.	Atwater	95301	Merced County	Merced County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 381-4550	122	8	15.6	94.3%	14 (11.5%)	3 (2.5%)	100 (82.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.3%)	8.2	2108^th of 2162 public high schools	2.5%		9	2122^nd of 2159 public high schools	1.7%	14	0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0	9.8	6.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	$20,948	$1,944	$19,004

Frequently Asked Questions about 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

Is Merced High a good school?

Merced High ranks 1358^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Merced High?

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

What district is Merced High in?

Merced Union High

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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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.